Heavenly Father Prepares His Children to Receive the Gospel!

                                                                                                                Nov. 3, 2015

 

Oi Familia!!! So, today I had the opportunity to go to the temple in São Paulo, so my P-day was changed just for this week to Tuesday!!! I have so much to tell you, but so little time!!

  

First off, this past week was the first week in my mission that I realized that Heavenly Father really prepares His Children to receive the Gospel, and that He really is working with us in this marvelous work. My companion and I had been a bit discouraged and worried about the people we were teaching who weren´t keeping their commitments in São Miguel, a neighborhood most of our investigators were from. However, we decided it was time to explore a new area, and put our trust and faith in our Heavenly Father that we could find some of His elect. We sincerely prayed for a miracle, and that´s exactly what we received.

We explored a new area we haven´t been to yet in the mission, that is called Colinas, and it is absolutely Zion!

 

While exploring Colinas, we were making contacts with people on the streets, when all of a sudden we approached a woman named Carina and her young daughter named Lorena. We talked with her about the role of missionaries, and especially the Atonement, and she expressed her feelings how both the missionaries and the people they teach are edified together. She began crying when she talked about her daughter and how life is difficult, and I almost began to cry with her! I kept getting the impression from the Spirit that told me to just let her express her feelings and share her testimony, and that she will come to see that Sister Bezerra and I are representatives of Jesus Christ by doing so. My eyes got watery and I felt so much love in my heart for her. Closer to the end of the mini lesson regarding the Atonement, I expressed my testimony that we are never alone because we always have our Heavenly Father and Savior Jesus Christ to guide and direct us through the ups and downs of life. We had the opportunity to say a prayer with her in her home at the end of our visit, and she was so grateful afterwards. She repeatedly expressed her gratitude for us visiting her. After the prayer, while talking with my companion about Carina, I kept feeling the comfort/warmth of the Spirit rush through my body, and I KNEW that she was sent as a blessing for us. She is definitely ready to be taught the truths of the restored gospel, and this Wednesday we´re going to teach her, and invite her to be baptized. I am very confident that the Lord has placed her in our path to strengthen us, as we help her come closer to Jesus Christ. 

 

Sis. Dias and I get to work together for a day

This past week I had my first experience with splits with another Sister Missionary for one day--Sister Dias. I had the opportunity to teach with Sister Dias in her area of Cotia, so I got the chance to know some of her investigators and members in another part of Cotia. During the division, I had a really cool experience with a member of another ward. The member is less active, but she was sharing many difficult experiences with us about her conversion story/her being a single mother of six children, working non-stop to provide for her family. She told about how she had lived in her house for 30 years , and she compared the gospel to fixing parts of her home that are weak. She can´t do it all at one, but step by step, day by day. While she was speaking about preparing her home, a spiritual impression came to my mind that right now in this life, we´re preparing our eternal home. Day by day, we make several choices that determine the beauty and cleanliness of our eternal kingdom in the end. I felt the Spirit so strongly during this lesson, and I didn´t even know the woman for very long, yet had already so much love in my heart for her.

 

I know that this life isn´t easy, and I know that Heavenly Father´s plan for us requires challenges, and difficulties. We can overcome anything, however, with His help, through the mercy of our Savior, Jesus Christ. 

 

I want to share just a few more pictures: 

Sis. Bezerra and I enjoying time with Emily and Cesar. 

Emily gave me this funny little baby doll!

 

Sister Bezerra and I enjoying copoacu--a Brazilian drink



Halloween/Birthday Party for Sis. Oldroyd

The Good Witches of Sao Paulo, Brazil

Here is a scripture for you all this week that I LOVE: 3 Nephi 28:1. Think about the importance of doing the Father´s will this week, and asking yourself what the Lord would require of you until the very end!!

 

I LOVE YOU ALL!! HAVE A WONDERFUL WEEK!!!

Sister Harris