Planting seeds

Sometimes we feel like the spider with our lives. Trying over and over and over again to build our webs. And sometimes we need to choose our battles.
I don´t always know. But what I do know is that when we use the spirit to decipher where the line is we can see miracles.

Here in the mission I rely on this daily with our investigators.
Maybe we do need to move on, maybe we´ve planted the seed and they need time to grow before the harvest.
If we have faith, the Lord will always put someone in their place.
But maybe the seed has already been planted and they just need some pruning. And maybe this will take all of our energy and strength.
But if we persevere then we will see miracles we almost gave up on. This to me is definitely vale a penna (worth it).

Thanks Aunt Kim for your email. Those are the things I just need to hear sometimes.
On that note, last night we passed by the house of Carlos and Vilma to invite them to our stake conference with President Jenson of the Seventy.
As we talked to Carlos alone outside of his gate he opened up. He told us his fears of organized religion. Of fear of rejection.
He related it to dating. You put so much time, effort, and trust into them and you feel great. And then you see them with someone else.
You hear word somewhere of the pastor stealing or abusing a child.
You see under the mask.

He said that he knows one day he´s going to have to make a choice. Whether he does it with his family or alone.
We told him that if he will trust God he will gain back the faith he needs. We shared with him God´s promise of a prophet.
That prophets are honest good men of God who will not lead us astray, and if they try, he will take them first.
God will not allow his true prophets to make a mockery of him. And they never would.
His family trusts him so much, it is incredible.
We promised him that if he does take this step of faith, maybe at first he will be walking without his family, but soon they will follow. Because they trust him.

He wants hope, but his faith is broken.
We can´t keep teaching them because they´re not ready to commit, but we can keep trying to build their faith. Help them to really see God´s love.
And I will not give up on them.

I´m grateful for this principle in every aspect of my life:

Maybe we do need to move on, maybe we´ve planted the seed and we need time to grow before the harvest.
If we have faith, the Lord will always put something in its place.
But maybe the seed has already been planted and we just need some pruning. And maybe this will take all of our energy and strength.
But if we persevere then we will see miracles we almost gave up on. This to me is definitely vale a penna (worth it).

I hope all of you are conquering you demons and finding strength through the Lord.
I´m working on this everyday.

P.S. Sister Tirrell and I made Brazilian Stroganauff for Lunch today... and it actually turned out delicious!! :D
You can be proud of us... we worked really hard. ;)

I love you all!

I won´t lie to you... I´m a little bit homesick today. But not enough to come home so no worries!

I feel like a little bit of everything is happening all at once.
I have a story that I would like to share:

A couple weeks ago we met a family of a husband, a wife, and a 22 year old daughter.
 (the husband) has met with the missionaries before.  He has a book of Mormon and he loves learning about religion.
(the wife) is soooo nice and realizes that we can´t sit back and wait for things to happen if we want something.
  (the daughter) works, has a boyfriend and is just content with life!

We walk by their house on a daily basis and Sister LeBaron and I have stopped and talked to them on one occasion.
About a week ago we ran into the husband coming out of a bar. He actually walked up to us and said hi first.
We then started talking and marked a day to go back and talk with him and his family.
And we did. And they are an amazing family. We shared Joseph Smith´s experience and they had so many questions!
They wanted to know more and the spirit was so thick we could cut it with a knife! (i´ve never understood this phrase)
We visited with them 2 more times. Invited them to church. Invited them to pray. Invited them to be baptized.
None of which they wanted to do.
This confused me. I KNEW they felt the spirit. In one visit we helped the wife to pray and has she did tears streamed down her face.
That isn´t just a normal occurrence. She felt the love of God and there wasn´t a dry eye in that room.

Last night we met with them for the last time. We discussed what they believe. Life. The love of God. Faith.
And then we asked them why they don´t want to go to church. They couldn´t answer.
And this is when it hit me. Agency. They have agency. They don´t have to act even if they know it´s true.

They believe in God. They believe in the bible, the book of Mormon, all of the miracles. But they don´t want to have to do anything to have these blessings.
In truth they already feel as though they have been blessed enough in their lives and don´t need any more blessings.
They are content enough now that they don´t feel the need to have to do anything.

And then I got hit in the face again. Humility. God pleads for us to have humility every day.
Those who are humble inherit the kingdom of god. Not because it´s a good trait to have.
But because without it, we feel like we can do it alone. We feel like we don´tneed it.

Happiness and contentment is great to have here on earth, but there is so much more after death.
And how can we be so bold to say that we will inherit all the promises from God in the Bible without doing the things that God asks of us in that same Bible?
How can we be so bold to think that we know better?

God put us here, he gave us scriptures to understand where we came from, why we´re hear, and where we´re going.
And gave us the cheat code to accomplish everything we want and need.

I honestly don´t understand why it is so hard for so many to believe.
But even so... it is.  And because of this I will work harder. I will talk to every person I meet to give them the opportunity to know what I know.

Last night with this family was one of the hardest lessons I´ve had thus far.
Filled with emotion, tears, urgency, and pleading in my heart... but at the same time respect for  their agency.

The walk home was harder.

I will never forget them. I will never forget that experience. And I will never forget why I am here.
They will always be in my prayers.  The one thing that I can be sure of is that God will never give up on them. They are his children and he wants them to come home.

Until then... he will lead us to those who are ready now.

I love you all. Stay strong and know that God wants happiness for you more than you do.
Until next week.

The urgency of Missionary work!

Wow. This week has been a week of revelation and miracles.

I am so grateful to be a missionary at this time in these last days.
How often do we think of the name of the church?

The church of JESUS CHRIST of latter day saints.
Which is translated a little differently in Portuguese.

A igreja de Jesus Cristo dos santos dos últimos dias.
(the church of Jesus Crist of the saints of the last days)

I´ve been thinking a lot about this in the last few days. Really. We are not just the saints of the latter days. This is fancy.
These are the LAST days. Prophecies from the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and latter day prophets are being fulfilled.
and Christ will be here SOON.
We don´t know the day. We don´t know the time. But he´s coming!
The fact that this thought scares a lot of people fills me with sadness.
His coming is for joy. And then we can have eternal life.

But we get to choose. Immortality alone. or Immortality and eternal life!
All of us will be resurrected. no matter what we choose. All of us will have perfect bodies that live FOREVER.
Whether we live with God and Christ again and with our families for eternity is our choice.

Small moments of pain and trial here on the earth are nothing compared to the joy we can feel in the eternities if we can just stay strong.

This is why I am here serving a mission. We are preparing the way.
We are sharing the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to every person who will choose to hear and accept.
The same gospel that Christ organized on the church when he lived on it.
There are not one hundred different paths that lead to eternal life. The path to God is straight and narrow.
God is loving. He wants his children to know this path. To return!
Prayer is a blessing. God wants to hear from his children. And he will answer our questions.

This week I have really seen how God is a God of miracles.
But I really need to have faith and BELIEVE that miracles can happen for me to see them.
This has been the theme for this past week:

´For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles;
and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today and forever;
and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith.´

Amo vocês! T´chão!

I´ve been to the temple in São Paulo. but not here in Campinas because my area isn´t close enough.
3 areas in our mission can go to the temple on p-day. if your in that area you can go! if not then you can´t. usually every one serves in one of those areas during their missions.

But the São Paulo temple was beautiful! and it´s amazing because it´s exactly the same as in the states.
The church is true. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And so are his temples. it´s amazing mom!
This work is truly the work of God. And the temples are the key! Without temples we can´t have eternal glory!
ahhhh. I love it! I have felt the spirit so strong this week! I KNOW that something miraculous is about to happen on the earth.
I can feel it.  Christ is coming so soon and prophecies are being fulfilled!

I love Santa Gertrudes!

Hello one and all!

Today is going to be short and sweet because we have a lot of things to do!

 

But please know that I am so happy.

Annnnnd I love watching the gospel blesses the lives of people more than anything!

Santa Gertrudes and Sister Tirrell are where I am supposed to be right now.

 

I love this scripture because it is so true:

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. - Matthew 6:21

I hope everyone had a Happy New Year!

Amo vocês!

Sister Nichele Suzann Barlow