Oi familia!
So, last week when I said that if we keep the comandments we
shall have everything we need I said the scripture was in Mosiah. I´m
pretty sure it´s in Jacob 2, though to be honest, I haven´t looked
lately. I made toast for breakfast this morning. We borrowed the
panini press of the couple missionary that lives next door and I used that to
make toast. Just hot bread really, because I forgot that we have cinamon,
but it was great. To be honest, as a missionary I´ve learned greatly how
to find pleasure in the simple things. Hot bread, ramen, suco (soo-coo,
means juice) and happiness. On another note, the oranges here are green
and they still call them oranges. Weird. On the bright side, the
Lord has blessed my Portuguese A LOT. My language skills are improving
rapidly and I´m quite thrilled. You know you´re a language missionary
when at times it´s easier to think in the mission language than it is in
English. Que bênçãoes.
But, this week has been all sorts of exciting. It´s
been one of those weeks you have on the mission when everything you had planned
falls through. We were making plans every day for an ótimo next
day. What happened? Fell through. Every single day was like
that, more or less. We had a member with us almost every day and I felt
so terrible draging him from house to house trying to teach lessons when eveyone
kept not being there. But, we have a great experience nonetheless.
We had one of those days when everything was falling through. Appointment
to appointment "Desculpe, não podemos fazer agora" (Sorry, we can´t
do it right now) over and over and over. Finally, we arrived at the house
of Iuzet and Gutenberg (they´re progressing slower than I would like, but at
least they´re progessing). When we got there I realized I had no idea
what we were going to teach them. I was running through ideas in my head,
but nothing felt right. We were walking up the stairs into their house and
still, nothing. So, we sat down and started with the usual "So, been
reading? Ya been prayin´? How ya been feelin´?" But this time,
something was different. As we were talking Irmã Iuzet said "Elders,
I´ve been reading and praying every single day and I feel so bad. Every
time you say ´Do you have an answer yet?´ and I want to say yes, but I still
don´t have it" And suddenly my mind cleared. Scriptures that
I´d read flew to my memory. We talked in Alma 32 about faith, and
sometimes a desire to believe is enough. We discussed this for close to
half an hour and by the end Iuzet said "Well, for sure, I will
continue reading and praying until I get an answer" and the Spirit poured
into me. I gave her a promise that if she read at least 3 verses every
single day and prayed 3 times a day to learn that these things are true, she
would recieve an answer in the next 6 days. An extremely specific
promise. But the Spirit was strong and both she and Gutenberg commited to
do it. It was an amazing lesson. To be honest, it was the only
lesson we were able to find that day, but I didn´t feel that day was
wasted. Instead, I felt more strongly about the scripture we find in
D&C 18:15(?) "And how great shall be your joy if you bring but
one soul unto me in the kingdom of my father." Sure, it was only one
lesson. But it was truly a showing of God´s power and the Spirit.
There are always more ideal days when we can teach and baptize multitudes as
they did in the days of Peter and Paul, but, that one was enough for me to feel
that the day was a success.
Well family, I´m off to another week. I greatly
appreciate your prayers in behalf of me and my companion. We´re working hard,
and with a couple marriages, I think we´ll be able to have a number of baptisms
next month :)
Até mais!
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