Hey!!!!!
Guess what???!! I´m guessing you already know by all of the exclamation points..but I´ll say it anyway...I´M STAYING IN RIO PARDO!!!!! :) And Sister Grant too :D
That´s pretty much the most exciting news of the week!!! Actually it is pretty crazy, but my entire district is going to be staying! This will be the transfer on my mission where there hasn´t been a single change in my district! I guess our little filhinhos need to stay in Sunbeams with their mamães and papais a little longer. haha....just kidding. :) But I´m very happy! I love our district and I´m super excited to be staying here in Rio Pardo for another 6 weeks. We are teaching a lot of amazing people right now and we are seeing miracles daily!
This week we started visiting a young couple, Simone and Danilo. They both were baptized into the church as children and I know that they have testimonies of the gospel still. Danilo even got his mission call when he was 19 years old and made it all they way to the airport with his bags packed....but at the last minute decided not to go. It made me sad to hear the regret in his voice when he was talking to us. I felt like I could understand him completely....the worry and the doubt and the fear... It has been over 10 years that he hasn´t gone to church, but I can feel how much he and his wife desire to return.. We talked about the tree of life and how the prophets and the scriptures are always trying to guide us towards the most priceless and pure blessings and joy that we can have. The blessings of the temple! Sometimes the "clouds of darkness" make the path there look complicated or scary and we get discouraged by how far away it seems. But we just have to remember that they are just clouds. It is only Satan that fills our minds with those thought and those doubts...because we have the promise that the path is actually perfectly straight and sure. We just need to grab on and "press forward continually" and anyone can make it with the help of the Lord. He is always reaching for us with his arms open...waiting for us to just grab hold. There was a very wonderful spirit in the room and I felt that I learned a lot myself and felt my testimony grow about the perfect love and plan and kindness that the Lord has for us.
Erialdo is still reading the Book of Mormon...actually I think "devouring it" would be more accurate!!! :) He is so so so so smart and is super excited about the gospel!
It was funny, last night we were at his home to teach Sílvia and Erialdo about the plan of salvation, but their relatives, Geraldo and Mara, were over visiting and had a lot of questions, so we decided to teach them about the church and about our work . Erialdo kept interrupting us and pratically teaching them the entire first lesson! He told them about prophets and about the great apostasy and then how our loving and always kind Heavenly Father called a prophet again to restore the church. I couldn´t have said it any better myself...it was perfect! Oh, and at then Erialdo started telling him about the Book of Mormon and how Joseph Smith´s son had translated it into English. I stopped him and said "No, it was Joseph Smith that translated them, not his son" and he told me "No, Sister Gee, the introduction said it was Joseph Smith Jr. so that means it was Joseph Smith´s son." haha!! It´s true. Wow it feels good to be proven wrong by an investigator :)
It makes me so happy to hear how excited he is and how he really is searching and feasting on the Book of Mormon and the messages we have been sharing with him. The only problem is that even though it is making perfect sense in his head, I´m not sure if he´s felt the importance and truthfulness of our message in his heart. He says "I know it is true...it makes perfect sense. But I am a catholic and I will never be baptized into another church" ....I think one of the hardest things for him to give up will be the catholic saints that he prays to. Nossa Senhora Aparecida is the patron saint of Brazil and the catholics here really love her and pray to her a lot. ....Sister Grant and I are planning on bringing Presidente Rogério along when we teach him about that. Presidente Rogério also was a very strong catholic before he was baptized 4 years ago and I know that his testimony will really help open Erialdo´s eyes and heart. I´m so grateful for members here that love helping with missionary work...it really is the members, their love and friendships and testimonies and examples, that make the missionary work happen!
Oh and guess what else?? Last Sunday two moças in our ward were called to be ward missionaries! Camila Daudt and Larissa Oliveira are both young woman that are super amazing and they´re already very excited to start working. This Saturday I think we´re going to get together to do divisions with them....it will be awesome to be able to get twice the normal amount of visits done on Saturday afternoon!
This has definitely been the best year of my life....I love being a missionary and I love the gospel and I LOVE BRAZIL!!!
And I love love love all of you :)
Love,
Sister Jamie Gee
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