1 April 2014

4-1-14

Dear Family,

Congratulations to Katherine and Rachel! I´m so excited for all the new family members I will get to meet when I get home! :)

We were really blessed this week, which was huge because we have had a really dry last month. I´ve never gone this long without a baptism even in the states, so I was really trying to figure out what we needed to change and I feel like I´ve been able to learn a lot these last couple weeks because of that. Ether 12:27 has always been a favorite of mine and it´s so true that when we have humbling experiences the Lord is able to make the weak things our strengths. I especially loved something mom said in a letter this week "Life is a beautiful journey as it unfolds before us. It´s so comforting to place our hand in the Savior´s and let Him lead us along. We know He loves us most and HE WILL HELP US GROW IN THE WAYS HE KNOWS WE NEED TO GROW." It´s so true. That´s one of the greatest things about a mission. If we truly let go the Lord can change us into who he wants us to be which is so much greater than what we could ever make of ourselves!

 One of the greatest things I have been learning is the difference between working and working diligently. Just working and being obedient and then praying for a miracle often isn´t enough, we have to Make that miracle happen. The Lord puts it in our hands and we set the limits. How much are we willing to sacrifice, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally to truly see the Lord´s work go forth? This week we have been teaching a family - José and Rosa, José´s mom, Maria and their kids Lucas and Eduardo. I love that family, but it took about everything to make it so they could be at church this Sunday, but after a lot of phone calls and running thru the rain in the mud (President and Sister Monteiro came to our sacrament meeting so we were in the bathroom trying to get all the mud off before they saw us), we got Maria, Eduardo and Lucas there. I was so impressed by them! They´re 12 and 14 but their favorite part was Sacrament meeting and they paid attention better than a lot of the adults. Cute Maria afterwards told me she wants to be there every single Sunday the rest of her life! They loved it. But the parents have been a little harder. They´ve been going thru some trials and José is having a hard time believing in God because of those trials and Rosa doesn´t want to leave the house. We went back yesterday (Pday got switched to Tuesday this week) and showed the Restoration video and testified of the Restoration and a prophet on the earth today and it was so powerful. Before even inviting them José was like "Okay I’m going to be there Saturday!" And then Rosa corrected him and said it was Sunday and he responded "well then I’ll be there on Sunday too!" They are at a time in their lives when I know the gospel will bring such huge changes to that family! Also pray for Khaune that her mom will let her get baptized this Sunday. (Her mom´s a Less-active that we´ve been helping come back to church and she´s been there the last 2 weeks and making huge changes.) And pray for Pedro and Silmara who were in church Sunday as well and we´re working to help them have the courage to get baptized.

Another quick sweet experience - we have a less-active who told me the other day that she is sick of being a mom and just wants to send her kids away to live with their dad because it´s too much work. We talked for a long time and she was being really cold and closed with us so I asked her if I could sing her a song. I sang for her "Keeping Sheep" and then did my best to translate it for her. It was really cool how she melted a lot just from the power of music and she smiled for the first time that I´ve seen since she stopped going to church. She´s still got a ways to go but it was a big step and goes to show how powerful music is even in another language!

We are so so so so so blessed to have the gospel! And to have a prophet on the earth today! Invite everyone to have the opportunity to listen to him! It is so simple and easy and the best thing anyone could do this Saturday or Sunday! I’m sure if you started telling your friends that Moses was going to give a talk this Sunday everyone would want to hear him. And it´s the exact same because it is the Lord talking thru a prophet today! So please go invite everyone! I love y’all.

The gospel's true!
Sister Lewis