Monday, June 16, 2014

June 16, 2014

Querida Família!
 
I will try my darndest to send the pictures of Brasil during the Copa, because they´re really good.  But yeah, we have permission to watch the games when Brasil is playing.  And now I know why.  Everyone paints the streets all day and just get pumped, and when the game comes, NO ONE is on the street. And I mean no one.  Where we got to watch it, you can see the whole city. Janine just pulled their giant television outside (haha...) and whenever there´s a goal, all of the houses set off fireworks at the same time and it´s just insane.  I took some videos.  Did you guys watch the first game Brasil vs Croatia?  But yeah, it was super fun and I even painted the streets blue and yellow with some little boys during the day. Tomorrow, we´re gonna kill Mexico :) 
 
Missionary work; that happened too this week ;)  The problem is that no one is married.  Thiago and Girlande didn´t come to church, but we´re still working especially with Girlande.  It´s just really far and hard for him to get to church.  But we have a SUPER elect family.  Jenivaldo has a car and a big family and he was all excited to bring EVERYONE to church with him on Sunday.  His wife Suelly is also really cool and wants to be baptised and understands that she needs to pray to know if it´s all true.  They came to church and brought their grown daughter and her son.  Turns out her boyfriend she lives with is a member.  So, em fim, no one is married but we´re already planning a double, perhaps triple wedding.  
 
Let´s just take a minute to appreciate good marriages. True love lasts forever, lust is just fleeting.  I have seen so many relationships here without love in the picture and a lot of suffering, usually for the woman.  Only with the principles of the gospel of Christ, which gospel is centered around Christ´s love, can a marriage be happy. We can´t progress without our families.  Good job mom and dad for being a good example of an eternal marriage centered on the gospel. It is SOOO important.
 
We had a super awesome activity with the youth this week called ´´Missão Brasil Colinas´´.  The youth just got to be missionaries for a day, doing contacts and visiting all of the less actives. Guess how many references we have?  31!!!  A lot of less actives came to church yesterday, and we also had 5 investigators,and that doesn´t include the other sisters.  The Gospel Principles room was full!!  A lot is still lacking in this ward, but it was a huge step and I think it helped a lot to get everyone excited again.
 
Lastly, I just want to bear testimony of service and love.  A really cool thing happened this week with Jo.  She wanted to just take us to see all of her friends one day.  She took us to a man who got drunk and had been beaten badly and left on the street, and a bunch of other people who had lost family members, and just old lonely women. This is what she does, not because anyone tells her to.  None of the people we visited will go to church anytime soon or accept the gospel, but it was humbling to see Jo´s example.  We are here to serve and love, everything else is a result.  I have cried a lot lately about my converts and just feeling like lack of success has to do with my worthiness.  But we just can´t control what they do. We can only love them and do all we can.  Missionary work hurts sometimes, but the right kind of hurt can bring you so much closer to the Savior. 
 
We really need some miracles to start baptizing again.  This transfer has been a transfer with a lot of lessons to learn.  I´m so proud of all of you and the work you do for our Lord.  Mom and Dad, you now have authority to call people to qualify for eternal life. Read the part in PMG about the power and authority of you calling. I love you all!  I know my Savior lives and He loves us! 
 
Com muito amor,
Sister Moore

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