11 Months: Spiritual Fire Hose
So this last week has been pretty darn awesome. I think I mentioned last week that I was transfered, so now I'm here in Rudge Ramos, ala Assunção, serving with Sister Sales (who was my roommate a month or two ago) and Nossa Senhora, it's been an awesome week.
Tuesday morning we set out with the purpose to find the elect of the Lord and help them repent and prepare to be baptized. We were walking in the street normal when a lady stopped us. I didn't recognize her but my companion knew her to be a member in the area, and she offered to fill up our water bottles. We followed her home (she lived pretty close) and she gave us water. Without us asking or saying anything, she mentioned that she had been talking with a friend of hers about the church and wanted us to visit her. (Now, as missionaries, we're always looking for people to teach, but we almost never get references like this)
Later that same day we passed a guy in the street who turned out to be a recent convert, and imediately after introducing himself he said he had invited his neighbors to church and to a youth activity, and that he wanted us to teach them too. A few days later we wanted someone to give a blessing to a boy who was preparing for baptismbut was feeling a little nervous, and he left everything and met up with us right after we called. This ward is awesome and is very involved with the missionary work that's happening.
We had a ton of miracles and sweet moments this week, but I wanted to share my notes from conference, too. I watched half in English and half in Portuguese (there was another american missionary there who wanted to watch in English and she couldn't watch alone, so we went on splits for conference) and oh my goodness Christ really is returning. We need to be prepared to meet with Him and we can't procrastinate this.
I thought there was a huge focus on repentance and the necessity to give our whole hearts to God. If we claim to be disciples but remain in sin, not even trying to change, we will not receive all of the blessings He has for us and we will frankly be doing the work of the devil. He wants that we give everything to Him-- our thoughts, our actions, even our hearts-- and it is only in doing this that we can be true followers of Him. We won't be perfect but if we get to a point where we think we're "good enough" and stop progressing, we are just distancing ourselves from God. I liked the example Elder Bednar gave of how cheetahs stalk their prey two together, where only one is visible at any given time. I thought that this is very aplicable in our lives. Sometimes we are so focused on avoiding one sin that we let other things slip into our lives and take us captive. We need to be vigilant and do everything to avoid any type of sin, because even in the smallest coisas we are separated from God.
Eu sou muito grata pelo evangelho de Jesus Cristo e pelo oportunidade tenho de arrepender, de começar de novo, e um dia de voltar ao meu Pai Celestial. Eu sei que esta é a igreja Dele e que este e o cominho de felicidade que Ele deixou para nos. Eu amo Deus e sou muito grata por poder servir como missionária. [I am very grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and for the opportunity I have to repent, to start over, and one day to return to my Heavenly Father. I know this is His church and this is the way of happiness that He left for us. I love God and I am very grateful that I can serve as a missionary.]
Amo vocês!
Sister Hiatt
Tuesday morning we set out with the purpose to find the elect of the Lord and help them repent and prepare to be baptized. We were walking in the street normal when a lady stopped us. I didn't recognize her but my companion knew her to be a member in the area, and she offered to fill up our water bottles. We followed her home (she lived pretty close) and she gave us water. Without us asking or saying anything, she mentioned that she had been talking with a friend of hers about the church and wanted us to visit her. (Now, as missionaries, we're always looking for people to teach, but we almost never get references like this)
Later that same day we passed a guy in the street who turned out to be a recent convert, and imediately after introducing himself he said he had invited his neighbors to church and to a youth activity, and that he wanted us to teach them too. A few days later we wanted someone to give a blessing to a boy who was preparing for baptismbut was feeling a little nervous, and he left everything and met up with us right after we called. This ward is awesome and is very involved with the missionary work that's happening.
We had a ton of miracles and sweet moments this week, but I wanted to share my notes from conference, too. I watched half in English and half in Portuguese (there was another american missionary there who wanted to watch in English and she couldn't watch alone, so we went on splits for conference) and oh my goodness Christ really is returning. We need to be prepared to meet with Him and we can't procrastinate this.
I thought there was a huge focus on repentance and the necessity to give our whole hearts to God. If we claim to be disciples but remain in sin, not even trying to change, we will not receive all of the blessings He has for us and we will frankly be doing the work of the devil. He wants that we give everything to Him-- our thoughts, our actions, even our hearts-- and it is only in doing this that we can be true followers of Him. We won't be perfect but if we get to a point where we think we're "good enough" and stop progressing, we are just distancing ourselves from God. I liked the example Elder Bednar gave of how cheetahs stalk their prey two together, where only one is visible at any given time. I thought that this is very aplicable in our lives. Sometimes we are so focused on avoiding one sin that we let other things slip into our lives and take us captive. We need to be vigilant and do everything to avoid any type of sin, because even in the smallest coisas we are separated from God.
Eu sou muito grata pelo evangelho de Jesus Cristo e pelo oportunidade tenho de arrepender, de começar de novo, e um dia de voltar ao meu Pai Celestial. Eu sei que esta é a igreja Dele e que este e o cominho de felicidade que Ele deixou para nos. Eu amo Deus e sou muito grata por poder servir como missionária. [I am very grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ and for the opportunity I have to repent, to start over, and one day to return to my Heavenly Father. I know this is His church and this is the way of happiness that He left for us. I love God and I am very grateful that I can serve as a missionary.]
Amo vocês!
Sister Hiatt
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