A Recompensa da Vida--uma missão (The Reward of Life--A Mission)

                                                                                               February 6, 2017

Olá Família!!  

This week Ivan was baptized, and I felt so much peace in my heart while he made a covenant with his Heavenly Father in the baptismal prayer. It was a beautiful moment!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

His daughter, who is 8 years old, didn´t know what she was coming for because her dad just told her it was a Church event. He surprised her when she got there, telling her that her dad would be baptized, and she was super happy

 

 

. I attached a picture of her and her dad (and Ivan´s friend in the church, Ademiro--they´ve known each other since they were little in school). Fun fact: Sister Salles came to the baptism as well :)

 

Ademiro gave him a sweet blessing, confirming him a member of the Church, and blessing him that he would be an example for his family.

 

Here is a picture of a family in our Ward who the other Sisters are working with.

 Also, we walked through a neighborhood one day with beautiful homes.
Below is a picture of Sis. Galletti in front of the homes.  


Good news!!! The Bishop met up with Joana this week, and confirmed that she could be baptized this Saturday!!!! She´ll be baptized on saturday night, and she´s super excited. She had stopped drinking coffee, but recently fell a little bit in drinking it, so please pray that she´ll be able to stop completely right now before her baptism. We are going to call her every day so that she knows it´s serious. She committed to stopping completely yesterday when we visited her. 

 

At the end of each lesson we teach, she always prays that she will be able to be baptized that she will be able to stay on this path of righteousness. She is really a new person. When sister salles and I first met her, she was depressed, and always complained about not being able to sleep well because two years ago, her son passed away. Now, she smiles every time she talks about the Book of Mormon, and tells us that she is able to sleep in peace each night, and just has so much light in her eyes. I´m honestly so excited to see her enter the waters of baptism this week.

 

This past week a young couple (who is married legally) accepted baptism for the 25 of this month. They have been changing, and their hearts are prepared.

 

Então esta carta é a minha última. Embora a minha missão está acabando, minha missão real está somente começando--aplicar tudo que aprendi na minha missão de agora adiante. 

I am so grateful for everything that I´ve learned in the mission. I can´t believe I´m nearing the end because it was just yesterday that I got on a plane to brasil feeling lost, worried, and anxious about the future. My mission has been much more than I expected it to be. I came to Brasil thinking that I´d work in "the jungle" the whole time, but I soon realized that Brasil is a lot more established than most people think--São Paulo is a CITY like Chicago or Salt Lake, and the people here are super kind and understanding.

 

I soon realized that I can´t do anything without Heavenly Father´s help. I realized that I can always "return home" to my Heavenly Father when I pray and study the scriptures daily. These simple things are necessary for our exaltation. I came to understand the POWER of the Book of Mormon to heal broken hearts, and to soften hardened hearts. I learned that when we repent daily of the simple mistakes we´ve made, we are better able to teach about the power of repentance to others. I learned that it is essential to bear testimony of the power of repentance in our lives because that is how others come to know their Savior Jesus Christ. He is the only person who can cure, heal, and strengthen us permanently when we fall in this life.

 

I have a strong testimony of prayer. I know that Heavenly Father answers our prayers--even if we just ask with a particle of faith--a desire to believe--He ALWAYS answers them. Even when we aren´t worthy of His blessings, He blesses us with miracles. 

 

I am able to see Heavenly Father´s hand in my life each and every day. At the end of my mission, it is so easy for me to tell when I have the Spirit with me, and when it withdraws from me because of a mistake I´ve made. 

 

I know that we will only gain eternal life if we come to know our Savior. How can we come to know Him? By feasting on the word of Christ and serving others as He would serve. When we fulfill our baptismal covenants each week--take upon ourselves the name of Jesus christ, always remember him, and keep His commandments, we come to know our Savior Jesus Christ because the Spirit testifies of Him and His love for us, and we can always have His Spirit to be with us. 

 

We need to preach repentance to as many people as we can because they need to feel the change that only Jesus Christ can make in their hearts and lives when they accept His Gospel and repent. 

When we commit to try again, we are repenting. I know that this is true. We are so imperfect in comparison to our Heavenly Father, but through His Son Jesus Christ we can be made perfect. 

 

I testify of these things. My mission has blessed my life so much, and I am so glad that Heavenly Father called me to His work. Please know that I love each one of you and I think of you daily in my prayers. Your examples have strengthened me, and I want to thank each one of you for always motivating me to do what is right, and continue pressing forward in the middle of trials. You mean so much to me. I hope you know how much Heavenly Father is proud of each one of you for following Christ´s example. 

 

Sincerely, Sister Harris