This Week Was Great!

December 8, 2014

Dear Família & Friends,

Mission President Letter

Obrigado por suas respostas! Essa semana foi ótima! Joacim estava na Igreja e ele tem um data por batismo dia 14! Vamos tentar marcar uma data com Iago também que estava esse Domingo. A maioria dos outros que estavam na Igreja infelizmente não são casados legalmente. Vamos trabalhar para a caramba! 

Google Translation

Thanks for your answers. This week was great! Joacim was in church and he has a date for baptism on the 14th! We will try to arrange a date with Iago also this Sunday. Most others who were in the Church unfortunately are not legally married. We will work to hard!

Yes! I can. Sister Young collects Nativities like you do, so she might know where to find one. She Loved the Wise Men tie you gave me by the way! Thank You :)

I did! We have new pass-along cards with the link to He Is The Gift, and that's been working out pretty well.

Thank you for sending that to Jake for me!

No! I missed it, but I'll download The Christmas Devotional and so I'll listen to it later!!

We had 7 investigators at church this week! I think it was my record. One of them has a baptismal date marked for next week! He is an old man named Joacim and he is sweet.

Your comments remind me of what I read in Alma 26 today:

 5 Behold, the field was ripe, and blessed are ye, for ye did thrust in the sickle, and did reap with your might, yea, all the day long did   ye labor; and behold the number of your sheaves! And they shall   be gathered into the garners, that they are not wasted.

 6 Yea, they shall not be beaten down by the storm at the last day;  yea, neither shall they be harrowed up by the whirlwinds; but when the storm cometh they shall be gathered together in their  place, that the storm cannot penetrate to them; yea, neither shall  they be driven with fierce winds whithersoever the enemy listeth  to carry them.

 7 But behold, they are in the hands of the Lord of the harvest, and they are his; and he will raise them up at the last day.

I especially LOVE verse 7. Our recent converts are a precious priority. President Hinckley once spoke of how they need 3 things: 1. A Friend, 2. A Responsibility, and 3. Nourished in The Good Word of God. We truly need to take care of all of them. That they might "go no more out" (Alma 7:25).

I believe it. I can tell, just through the emails, that Allison is changed.

We were born in a good country.

Thank YOU for your scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 21. I was called upon serious reflection...

This Christmas Season we really should focus more on the Savior.

Yesterday, after teaching 3 lessons in a row with our awesome Ward Mission Leader, Acássio, we were talking about how wonderful the teachings of The Savior are. How He taught simply, and firmly, yet many did not or would not understand. But He kept His course. For instance, when speaking to the Jews He said, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19) They thought He was talking about the temple structure, but in reality He was referring to His Body as a Temple, and how after 3 days He would be Resurrected. Or when the Jews claimed superiority to other people due to their direct lineage to Abraham and their "rights" to the Covenant established with him. Jesus replied, "Before Abraham was, I am." (John 8:58) The Hebrew name Jehovah means "I am" or "The self-existent one", or in other words, here Jesus The Christ taught that He was "the great I am" who conversed with Moses. Or when He was tried before a corrupt nation and when questioned He kept His peace. Like the centurion present at the Crucifixion we know that, "Truly this man is The Son of God" (Mark 15:39).

Brother Johnson is sweet! I always loved his gospel principles class. As a missionary I have learned a lot about how to teach.

I am glad you got to watch White Christmas. I Love that movie. Also, the church website has "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens available for download. I may listen to it to invite the season; Allison might like to know this as well. I am dreaming of a White Christmas. Not in snow...that would be a little unrealistic here, but in white in Baptisms. Gisele and Pedro were finally married and baptized...the same day. I will send pictures as soon as I get them!

Merry Christmas!

I Love You All!

Feliz Natal!

Élder Weaver