Still very busy with all the people we are visiting and I realized how long my email was last week so I will try to give a short update on them.
Olivia is okay, more or less. When we called that night, she had just found out her brother in law passed away and was a little frantic. We read the book of Mormon with her this week and she said she would come to church but when we called Saturday no one answered…
Gabi-doing finals this week so we didn’t get the chance to meet with her.
Joiro- had SUCH a good conversation with him and Naide. We weren’t sure what message to prepare for them so we studied and prayed and decided to just go by the Spirit. He ended up talking about some of his doubts in the church and we were able to answer his questions about priesthood, the Book of Mormon, etc. Missionary work really is nothing without the Spirit.
Jailton- when we visited this week he had read 130 pages of the Book of Mormon! He is really showing interest in the gospel now and said that he wants to understand and know the church a little more before baptism, but that he thinks he wants to be baptized eventually!! He has the cutest house that he decorated himself and there is one painting I love on his wall. This week, he said he talked to the person who gave it to him and will get 2 more for me and sister Galdino! We love him.
Eduardo and family- living with their parents for the next week while their house is being remodeled. More to come…
Thanksgiving came and went without much excitement. It is dad’s favorite holiday so we made cookies in behalf of him and to eat something American in celebration. I felt homesick thinking about everyone gathered at home but it only lasted that night and after that I was fine.
Spent Monday at the centro and went out to acai with Melissa to commemorate her mission call opening and answer all her questions about preparing and such. What Sister Galdino didn’t know is that we were also planning her surprise birthday party!! Planning surprises for someone you literally spend all day every day with is quite the challenge but thank goodness for Melissa because it turned out so great and sister Galdino was not expecting it at all. On Friday, her birthday, I took her out to acai and made it seem like that was it. Later, Vania ‘wanted to visit some people with us’ so she picked us up and when we showed up to Melissas apartment there were a ton of ward members there to surprise her. Melissa got the number of Sister Galdinos mom and a ton of her friends sent audio clips wishing her a happy birthday.She cried… Everyone brought food, Melissa made a cake, it turned out perfect.
Saturday- Max was finally baptized!!! After trying this entire month to schedule a date with his family, it finally worked out! Unfortunately our ward mission leader didn’t show up so we ended up waiting 45 minutes for another priesthood holder to come. But Max was so excited and I am glad we got to be there. He is really special and I think he will be a leader in the church someday.
Yesterday was one of the best Sundays. Sidinha, a member in our ward, has a husband who hasn’t come to church in years. We love their family and when I arrived, we immediately bonded over our mutual love for country music :) We have lunch with them every month and last Sunday, we felt prompted to share a message about the Spirit. We all ended up having a really good discussion about the Spirit, getting answers to prayers, and so on. Then, yesterday, her husband showed up to church!! They both looked so happy and Sidinha gave us both big hugs when they walked in. Everyone always talks about baptisms in the mission, but when we bring someone back to church it is just as rewarding. Since I have been here, we have brought back 5 people that had stopped participating in the church. I know without a doubt that Christ really does leave the 99 sheep just to save the 1 that is lost.
Transfer calls came last night and I am staying here 6 more weeks!!!! Since I am training, it was pretty likely to happen but no one ever knows for sure so I am very happy and relieved. I will pass Christmas and New Year here with my temporary family and am feeling very grateful.
That about wraps up the week, sorry this was a novel again. We will spend today with Lorena, Alexandre, and Agathe which will be so fun. We love their family. Only 28 days until Christmas and now that Thankgiving is over it is socially acceptable to start celebrating! J
Love,
Sister Lauren Mather
PS. Jared’s birthday is this week- send him an email!!! Happy Birthday Jar!
No comments:
Post a Comment