When we see people as God sees them, our perspective changes

                                                                                                                August 7, 2016

Hi Family!!! Well, a lot of people in Brasil are super excited about the Olympics, and I´m guessing you all are too! 

 

This week I found more hope. I was beginning to get a bit depressed and worried about this area because we haven´t been having much success in finding Heavenly Father´s elect and chosen few, but this past Tuesday we had a leadership counsel with President Thomas that was wonderful.

 

Leadership training with other Sister Training Leaders in the mission

 

I felt the Spirit so strongly as Sister Thomas asked us to remember people who had to carry a hard burden in their lives, and then were relieved of this burden and weight after coming to know our Savior Jesus Christ. The Spirit helped me remember Maria Luiza in Casa Verde, and her sweet love for the Savior--her willingness to do what is right, and sacrifice everything just to follow him. The Spirit hit me so strongly as Sister Thomas told us that we were needed in the mission to help others feel of the Savior´s love--to help them change their lives around and come to know His Atonement. The Spirit touched me so much, and I came to realize that there was still hope to find God´s elect. I remembered why I was called to serve a mission, and I couldn´t stop crying. 

At the end of the meeting, the President told us that we can combat desânimo (I can´t remember the meaning of this word in english) by thinking of others, and forgetting about ourselves. We only become sad in the mission when we begin to think about ourselves. He shared with us the story of Christ´s temptation after fasting for forty days. He said that his temptation wasn´t food, but that it was to think about himself--his glory, and his power as a  Son of God--to think about how he had the power to turn Stone into bread.



Our entire leadership in the mission

 Our leadership meeting also talked about how when we have a baptism, it isn´t OUR baptism, because people aren´t baptized in our name, but they are baptized in the name of Jesus Christ--     Everything belongs to Him!          I I realized how small I was as I was thinking so much about myself in this area, and I really had a change of heart. President Thomas told us that there aren´t any hard areas in the mission--there are only bad attitudes of missionaries. We can do anything we put our mind and heart to, and when we see our area as the Lord sees it, or if we see people as God sees them--we have a different vision, perspective, and attitude to do Heavenly Father´s work.

 

Aparecido, the Father-in-law of Aline, cooked us
some yummy cheese for lunch.  

This past week, a miracle happened. We found a super elect family.

 

We had asked a recent-convert, an older man named Aparecido, which members in his family he thought were prepared to receive the gospel. He told us of his daughter-in-law, named Aline who he believed would be willing to learn about the Church.

 

We marked a day to visit him and her this past week, and when we got there, she wasn´t anywhere to be seen. She was in her house, and her daughter, named Vitoria, 9 years-old, who we have taught a couple of times before told us that her mom was resting because she had a really sore throat. We decided to persist in talking to her, and we asked Vitoria if we could talk with her mom. She came out of her house, and I had an impression to simply ask her if we could help her with anything. She said no, and then we simply asked her if we could share a short video with her. We ended up sharing a video with her about difficulties, but before then, she asked us about the temple. We showed her a few pictures of the temple, and told her about temples, and how we believed families could be together forever.

 

At the end of the lesson, she got a bit emotional, and she was super happy to learn more. We gave her a restoration pamphlet to read, and she asked us to return the next day to teach her. I had to go on splits in another area to help a set of sisters nearby, but Sister Hall and a new sister in the mission, Sister Mariano, taught her the next day, and she had read the whole pamphet of the restoration. At the end of the lesson, she was crying, and she told them that she had been praying a week ago to feel of God´s presence in her life. She said that the message of the Restoration was an answer to her prayers. She then said she would share with her boyfriend (her spouse--but they aren´t yet married after 10 years of living together) the pamphlet of the Restoration.

 

The next day we taught Leandro and Aline about the Restoration (leondro for the first time). The following day, we taught them again about the plan of salvation, and invited them to be married. Aline really wants to be married, and they are going to plan a day to go to the Cartório to be married.

Aline and Vitoria came to church yesterday, and I can tell you that the entire meeting was for Aline because we had fasted she would be able to know that this church is true.