It has been another great week in Ibiporã! We had a zone meeting
last week and this week will be our zone conference! I'm so excited.
:D I love every chance we get to spend time with and learn from the
other missionaries in our zone. We have awesome
leaders, Elder Ramos and Elder Hutchings, and they help us not only to
see where we need to improve, but to learn HOW to do it! It was a
really motivational meeting and we learned a lot of things that have
been helping us to work more effectively and more
with the Spirit.
This week we've been finding and working with a bunch of new
investigators, and a few super old ones. Remember João?
From...November? Haha, we stopped visiting him a LONG time ago when we
realized that he wasn't going to progress, but somehow he keeps
popping back up every now and then. We were finally able to mark a
baptismal interview with the zone leaders on Saturday, but he didn't
show up...it seems like he always has one excuse or another. This week
we're going to have to find out what he really
needs and if he actually has the desire to be baptized or not.
While contacting references, we met an awesome lady named Cleonice.
She has 5 kids, including a daughter who is deaf - she is 6 years old
and adorable, and I really wished that I knew at least a little bit of
sign language to communicate with her...
Anyways, they are an awesome family, and Cleonice had already been
taught by the sisters and is reading the Book of Mormon! She started at
the beginning and is already reading in Alma. :) She is really
curious, has a huge desire to learn, and had a TON
of questions for us to answer. It is so much fun to teach people who
are actually interested in our message and really seek to understand
what we teach them. :)
This Sunday we had marked a special fireside with President
Tavares, but when we called to confirm everything Sunday morning, it
turned out that he was headed for a zone conference in Foz do Iguaçu, 10
hours or so from Ibiporã. So he wasn't able to make
it... :( We were disappointed and worried that everything would fall
apart, but President Tavares sent his first counselor, President Frois,
to give the fireside instead, and it turned out to be a GREAT meeting.
He did a great job of getting the members
excited about missionary work, and even I found myself planning out how
I would give a pass along card to a friend...and then I remembered that
I'm a missionary, and talking to people about the gospel is what I do
every day. haha. :) But it was such a good
fireside! He talked about SACRIFICE, and how it is not only a
commandment, but a way to help us become more Christ-like and more
prepared to return to our Heavenly Father's presence. He talked about
pioneers - the pioneers who sacrificed in the early days
of the Church, as well as the pioneers here in the branch of Ibiporã,
pioneers who were the first members of their families to accept the
gospel. And then he challenged us to think about the people we know who
aren't members of the Church - THEY could be
the pioneers of THEIR family, if we just have the courage to open our
mouths and share our testimonies.
Anyways, that's about all the news for now. We're just working on
finding and teaching and bringing people to Christ! It's such an
amazing, rewarding and fulfilling work! Oh, and Happy Easter this week!
:D Sister Passos and I are thinking about planning
an egg-spinning contest for the branch activity next week....a good
family tradition that I think the members here would love. :) Anyways,
I love you guys! I hope all is well back there in the U.S. I think of
you and pray for you every day! Keep being
amazing and looking for the tender mercies of the Lord in your lives
always!
Love,
Sister Gee
No comments:
Post a Comment