Why I'm Here

So this weekend was definitely the most special in my entire mission.

Sunday we baptized V, the woman in the wheelchair. Our Zone Leaders Elder F and Elder B came along with our District Leader Elder B and his comp Elder T to help us out. A sister in the ward offered for V to use her temple dress in order to be baptized since V has to use a catheter, and using the jumpsuit just wasnt gonna work. 

V cant walk or even stand, shes completely paralyctic from her waist down, so the only way we could baptize her would have been in the wheelchair or 4 Elders carrying her in their arms.

Basically the entire ward was there, and an Irmao F of the bishopric offered to say the baptismal prayer. Our 4 elders carried V carefully into the font and held her in their arms as Irmao F said the prayer. They all kneeled and submerged her in the water and when she came up again she had the most brilliant glow I have ever seen a person have after their baptism. She took it like a total champ! Smiling and laughing and saying "Im pretty sure every woman who wants to be baptized will ask to be baptized by 4 elders in their arms!" Ohh how right she is :) 

It was one of the most special, most spiritual, most beautiful experiences of my life. Last week during the mission tour, Elder S (of the seventy) told us to write in our emails this week to our families why we're serving a mission. Exactly why we're here. Why we left our homes, our families, our work, our bf/gfs, even our countries to come here for a year and a half with basically nothing we're living on but the generosity of other people, speaking a strange language and walking in the sun from 10 AM to 9 PM. 

Well, my dear family, mom, Annike, Bryan, Jacey, BJ, Vickie, Annike, Patrick, Hailey, Nathan, Connor, Cole, Hannah & Jacob (and Kylie:) and to all my dear friends and other loved ones.... 

This is why Im here. As me and Sister H sang Lead Kindly Light in English, Spanish and Portuguese, and saw the tears streaming down this amazingly courageous womans face, the sweetest spirit entered the room as those wonderful and pure young Elders carried her into the waters of baptism, I knew. I knew exactly why I am here.

The only regret, remorse and that I have is that you all werent there to partake and share of that most spiritual, sacred moment that we participated in. But I hope and pray that at the very least these pictures will show at least some part of what we exerienced yesterday.

I love you all so much! Miss you, but know that if you ever have doubts as to why Im here doing what Im doing, just look at these pictures and remember the faith and courage of an incredible woman.

Opposition in All Things

So, to start off with, this week was a bit difficult, but ended on a wonderful note. 

To put everyones mind at ease Im doing better :) I got a fever on wednesday and a sweet irma from church took me to UPA which is a pronto de soccorrer (I forgot how to say this in english but its basically a free health clinic 24/7) Got checked out by the doctor and took a blood test and found out that I had an allergic reation that turned into a bacterial infection. The doctor said it was prolly due to a mosquito bite that I scratched and the infection entered into my leg and PRONTO. (and yall wonder why I dont do camping?!?!?! well it sure as heckfire gonna be a lot harder to put me in nature after THIS week... I HATE NATURE! haha) Got put on 4 different types of medication (1 being antibiotics) with a counsel to take 3 days resting. -_-

Did that and got kind of better, one of my legs is healing nicely (or ugily however you wanna look at it) and my foot and other leg is finally getting better as well. It got to the point where this allergic reation/bacterial infection was spreading from one leg to the other... 

BUT! i´m fine now. I promise :) sister g has been taking splendid care of me, but I was quite obsinante an unwilling to call her about it because I know that there are at the very least 3 missionaries giving her a whole heap of problems. But she assured me that I needed to speak up and that my case was different. 

UGHHHHH!!! I have never had problems with my health before on my mission! NEVER! But there is a reason for it. 

Remember V? The woman in the wheelchair that came to church 2 weeks ago? We taught her last night with her daughter and her sister and had probably the most spiritual experience of my mission. showed her these two videos below and asked her if she believed everything we were telling her was true. she said she did and shared with us that she had a dream this past week (the week I got sick). I wont go into detail about the dream because it was quite personal, but lets just say it was someone from the other side of the veil telling her that the church is true. 

Opposition in all things gents :) I have perfect knowledge, a CLEAR testimony that the adversary will use whatever means to impede and prevent the progress of one of Gods children when they have been introduced to the gospel. I know for a FACT that my sickness was just something that he used in order to try to get us to give up and stop seeing V. 

Well THATS not gonna happen. We invited her to be baptized and she has a strong desire but the problem is her health. To be baptized would cause a health risk to both her and the Elder who will baptize her. Which is why Im asking for all of you to pray fervently for Vanessa that she may be able to be baptized this week or here soon. Because I know how blessed she will be once she enters into the waters of baptism.

Im doing well! Just worried about V and praying and fasting that she may be baptized juntos with her daughter G. SO please please PLEASE pray for them, pray that the Lord will open a way for them to be baptized without any risk to her health and the health of Elder B.

Love yall so much!

https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-02-1600-im-a-mormon-sensei-and-one-legged-runner?lang=eng

https://www.lds.org/pages/mormon-messages?lang=eng#mountains-to-climb

Temple-Prison experience

So this week was very difficult for me physically.  I caught something, some kind of allergic reaction that started on my leg and is now spreading to other parts of my body. It hurts & itches at the same time. Im fine, already called the mission doctor &everything. I'm gonna have to call Sis. G again because its not getting any better, but Im fine! haha promise! Just keep my in your prayers :) especifically in regarding my body freaking out. Ive had itup to here with it! Its been more than a week and I havent been sleeping at all because of it. anywho, it'll all be good. I know Heavenly Father is trying to teach me something. Just taking a while for me to learn it haha 

Yesterday a wonderful woman came to church named V. Shes parallectic... err paralycitc... oh wow I cant remember the word in English! crap! My transition back to normal post-mission life is gonna be even harder with this whole language thing! Anyway, shes in a wheelchair because of an accident she was in. When we first me here 3 weeks ago she was very bitter, angry and resentful of her situation, and now shes a completely different person. Its amazing Ian, how the gospel of Jesus Christ changes peoples lives. Until your very core. 

So this week I definitely felt closer to the Savior. I also felt like my heart became even more sensitive to the suffering and needs of others. 

Which reminded me of this talk from elder holland 

Even though seemingly unjust circumstances may be heaped upon us, andeven though unkind and unmerited things may be done to us—perhaps bythose we consider enemies but also, in some cases, by those whom wethought were friends—nevertheless, through it all, God is with us.

We are not alone in our little prisons here. When suffering, we may in factbe nearer to God than we’ve ever been in our entire lives. That knowledgecan turn every such situation into a would-be temple.

Regarding our earthly journey, the Lord has promised, “I will go beforeyour face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shallbe in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up” (D&C84:88). That is an everlasting declaration of God’s love and care for us,including—and perhaps especially—in times of trouble.

lovey all!!!

When You Save A Girl

You Save Generations....

This week has been a week of changes. some good, some sad. Sister L-S was transferred unexpectedly which means the 3 musketeers is just down to Dartanion (Sister H) and Athos (me haha.) But this week has been inspirational as well. Yesterday we had a baptism of an 18yr old girl named Joice. Shes amazing. Shes a good friend of a Recent convert, Julia, whos 16. 

As Ive been pondering about the miracle that we had experienced, I couldnt help thinking of the quote from Pres. Hinckley, "When you save a girl, you save generations."

I know this to be true. Yesterday I bore my testimony about my love & concern for the youth of the church. Many of our youth in our ward come alone without the support of their families. They walk 5 or 6 miles to sit in hard, wooden benches or cold metal chairs for 3 hours and they listen and they pay attention. 

I got emotional as I felt their spirits and their testimony from the pulpit and it made me wonder, Do we do enough for our youth? Do we support them enough? Do we give them a secure place to land away from the temptations of the world? Do we provide for their spiritual, emotional and physical needs? Do we do enough?

Joices story is one of trial and affliction. She has whitnessed the abuse of a father against her mother and has watched her mother work 2 jobs to sustain a househould of 5 children. They live in meager apartments built by the government, and from 10 years old Joice has been raising her brothers and sisters.

Just last night she asked us when she can be able to serve a mission. 

I love this girl with all my heart! And I hope and I pray that she may be nurtured in the gospel. She will marry in the temple with a worthy and honorable priesthood holder who loves her and treats her like a princess. 

I love this gospel! I love being a missionary! And Im so grateful to be apart of this great and glorious work.

"Woman is God's supreme creation.  Only after the earth had been formed, after the day had been separated from the night, after the waters had been divided from the land, after vegetation and animal life had been created, and after man had been placed on the earth, was woman created; and only then was the work pronounced complete and good.

Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth.  God will hold us accountable if we neglect His daughters.  He has given us a great and compelling trust.  May we be faithful to that trust."

President Hinckley

Ch-ch-ch-changeeeessss

hey yall!

okay this is gonna be a whirlwind email, and I wont be able to respond to everyone this week because we have to fill out a questionare for the mission tour thats coming up next month (pray that Holland comes to us here! I seriously have an appropriate apostolic crush on him.... GAHH!!! PRAY THAT HE COMES TO OUR MISSION POR FAVORRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

anyways. rant done. in other news, I got transfered to Bauru which is about 4 hours north of Tupa. Im in another trio with another argentinian sister and northeast sister. Sister H is from argentina and she got out of training agora (now) and Sister L-S is from Terezina (same with sister b) and she has about 6 months out in the field. They are very different one from another but its been a wonderful learning experience. I love them both com um paixão!!! haha anyways, we have been very blessed this week with 7 people who came to church this sunday which is like a record for me! hahaha and we are getting on just fine, us 3. 

But yeah, we have had many wonderful experiences in helping friends of a recent convert who has had troubles in her home with her daughters... arguing, confrontations and contentions. After teaching her about repentance and how the gospel of Jesus Christ can help her have a home of peace and happiness, we invited her to church and she said she would go. 

She went and loved it! We'll be teaching her tomorrow and we'll let ya know how it goes. 

Love yall so much!

here is a pic of the sisters in our zone. Sister h is the one in red and Sister L-S is the one in the black glasses.

love yall!!!