March 17, 2014- Sacrifícios!

This week was good! We had a lot of really good, fulfilling days. And we had lunch with fancy Nancy which always makes for a very entertaining time. She actually let me help set her table which is a very big honor in her house. When the other American, Sister Woods (The same girl that she calls "sister angry" and made the yellow teeth comment to) tried to help Nancy quickly told her to sit down. So I felt this was sort of an honor. At one point during lunch she went around the table and told each and every one of use how beautiful we were... well until Sister Woods. She told her "Sister Woods, you would be more beautiful if you were less grande." Lets just say that Nancy is one of the main reasons I work hard here to keep a girlish figure. 

But Nancy aside, I´ve tried to figure out what diferentiates a good day from a bad one here because now days go perfectly or completely according to schedule. But I have decided that the days I like best are the ones where I get to spend time with our ``regulars.`` Our investigators that are progressing, understanding, and embracing our message. I have also decided that I am a creature of comfort. I don´t really like change. Exhibit A: I still love 7th heaven, full house, and before my mission I listened to Backstreet Boys on a regular basis. so nineties. And so it is hard for me to see people that I grow to love decide not to read the scriptures we give, pray or go to church. I want them to feel the happiness I feel but they just don´t get it sometimes.Like our investigators Marta and Marcos and their daughter Paloma: They have testimonies and they come to church every week, but they just can´t manage to give up smoking so we have had to limit our visits with them. So sad. 

So when we have investigators that do realize how special our message is, and are willing to make the necessary sacrifies it is really special. Like Joana... She was baptized this week!! And so we spent lots of time with her. And in particular we had conversation with her that I just loved. We started reading the Book of Mormon with her from the beginning because she has difficulties reading on her own. And after we read the first chapter I explained the story behind the Book of Mormon and expressed my gratitude for the sacrifices the prophets like Nephi and Moroni made for the book. I told her how because of the work they did with their own hands and according to their own knowledge we have this great book to learn from. 

She responded,"sort of like the sacrifices you made to serve a mission. You are learning Portuguese and that is not easy. And you guys work every day evey when it is raining or really hot outside. And you are doing all of this to help people like me learn about Jesus Christ." 

I thought a lot about this conversation this week and one of my favorite quotes by Elder Holland: his interpretation of experience in the bible with Christ and Peter. "I need someone to feed my sheep and save my souls. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly loves me and loves what our father in heaven has sent me to do. This is the work of the all powerful God and it is to change the world."

The bottom line is, people who love God and want to be like Jesus Christ make sacrifices. But the interesting thing about these sacrifices is that if we were able to ask Nephi, Abinidi, Alma, Moroni, Helaman, Mormon, etc "was it worth it?" I am sure they would all say that the time they spent away from their families, the temptations they avoided, and the service they rendered seemed insignificant when they observe the many blessings they recieved in return. Their families were kept safe, they found happiness and peace in their sometimes shattered world, they had direction and they were blessed with strength in times of need. Yes, they made sacrifices, but God richly blessed them as well. 

I am grateful to be able to learn a little more about this process here, especially alongside such wonderful humble people like Joana. And it is difficult to tell if our efforts are changing the world. There is so much to do and we are only human trying to work with our own hands and our own strengths and weaknesses. But as for Joana and her world: She knows that she has a savior. She now feels clean and pure from her sins. She gave up smoking, and she knows that she will see the daughter that died again. So as for her and her world, I think that we are making a very significant difference. And these baby steps are enough for me at the moment. 

Love you all! 

Sister Lauren

                                            our district meetings. uno is one of the only pieces of home we get here.

                                                                     A park we found! and lots of rain! 

                                                                                         Joana! at the temple

                                                 
                                                                 Danilo and his new clothes! They fit perfectly

                                                         the division last week! so fun!

Jeans-A very Special Occasion!

p.s.  Wow!! Your car is beautiful and the Brazilian Christ statue-green for St. Patricks Day?! how funny! Has dad gotten a new car yet now that Katie has his? Thats crazy about Ashley! Im excited for her. Oh I got a package from Victoria! Loved that. But I see my President every few weeks and whenever we talk I can understand everything he is saying. My campanion is trying to learn English but she currently doesnt know anything and we kind of have a mission rule that we are not allowed to speak English so it is basically Portuguese all the time. 

In conversations about the gospel I can understand everything and say basically everything I want to say but with other converstations it just depends. Today we are going to the mission office because my companion has a meeting with President. I am starting to discover that I think she suffers from depression and her family situation does not really help. And I think she views president as sort of a father because hers died.