Week 23: Where are my bananas?!?
This week's adventure was the day we went on splits and I spent 24 hours with a new Sister with only five weeks here in Brasil. She's from Bolivia (so she speaks Spanish), but she already speaks Portuguese comfortably. Not going to lie, I was kind of nervous going in (I barely know what I'm doing and I have 5 months, not just 5 weeks) but it turned out awesome. She's the kind of person to belt out Disney songs and do all the dishes within 5 minutes of entering the door (in our house. Excuse you, those are *our* dishes, and we will clean them.... eventually) and never stop smiling. Like, seriously. Who even is she? Anyway, it was a really awesome day. It's always good to have a day where I get to show off what I've learned and get a new perspective on things.
We were teaching two brothers about faith and read the part in Alma 32 about how the word of God is like a seed and if you take care of it and wait, it will grow into a testimony. As part of the lesson, though, I showed them a seed (actually it was just a pebble but we had faith), and we compared water, sun, and soil to reading the scriptures, praying, and going to church. We've been teaching them a while and they say they're praying, asking if everything is true, but they have yet to receive an answer (or maybe just to recognize the answer). Anyway, in the example, I got them super excited about how the seed could grow into a banana tree if they took care of it, and then started to complain, "What's wrong with this seed? I gave it water and sun and it's in good ground, so WHERE ARE MY BANANAS?!?" Laughing, they explained that we need to wait for it to grow, and of course I turned around and helped them understand that it's the same thing with a testimony. We do these simple things not just once but regularly, and when we're doing our part and waiting in faith, good things will grow.
In conclusion, it was an awesome week. We had some really, really good spiritual lessons, and I love the feeling of the Spirit working through me. The gift of tongues isn't just for learning a new language. I'm learning that when we're working in union with the Spirit, we can speak with the tounges of angels to understand better and touch the hearts of the people we teach. It's not just the words but the knowledge we're trying to share, and it's only the Holy Ghost that can teach.
God exists. He lives and He wants us to know Him. He called prophets to teach and write and help us learn more about Him, and through their words (in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and other sacred books of scripture) we can grow in knowledge and faith and one day return to Him. When we're doing the small things---praying, studying the scriptures, going to church, serving one another, etc---we can learn and grow and one day we will be ready to live with Him and experience His joy. This is my hope. I always want to feel His Spirit near, and I'm striving to always be worthy and willing to follow Him.
I love you all!
Sister Hannah Hiatt
P.S. Send me a fabulous unicorn that I can ride (because the Brasilian Ônibus is slightly terrifying)
Sister Hannah Hiatt
Av Dr. Luís Rocha Miranda, 159
8º Andar
Jabaquara
04344-010 São Paulo - SP
Brazil
We were teaching two brothers about faith and read the part in Alma 32 about how the word of God is like a seed and if you take care of it and wait, it will grow into a testimony. As part of the lesson, though, I showed them a seed (actually it was just a pebble but we had faith), and we compared water, sun, and soil to reading the scriptures, praying, and going to church. We've been teaching them a while and they say they're praying, asking if everything is true, but they have yet to receive an answer (or maybe just to recognize the answer). Anyway, in the example, I got them super excited about how the seed could grow into a banana tree if they took care of it, and then started to complain, "What's wrong with this seed? I gave it water and sun and it's in good ground, so WHERE ARE MY BANANAS?!?" Laughing, they explained that we need to wait for it to grow, and of course I turned around and helped them understand that it's the same thing with a testimony. We do these simple things not just once but regularly, and when we're doing our part and waiting in faith, good things will grow.
In conclusion, it was an awesome week. We had some really, really good spiritual lessons, and I love the feeling of the Spirit working through me. The gift of tongues isn't just for learning a new language. I'm learning that when we're working in union with the Spirit, we can speak with the tounges of angels to understand better and touch the hearts of the people we teach. It's not just the words but the knowledge we're trying to share, and it's only the Holy Ghost that can teach.
God exists. He lives and He wants us to know Him. He called prophets to teach and write and help us learn more about Him, and through their words (in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and other sacred books of scripture) we can grow in knowledge and faith and one day return to Him. When we're doing the small things---praying, studying the scriptures, going to church, serving one another, etc---we can learn and grow and one day we will be ready to live with Him and experience His joy. This is my hope. I always want to feel His Spirit near, and I'm striving to always be worthy and willing to follow Him.
I love you all!
Sister Hannah Hiatt
P.S. Send me a fabulous unicorn that I can ride (because the Brasilian Ônibus is slightly terrifying)
Sister Hannah Hiatt
Av Dr. Luís Rocha Miranda, 159
8º Andar
Jabaquara
04344-010 São Paulo - SP
Brazil
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