Arriving at the Sao Paulo West Mission Home today!

 The mission President and his wife with Lauren!

Sister Lauren arrival in Sao Paulo West Mission President told me that she got very excited and eager to work. some photos of her arrival at the mission house. Hugs to all anything let me know.       
Paulo.

Leaving the CTM!

I didn't think we would hear this week but the cute worker in the CTM (that I sent Twizzlers and Old Spice deodorant to-by his request!) sent me photos as she left! Its crazy what you will send these people to get photos of your Missionary!

Thanks for twizzlers and old spice! I loved this!

 I cried when I received!

I, her daughter and her companions!

Thank you so

Much!--

Fabiano Santos

Hi Family!

So surprise, I get an extra P day this week!! They assigned me to a new companion for my last couple days here buuuut her Pday was scheduled for today and it wouldn't be fair for her to miss one because of me so I got an extra! And I'm not complaining.

But I am glad because it gives me a chance to tell you about a few things I didn't the other day and just to send an email to the family personally. This last week has been so great though! And I am really happy. I feel like my prayers were answered a few times, in particular. I saw Paulinho and that was a blessing!  Today at the temple my headphones were broken so I did the session without them (in Portuguese) and I was able to feel the spirit more and it was great! Tomorrow is my last full day of classes and then Sunday we have church, Monday I have orientation and Tuesday I depart. And I couldn't be more excited.

But I absolutely loved the package. I loved remembering all our amazing experience this last year and I loved all the other things. And Fabiano LOVED his stuff. You guys are the best.

Katie-- I miss your funny stories. You never cease to make me laugh. I opened your "Open When", letter a few days ago and it was perfect!

Rachel-- I miss you doing thoughtful things for me all the time. You always put everyone before yourself and I really miss that.

John-- I miss your impressions of people, and also your confidence. You are the best brother we could imagine. PS look for a letter in the mail for you.

Jessica-- I miss the way you could always brighten my day. I LOVED your letter and I can't wait to get a letter showing off your new cursive skills.

Mom and dad-- I miss your advice, your wisdom, and how you always had the ability to make me feel okay about any situation. You guys are perfect examples of the family I want to raise. Thank you for all the many experiences you have allowed me to have. I am so blessed!

I have to go back to class now. Apparantly they told me wrong and my P day is ending now... This place is pretty unorganized. But the field awaits so soon and I got to say a quick word to you! Love you!!

Talk to you soon!

Sister Lauren

ITS A LAUREN SIGHTING!!! Thanks to Mr. Chenneys Bakery! They emailed photos to me today!

                                                    Here she is picking up her packages!!

TENDER MERCIES! Paulihno drops a package off at the MTC and runs into Lauren as she is headed onto the streets!

She is super excited to go to the field and already on Tuesday will be going to the mission home. She gives kisses to everyone and a message to Stephen and Christine:

I LOVE YOU.

Ela está falando em português 

She are speak in portuguese

Paulo Bergoc

As seen in Lauren's email letter below

" As far as I know Kennedy was supposed to come today but she did not get a visa. I am bummed because I was craving a familiar face."

TENDER MERCIES! what a great answer to this sister missionary's prayer!

Just when she was craving a familiar face or something from home, Paulo (a familiar face and family friend), showed up with a package from home.

WEEK# 5

Oi Familia!

Today is my last P day before the field and I am so so excited to leave! I love it here but it can get a bit mundane at times and I am excited to be a real missionary. But this week is a bit strange because I am companionless. My darling English companion left yesterday morning for the field and so for the next week I get an experience that I won't be getting again for 16.5 more months... my own space. After only five weeks it is already so strange to be alone. I am the only sister in my district, last night I was the only person in my room, and I can go anywhere I'd like at any time I'd like. It has its pros and cons. I didn't realize how much I loved my companion's company. It was so nice to always have someone to talk to, eat with etc. BUT everyone here is so sweet and I am making closer friends with all the other districts because they all feel bad that I am alone. Today on the bus a group of sisters from the hispanic district taught me how to do sign language to a Spanish hymn. I am learning all sorts of random things here!

Saying goodbye to my companion was sad because she is great and we became such close friends but I am happy/surprised to report that I have still not cried since being here at the CTM. It is sort of strange because I feel like everyone around me balling constantly for so many different reasons. Homesickness, spiritual moments, hard goodbyes etc. My theory is I cried such an uncharacteristic amount in the months before my mission that my tear ducts are completely dry. But I'll take it.

Today I just want to talk a little bit about spiritual gifts, in particular the gift of toungues. I am so grateful for this here. I am actually shocked at how much it is possible to learn in such a short period of time. I studied Spanish for years in high school and I can not remember a phrase of Spanish to save my life. I attempted a Portuguese class at BYU before my mission and learned NADA. But since being here I feel confident and prepared with the language. I have so much to learn but I can (in simple words) say most things that I need to and I can pray and bear my testimony in a whole different language. This allows me to communicate with so so many people that I never could a few short weeks ago. It is a testimony to me that when we are willing to put work in, we can do things that originally seem impossible.

Next time I write I will be out in the field. I will have a companion that will most likely not know English and I will be teaching lessons and having a real, unsheltered experience. I am nervous but so excited!

Love you all!

Sister Lauren

P.s.

Hey mom!  I got the pizza last week and it was sort of an early going away party for my companion. I got the envelopes and stamps too so thank you so much! And this is my last P day so I will make sure to pick up everything from Mr. Cheneys. That place seriously gets me through the weeks. My companion was great! I loved her a lot. But she really really struggled with the language so I am praying for her a lot because these next few months are going to be really difficult for her. But she is taking the necklace to Marsha. As far as I know Kennedy was suppossed to come today but she did not get a visa. I am bummed because I was craving a familiar face.

Oh for some reason my debit card is not working here. I will try again today but could you call the bank and see if they may have cancled it or something?

I don't really need anything but I wanted to buy some new pens and supplies at this store down the street. And maybe some more hangers for the field. But I have tons of cash so I'm not worried at all. I just wanted to make sure it is working for later on. And the pizza was incredible. We liked it so much that we kept it hidden and ate a piece for breakfast, and lunch the next day as well.

I miss you a lot but I appreciate all of your support. You are seriously the best missionary mom and all the other missionaries here, especially the Elders, are so jealous. 

Dear Family,

We are pleased to be able to send you a picture of your missionary´s recent visit to the São Paulo temple.  This is always a special moment, entering the temple with other missionaries engaged in the Lord´s work.   We know they will treasure this remembrance. 

It is a great honor to serve with each of these fine young people and to watch their growth as they learn more about their sacred calling of a missionary.  We have a great love and respect for each one of them.

Thank you for your support for them.  They love to receive emails and letters from you, and feel of your love.  We know that your family will feel the blessings of their service.

Sincerely,

President and Sister Degn

1 month!

For 1 month the Brazilian flag has flow out front our house! On the Jan. 17th it will come down,  but on the 17th day of each month (the day she left)  it will fly that day until Lauren comes home!

WEEK #4

Bom Dia!

This week has been quite incredible. Probably my favorite so far.

One highlight, as mentioned in the subject, occured when I put my hours at the gym to good use. There is a new Elder here who is pretty annoying and really most people can not stand him. He is always trying to let everyone around know how very proficient he is at speaking Portuguese and how well he does just about everything else. And actividade fisical is the WORST. He is so arrogant and he will tell anyone around that he has survived some boot camp at BYU Idaho for the last five years and he never ceases to remind us that this decathalon thing is a huge deal. Anyway, long story short the other day I was doing my typical fitness stuff and talking to the instructors during gym time and he came up and declared that he could show me up in anything. So... we started with situps. He did 30 I did 40, he did 60 so I did 61. Then we did wall squats and he collapsed after a few short minutes and I become the new CTM fitness hero. Everyone is thrilled because he hasn't been quite as rude since. So tell my ivory teacher, Lisa, thank you for me.

Another favorite of the week was proslyting. Ah this was so incredible, and not just because we got to spend time outside of the CTM for a few hours. Each companionship had the challenge to hand out 6 copies of the Book of Mormon but we ended up handing out seven. Basically everyone we talked to was so receptive to our message and they took the books with open arms. I had two favorite experiences with this though. One woman and her son were walking and we put a little more emphasis on how the gospel blesses families. I could see the love she had for her son and it is neat to think that the gospel could help a good mom to become an even better one because of the peace and happiness the gospel is designed to bring.

Towards the end of the day we took on an extra book because some Elders in our district were not having a lot of success. And of all the tender mercies, we ran into a Brazillian who speaks perfect English and wanted to hear our meassage in hour native tounge. He was confused and honored that we had left our homes, families, and everything we loved to come to Brazil and learn Portuguese only to teach the things we believed. Further, he could not fathom that we had a free book for him and that we wanted to spend time talking to him of all the many people in Brazil. I told him how a few years ago I got an opportunity to serve in leprosy colonies in India and help people who were suffering with physical ailments. I went on to tell him that I decided to go on a mission because I believe that we all suffer from spiritual ailments as well-- we want so badly to know why we are here and where we are going. I told him how I love this gospel so much to want to share it with the people of Brazil because through its teachings, I have found a purpose along with true joy. He said-- I definitely suffer. This book could be really good for me. Do you guys have a church I can go to as well?

I just can't wait to be having these experiences much more frequently in 2 WEEKS!!

Lastly, I want to say congratulations for your new goal to read the scriptures more often as a family. My hour of morning study has become one of my favorite parts of the day since being here. I know life gets so busy but stick to it. This week we have taught a lot of lessons but there was one, in particular that I won't forget soon. I started off by prophessing that the gospel blesses families and I showed the Christmas card picture of us with a Brazil flag and a Book of Mormon. I talked about how I love my family so much but I left them because I want to bring other families the same joy that I feel because of the truths I have been taught as a child. Then my campanion went on to teach about the Book of Mormon and she started sobbing. After she explained that as she thought of her family she could not help but think that around the time we were teaching they were probably back home gathering in the living room to study together. She gave a powerful testimony of how she knows, without a doubt, that the gospel blesses families because of the time they have spent together studying and praying.

Don't resist the temptation to stop reading at the Isaiah chapters because I promise they come to an end. Keep reading into the war chapters. And take notes as to how to prepare for the spiritual war that is ahead. Get to where Christ ministers to the people, particularly the children, one-by-one. And don't stop reading until you get to Moroni's promise and then take the time to pray for a spiritual witness as a family and by yourselves.

Because a testimony, like anything worth obtaining really, is dynamic. It can grow or diminsh daily based on what we do to keep it alive. The two activities I have missed the very most since being here are skiing and playing the paino. While I am definitely no where near perfection at either of these, I have gotten to the point where I enjoy them a lot. However, this did not come without coutless hours of hard work and dedication. Likewise, we can not expect to have a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father or understand and apply the scriptures, or be completely in tune with the Spirit at all times if we are not willing to make these things a priority in our lives.

Love you all!

Sister Neeleman (or I guess Lauren. I got my new badge!)

P.S.
Hey mom! Yes four weeks today! Things are getting better and better here. We actually have so much fun and I continue to learn so much! We have speakers every Tuesday and Sunday and sometimes they are awesome. Other times they are not very great but Ron and my mission president haven't come and probably won't.

But last week at the temple we ran into some missionaries from my mission and they said my president is so incredible. They said he is chill and loving. One problem... he does not know a single word of English. Yikes. However, I am learning a lot and I will practice some phrases and I am not so worried. Also, my companion is leaving a week before me so I may be going with a Braziallian district because I am further along in the language than the rest of my district or I guess no any American at the CTM.  In which case, I would only be with Brasileros and we would teach lessons all day every day. It would be difficult but ultimately beneficial.

Our daily schedule goes as follows.. Four hours of studying and teaching lessons, lunch, another four hours of studing and teaching lessons, dinner more lessons, exercise or devotional, planning, bed. Pretty repetitive but we have fun as we go. And no yoga classes. However, I have started doing yoga in my dorm at nights because I am always so sore from sitting all day.

Today my companion and I did initiatories in the temple instead of endowments and it was so much better! Such a great day! Hope you are doing well. Love you!

Week #3

Hello everyone!

We just got back from the temple and we don't have that much time today but it has been a really great week! Thank you for your emails, letters and packages. I had no idea how much missionaries love feeling like they are not forgotten but it is great to hear from everyone.

This week we did a lot more stuyding. With only three weeks left, the importance of our calls is becoming very real. In the Christmas devotional someone from the crowd asked Elder Bednar the question: Why do I feel so inadequate here? He responded that inadequacy is completely normal in any new stage of life but especially for missionaries as they realize how important the message really is. The gospel has the ability to completely change lives and as a mere 21 year old I am asked to not only to grasp all the concepts, but also be able to modify them for the different needs of those I come in contact with so that the spirit can work, through me, to teach them the truth. Oh yeah, and I get to do this all in Portuguese. Yikes. But I very excited to be able to meet people from all different backgrounds and offer them a gift that can become more important to them than anything else. And the other great thing is, in addition to a cleansing power, the Atonement also contains the power to strengthen and if I am fervently working in God's errand I can do things beyond my normal capabilities.

Last night we watched a pretty amazing devotional that Elder Holland gave at the Provo MTC. This was really powerful as you can imagine. But he talked a lot about the shift from memorized discussions to Preach My Gospel. I gues a big reason for this was the huge inactivity rate among church members these days. They could not imagine how someone could go out and serve for two years expressing doctrine so close to their hearts and asking people to sincerely change and then falling away themselves. Among other things, Holland pleaded with us to be our first converts. As we study, sincerely pray and feel the spirit we are suppossed to create our own testimonies worth sharing.

Today we are going to explore Sao Paulo. Last week I orded a really neat personal scripture case carved out of real leather and I am crossing my fingers that it is done. We went to the temple this morning and it is just such a pretty place. Especially because it is so sunny and bright. At the moment I am completely fine trading out snowy icy utah for warm Brazil.

A bunch of my close CTM friends just left for the field and that was pretty sad. I did not realize how close we had become but I guess spending your first Christmas and New Years away from home together, among all the other things we do here, make for solid friendships. It is especially incredible to see how close I have become to some of the Brazillians and Hispanics as we really can't even communicate that well. I think, when it comes down to it, true friendship does not even have to be based off of verbal communication because we are ultimately so similar. We are children of the same Heavenly Father with similar goals for our lives and our missions. I still have yet to wrap my brain around how for the next 18 months my life will be a series of close friendships and then devastating good byes but maybe it will get easier?

Anyway, drink lots of hot chocolate and do some skiing for me. Oh and have some decent desserts. They are in short supply around these parts. Love you very much!

Sister Lauren

p.s. I am so sad to hear about Sherri. Everyone here at the CTM sings their praises all the time. I put her and grandpa's names on the prayer roll today at the temple. I saw that it was especially fitting as they have both devoted so much of their lives to serving in Brazil.

I got the cookies and we loved them so so much! Honestly, while they don't compete with your chocolate chip cookies they could be some of the best I have ever had. Maybe it's just in comparison to the other desserts we have here which are awful, but they were great! I gave them to my friends, district, roommates, new girls in the zone and the ladies that clean our floor and everyone loved them very much.

I am still sister Neeleman but they know my situation and I'll figure out what is happening next week or something. Here things are pretty safe as we are pretty secluded from the world. Thanks for the updates from home. It is crazy how completely closed off from the world we are here. I feel like I'm living under a rock. Yay for Nichel. I know him decently because they were such good friends in high school and that's really cute! Oh and thank you so so much for my package. The other missionaries all say you put their moms to shame and I loved getting things from home. It is kind of strange how much we crave things from home here. I have slept with my stanford sweater every night because it smells like home.

I'm glad that you are so happy!

1. P day is now. 2. My companion's name is Naomi O'Brien 3. I did not find my black shoes but I have some ideas to where they may be. The last time I wore them, I believe, was to cokeville for the funeral so they could be there. Or possibly under your guys's bed. But I do miss them a lot. 4. The language is good. I'm pretty conversational and can say most things I want if I try but it does take some time to get my words out and my grammar is far from perfect. Long way to go

Love you!

Happy Early Birthday to ME!

Paulihno delivered a package to Lauren today and sent me this photo! Lauren looking happy and like a missionary!

WEEK #2

Hello!

          It has been a really good week here at the CTM. We wasted no time after Christmas and got right back to learning. I am learning a lot here and I'm having some really meaningful experiences. One big highlight was our new years eve festivities. I have always sort of thought that new year's was an overrated holiday filled with empty resolutions and an anticlamatic countdown. Not here! It was so fun, partially because it was a little different from the regular routine. We had a churrascaria for dinner complete with guarana and an edible dessert! The lunchroom was decorated very festive and it was just fun. Then we had a special devotional about goal setting and a snack with the whole district. Then, we hosted our very own dance party with our new Brazillian roommates. They are crazy! We listened to lots of Disney but the favorite was Hakuna Matata and we listened to that a few different times. We have a pretty great view from our bedroom window so we sat up singing and dancing and then we watched a LOT of fireworks go off at midnight! Ah it was so fun!

           Yesterday we had a pretty humbling experience... We have a new instructor because our typical professora is pregnant and pretty sick. He is really amazing. He only got baptized a few years ago but he served a mission and he LOVES missionaries because he truly feels like they saved his life and gave him direction and purpose. So he is very passionate and a great teacher but he is also a stickler for the rules. And let me tell you, at the CTM there are very many rules. And a lot of these are sort of secret, I have found. Meaning, we don't really get the memo until we have broken the rule. Oops. As an example, nail polish is not allowed here and my nails are always painted. Or, when we are in gym clothes a lot of the hall ways are off limits. Or, we can't send pictures home while in the CTM. And the list goes on. So the other day our teacher walks in and finds the three new Elders in our district looking relatively sloppy. One was chewing gum, one had his tie tied sort of funky and one had his top button undone. All at once the teacher began to reprimand them. It seemed sort of harsh at first and I even sort of felt for the Elders because I can agree, there are a lot of rules.

            But then we watched this video and I had a total change of heart. It is amazing and I only know the title in Portuguese but Elder Holland and Elder Eyring liken missionary work to the Atonement. Holland begins by posing the question that he states most involved in the missionary program feel at one point or another... "If this is the true church and we teach salvation, then why are people not flocking to the baptismal font? Why is missionary work so hard? He continues that maybe missionary work is not an easy task because salvation is not an easy task. Compared to the immense suffering that the Savior felt as he atoned for all of our sins, the tasks and challenges we face are nothing, but maybe we need to, on occasion, feel a small portion of sorrow and pain in order to completely understand and appreciate His sacrifice for us.

              Another thought I have been having a lot this week as I study and prepare is from the devotional Elder Bednar gave on Christmas. He talked a lot about how Christ ministered to his people one by one. This phrase appears 6 times throughout the Book of Mormon. He had us turn  to 3 Nephi when Jesus Christ visits the people and takes the time to talk to them each individuallly. (We were challenged to find the other 5 on our own.) Likewise, he asked us to always remember the "ones" we are teaching. Like instead of teaching a family of seven, we should think that we are teaching seven individual children of our Heavenly Father. I am not in the field yet but I have tried to direct my personal study and prayer to that line of thinking. Right now we are practicing on fake investigators but soon I will be teaching people that have challenges and heart ache. They may feel terribly alone in this big world. They may have no idea that they are children of a Heavenly Father who loves them or that they have a Savior who redeemed for their sins. They might have never prayed or recognized the whisperings of the Spirit. And I have the opportunity to tell them about their purpose! It is pretty exciting. So I am trying to find how the scripture stories I am reading will help teach eternal principles or show examples of how to be faithful diciples of Christ. This has made all the difference in my studies. I get a lot out of it and I look forward to sharing what I have learned.

               We all have the opportunity to be an influence for good whether we are missionaries or not so I think you guys should try reading like this and see if it makes a difference in the way you approach life and the people you interact with. I think it will.

Love you guys! Have a great week!

Sister Lauren
p.s.

I gave Paulinho his necklace but I haven't seen the Ferrins. If I don't see them in the next couple weeks I'll just give the stuff to my companion when she leaves because she's in Ron's mission. California sounds so fun!! I leave the MTC in 3 and a half weeks on a Tuesday. I heard briefly from Vanessa but I need to get her address to send a letter. No word from Dallin but that's okay. My district just split so I think it's just me and my companion and I'm not sure how many girls are in my branch because it's always changing. As sister leader I mainly just welcome girls into the branch and make sure they are doing well. I am going to give them some of the cookies and I wrote a letter already but I hope I am still here when Kennedy gets here! That would be really fun to see a familiar face! And I probably will be her sister leader because all the Americans are in the same branch.

This is my first P day but it seems good so far! And I will look for Wilson Lamb.

Love you!

our new years eve celebration

January 1, 2014, WAITING…WAITING….No email!

January 2, 2014

Hey dad, because of the new year my pday is not until tomorrow. I am so sorry, it's been confusing and a little frusterating but we are going to the temple until 2 and then I will send an email soon after that. I hope that after this week things get back to normal. Love you and miss you guys very much! And tell mom not to worry.