23 May 2011

How are all of you doing?

We had Zone Conference on Friday and it was amazing! I got both of my packages, Mom. The other one got here super quick, that was nice! Conference was really, really spiritual and really sad as well. We saw an awesome movie that they made for the mission and they had a huge slideshow with the baptism pictures in it and it was really cool. Sister Bezerra gave an awesome talk about her favorite topic that she always talks about, faith. It was really great haha. Then President got up and talked a lot about the Atonement and taught a lot of deep doctrine, it was so cool. Then he gave us a lot of huge tips for the mission and for the rest of our lives, since this was the last conference that he will have here on the mission. He got really choked up at the end and I got really choked up as well. He was telling us how he wants to receive wedding invites and pictures of our families, because we are all his sons. He got really choked up about that. It was a really spiritual conference. I love President Bezerra so much and I got really sad at the end of it, not wanting him to leave here in a few weeks.

Conference was in Petropolis and it is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It is in the middle of the Jungle, with waterfalls and huge trees everywhere, it´s the coolest place ever. I am definitely going to visit there after the mission. It´s a really awesome place.

We had another baptism yesterday, her name is Milena and she has an awesome family! We are going to baptize her sister this Sunday as well! They are such cool people. We also have two more baptisms marked for this Sunday after the Stake Conference here. But...today is the day of transfers so we will see what happens to me. I have a feeling that I will stay here, so I won´t be too surprised if that is the case. I kind of want to leave just to visit more places here, but I´ll be happy with what the Lord wants.

I will try to send you guys a picture of the baptism, but this computer is kind of weird and it shut down the last time I put my card reader in, so I don´t want to try it again until the end. Maybe I´ll wait til another day or use my companion´s computer. That is cool that it is raining, but pretty crazy that things are going crazy. It has gotten so cold here; There isn´t even snow on the ground, and I´m sleeping with my sweater on and blankets. This tropical weather has definitely messed me up, that´s not good haha.

Yesterday when we were going to pick up our investigators, there was a fight that broke out in the street, it was pretty crazy. Luckily we were far away from it haha, then three seconds later they were fine again, I don´t know what happened. We went to Cláudia´s house, Ronan´s aunt that takes care of him, to take here to church, and she wasn´t feeling good, she had a huge head ache or something. We really wanted her to go and see Ronan´s confirmations and bring her daughters that will be baptized this week, so I offered a blessing and she accepted. We went in there and the blessing was really spiritual. Afterward, she really opened up to us and told us about her life and all of the problems that she had been through and how she wanted to change and didn´t want her kids to go through the same things that she did. She started to cry and I did as well when I was bearing my testimony to her about Christ and His Atonement and how He knew how she was feeling. I asked her how she was feeling after we were talking for a while, and she said that she was feeling better and that she was going to get ready for church to come with us. It was really cool what happened. I don´t know what I said to her that made her feel better, but I know it wasn´t me, it was The Spirit. My testimony has been really strengthened this transfer about faith and prayer, I have had amazing experiences that have really helped me grow spiritually. Lots of times, I don´t know what to do or where to go. The best thing to do is say a prayer and ask My Father in Heaven. Then go out and do something. President and Sister always talk to us about our faith, walking out in the darkness, and receiving light as we go. If we want more faith, we have to do things that require faith. Yesterday was a huge test of faith for me, going to pick up all of our investigators to go to church. All of them were really unexcited; it just happens. Satan doesn´t want these people to go to church because he knows what will happen, so he does everything he can to stop it. I have seen how powerful Satan is on the mission and how much opposition there is in all things, but my testimony has been strengthened as I have seen how the Lord is always greater than anything that happens. In the end, the Lord has all power and can perform miracles for those that have faith.

I know that this Gospel is true, because it is the only Gospel that Satan is trying to prevent everyone from knowing about. He lets all of these people here go to their churches because he knows that they aren´t true and that these people won´t have salvation through them. I know that the Lord lives and that there is opposition in all things so that we can prove our faith and show that we choose to follow the Lord. Our President said that we need to be more grateful for our difficulties and challenges; they are experiences for us to grow and become better and prove our love for the Lord and His plan. I love this Gospel, I love my Savior. I love all of you. Have an amazing week!

-Love, Elder McDonald