Showing posts with label Apostle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apostle. Show all posts

Monday, May 26, 2014

Week 8 - Warning from an Apostle


This week we were suppose to have a conference with Russell M. Nelson [an apostle of the Lord], but he had a vision.   He was warned the day he was to come would have a lot of evil and wicked things occur.  So that day all the missionaries stayed in their homes.  The police in the state of Sao Paulo and 9 other Brazilian states didn't work.  


At 6:00 pm our mission president told us it was OK to go out and proselyte again, so we did.  When we stepped outside the house we instantly felt uncomfortable. Walking the sidewalks had different vibe then normal but we were protected and all is well. 

Our investigators are doing well and we had some really spiritual lessons this week.  We hope to have a baptism this week.  We will have two in the next two weeks.

Transfers are Wednesday and we find out tomorrow where everyone is going.  I hope I stay here because I feel I can help the people here enormously. I just haven't figured out how yet, but I know that I'm suppose to. 

My clothes are ehhhhh.  They are always wet.  I feel gross and nasty and smelly here 24/7.   There isn't a day that I have felt clean or comfortable in my clothes.  I miss American hygiene.  Of coarse the day I washed my clothes and hung them on the clothes line it rained for three days straight -- so yeah I'm wet but I'm not down or discouraged or anything!  I'm just really busy!

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Week 3 - Easter: Because of Him

My week has been sooooooo amazing.  I couldn’t have asked for a better week!!!  The miracles at this point are too many to count! The first crazy thing that happened was I GOT TO MEET AND SERVE AN APOSTLE!!!

Tuesday Neil L Anderson came.  His grandson was just called on a mission so he and his family came and asked the Brazilian Elders to show them around the MTC.  He had us teach him what MTC life is like!!!  It’s pretty crazy.  I did a favor for an apostle of the Lord!  Later that night we got to hear him give a talk and it was amazing!!!

Also this week something neat and special happened.  It wasn’t really an answer to one of my prayers but one of my teachers.  Here at the MTC your teacher’s pretend to be an investigator they taught while on their mission. You get to teach them but you can only use Portuguese.   They pretend they don’t know English.  It can be hard.  I was teaching my teacher Irmão Neilson and I was teaching him about prayer and how God truly listens and answers our prayers.  After I was done he started to get really emotional and then started to tell me how I just helped him answer one of his prayers.  Apparently he has been praying and fasting to know if he should ask his girlfriend to marry him.  During my lesson he got his answer!!!  Apparently I helped someone get married -- or not.  I haven’t asked him if the answer was yes or no yet. 

That’s one thing that is amazing and blows my mind about being a missionary, a Mormon, or a son of God.  I’m not the greatest teacher or missionary -- especially when it comes to teaching in Portuguese, but the neat thing is I don’t have to.   I’m not a perfect human being but again I don’t have to be.  Alone I can’t do much as a missionary, but I don’t have to.  I don’t have to be a perfect human being because the Savior was.  He makes up for all my imperfections.  All I have to do is try my best.  

As a missionary I don’t need to be the best at speaking, teaching, or anything.  I just have to try, put my faith in the Lord and He makes up for the rest!  I know that’s true.  I’ve already seen it happen with my fake investigators!  They’re returned missionaries.  They already know everything I’m teaching but yet they are still able to learn something and have their prayers answered.   Why?  Because the Holy Ghost truly teaches people -- not me.  I know Heavenly Father listens and answers our prayers.  It might not be when or how we want, but he answers them.  

This Easter week has been a special one.  Easter Sunday Morning we had the opportunity to hear from another of the Lord’s apostle’s:  President Dieter F Uchtdorf.  He shared the story of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and how he suffered for all our sins, pains, and afflictions and for everyone that was, is, or will be.  Now we can repent and be made clean again because of Him.

I know that Jesus loves everyone regardless of what we have done.  I am sooooooooooooooooooo grateful for Him and for His suffering for my sins, pains, and afflictions.  I’m sooooo thankful that He did that.   Whatever I’m going through.  Whenever I think there is no one who understands how I feel.  He does.  He knows EXACTLY how I feel.   He suffered too and more.  As I turn to Him during those times, through the power of the atonement, my sins and pains can be go away because of Him.

Our church released a video recently for Easter, which apparently is one of the top trending videos on YouTube.  It’s entitled Because of Himhttp://easter.mormon.org/?cid=HPTU041514694   I invite you to watch it regardless of your religious background.  Even if you are not religious, Jesus Christ sacrificed for you.  This is the message I’m going to go share with the people of Brazil.  It is exactly the message this video is sharing.  Learn what is possible because of him.  I am who I am because of Him.  I’m doing what I’m doing because of Him.  Watch this video.  Check out the website after you are done.  This week think about who you are and what you have and what you can do because of Him.  Please write me back and tell me about yourself and the blessings you’ve received because of Him.


-- Elder Hammond