Thanksgiving Week and counting the blessings :)

Hello dear family that I love!

Happy Thanksgiving Week! Are you all excited for Thanksgiving? Wow...I can´t believe that the holidays are already arriving!! Time is going so quickly... This week was a fabulous one for me and Sister Inhuma here in Timbaúva. I love being her companion...she is so kind and loving and super fun too :) This week we celebrated her 9-month mark on the mission with....of course...chocolate!! She´s half-way done already! Craaaazy.... I want to enjoy every moment of my mission...because it´s going to go very fast!

The happiest news of the week was that Ana Carla came to church!! I was so excited to see her and her 2 year old daughter, Nicole, walk in the door. From the very first day that we met her, I knew that she was special...she is very humble and loving and has incredible faith...I was sure that she was going to be quick to accept the gospel! But for one reason or another it has always always been difficult to get her to come to church... So I was super happy and surprised to see her this Sunday. :) She loved it too! The ward´s Primary Program was this week....and it was a perfect day for her to come! Family is very important to her and I could tell that she really liked hearing the testimonies of the primary children. Ana Carla is leaving this week for a month long trip to visit her parents in Maceió this December....so I´m not sure exactly what will happen when she gets back. But I´m so happy that I got to teach her and get to know her and hear her sweet and powerful testimony....and I´m excited for the lucky sisters that get to teach her when she gets back in January. Who knows....maybe I´ll still be here :)

I´m also excited about another young woman that Rita is the daughter-in-law of a member in the ward. Her husband, Márco, is not active and not interested...but Rita has shown a lot of interest in the church the last few months, thanks to the example and testimony of her mother-in-law Tânia. She´s been going to church and to the ward activities and always comments on the Spirit she feels there and the happiness that all the members seem to have. This Sunday when we were at her home reading the Book of Mormon together, she told us that she had been praying for a long time to know if it was true without receiving an answer. But the night before, she said her prayers and opened the Book of Mormon to read a few verses as normal....only this night was different. She said that as she read she was filled with a strong spirit of peace and happiness and suddenly had a huge desire to read more and more. Even though it was late at night, she said that she read for hours and didn´t even feel tired. She was so happy as she told us this story and about her new testimony of the Book of Mormon...her eyes were glowing! :) Isn´t great how Heavenly Father hears and answers every single prayer? He loves us sooo much...

Thank you for all of your prayers for me and for the people that we are teaching here. :) I love you all and you´re all in my prayers too! Welcome to the neighborhood, Mike and Candy! I know you will love the Edgemont ward....everyone is very welcoming and loving. I´m excited to be your neigbor when I get home! I hope that everyone is getting excited for Thanksgiving!! Are you going to make a Razzleberry pie since I won´t be there, Megan? haha...

I love you all! It´s Thanksgiving Week and we have sooo much to be grateful for! I´m very grateful to be a missionary and to be serving the Lord in Brazil. I´m grateful for the knowledge that Jesus Christ lives, that He is my Savior, and that He loves and knows me. I´m grateful that we are members of the restored church of Jesus Christ and that we have a prophet to lead us and guide us. I´m very grateful that I have a loving family at home...and for the knowledge that we´re going to be together forever! :) We are so blessed.
Love you!
Love, Sister Jamie Gee