WEEK THREE!!!! :D Letter #3

Hello Everyone!!! Life as a Missionary is as sweet as it can be, cause I'm on week three! :) -Cheesy, yes I know! Admit it, you miss it!

Last Thursday we went to the police department to varify our visas and be 'legal' to live in Brazil... SO many people were there, all of different races! It was really neat to see! Anyway, there were other missionaries there renewing their visas (after one year) and I talked with some Sisters who are serving in Sao Paulo East right now!!! AHHHH!!!! It was great! They both are from Utah, and the neat thing was that they had a hard time speaking English!!!! They really struggled to talk in Enlgish with us... plus they had an accent. They were leaving the next week to go home, and they said that it is the best mission in the world! Of Course it is! Why would Heavenly Father send us anywhere less then the best?! ;) It just brought so much hope for me, that I CAN LEARN PORTUGUESE!!!! :D Thinking about it, I have learned A TON in the last 21 days! For real! I can pray, testify, and slowly... ever so slowly teach a lesson while I think of the words to say in Portugese. I love the work! I can see the Holy Ghost's hand in my learning the language! It's Fabulous!

I haven't told you about my district yet! We are known as the 'Relief Society' among the CTM because we have 7 Sisters and 2 Elders! They are a great bunch! We did have three elders but Elder Garn went home this week... that was really rough on the District. We were all really sad to see him go home, and we still pray for him! Elder Garn was really neat! We have a connection! He is cousins with a family friend! So we will for sure keep in contact! :D He is a great!

Our Elder Rodgregues left this week, he was the other Elder in the picture with us our first day! He was switched to the Brazilian district because he is from here, but lived in UT these past few years, then he was called back to his home, Brazil! So he has been our kind friend who will translate for us when we don't know the words at meals. He is going to be a fabulous missionary! He was the first missionary I saw!!! Spotted him on the plane as we landed into Atlanta... Go get them Elder Rodregues!

I absolutely love being a missionary! It is difficult and frustrating at times, but looking at all of the great and wonderful things that are coming from it, I am amazed! I LOVE the gospel with all my heart!

I love you all so much! Next week, I will have to share a story about a lesson we taught this week... let's just say that Satan was mentioned, both mine and one of my companions eyes popped and just looked at the other... and wow! It's a big joke now, I love it!

Unil next week! I love you!!!! XOXOOXOXOXOXO

Sister Waite
Sao Paulo East Mission!

Letter From Sister Waite-Letter #2

Hello All!

Week two was phenomenal! I am so happy to be a missionary! :D It is the hardest thing I've ever done, but it is SO worth the rewards from it. Wow! I absolutely love it!

My cold is GONE! Finally! I am sleeping better at night! I think I passed on my cold to my companion and another sister in the district... sorry Sisters!

For those of you wondering what CTM stands for: Centro de Treinamento Missionario. :D Missinoary Training Center! It's great! P-days are nice though, because we can go out of the CTM and walk around the city! Across the street is a DIVINE cookie shop... pretty much my favorite place to go on P-days, I'm excited to go later today! The temple here in Sao Paulo is BEAUTIFUL inside! Stained glass... oh my word. So pretty!!!! I love it! P-days are so much fun!

Super cool fireside on Sunday! President and Sis. Tanner, from the Sao Paulo North Mission came and spoke to us... and yes. It is THE Sis. Tanner! She was the old general young women's president! Ah!!! It was amazing! I got to shake her hand after... I think I squeeked when I did! She was a big rolemodel for me when | was in Young Women. Such a great person! She talked about sometimes we feel inadequate with the calling that was given to us. But! Nephi wasn't a ship builder... when the Lord asked him to build a ship, he didn't complain and say he didn't know how or that he wasn't able to... He just asked 'where can I get the ore to make tools?' I LOVE Nephi! I want to be a 'Nephi' missionary... not a Laman or Lemuel. We decided as a companionship that we would work on being Nephi missionaries! :D I love it! The other thing I really loved from her talk was her personal motto... "I Can Do Hard Things!" I LOVE THAT!!!! I love this gospel! So much!

 I miss you!!!! I love you!!!

Thank you Mom for the letter! I got it yesterday! My first mail! And Dad's too! I got two letters yesterday! I feel so loved! I love you so much!

Companions are great! We are creating lots of fun memories! I was quoting Cinderella... when Gus Gus does his cute nose thing... and Sis Johnson just looked at me funny... she hasn't seen it forever! WHAT?! I said... no excuses.... hahha its so much fun I love my companions! I love love love love love being a missionary!

Write to Sister Waite!!!!

Here is Sister Waite's MTC address! She can only receive LETTERS at this address, no packages, but she would LOVE to hear from you!

MTC (Letters Only)

Sister Jocelyn Michele Waite

Box #31   District # 22-A  Brazil MTC

Brazil São Paulo East Mission

Rua Padre Antônio D’Ângelo, 121

Casa Verde, São Paulo – SP

Brazil  02516-040

If you would like to send a package please send it to the mission home at this address. 

PACKAGES

Sister Jocelyn Michele Waite

Brazil São Paulo East Mission

Rua Caa-Açu, 229

Belenzinho, São Paulo – SP

Brazil  03171-020 

If you send a package to the MTC, they will be returned unopened to you. Any questions, please leave a comment!

Thank you for all your love, prayers and support!

Letter from Sister Waite- Letter #1

HELLO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

I made it to Brazil!!! :D I am so excited to be here! My first reactions for driving through Sao Paulo were little squeels and a lot of pointing to buildings and telling everyone in the car how cool it was that we were here! :D Finally here! Here to Teach! Here to help others the best way possible, letting them know about the Gospel! :D

Right after saying bye to my family, I went to the portal and there was a lady there with two older kids. Her daughter is 27 and her son was 15. (her oldest, and youngest.) She is from brazil and was telling me all about it. She is a member and it was so great! She took me right under her wing... 'Oh sister! Sister! Where are you serving? Come sit by me! Let's Talk!' :D I am grateful for her. I have a picture of her and the family but I'm not allowed to upload pictures here at the CTM. So once I get out in the field I will send a lot of picutres from the CTM!

The flight to Brazil was nuts! so long!!! I sat next to a lady named Michelle, I told her that was a beautiful name, and that it is my Mom's and my middle name. :) She spoke a little bit of English. She asked what I was going to do in Brazil and we had a GREAT conversation about religion. Both of us asked questions about the others belief and how we couldn't believe some people believe other things... It was great.

I love my companions! I met Sis. Stewart at the airport in Atlanta and she is excited to serve too! She is from Ceder City and is one of 14 kids in her family! cool huh! no twins, no triplets, and all from her mom and dad! She is the 9th missionary out of her brothers and sisters. She is a rock! I am grateful for her patience with me and those in our district. Sis. Johnson is from Washington state and is 6 foot 2 inches! She is great! she played ball for utah state and played professionally in Australia! she is really good!

My absolute favorite thing that happened this week was learning to pray in portuguese. I have been feeling really overwhelmed with teaching three lessons within the first 2 full days of being here, knowing zero portuguese. It is so hard to teach let alone carry on a casual conversation when you don't know any of it.  I'm super grateful Sis Johnson has a little background of Spanish, and Sis Stewart picks up really quick, so in the lesson I say the two or three sentances I know and just smile... ;) It's really frustrating NOT to be able to say how I feel, especially HOW I want to say it too... one day at a time, I just need to take it one day at a time. Anyway, I  had it up to the top of my head with this irritation and frustration and just felt like nothing was sticking. Starting to ask 'Why Portuguese?' 'Why Brazil nothing is sticking!' We were in our lesson, learning to pray in portuguese and we had to turn to our companion and say it outloud to practice. I will NEVER forget the feeling I had when I prayed to Heavenly Father, my first time in portuguese. I felt like my chest was about to burst! I felt SO good, and SO warm. I KNOW that Heavenly Father sent the Holy Ghost to comfort me. Right at that moment, I knew that it was going to be hard, and that I was going to work extra hard, but I was in the right place. Brazil IS the place I need to be. I know that God answered my prayer, and he will answer yours too! I am so grateful for the gospel! Just going through this trial of learning a language and pushing myself extra hard, I have never prayed so much nor so hard in my life. I am so grateful to be here at the CTM.

The food is different, but good. (Sis Stewart found a bug crawling in her green salad the second day we were here... haha welcome to Brazil!!! :D)

The schedule at the CTM is intense! We are expected to be here or there at a certain time, on time, ready to go. I love it! Never a dull moment. I ABSOLUTELY love my instructors. We have the same two teachers the whole time here at the CTM. Irmao Costa and Irmao Ramahlo. they are the best! I'm grateful for their patience. When I came in to the CTM, there were 3 sisters and 1 elder. Not enough to make a district, SO they bumped us up to the week two district. So NOW I'm in catch up mode with my companions, and my teachers have been awesome! My district was really hard to get a long with at first, but with time I can tell we'll get a long just fine!

I LOVE being a missionary!!!!! :D :D :D

I love you so much! Please write me LETTERS to the CTM. No packages.

With Smiles, Hugs, and LOTS of love, your favorite Missionary! (I can say that now, cause Greg isn't on a mission yet!)

Sis. Waite

Ela chegou em Brasil!!!! (or in other words, SHE MADE IT!)

Sister Waite made it to the MTC in Sao Paulo, Brazil June 6th, 2012.

Saying Goodbye

It was an emotional time as Jocelyn's leaving came closer. With the help of family and support from friends, she was able to get packed, drive to the airport and make her flight to Brazil.

Getting ready to fly to Brazil!

Of corse, Greg found a group of Elder's at the airport and made friends with them quickly! He will be a great missionary!

The whole family!

Rhett was on the phone saying good-bye to Jocelyn. He was stuck in North Dakota with work, so he gave her last minute advise over speakerphone!

One last wave goodbye! Good luck Sister Waite! Brazil is lucky to have you!

Write to Sister Waite!

Here is Sister Waite's address:

Sister Jocelyn Michele Waite

Brazil São Paulo East Mission

Rua Caa-Açu, 229

Belenzinho

03171-020 São Paulo – SP

Brazil

We will keep you posted on updates to her address but as of now, that is where you can reach her!

Introducing Sister Jocelyn Waite

Jocelyn was set apart as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints June 4, 2012.

We love you Sister Waite and wish you the best!

Farewell

Sister Waite's Farewell Talk Given May 27 2012


Desire, Decisions, and Destiny: Agency

Agency is such a crucial part of the plan. We fought for it in the battle of Heaven. Satan wanted our agency limited, but Christ and Heavenly Father wanted us to decide and learn from our choices.

·      Agency is the tool we have to learn and progress more. That is why we are here on this Earth… to progress to become Kings and Queens, if we use the atonement and teaching of the gospel in our lives.

I’d like to talk about three things that I find fascinating and amazing about Agency, as well as what we can do to use our Agency to be happy. They are Desire, Decisions, and Destiny.

Desire

·      Def: To wish or long for; want. It begins with a desire. Dallin H. Oaks, “Desired dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choice, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming.”

Alma 29:4 … middle of the verse… “… I know that he granteth unto men according to their desire, whether it be unto death or unto life…”

“Actually, everything depends – initially and finally – on our desires. These shape our thought patterns. Our desires thus precede our deeds and lie at the very cores of our souls, tilting us toward or away from God. God can ‘educate our desires’. Others seek to manipulate our desires. But it is we who form the desires, the ‘thoughts and intents of our hearts’.” Neal A Maxwell

An example of Desire would be when Aaron, who was a missionary, was teaching the Lamanite King. After he taught about Christ’s atonement for us, and eternal life, the King asked… Alma 22:15-16

The King was willing to give everything he owned and claimed to understand more fully of Christ’s Gospel.

·      How do you get desire like this King?

“When we have a vision of what we can become, our desire and our power to act increase enormously.” Dallin H. Oaks

I believe that when we know more of who we are, that we are all sons and daughter of God and he loves us, that we start to understand who we were before we came to Earth.

The more we use Christ’s Atonement for us, we can progressively understand who we are and where we need to go.

Decisions

Alice in Wonderland

Alice: … I was just wondering if you could help me find my way.

Cheshire Cat: Well that depends on where you want to get to.

Alice: Oh, it really matter, as long as…

Cheshire Cat: Then it really doesn’t matter which way you go.

·      It DOES matter where we go brothers and sisters. It is important that we know what path we want to take. Once we know where we want to go, decisions are clearer for us. Going along with the Disney theme I want to share my experience on deciding about Disney College Program.

            -Thought about, it was a distant dream

            -A very good friend in my Biology introduced me to her friend

            -Audition, Apply, Interview… BOOM! On a plane… It happened so fast and it wasn’t by coincidence either.

·      When we decide to give up our plan, and submit to Heavenly Father’s will…. We will be happy! I feel like these last six months have really taught me about this principle, seeing that it was not in MY plan to wait 6 months before serving. The plan was go to Disney come home, go strait on the mission… (expound)

“… the submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar.  The many other things we ‘give’, brother and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give.” Neal A. Maxwell

“… He (Savior) taught us that when we choose to do the will of our heavenly Father, our agency is preserved, our opportunities increase, and we progress.” Robert D. Hales

We all make decisions and they involve consequences.

-Obey commandments. Obey vs. Disobey (Word of Wisdom, Direction…)

·      When we set aside what WE want for what Heavenly Father wants for us, He will never lead us astray. We can control what we choose to follow, but what happens when other’s decisions effect us?

Remember the movie Unstoppable? With Denzel Washington… and they were dealing with a runaway train… imagine that it did wreck…-Train Wreck!

We will all experience train wrecks in our lives. To others who are not apart of the wreck will never be able to empathize what you go through. They see it on the news, hear about it from a friend, and they will feel bad for you. The thing is, we never ask for these train wrecks. The choices that someone else makes does and will everyone around them. It wasn’t what we wanted… but how do we deal with them?

“I can’t stress too strongly that decisions determine destiny. You can’t make eternal decisions without eternal consequences.” Thomas S. Monson

Destiny

When I hear the word destiny I always think of a small green friend I think we all love… Master Yoda said,

“…beware of the dark side. Anger, fear, aggression; the dark side of the Force are they. Easily they flow, quick to join you in a fight. If once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny, consume you it will…” or Darth Vader’s low voice to Luke; “It is your Destiny…”

·      But really, once you get on the path to the dark side, your destiny is no longer for you to determine. Let’s determine our destiny and choose to submit our will for the Father’s. Let’s use the Savior’s atonement. Because the only thing we can ultimately give back to the Savior is our choosing to use the atonement and have the desire to be like him.

“… your eternal destiny will not be the result of chance but of choice. It is never too late to begin the to choose eternal life!” Elder Randall K. Bennett

We can develop into the Kings and Queens, we are destined to become because of Agency. We can fulfill our destiny because of our choices…

“… it is our actions and our desires that cause us to become something, whether a true friend, a gifted teacher, or one who has qualified for eternal life.” Dallin H. Oaks

It is from our choices that will be judged at the last day… a pretty daunting thought isn’t it? I know that

“When in situations of stress we wonder if there is any more in us to give, we can be comforted to know that god, who knows our capacity perfectly, placed us here to succeed.  No one was foreordained to fail or to be wicked.  When we have bee weighed and found wanting, let us remember that we were measured before and we were found equal to our tasks; and therefore, let us continue, but with a more determined discipleship.  When we feel, overwhelmed, let us recall the assurance that god will not over program us; he will not press upon us more than we can bear.” Neal A. Maxwell