APRIL 17, 2017

I HAVE A BABY!

HEY!!! 

This week has been crazy!!! So many greenie miracles! It’s been amazing!! The lord has really been preparing this area for so many awesome things to happen. Bahia is like known for being a place where miracles happen around the mission. I love this place so much. 

First of all, I have a "Baby" now!?!?! Hermana Isham, she’s from Seattle, Washington and is just the cutest little thing! She just has so much fire and is fearless when it comes to talking to everyone!! I love it, its so awesome! I will seriously just point out someone and say, "You got it" and she walks right up and starts talking. She is just the most poised person ever too, which is a real contrast since I am pretty "normal" to everyone but she just has so much sophistication- it’s cool. haha. I am so excited for this transfer and i guess the next one too. I legit lost my voice because I talk SO much and fly solo the whole time but it’s been so fun! I have really focused on just being myself all the time. I don’t know why but "robot missionary" mode is a real fight. But I have truly learned the importance of being yourself and expressing true and sincere love and testimony to my investigators. Also, I realized that as soon as I started to be "myself" in Spanish and not just stick to the things I know are grammatically correct, that is when the gift of tongues really kicked in.

So right now we are teaching such a cool guy named Emilio! He is wonderful. He was a lawyer back in Venezuela but came here for work. He is so educated yet faithful and makes teaching him a lot "easier". We have been taking all the lessons "slower" so that he can really understand it all and his progress in the gospel has been so rapid because of it. We were in the middle of teaching him the Plan of Salvation when he just turns to us and says "This just makes so much sense, this is so peaceful, Wow". You could just see the "spark" in his eye when he just got it. After extending him a date to get baptized and all that jazz he turned to me and said "You said you know I will be ready for this date, why do you feel that?" and then I just got to bear my pure testimony and he just "got it" again. Also, listen how cute this is -- after our first visit with him he was like "thank you guys SO much. I was so nervous when they told me that you were coming over but then you just walked in and were so happy and friendly and I instantly felt so much more peace"... I love this guy! Teaching him has been a wonderful experience and we are so excited for his baptism on the 29th!

Easter out here was so great! I loved it! We went over to a member in the english ward for dinner and they made us this really awesome steak and potatoes-- I cannot tell you how thankful i am for those people. It was by far the best meal I've had on my mission and honestly the first real "American" meal that I can remember. I was so happy. :) 

My scripture this week is in Matthew 6:25. It’s when the lord is calling his disciples to come and follow him. He tells them to "take no thought". I feel like a lot of the time we get so wrapped up in the world and the things that are calling our attention RIGHT NOW, that we are too preoccupied to serve the lord. But really, the real "magic" happens is when we forget ourselves, forget our needs right now, and focus on what the Lord needs us to do.  

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

I love you all! So very much! I pray for you every day! Keep being amazing! Have a great week!!