Wow, all I can think
when I read your emails is how you all are such better missionaries than I
am.. Sounds like such a fun trip with the family, everyone looks cute
and happy and the story about Nick is incredible. I have been praying
for him every day!
It was a good first week here in Ipés. I´m a little
intimidated with how to teach our new investigators. There are SUPER
elect people here but in general it is not as humble of an area. And
when I say elect I mean recent converts with a month in the church who
are teaching in Relief Society and are counselors in the Young Men...
I´m really excited to work here, with all it´s challenges and
blessings.
So talk about endure to the end.. Every week here is
like a race to close all your numbers. Not that it´s all about
numbers, but the ´´padrão de excelencia´´ is basically the promise that
we´ll have a baptism every week if we find 10 new investigators and 3
of them go to church. Saturday you´re usually just trying to get to
every house of everyone you found during the week remind them about
church.. but this Saturday we found our elects at the very last hour.
We contacted this guy Vagner who looks like Jimi Hendrix with a Jimi
Hendrix shirt, and he was just like ´´yeah I´ll go to church tomorrow,
let me invite my friend who lives right here..´´ So we met Nilton also,
who apparently had already read a lot of the Book of Mormon and was
taught by the missionaries. He just never went to church because he
never had a friend.. Well, problem solved. They both came to church and
we´re gonna help them be baptized on Sunday :) Pray for them and also
Alexandro, who came and brought his girlfriend to church. We taught him
the first lesson and he´s really curious about the Book of Mormon.
Unfortunately, he´s going to be in the hospital having surgery until Wednesday... but the spirit will touch his heart and he´ll want to be
baptized.
Come to think of it, this week was a lot like the
game against Chile. Full of confusion and stress but ended up all
right in the end. Haha.. everyone was losing their mind watching that
game and it was hilarious. At the end everyone just flooded the streets
screaming and hugging and setting off fireworks and waving their giant
Brasil flags. It´s pretty awesome how into the game everyone is. What a
moment for Julio Cesar.. I just wanted to go there and teach them the
correct way to pray.. Ave Maria´s not gonna help them play better ;)
I´ve been reflecting a lot on the things I´ve
learned in my last area. Colinas do Sul was a hard area, but when you
put so much into something you come to love it. I´ve been missing that
ward a little and it´s hard to imagine getting to know another. I guess
you just have to always love where you are. I´m still junior, but that
doesn´t mean anything. It´s my mission and every minute has to count,
and I feel like I´ve just been thinking too much about all the things
I´ll do and change when it´s my turn to train, if I ever do. The Lord
knows exactly how we need to learn.
This transfer I really want to learn to completely
rely on the Spirit. I´ve been studying a lot about personal revelation
and the key is just being worthy to receive it. That means obedience
and willingness to do whatever the Lord answers. One thing I´ve changed
is that I´m writing a lot more things down. I figure the Lord will
give me more inspiration if I don´t just cast aside the revelation He
gives. I´m also trying to have my motives, studies and my focus be 100%
about serving His children. He´s not going to help if I just want to
baptize to say I baptized and feel good about myself. Just think of
Joseph Smith and all of the prophets. They were the humblest of humble
and willing to learn even though they felt themselves incapable.
Things are great here and I´m happy to hear you are
all so happy! Mom and Dad, you are going to change the world with your
testimonies and talents. I´m so proud of all of you and I love you all
so much. The church is true, God answers sincere prayers and He never
gives up on anyone.
Com muito carinho,
Sister Moore
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