different shades of faith

Hello familia & amigos!!!

well this past week was transfers & Im still in Centro Civico with Sis S!!!! :) This will be my 4th transfer & 6th month here. Kinda long actually for Brazil mission standards from what Ive heard. Everyone EVERYONE even Pres G thought Id be transfered but the Lord knows better! :) 

Ive felt very strongly that this ward still needs me & sister s & that my work in this area isnt done yet. The ward members here are wonderful but theres alot of problems here that Im trying to fix. Lots of less actives (the list we have of less actives is so big we could seriously start 2 stakes here & Im not exaggerating! its AWFUL) theres also a lot of half active families, a LOT of mothers that are active and fathers who are inactive & of course, tons of poverty & need. About 15% of the members here dont have cars and live in all different manners of living conditions. But even more so, Ive been feeling like my work here has been preparing the hearts of the members here to be excited about missionary work. And principalmente, strengthening their faith. 

This week Ive been thinking a lot about faith! There are two stories about faith in the same book of Mark in the New Testament that shows two different shades of faith. At times our faith is like the woman with the issue of blood: 

And a certain woman, which had an ^aissue of blood twelve years,

 26 And had suffered many things of many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was nothing bettered, but rather grew worse,

 27 When she had heard of Jesus, came in the press behind, and touched his ^agarment.

 28 For she said, If I may touch but his clothes, I shall be whole.

 29 And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague.

 30 And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that ^avirtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?

 31 And his disciples said unto him, Thou seest the multitude thronging thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?

 32 And he looked round about to see her that had done this thing.

 33 But the woman fearing and trembling, knowing what was done in her, came and fell down before him, and told him all the truth.

 34 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy ^afaith hath made thee whole; go in ^bpeace, and be whole of thy plague.

this womans faith was so powerful & so strong that she felt she just needed the touch of the masters clothes to be healed of her defect. Other times our faith is like the father of a child with a crippling disability or "unclean spirit":

 21 And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

 22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have^acompassion on us, and help us.

 23 Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are^apossible to him that ^bbelieveth.

 24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine ^aunbelief.

 25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he^arebuked the ^bfoul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

 26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and ^alifted him up; and he arose.

this father only had enough as to desire to believe. Help thou mine unbelief. 

Many times in our lives our faith swings like a pendulum between these two people, the woman with the issue of blood & the desperate father of a  paralytic son. The importance of these two stories, for me at least, is that we always always remember the depth or size of our faith is not what matters. What matters is our action we take on our faith we do have like Elder Holland said so many times. 

We dont have to have perfect faith! We just need to make sure our imperfections dont allow us to discredit or weaken our faith we do have! 

Love yall so much! miss yall! 

Heres a pic of my new district! :)