First, to my family (immediate and extended): I love you all so so much. More than you all know. You're a big part of why I'm here and your testimonies strengthen me so much. I'm so excited to see you all again soon!
This week we did a lot of service. On Tuesday and Wednesday we helped at Granite Education Foundation which gives out school kits to families who may need it. I really liked it because it was a lot of inventory/organizational work which always is fun for me. On Friday, us and the elders helped a sweet irmã clear her backyard. They had chopped down a tree and wanted us to move all the branches. I wish we had before and after branches because the pile we moved was like HUGE! It was ridiculously hot but I had a lot of fun.
Yesterday we started EnglishConnect via Zoom! I posted it in a Facebook group called Brasileiros in SLC so I figured it would reach mostly local people. We had like 40 people respond and many were in Brasil lol!! Not what we intended, but all were welcome. It was fun! We had about 10 people and they liked it!
Sometimes it's kind of hard here because it's just so different that the missionary work I'm used to. And sometimes with all the changes in the world and my world specifically, it can be hard. But I have felt my Savior with me and have had special experiences with prayers and answers to prayers. I know that as we pour out our heart to Him in prayer, we can feel Him lift our burden. With prayer, I believe we get out what we put in; more earnest prayers are more likely to receive more tangible responses. Also, I love priesthood blessings.
Jesus Christ is our Savior and He walks with us. We are blessed to live in these times as we await the day He returns. They may be scary, but "the future is as bright as our faith."
Love,
Sister Dobbs
I fed a cow last pday and cow tongues are super weird!! Long and kinda blue
Service! We counted all the school supplies in each of those boxes :))
We made enchiladas!
We made apple crisp from apples from my grandpa's tree
Tuesday, July 21, 2020
Helloooooo!!!
Sorry about no group email last week! But it was a fun week. We had Zone Conference, made a fun video for Facebook (in Portuguese), KELLI WENT TO CHURCH! and we went to the baptism of a kid in the ward and got invited to his BIRTHDAY PARTY after. It was way fun. We stayed outside and wore masks but it was fun. We also got to eat good old Brazilian food: salgadinhos, brigadeiro e bolo. Kelly LOVED church and felt the Spirit. There was a musical number and she said she wanted to stand up and clap after, it was so good. A super great week.
Now on to this one:
Super great news!!! Kelli was baptized yesterday!! I'm so so happy for her! It's been really special. When we got the referral in May when we got here, she was suuuuper busy so it was hard to get a hold of her. But, we were able to have a cool lesson and gave her a Book of Mormon, promising the power it can bring into our lives. She was super diligent about reading it and it helped her make a lot of changes in her life. I'm so happy for her and proud of her progress. People CAN change!!! She made the decision to be baptized! The service was so special yesterday. A cute family did a musical number and the spirit was so strong. I got to be a witness! Kelly cried during the talk, during the musical number, when she received the Holy Ghost, basically the whole time. She's so funny. She had to be baptized 3 times because her left hand didn't go down and she laughed about that the rest of the day. But, the whole thing was so special and such a miracle.
Another miracle!! We found someone to teach through Facebook!! We posted something about doing a Bible Study in a Brazilian Facebook Page and someone named Frank messaged us saying he wanted to learn about the church!!! It was awesome!! He's super cool and super interested. He just texted us right now that he's been reading the Book of Mormon on the plane and is loving it! He lives in another mission so we passed him off to the elders there but he is awesome. Eleitos!!
We made more pão de queijo and it was yummy! We tried making cuscus and brigadeiro (a Brazilian truffle thing) but it did not work out. Also, if anyone's in doubt, baking powder and baking soda are VERY different and can NOT be used as substitutes, as we learned with some brownies that turned out super weird. We still ate them though.
Today I was kinda stressed because there's a lot going on at home and here but I found a lot of comfort in the hymn "Be Still, My Soul." I especially loved when it said:
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In ev’ry change he faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
This was just such a comfort to me because He has guided me in the past and will continue to do so. Everything will work out. I know it will.
Beijos!!
Sister Dobbs
My district!!
Kelly!!
For pday we went to Wheeler Farm and saw lots of animals
We went on a super pretty hike in Cottonwood Canyon called Donut Falls. It was pretty cold in the the canyon. The waterfall was beautiful. It had just rained so it was a bit slippery, but so so fun. We ate our lunch on the trail like the legit campers we are. #nature
This week we met lots of families in the area and are trying to find new people to share the greatest news ever with: that there is a God who loves us and He has restored His church on the earth today! We have a lot of fun knocking on doors of people who were taught in the past. We've met some fun people! I'm coming to realize how (relatively) diverse Salt Lake is! We've met people from Angola, Ghana, Yemen, South Sudan, The Congo, Venezuela, Chile, Argentina, Bosnia, Somalia, Portugal and Brazil of course. It's crazy!
For the 4th we got Brazilian style hot dogs at a food truck owned by a member in our ward. It was soooooo good. Complete with mayo, mashed potatoes, peas, corn and cheese, it was delish.
Our shower broke last week! The faucet just came straight off and when we tried to put it back in place, and turned the water on, the water pressure shot it off again. So guess who showered using buckets for about a week. 🙋♀️ At least it was hot water. It finally got fixed on Friday.
We also met John Bytheway this week! He lives like 2 minutes from us and we had to stop by to pick something up and talked to him and his wife for like 30 minutes! They were so nice. He used to be our Stake high councilor over missionary work but was telling us he just got called to be on the General Young Men Presidency so that's kinda exciting. His daughter's getting married tomorrow too and they invited us to the drive by reception, lol.
This was something our mission president's wife read in a devotional. It's Mosiah 15:14-16. This is to all my missionary friends out there (and you know, every member a missionary!) In crazy times, the Lord needs US to "publish peace." To let the world know that it's all gonna be okay and this is all part of the Plan. All those who continue to declare peace to the world, are an example to the world, an ensign to the nations. And I know Prince of Peace Himself is so pleased when we do so.
I love you all!! It's all gonna be okay!
And these are they who have published peace, who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation; and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!
And O how beautiful upon the mountains were their feet!
And again, how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those that are still publishing peace!
SISTER RICHES!!! from the Bay Area, she was called to the Porto Alegre South Mission and when she had 4 weeks in the MTC, she got sent home, like us all. But, now she's here in the Great Salt Lake City Mission and is so excited to be here. She's super ready to work and is taking everything in stride which I'm so impressed with. We love her so much. It's my first time being in a trio but it's a good time.
This week, we had Josélia and Marcos' wedding on Saturday! We did it outside the church and it was really cute. They were so happy and so grateful.
Then, on Sunday we had a really beautiful baptismal service with them. They just got here to the states in March so starting in about January they had been taught by a handful of missionaries in Brasil. The missionary who taught them and baptized Heloiza their daughter, Elder Weston, got to participate via Zoom and bore a sweet testimony. His family was at the service because they live here and it was such a cool connection. They are such a special family. We sang "When I am Baptized" in Portuguese and the bishop gave a little message which I translated for!! (The Weston family doesn't speak Portuguese, obvi). He cried, they cried, I almost cried, the spirit was so strong.
I know that there are people in every part of the world prepared to receive the gospel. These people were guided to the church through simple, yet powerful ways. Heloiza saw a video on YouTube about general conference and fell in love and wanted to learn more. Joselia saw the elders walking on the street on her way to work and was curious. Marcos worked as a bus driver and took a group of members to the Recife temple and they kindly explained things about the church, the gospel, temples, etc. They really were guided to this moment because the Lord knows all things and is able to work miracles.
I love you all!!
-Sister Dobbs
Us eating Cafe Rio at the park
The happy couple
And the bridesmaids/witnesses/wedding planners
I caught the bouquet!
Our shower broke
My cooking: stir fry and fried rice!!
Sister Riches!!!
I made beans and rice for Sister Riches'd 1st day to get that authentic Brazil experience (except the beans were not the same as the irmãs make it. I'll keep trying)
Mauri was recently featured in a Church Newsroom article and video about reassigned missionaries. Below is the article and link as well as the YouTube video.
Thousands of reassigned missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are heading out to new assignments in their home countries following disruptions due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Young missionaries across the world returned home from their international assignments in waves this spring, when Church leaders became concerned for their health and safety when the pandemic hit.
“We have moved about 26,000 missionaries, all of them to their home countries,” said Elder Brent Nielson, a General Authority Seventy and executive director of the Church’s Missionary Department.
Church travel employees around the globe spent sleepless nights in their offices booking flights and chartering planes to bring the elders and sisters home. Many missionaries were not given much notice before having to pack their belongings and head to the nearest airport. Some left their missions without their luggage.
“This involved many weeks of very little sleep as we coordinated flights, whether those be commercial or charter flights, wherever the missionaries needed to go,” said Nanette Sorensen, Global Travel Services manager for the Church’s Materials Management Department (MMD). “Between our staff here and the staff in the area offices, we saw miracles happen as borders opened up and we all worked together for this common good.”
“In addition to the sacrifice and the dedication, it was amazing how unified we were as a team,” said Russell Harrington, missionary travel manager for Global Travel Services, who slept by his desk some nights while working to help bring all of the missionaries home. “And if that took staying up for 36 hours and working at our desk the entire time, we did it. And everyone did it. The unity that played into that was pretty phenomenal.”
Thank-you notes from the families of missionaries and others hang in the Travel office in the Church Office Building in Salt Lake City.
In Utah, where many neighborhoods are predominantly Latter-day Saint, congregations organized drive-by parades to welcome home the missionaries whose missions were cut short. “I was so happy. That made me feel so loved. That was so sweet,” expressed Sister Katie Telford, who returned to her South Jordan home following 15 months of service in the Philippines.
Missions Make Room for Reassigned Missionaries
Those missionaries who had just a few months left to serve were released. Those with more time on their missions were given two options: depart for new assignments as soon as possible or delay for 12 to 18 months. Most missionaries opted to leave right away.
“That was a great moment for me to see how many of them wanted to go back,” remarked Elder Nielson. In the United States, reassigned missionaries are going to nearly every mission in the country, except “where the virus seems to be hot right now,” according to Elder Nielson, including locations such as New York and New Jersey.
"We’re learning new ways to do missionary work." Elder Brent Nielson.
“Every missionary who’s assigned either to their permanent assignment or to a temporary assignment is made by a member of the [Quorum of the] Twelve [Apostles], so they’ve been very busy lately as they reassigned missionaries,” said Elder Nielson.
There are many opportunities to serve, but not enough apartments in some locations to house the influx of additional missionaries. In high-demand areas such as the United States, Church housing staff contacted hotel chains to help solve the apartment shortage. Many of the hotel properties had available rooms, as occupancy decreased when business and leisure travel dropped during the pandemic.
“We decided to reach out to hotels to see if they might be able to help us,” said Brent Elliott, a purchasing manager for MMD. “And since there aren’t a lot of people traveling, it was a good time to do that. And so hotels reached out and they’re helping us.”
“It is a privilege for the Materials Management Department to support the Missionary Department in helping our beloved missionaries,” said Peggy Cowherd, managing director of the Materials Management Department. “We are grateful for the wonderful collaboration with the Missionary Department, the dedicated teamwork around the world and the countless miracles that have made all of this possible.”
Virtual Missionary Training Centers
When the Church’s 10 missionary training centers (MTCs) closed due to the pandemic, several thousand newly called missionaries found themselves online in a virtual classroom. The missionaries spend six hours a day online in a teleconference with a trainer and their class, including about 500 missionaries who are learning a new language.
“We teach them the same things, we practice the same things with them, and hopefully they’re just as prepared as the ones that come [to the center],” said Bryce Tripp, an MTC instructor from Mesa, Arizona.
Brother Tripp spends several weeks with each class of missionaries who are assigned to English-speaking missions.
“As long as the missionaries are there to learn and the teacher is here to teach, I think the same learning occurs,” he said.
“I was worried the feeling would be different, but it’s not,” said Maegan Hendrix, an MTC instructor who teaches missionaries going to Mandarin-speaking missions. “In regard to things like the language, there’s a lot more responsibility on them, obviously, to be practicing at home.”
Elder Nielson says the families of missionaries also benefit from virtual MTCs. “I think we’ve learned some great lessons about the Spirit that brings to a home when there’s a child there who’s actually studying how to be a missionary and learning a new language.”
Sister Sydney Leiseth, a Mandarin-speaking missionary called to serve in the England Leeds Mission, has enjoyed being with her family in Herriman, Utah, during her training.
“It’s been really cool to be able to share those experiences with them every single day as those experiences are happening,” said Sister Leiseth, who will begin her mission this summer in the Florida Tampa Mission until it is safe to travel to England. “They’ve been so great about keeping the Spirit in our home and following along with my mission protocols and the procedures that can help me be the best missionary here.”
Sister Leiseth and Sister Azoa Price of Midvale, Utah, have both been in Sister Hendrix’s Mandarin-speaking virtual classroom.
“This is a really cool experience,” shared Sister Price, who will serve in the Canada Vancouver Mission. “I don’t regret it. And despite some of the hiccups that happened because of internet, it works.”
Sister Price spends time with her mother practicing her Chinese vocabulary. “My mom is actually really cool. She’s willing to help me learn my language.”
Senior Missionaries Also Impacted
Most of the 4,000 senior missionaries who are at higher risk for COVID-19 returned home. A few did stay in the mission field and are in self-isolation.
“We have some that are serving from home,” said Elder Nielson. “They had an office assignment in their mission, but they can still do it at home and we’ll gradually begin to start having them go out if they can be safe.”
The Missionary Department reports that senior couples are still applying to serve missions.
“We still have some that are ready to go whenever we can send them,” added Elder Nielson, who said senior couples serving on a Church farm can leave now. “It just depends on what the assignment is. … They can social distance, they can wear masks and they can serve in an office.”
Technology in the Field
Despite the pandemic, full-time missionaries are still teaching thousands of lessons every week from their apartments using technology. They are also allowed to leave their apartments at certain times and provide meaningful community service in ways that are safe, which includes wearing masks and social distancing around others.
Two sisters who were serving in Brazil have been reassigned to a Portuguese-speaking congregation in Salt Lake City. Sister Mauri Dobbs (left) and Sister Hannah Davidson (right) make a plan for the week in their apartment, Thursday, May 28, 2020.2020 by Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.
Two sisters who were serving in Brazil have been reassigned to a Portuguese-speaking congregation in Salt Lake City.
“I knew I’d be with Brazilian people again. I would be speaking Portuguese and that would add this element of familiarity,” said Sister Mauri Dobbs, a native of Santa Clarita, California, who served for a year in Brazil.
“And here it’s so nice because we have smartphones and we can text people and … there’s Facebook that we can use,” said her companion, Sister Hannah Davidson of Sandpoint, Idaho.
“We’re learning new ways to do missionary work. And I think people are actually more receptive online than they are with someone knocking on their door or trying to stop them on the street,” said Elder Nielson.
“We teach from our home or sometimes we go to the church and teach, but we can do it from the apartment just the same,” said Sister Dobbs.
“We hear from almost every mission that they have a really long list of people who are waiting to be baptized as soon as the chapel can open,” concluded Elder Nielson. “We’re excited for that moment to happen, and it’s starting to happen right now.”
Lots of spicy stuff going on in the Winder 17th Ward, lemme tell ya.
This week is transfers!! I got news that I'm training so yeehaw! I don't know what that means, if it's someone who was reassigned or gonna go to Brazil and did MTC online. We shall see. I'm gonna be in a trio for the first time and I am HYPED.
This week, we went out a lot more and knocked on doors of people who had been taught previously or referrals. We did that almost every day this week. I really liked it and we met some cool people. We even met people who spoke Spanish (the ones we were looking for had moved) and I got to use my #spanishskills and talked to them. Truly spicy.
I have learned that technology is extremely more effective for finding and teaching. We can have back to back lessons and don't have to worry about physically traveling from one house to another, and a million other advantages. The way we do the work is pretty different but I am honestly loving it. It's going well, and I'm pretty sure missionary work is never gonna go back to the way it was before. It's just so much more effective now.
Some highlights were that we got a referral from two spanish Sisters about someone from Brasil who's friend brought her to church and she LOVED it and said she wants to go every Sunday. I get the feeling she is gonna be golden. We talked to her last night and have a lesson planned this week.
Another cool finding experience. We were knocking on some former's doors and we talked to this girl who was a member and asked if she knew anyone in the complex who spoke Portuguese or who needed to hear a message about Christ. She pointed out an apartment where she believed the family spoke portuguese or spanish. We went there the next day and met the sweetest lady who WAS from Brasil!! From Porto Alegre!!!!! She even KNEW some members I KNEW!! She is a member, but the only one in her family! Now we can get to know her a little better AND meet her mom and siblings and begin teaching them. #miracles!!
We got special permission to attend a churrasco with Gabi (our recent convert), Ícaro, her husband, and a bunch of members who are in their ward. She was so glad to see us and said the message we shared after really touched her. We also got to know her husband better, who isn't a member. And we are REAL BRAZILIAN CHURRASCO (barbeque), complete with beans, rice and potato salad. It was so good and I had missed it so much.
We had a super great lesson with our friend Kelly. The first day, we invited her to read the Book of Mormon. The next day, we called and she said, "Amei o livro!!!" "I LOVED the book!!!" It was so precious.
We were really bummed because due to some scheduling conflicts with their wedding, Joselia and Marcos will have to be baptized next week. We're still working on the wedding. It's been a lot of hurdles to jump through, but I have faith it will all work out.
I love you all and I am so happy and so grateful to be here.
*We had church yesterday! After being closed for about 3 months, some areas are starting to have meetings in the chapel again! Our ward (congregation) is pretty big here, so they divided it into 3 groups, 9am, 10:30 and 12p.. We attended all 3.
*We found out how to make protein balls this week (it's like peanut butter, honey, oats, etc) and we have made them 3 times already. 3 separate batches. We're addicted. We also made baked potatoes and panko chicken this week, among other things. Truly thriving.
*We had zone conference this week, which was with like half the mission. It was super good. We talked about Facebook and our capacity to reach millions through technology. The Lord's work will continue accelerating and it's quite thrilling to be a part of that. They say this is the new wave of missionary work. We can't go back to knocking doors. It's just so much less effective.
*We went with Joselia and Marcos to the clerk's office and they got their marriage license!! It was a good time. I had to translate everything for them which was fun. They're one step closer to baptism which they've been so waiting for months!
We also had a super awesome mission devotional via Zoom with Elder and Sister Gong and Elder Christansen from the missionary department. It was soooooo good and I definitely cried at some touching things that were said.
One of my favorite parts was when they spoke about D&C 45 which lists signs of the times: earthquakes in divers places, a "scourge" and "sickness" that will cover the land (aka COVID-19) (vs. 31,33). But then it says in verse 32, "but my disciples shall stand in holy places and shall not be moved". We, as missionaries and saints, are a part of that. We are the example to the world, the ensign to the nations. Despite a world filled in commotion, we are standing steadfast, strengthened by our faith in Jesus Christ and the hope He offers for a brighter future.
For my mission friends:
President Christensen said, none of you are waiting for a Visa or to go to your original assignment. Your mission starts NOW. D&C 31:3-4 "Lift up your heart and rejoice, for the hour of your mission is come."
Another special thing I found in my study. In 3 Nephi 9, just 2 chapters before the Savior comes, it talks about the destruction the people endured, the suffering and loss. There were fires, earthquakes, whole cities drowned in the sea, and then complete darkness for 3 whole days and nights. Not even candles or torches could be lit to penetrate the utter blackness. How terrifying must it have been! We live in similar dark times. Times of commotion, confusion, and destruction. We, too, are awaiting the coming of our Lord. But, in this darkness the Lord speaks from the heavens. He says,
"Will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?
"Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me." (Vs 13-14)
I know He is the light of the world. He speaks to us in the darkness and we can learn to hear His voice. I love Him and feel Him lifting me up in the hardest moments.
Love,
Sister Dobbs
Our hike ft. A teepee and a mining shaft we went down
