August 5th

Well, hello there!

My time is short (what´s new). This week was great. It passed so fast!

I´ve reached a new level of exhausted this week. It´s really amazing that we have energy to do what we do everyday.Being a missionary in general is exhausting but when you take into account the fact that we WALK everywhere in the blazing sun for a 1 1/2 or 2 years it´s incredible. I KNOW that I am being blessed by your prayers every single day. I really can feel them!

This week ended a little less happy than last because our baptism that we were planning fell through and a lot of our investigators decided to not go to church.

The baptism was rescheduled for next week and we´re going to work hard to find next investigators who want to go to church so everything works out.

I have learned so much about the atonement during my mission. We had interviews with Presidente Bonini this week. It wasa great experience and I was reminded about my very first interview the day I got to Brasil. Presidente Souza asked me what Iwanted toget outofmy mission. I responded with one of the few Portuguese words that I knew.

"A expiação".

I told him that I wanted to learn about the atonement.

I don´t think I realized that day what learninf,truly learning about the atonement, would require.

 

I deeply love the inspired and famous words of Elder Holland when he says:

"Anyone who does any kind of missionary work will have occasion to ask, Why is this so hard? Why doesn’t it go better? Why can’t our success be more rapid? Why aren’t there more people joining the Church? It is the truth. We believe in angels. We trust in miracles. Why don’t people just flock to the font? Why isn’t the only risk in missionary work that of pneumonia from being soaking wet all day and all night in the baptismal font?
You will have occasion to ask those questions. I have thought about this a great deal. I offer this as my personal feeling. I am convinced that missionary work is not easy because salvation is not a cheap experience. Salvation never was easy. We are The Church of Jesus Christ, this is the truth, and He is our Great Eternal Head. How could we believe it would be easy for us when it was never, ever easy for Him? It seems to me that missionaries and mission leaders have to spend at least a few moments in Gethsemane. Missionaries and mission leaders have to take at least a step or two toward the summit of Calvary."
Missionary work is wonderful and miraculous but also really hard.
Salvation is not easy and as Elder Holland says so well it´s really not supposed to be.
I love my mission. I am so grateful for all of the difficulties that I have gone through on my mission that have helped me to truly know and love my Savior. I love the atonement because even when I go through hard things I can be grateful and still happy!
Please pray for Felipe and Gustavo who will be baptized this week. They are both amazing and I love teaching them about the power of the atonement. It it real. I know for myself. I know He lives and that this is His work.
Be wonderful!
Sister Brown