Wow!! What a powerful weekend. In case you missed it, we had the marvelous opportunity to revive ourselves spiritually by listening to prophets, seers, and revelators. This was the first conference since April 2020 where I didn’t miss a single talk and it was truly a blessing. Due to what I’ll call, good planning, we managed to help several people watch Conference while also guaranteeing our own reverent time to enjoy Conference.

Everything else this week pales in comparison to this conference. I’m not really sure what we did every day other than talk about prophets and invite everybody to watch. My personal favorite talks were by Kristin M. Yee, who spoke about her experience with the painting, and Karl D. Hurst, he’s the one who talked about love (or luvf as said in his accent). 

If there was one thing I took away from Conference it was just this feeling of trust and confidence. I feel not only able to meet the upcoming challenges but excited for them. So many of the speakers spoke of repentance that I was filled with a strong desire and eagerness to repent and become better right here and right now. 

Sometimes we walk away feeling overwhelmed by the reminder of all the things there are to do and the little time we feel we have to do them. But the intent is to excite, heal, encourage, and advise. We are not called every 6 months to hear that the membership standard of excellence has been raised or receive nothing but chastisements for all our shortcomings. Just hearing these men and women who have spent months prayerfully considering the needs of us, the church, we feel the love of the Savior through them.

Please don’t wait until next conference to feel these feelings again, study and prayerfully consider the message of each talk and its application in your life. Remember, good times are coming!

Gotta blast, 🫡

Tchau Tchauuu 

What’s up Lehi!!! Hope everyone is good and ready for another week and new month. We’re entering the last lap of the year so let’s make sure we all start off strong by watching General Conference this weekend. This week for us was tough but this Sunday was incredible!!

First, we’ve had the opportunity to prepare two sisters for baptism and yesterday was such a blessed and happy day. They were baptized and their family, friends, and ward all came out to support them. They have my heart and I can’t wait to keep finding more miracles like them. 

Our zone decided to do a Book of Mormon photo contest where every companionship needed to re-enact a scripture scene, I’ll send some examples. Sister Motuga and I did Ammon teaching King Lamoni. We were quite busy all week and ended up submitting it Saturday night 5 minutes before the deadline. It was done late but it was done well as we ended up winning!!!

Finally, our mission broke two all-time mission records. Firstly, we baptized 85 people in one week, the previous record was 75. Then in the month of September, we reached 245 baptisms in a single month that had never been done before. We got a lot accomplished in September but I’m ready to rededicate myself to serving more like the Savior in these last few months of the year.

I close with the words of Ammon

Alma 26:11-12:

11 But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God.

12 Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever.

Gotta blast, 🫡

Tchau Tchauuu 

Com amor, 

Sister Alyssa Grace

Candeias – Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Brasil

Hey y’all, this is gonna be a short one, sorry. This week we had some incredible miracles and powerful spiritual experiences and I’d like to ask for your help in praying for our people who are preparing for baptism this week.

• Mayara
• Emilly
• Maria Cristina 
• Lara
• Teresa

I believe so powerfully in prayer. We are challenged and directed to be “mindful of [others] always in [our] prayers, continually praying unto God the Father in the name of his Holy Child, Jesus, that He, through his infinite goodness and grace, will keep [them] through the endurance of faith on his name to the end.” (Moroni 8:3)

Please pray for these miracles with me!🙏 

Gotta blast, 🫡

Tchau Tchauuu 

Com amor, 

Sister Alyssa Grace

Candeias – Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Brasil

Bom dia Pessoal, como vai? I hope y’all had a fantabulous week and an even better Sunday. I know my emails have been sub-par lately so we’ll try to make this one just 10% better.

This week had some birthdays and anniversaries!!!

• Our beloved Prophet hit 100 years of life the same day I hit 14 months of mission!

• My companion hit 7 months of mission the same day my sister hit 27 years of life! 

• I made it to the diamond league on DuoLingo!!

• Christmas is exactly 100 days away!

• The Macey’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is 73 days away!

• And General Conference is in 19 days! 

Now that we’ve gotten through all the numbers, let’s focus on the message. This week we had the privilege of teaching NTM families (families where there is at least one member and one non-member). In the past, these lessons have proven to be pretty frustrating as the non-member generally has little interest or even a strong dislike of the church and the member in the family often has already given up the hope of an eternal family. Yesterday we taught 3 of these part-member families and they were all outside the normal NTM stereotype but I’d like to focus on just one.

Yesterday we taught a man who has been investigating the church for 19 years. He’s rarely missed a Sunday, ward activity, or chapel cleaning. His wife is a lifelong member and constant supporter of her husband’s conversion process. When we finally had our first lesson with them yesterday we tried just getting to know them and find the why behind this extensive investigating period. He simply explained that he hadn’t yet “convinced himself to believe.”

That word “convinced” led us to have one of the most powerful lessons on the Book of Mormon that I’ve ever had. On the title page of the Book of Mormon, we read that the record was written “to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that JESUS is the CHRIST, the ETERNAL GOD, manifesting himself unto all nations” We aren’t meant to convince ourselves of the gospel or look for proof strong enough that we feel comfortable accepting the Gospel. We are simply meant to try, learn, and live it and let the conversion take place in our hearts and not our heads. Our rational minds are not capable of convincing nor possess the power that the Book of Mormon has. 

I challenge you as we challenged our friend yesterday to read the Book of Mormon. Read to find answers not proof, read with your questions, not your doubts, let it build up your faith and not fear, let it show you the power of the Savior and instill in you the desire to have that power in your life. 

As was mentioned earlier, General Conference is in 3 weeks, what a great opportunity we have to bring our questions and struggles to the Lord and receive guidance and counsel directly from His chosen servants. Prepare yourselves for this spiritual experience by increasing your spiritual capacity to receive revelation through a consecrated study of the Book of Mormon. It doesn’t matter how far into the book you get before conference, it matters what you put into it.

Happy Reading!!

Gotta blast, 🫡

Tchau Tchauuu 

Com amor, 

Sister Alyssa Grace

Candeias – Jaboatão dos Guararapes, Brasil