Brazil Week 15

Oi Família!!
Wow, this has been an interesting week, let´s see if I can get a couple of cool details of what has happened...
Well, first off, the Sisters in our District are currently teaching the cousin of Elder Mazzargardi of the Seventy and part of the Area Presidency of Brazil. Anyway, we the Elders here in our district were on a division this last Friday, and our District leader Elder Iverson needed to go to the area of the sister´s for an interview with this lady. I was on a division with Elder De Santi, and we met my companion Elder Heilnerder Iverson and the sisters there in Jundiaí. Anyway, as we got to the house of this lady, we find that she is playing Bingo with her friends, FYI she´s about 60 or so years old, so it makes a bit more sense. Anyway, when she told our District leader that she was busy playing bingo and couldn´t do the interview, Elder Iverson said ´´Oh well, can we play??`` She said sure, and so we entered, 4 Elders and 2 Sisters into a garage filled with 6 old ladies who were smoking and playing bingo. It was an experience I´ll never forget.. haha Oh the things missionaries will do to help others come unto Christ eh? Elder Heilner &De Santi joined in for a couple rounds, with no betting of course, and Elder Clay actually won one round.

 

Well... let´s see.I´m learning a bunch, I´m changing every single day, trying to do better and better, and seeing the Lord´s hand a lot. He let´s us struggle, oh yes He does! But if we take the time to stop, and really look at our lives, I testify that we can see how He has helped us and answered our prayers- many times in ways completely different than we had expected. I love this work, it´s really cool to see that as I´ve asked for energy on the days when my legs ache, my toe hurt and the sun is really hot, He´s given me a sense of urgency and energy to do this work. Gosh, I´m learning a bunch here, I see so clearly my faults and my weaknesses- but that´s all a part of the plan right? haha Love you all, and til next time!

 

I´m doing something right now to help grow my testimony of the Savior, I feel like Heavenly Father has been trying to tell me to do it but I´ve just been putting it off. 3 times before I left on the mission, i got to hear Elder Russell M Nelson speak in person. Everytime, he suggested that we got to the Topical Guide, and read all the scriptures under all the topic titles for Jesus Christ. That 16 pages of scriptures references! I finally started it, and I´m going to do it in English actually, because they don´t have the Topical guide completely in Portuguese yet. Already, I've come to learn more about my Savior Jesus Christ. This gospel is so amazing, and we really don´t recognize the depth and significance of it all I think. Truly the fulness of gospel of Jesus Christ was restored through that Prophet Joseph Smith, God speaks to us today and we have the Priesthood authority of God to seal our families forever! How blessed we are to have an eternal perspective with everything. I love my Savior Jesus Christ, I have so many flaws, but He is still patient with me. I try my best, yet i keep stumbling, but that´s okay. I´m doing my best and He´s helping me to stay humble and help me to improve.
I love you all, and testify of the Savior´s love for each of us!

 

LOve, Merrick