Pictures 11-11-13

11-11-13

Okey dokey!

So its already been 3 weeks. In some ways it's gone by so fast. In other ways I feel like I've been her for a year haha. Wow, there is nothing like learning another language. Nothing. I can't describe it any other way than just always feeling like you  are a newborn baby all over again that has to learn to walk, and sometimes you need your diaper changed, but you can't scream and cry because you are actually a mature adult and a representative of Jesus Christ and all that good stuff. So yeah, sometimes you just keep working with diaper rash. 

BUT its also the coolest thing in the world when I'm talking and forget I'm speaking in another language and then realize it. Wow, the Holy Ghost is so awesome and soooo helpful. Yesterday I had an awesome experience in regards to this. We were doing contacts and met a kid playing futbol in the street, and when we started talking to him he went and got his mom. We were like okay that works, then she invited us in and just waited for us to start teaching. By the way, this never happens here. Okay, so we start teaching her and the kids together and it was awesome. The Spirit was so strong and talking was easy for me. A lot of times, I never know if the people actually understood what I said or if they are just being polite, but at the end of the lesson, Rose, the woman, told me that she understood everything I said because the Holy Ghost carried it from my heart to hers. She said the closing prayer and asked if what we told her was true, and started crying during the prayer. At the end, she told us that she had prayed that morning to know what she should do to better her life, and she said she knew we were messengers from God and an answer to her prayer. It was amazing. Things like this happen every day. I can't believe it. Miracles happen everyday you guys. I promise. We just have to open our eyes and see with faith. Missionary work is so emotionally exhausting, but these gifts from God like this are what carry me through. I want to work even harder and show God I have faith. I hope you all are seeing blessings in your life, because I am working really hard haha. When I feel like I have nothing left, I think of those I care about, and it gets me pumped that I can do something for them :)

 

Today is going to be awesome because Celia, our amazingly delightful investigator is going to teach us how to make gnochi and this amazing fish dish from scratch. Oh my mouth is watering already. Celia is sooo awesome. I just love being around her, and I have never met someone with so much faith and such enthusiasm in bearing it. She feels like a mom to me, which is really nice to have, even if I can barely understand what she is saying haha. I love sitting next to her in church. I don't know how to explain it, but she reminds me of you, Mom, even though she is super loud and so different, I feel like I'm sitting with you when I sit with her in church. Every week in church, she tells the WHOLE world this church is true and she is not even baptized yet. She is such an example of how we should all treat our testimonies. We need to shine our light. We need to share our gifts. 

Speaking of gifts, I read Moroni 10 about spiritual gifts. Did you know the same thing is in Corinthians 12 and D and C 46 (i think 46 or 42) so it must be pretty important. Anyway, I can't believe how many of these gifts I have developed in my mission and am beginning to recognize in myself now. I promise they were not there before, but as I have gained more faith, these gifts have come as a side effect. How amazing! God has been blessing me in ways I didn't even recognize...and they are really cool ways..things that I can't really write about in an email. You guys, the coolest part is that the scriptures promise these spiritual gifts to all those who have faith, nothing more required. Men and women and children can all have these amazing gifts and they are given liberally as long as we have faith. I promise you that if you desire to have these gifts, then you can. You only need to have faith that it is possible. I know that God works miracles. I know that there are angels among us carrying us through our challenges. I know that we can do amazing things if we have the courage to shed our doubts and believe anything is possible. 

You guys are awesome! I love you all soooo much. I challenge you to pray for miracles. I challenge you to talk to strangers and share the gift of the gospel with others. I challenge you to believe, and if not yet believing, then have the desire to believe and the faith will come (Alma 32).

love love love sis Hunny/Barbie/boneca branca

Beijos