I will miss good old Glória (used to be Alameda) I included some reminiscent photos.
I don´t think I have ever been so sad to leave a people. I keep thinking of all the people I am leaving behind- a recent convert, a new investigator, a dear member, my comp and dear friend Sister Gurrieri. I will be going to Pelótas, way far away , close to where I started my mission. I know it will be great and I will love it.
This week was full of beautiful moments. We have been helping Mary, a recent convert of almost a year (who is starting to prepare to go to the temple!!!!!), quite a bit with some difficulties she was having, and she was so grateful, that when she went to the market, she bought a giant bag of biscoitos (little cracker cookies) for us. We asked her to put just a few in a little containter for us because she needs the food more than we do, but we couldn´t turn down such genuine generosity and love. She is in two of the photos I included.
Yesterday we had an investigator that said they would go to church, but she lived REALLY far away and didn´t know how to get to the church, so we had to arrange a ride, which is a super hard thing here because very few ward members here have cars. But someone said that a young couple in the ward that lives our apartment complex has a car. It was Saturdaywhen the investigator said they could go, so we had very little time to get everything together. We called the couple using the interphone at doorman´s office saturday night, and they said sure! they could go with us. Sunday morning, right on time, we walked out of the apartment and Giselle, the wife, was already in the car waiting. It turns out she is the one that has the driver´s licence, but she has only had it for a year. We could tell that se was SUPER nervous and eventually she confessed that she had only driven with her husband in the car. It was touching to see how willing she was to go way out of her comfort zone to help someone she doesn´t even know, who didn´t even end up going to church, but she didn´t complain, just smiled and served.
I learned something interesting in gospel principles class yesterday. We were talking about prayer and how the Lord´s prayer, found in Matthew 6:9-13 is given as a pattern of prayer, but that we do not repeat prayers, but they are like conversations with God. However, there are prayers that are the same, like the sacramental prayer. Why? It is a contract with God. The terms of the contract do not change with time, location, or circumstance. That is why the sacramental prayers, baptismal prayer, and other written words used repeatedly are the same always. Because God created the contract and offers the same to all of His children. Personal prayers, however, allow us to align our will with God´s, taking into consideration all of the specific and individual circumstances of our lives.
Pray more and pray harder.
Love
Sister Smith
No comments:
Post a Comment