Wow, transfers are CRAZY here! Let me tell you a little about last Tuesday. So the weather had finally been nice, it had cooled down some and I said(without thinking) wow! This is the first time in 6 weeks that I have gone a day being dry! You known, between the rain and the 100 degree weather. Well, shut my mouth, within a half hour it was pouring. Rain. Forest. Pouring. Thats what I get! Anyways, we ran up the flights of stairs on the mountain to the house of recent converts we were going to have family home evening with. As we were teaching them a hymn, the call came! Sister Amado was transferred, along with both of our Zone Leaders and they were leaving in an hour! (This was like 8:30 at night) And Sister Amado was going to make the 6 hour bus ride alone with the Elders because its too long and expensive for her companion to go all the way to BH and back so Sister Miller and I had to go meet the Sisters at the bus station to have Sister Hagemeyer(Sister Amados companion) spend the night with us until her new companion arrived the next day. So then, we had an hour to run down a huge mountain, catch a bus and get to the bus station in the pouring rain! We rain probably 2 or more miles but we were so excited and had the spirit with us from our family home evening that we ran and skipped and jumped in the puddles-the same rain and puddles that had gotten us down last week. We arrived, soaking wet in time to say goodbye to the great Elders and Sister Amado and went home to start the first day of a new transfer!
Sister Miller and I are teaching like crazy and doing our best not to compare ourselves to our district, which has Zone Leaders, District Leaders and Sister Training Leaders and their success because we know it is just our job to seek and follow the spirit and you dont reach perfection in one day.
And yesterday we had an amazing lesson with Paulo. I am not sure if I already explained who he is. His wife, Rita is a member and a childhood friend of my Mission President. His daughter is the primary president, and his son is serving a mission, but he is still very Catholic. He is very open and accepting about the church, he has been several times, but wont change religions. Catholics are very devout here, which I do admire. Anyways, I asked President about him, as he is married to his childhood friend, if he had advice for him. And he told me that a few years ago, when Rita was inactive, he promised her that if she returned Paulo would get baptized, and that he just hasnt had a set of missionaries with enough patience yet. So that made me excited, I really like Paulo so with a promise of the Mission President that your investigator will get baptize, I am very determined to do everything to help him. Anyways, they all have been in Sao Paulo the last month for a wedding, but last week their silly neighbors who were constructing a wall took out too much dirt which made Paulo and Ritas house fall and almost collapse. They returned and are staying in a neighbors home.
I talked with our ward mission leader and we went over there with him and his wife yesterday. We spent time talking to Paulo and Rita about what happened and what they will do, all the while I was praying so hard to know what to say to Paulo, what he really needs to hear. Sister Miller and I had talked about different ways to get him to read the Book of Mormon, like reading an intense story and stopping right before the good part to make him finish the rest, or share testimony, but in the room with him and his wife and daughter and friends I just didnt know what he really needed to hear. So I prayed really hard during the small talk. I had Sister Miller and I sing Abide with Me tis Eventide (we have been practicing parts together) which really invited the spirit, we prayed, and then I felt like I should share Helaman 5:12 about Christ being our foundation. I asked Rita to read, and she teared up after a few lines so I finished it for her and bore my testimony that even when all else is falling around you we can count on Christ and his foundation. The spirit was so strong, anybody could have felt it. Paulo even cried. We closed the message with a kneeling prayer and Evandro(the mission leader) gave Rita a priesthood blessing.
I am grateful for having the spirit with me and following what I felt to do! I know Paulo felt something different, and he saw the comfort we gave his wife in a way he couldnt.
Well, a bit of a long email today but, the church is true! Working hard all day!
Sister Holmes
Sister Miller and I are teaching like crazy and doing our best not to compare ourselves to our district, which has Zone Leaders, District Leaders and Sister Training Leaders and their success because we know it is just our job to seek and follow the spirit and you dont reach perfection in one day.
And yesterday we had an amazing lesson with Paulo. I am not sure if I already explained who he is. His wife, Rita is a member and a childhood friend of my Mission President. His daughter is the primary president, and his son is serving a mission, but he is still very Catholic. He is very open and accepting about the church, he has been several times, but wont change religions. Catholics are very devout here, which I do admire. Anyways, I asked President about him, as he is married to his childhood friend, if he had advice for him. And he told me that a few years ago, when Rita was inactive, he promised her that if she returned Paulo would get baptized, and that he just hasnt had a set of missionaries with enough patience yet. So that made me excited, I really like Paulo so with a promise of the Mission President that your investigator will get baptize, I am very determined to do everything to help him. Anyways, they all have been in Sao Paulo the last month for a wedding, but last week their silly neighbors who were constructing a wall took out too much dirt which made Paulo and Ritas house fall and almost collapse. They returned and are staying in a neighbors home.
I talked with our ward mission leader and we went over there with him and his wife yesterday. We spent time talking to Paulo and Rita about what happened and what they will do, all the while I was praying so hard to know what to say to Paulo, what he really needs to hear. Sister Miller and I had talked about different ways to get him to read the Book of Mormon, like reading an intense story and stopping right before the good part to make him finish the rest, or share testimony, but in the room with him and his wife and daughter and friends I just didnt know what he really needed to hear. So I prayed really hard during the small talk. I had Sister Miller and I sing Abide with Me tis Eventide (we have been practicing parts together) which really invited the spirit, we prayed, and then I felt like I should share Helaman 5:12 about Christ being our foundation. I asked Rita to read, and she teared up after a few lines so I finished it for her and bore my testimony that even when all else is falling around you we can count on Christ and his foundation. The spirit was so strong, anybody could have felt it. Paulo even cried. We closed the message with a kneeling prayer and Evandro(the mission leader) gave Rita a priesthood blessing.
I am grateful for having the spirit with me and following what I felt to do! I know Paulo felt something different, and he saw the comfort we gave his wife in a way he couldnt.
Well, a bit of a long email today but, the church is true! Working hard all day!
Sister Holmes