Monday, December 12, 2011

Bad after bad, but then good!

Oi!

So I´m staying here in limoeiro! Thought so! haha. And I´m thinking I will stay another transfer after too, only because my new companion (Elder Diniz), this is his last transfer!! Man, you don´t know how much you know or don´t know of portuguese until your companion cannot speak english with you haha. It´s the true test! But Im really surprised by what I can say and bascially understand all. It really amazes me how the Lord works in our lives!

This week was a really rough week! Almost everyday, all our compromissos...appointments haha... fell and no one was wanting to hear our word. At one point I was getting really discouraged and just thinking, Man if it is going to be like this the whole time, this will be a rough ride. But I never let myself get too down. Everyday was a new day and I tried to give 100%. But let me tell ya, it´s pretty difficult sometimes. Anyways, one day we were trying to contact some membros less actives and out of all the people we tried looking for that day we only found one. Antônio! Anyways, I'll talk about him a little later. Just know he was really happy to see us and gave us a reference! So, we made an appointment with him and the referencia for sunday. friday night, we visited Kiara (I don´t know if i already mentioned her or not, but she is a girl that has 11 years and she was to be baptized sunday!!) So we visted her and her mom. Her mom still is smoking. Anyways Kiara was at the house of her aunts, so we went to find her and we were doing all of this in the pouring rain. It poured rain like none other this entire week, twas craziness! hahah. We found the aunts house and kiara and did an interview with kiara. She was really discouraged and the aunt did not like us, but she didn't say, sure did show it! She kept on telling Kiara that you have to think about this. Think about it! She didn´t want her to get baptized and fall. So we told her  that is why we are here! But... I don't know... Just know that Satan is working just as hard as the missionaries! But she said she would get baptized and that I would baptize her. So I was very excited! It would be my first baptism that I would actually baptize. Well the next day came and that night we followed up with kiara. I don´t know what happened but she had no desire at all to be baptized. That was one of biggest discouragments on my mission so far. Just because she had been sooooooo strong and ready to be baptized, but Satan is always right there ready to place doubt in anyone's mind. Her and her mom went to church though but she didn´t get baptized.

To make a bad story good! We saw Antônio at church! And he hadn´t gone forever! Also, when we had a lesson with Sonha (the reference) and Atônio, Sonha was really excited about it all and she has 2 kids. I really believe that God was showing us where to go when we chose atônio to visit, because he also said, in 11 years he had never received a visit from members or missionaries and no one bothered to help him. But it just was really special to him that we came and made a visit with him. It just makes me really happy when we can help people like that! Anyways, long story but ended to be a good week!

Really quickly about sacarment that I wanted to say last time! So, I just was learning more about it and I realized something. If we think back to adam and eve, they were living with God. The whole plan is that we were to come here to gain bodies and experiences. God wants us to have all the blessings that he is enjoying right now. But there´s a problem. We don´t have bodies and the knowleadge. We couldn´t progress. God choose Jesus Christ to be our Savior. But why would he choose a Savior if we hadn´t fallen yet? Because it was part of the plan. It had to be part of the plan. But because adam and eve ate the fruit, two things happened. Two deaths: Physical and Spritual. With these two we cannot live with heavenly father again. But Christ was sent to save us from those two. Remember the scripture moises 1:39? immortality and eternal life right? well Christ gave every single person in the world immortality through the atonement! When he was ressurrected, he gave every other person the opportunity to be resurrected too! We all will be! Thus we recieve immortality. Everyone is saved from phyiscal death!! And the other spirtual death? We are saved from this and we can recieve eternal life (if will follow christ), by the other part of the atonement! Christ suffered from our sins in the garden and died for our sins on the cross. Because of this, we allllllll have the chance to repent of our sins. So, what does this have to do with the sacrament? Everything! Because the bread represents his body and that he was resurrected and we all can be too. The water represents his blood and that he payed the price for sins and that we can have eternal life too, if we follow him. So anyways, I guess it just really hit me that really the sacrament is about the atonement and that the atonement saves us from the two deaths. Anyways, I hope that made sense hahaha.

This is how Christmas will work. I get to choose a place to talk with you guys (some members house) and I will tell you what time I will be calling in an email, so be checking because I don´t know when I will be doing it!! But basically that! I am very excited :) Say hi for me to Taylor! :) I will be waiting patiently for the package! :)

It sounds like you guys are having too much fun without me ;) hahaha. I´m jealous, but really I´m loving it here that I will be staying here :P hahaha. Yes dad you can sell it! Doesn´t fit me anymore, but I think I will get another when I get back, I want to start up again. haha.

She visited him? Man that´s good! but sad that it took that long! Sorry I realize my thoughts don´t make sense to others reading this... hahah. But About brother Tally hahahah. But that´s really good to hear about that :)

Anyways, this week will be really good and I´ll try and get some pictures out sometime, maybe today, lets see! haha. But anyways, I love you guy lots! And keep staying in the gospel :) Bye! :)

Love,
Élder Grant Shaw Merrill

p.s. I will be eating churrasco today! (BBQ) I´m excited :]

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