Friday, January 27, 2012

Letter #75 God is Building Me


working it up
helllo familia e amigos
well this week i think will be short not much to catch up on, just missinarying it up until i go back to reality. this week was full of work.. we´re helping three investigators right now and they are all miracles. The enemy has been working against us every sunday. so on saturday we decided to fast to help our investigators go to church. on saturday we went to our elects house (newton). he is hungry to know the truth, we brought a member so we could help him with a few doubts. not to my surprise he wasnt home and he didnt bring his cell with him to call. hmmmmmmmmm saturday he is not home the one day we need to talk to him to help him get to church sunday, sounds about right. trying not to loose faith we prayed none stop all day so we could some how get ahold of him. when we came home saturday night we said a strong prayer that he would call or he would answer the phone. for the first time since 2 oclock he answered! and he was set to go for church sunday. the biggest weight came off my shoulders for about 5 secs and realized that church isnt for 12 hours haha and alot can happen.. we were able to bring 5 investigators to church which 3 of them have a date to get baptized this sunday. the lord is blessing us in every way. i love seeing his hand in the work.
ill keep you posted, pray for them...
so yesterday, we had an appointment with a family that stopped us in the street. as we approached thier door, it was open i began to clap my hands and two dogs turned the corner running and barking. sister chaves is terrified of dogs, she screamed and ran into another door that was open. me not knowing what to do followed her. before i knew it we were in another persons house with the door shut hahah. i tried to get someones attention so they wouldnt think we were trying to steal anything or something. as i tried to leave sister chaves was scared she wouldnt let me open the door ha good thing the person that lived in this house was nice and didnt think anything of it ha but this just another story of us running from dogs in brasil
i cant believe the time is passing so fast... ill be home in three weeks what????. i catch myself getting emotional at times and i dont know why. i dont know if its because my long awaited arrival is coming up or the fact that i have to leave this other life behind.. whatever it is im not prepared
well not much to say this week love you all
até mais
3nephi 9:14
sister corbin
quotes of the week:
"not only am i buliding the kingdom of god but god is building me"
sister Dunford (a sister i met in são paulo)
" when we strive with faith nothing wavering to fulfill the duties appointed to us, when we seek inspiration of the almighty in the performance of our responsibilities we can achieve the miraculous" - Julie B Beck

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Letter #74 The Lord is with Me!

familia-,
im so happy that you guys are helping the sisters... we all need members to help with this work its the only way its done right... sounds like brad is an elect for sure. the joy you experience when helping one enter into the fold is indescribable (uh i dont know how to spell anymore) but when they fall this is also a pain you cant descirbe.. but you just got to keep on keeping on.. keep me updated with brad.
 
hmmmmmmmmmm where to begin.. first off i forgot the word and meaning of HOT. last thursday one day to the other changed completely its so hot right now... the rain stopped and its prob 105 degrees everyday.. o ha and my chacos snapped in half hah. i started walking and i felt my foot get wet i looked down and my sandals were slpit open... i bought some super bond today but i dont think it will do much so im using the other shoes i have right now..
we working really hard in this new area and i know the lord is just waiting to give us blessings.. he gave one on thursday when he gave us an elect named nilton. i told nilton (ive noticed im really blunt on the mission) " nilton... you need to go to church sunday to know for yourself what church is true.. what could prevent you from going?" he said nothing i want to go... i wasnt convinced so i said "the enemy knows what church is true he does not want you to go to church so im preparing you right now something will happen i dont know what.. but something will happen for you not to go to church. he began to laugh but i felt that i needed to say that and be way firm...
sunday morning i called his house to make sure he was up.. his wife answered and said nilton had to leave, his mom called him at midnight with some sort of accident and he had to leave.. my heart sank, i knew it. it seems like these past weeks satan is working double hard bc im working as hard as i can. we learn to get up when we fall so i had to brush it off and think of the blessings that would come that day... we had 6 people in church and the lord blessed us in other ways.
basically what i get out of all of this is that the lord wants to teach me major patience.. i dont loose faith. i tell sister chaves everyday when we deserve the blessings of the lord they will come but we have to show him were ready and prepared to teach his elects in order for him to give them to us.. faith over fear.. everything will work out. you can never think otherwise, the timing is his and the blessings we receive are his also. so we just got to wait, wait with patience. were currently helping 3 people towards baptism.i pray so hard i loose sleep sometimes.
i love a quote i read this week from an apostle
" The truth is, those who diligently seek him eventually come to know him. Then looking back in our experience we see that the savior indeed come to be with us. Not all at once but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed"... blessed are they that have not seen but yet believed.
i know with all my heart that the lord hears and answers our prayers literally...
this experience is small but meaningful..
every morning there are some men that wake us up bc they are waiting to take the bus to work.. its rare to sleep in to 630 and i started to become exhausted. i decided to pray to heavenly father to help me sleep until my alarm so i could work for him better during the day.. small and insignificant this prayer was... he answered. the next day i woke up 630 with the alarm. the men outside were talking just as loud but the lord blessed me with this tender mercy..
i know that the lord hears and answers prayers. he knows our needs our feelings our desires and when our desires match up with his, he blesses those that love him.
helaman 10:4-5
The lord is with me, no worries.
one thing i always remember when my comp is down i tell her we got to say " come what may and love it"
its the only way
its the gospel
até mais
te amo
Sister Aubree Corbin
ps so this week almost every lunch we had, had chicken feet and i mustered up the courage to eat one, hey it wasnt that bad it tastes like the skin of the chicken but bc i knew i was eating a chickens foot i couldnt finish ha

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Letter #73 My Rock is Firm


BOM DIA
no i havent gotten anything from the ward...but i did get the christmas card! it looks great. i approve of the pic i was nervous ahah. i got ambers xmas card too. so cute the babies... i sent a cd of two transfers yesterday in an envelope i hope it gets to you before feb.. well see let me know how long it takes.
a few questions before i write
the mosquitos dont quit but im not using the net i will leave it here for someone else who needs it.. i use the repelent you bought me everyday seems to work.
wow so what a week.... not knowing the area or anyone we began to work..we ended up finding some investigators (so we thought) and when it came to bringing them to church no one came... we had 12 people to bring and every single one fell. it was a blow especially for sister chaves. i love here, she is so sweet. she tries to keep a smile on her face even though she doesnt know what she is doing and is confused about 95% of the time. We laugh a ton which helps.. we started to sing the primary song popcorn popping on the apricot tree. i sang in english (tried) and she sang in portugues she began to laugh and said it doesnt seem like your singing in english, the next contact we made on the street, this man was convinced that i was from venazuela. i just say that im brasilian ha but no one buys the blonde, blued eyed trick...
despite not having too much success with new investigators we confirmed the family that was baptized the sunday before. they are a family of 5 and they are so special! i want to find a family like them..
i have been thinking alot that becuase i have so much time on the mission i put alot of pressure on myself to always do my best and sometimes my best doesnt show on paper or in numbers but the lord knows how hard me and my comp are working... although the results havent come yet i have no doubt in my mind that the lord is holding our blessings they are just waiting for us...when they will come im not sure thats whats hard about it. i have to be strong for my companion and have faith that everything will work out. (alma 36:3)key word, TRUST. i was reading this morning in helaman 5: 8 and 12 " ye may do these things to lay up for yourselves a treasure in heaven which is eternal.. ye must build your foundation who is christ.. when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have NO power over you because of the rock which you have built"
my rock is firm im ready for whats next...
on tuesday morning was a blessing and a half.. we went to venda nova to have our district meeting and i noticed they were filling up the baptismal font and i asked is someone getting baptized today? and the elder that is now in venda nova said "ya, they are getting married in city hall right now and then they are coming here to get married" i paused and said wait who??? he said rafaela i almost screamed... rafaela and leo was a couple sister dunlop and i found in august,, leo was less active and lived with rafaela who never acce´pted the gospel. when we knocked on leo´s door he was smoking.. me and sister dunlop helped them come back to church. when sis dunlop left, sister batista and i baptized their son on conference weekend in october... when i left venda nova i didnt hear a word about it and what had happened with their date to get married...what do you know, the lord put me back into the pampulha stake so on a tues morning i could be present in venda nova for rafaelas baptism and wedding. i immediately called president parrella and told him the good news. he gave me permission to stay and watch this special day in the making for over 6 months. when they arrived they were so surprised to see me, she thought that i already went back home. the members of venda nova were happy to see me too, it was like going home again haha. it was a miracle that i was there, more like it was a small tender mercy of the lord... even when were at our low heavenly father blesses us. gotta love him...
amo voces
fique firme
Sister Aubree Corbin

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

Returning With Honor

       Aubree's release date is February 16th 2012, we are so excited! Her Homecoming talk is February 19th. I just wanted to thank all of you for your love and support. Returning home from serving the Lord is one of those pivotal moments that is experienced once in a lifetime. In Alma 34:33 Amulek said that mortal life "is given us to prepare for eternity." It is crucial to making correct decisions now. A person's eternity is not defined by what they were born with, but by what they choose to do with it. We know that the Lord loves us. We realize that the Atonement of Jesus Christ allows people's burdens to be lifted, and that you can get through trials by knowing that the Savior is your companion. We are grateful for the journey Aubree has been willing to take as she prepares for her eternity...

Letter #72 Every Step of The Way


So much To telllllll
GO MIT!!!! when does the elections end??? will i be home to see the results???
HAPPY NEW YEARS 2012 = crazyyyyy = what?= life goes fast.
so went to bed as usual thought i wouldnt wake up but the fireworks were litterally outside my window. sister barâo didnt move but i went to the window and watched them till the end..i wrote a pretty good journal entry that i thought i would share with you all today
31-dez-2011 new years eve:
where would i be on this new years if i wasnt on a mission? who knows? it seems so long since i celebrated a holiday. I cant believe this year has passed and gone. year 2011 will always be remembered as my year as a missionary. i think back one year ago and i was in pampulha with sister ruckert.... one thing you can never take back in this life is time. i think thats why its the most precious gift we can give one another. i cant belive im 23. its wierd bc when i left i was only 21. i never said twenty two always was vinte dois ha. i just want to give a shout out for 2011 and thank heavenly father for one more year of life. this year i dont think i have ever learned so much, i have never been so stressed out, so frusturated, so filled with the spirit, so happy, so patient, so humble.... the lord knows what to teach me and how. He will put me through trials, through sadness, through ups through downs, but i always remember "it is for thy good" i want to look back on this year, 2011 and say thank you. never have i felt so close to my family or my heavenly father, even both being so far from me. im excited to see what 2012 has in store for me but im happy to say that the lord has been by my side every step of the way... thank you 2011
When i woke up i wanted to make a special breakfast you know to celebrate... went to make french toast the middle of the cooking you guessed the gas ran out haha i just had to laugh and said what a great way to start the new year..
okay the good stuff
like always monday we were anxious to see if we would get a call to see if we would be transfered from bandeirantes.. passed lunch and it was almost 5 o clock i told sister barão we would stay and five min later he calld and said "sister corbin you will be transferred and TRAIN AGAIN! WHAT A BLESSING..." really? ill train again? " you will go to lagoa and baptize, the area there is a little weak so you have to go there and show them how its done" .... "alright lets go ha" i gave the phone to sister b and she will stay here, turn senior and help an american sister that arrived about two months ago... i was shocked. how come all my sisters i train turn senior after me. she began to cry and wasnt sure if she was ready.. i told her the lord knows you are thats why he called you to be senior and help this sister start out her mission right. she asked "why arent you nervous?" if i wasnt nervous, i would be lying. but the difference is that i learned literally to put complete and ALL my trust in the lord. He knows exactly where to put me at the exact right time with the exact companion. this has happened since day one. and so its easy for me to accept what ever comes bc i trust him. thats the secret. will it be hard, yes.. will it be confusing for the first few weeks, yes but we do our part and the lord does the rest. as dad would say "thats it" or hanu haha if we could just grasp this concept life would be a cake. but its not always easy to accept.
i said goodbye to all i could. my two favorite recent converts leticia and fatima balled. i tried so hard not to cry i told them i would come back and visit during the world cup in 2014 well thats my plan anyway..
went to pick up my new companion her name is sister chaves,21 from curitiba (same as sister batista). we arrived in our two bedroom hut ha and looked at my comp and said you ready? she laughed. im so excited to be here. this district has pampulha, venda nova and lagoa.. i can say i passed all the areas in the stake pampulha.
im excited to run.. my mission isnt over yet. dont worry mom.. ill be on the plane but not a day early.
a lot of info i hope i remembered everything
amo voces
com amor,
sister corbin