Let's Get Ripped, Spiritually.
July 9, 2012
Happy Fourth of July!! Sister Diller, who’s from Pennsylvania, woke us up waving a hand-crafted paper flag and blasting America the Beautiful. I love that girl. She keeps me sane....or insane, haha! SISTER SONESONE IS BEING TRANSFERRED! Saaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad face. It has been really windy lately, and it rained yesterday. The power went out again before church, so I gave my first talk in Portuguese in the dark without a microphone. I’m glad, so as not to shame my face with light. |
So, we FINALLY got letters a week ago. It’s kinda ridiculous. (What’s even more ridiculous is the back of my head. Heehee.) I imagined reading your letter, Mom, to Melissa Keltner and Kira and Julie (BOY, I miss my roommates!) and them saying I am EXACTLY like you. “HOOOOLD ON MAN!! DON’T GIVE UP!!” JACKIE! I thought of her before I read your letter! What’s her address? I already found Ecclesiastes about eternity! WOOT WOOT! I’ve been using it a ton. Thanks for the answers, though, Mimsy. You rock. Tell both Uncle Pat and Uncle Loren, “HI and THANKS and YOU’RE THE MAN.” (I wish I could write faster. Booooo.) |
Hey friends, I’m not in the MTC anymore, hahaha! I haven’t been since April 23rd, and I can’t email you. Oh, and sometimes I don’t read your email ASAP. There has just been so much to say. I haven’t even had time to send my written letter that I have held on to for weeks. But, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SHEANA!
Sister Selfaison’s letters are like Christmas cards but way better than the letters Sister Diller gets from her bishop. He talks about the mundane details of this life… like how he had to wait for the certification for the boy scouts to camp this summer and how he noticed the blades of his lawn are suffering with the way he cuts them, he thinks. He has two daughters on a mission, and it’s HILARIOUS how different their missions are. One is in Japan, and the other is in Brazil. One only teaches lessons in the church building and teaches English classes; the other talks to drunks in the street and decided one day to teach those who were smoking about the Word of Wisdom. It didn’t turn out too well but ended up being a very funny day. Selfaisons, I like the reuse of the envelope. I felt very official, wink. AND when you wrote, “If you’re on the Lord’s errand,” I automatically thought you were going to write, “You know you’re in the exact right place.” But, rather, it was an answer in my mind to my prayers.
At times, I feel lost here on the mission. We aren’t having much success; and even when we have a great lesson, our investigators don’t want to keep their commitments. We have been practicing in District Meeting to commit people to go to church. I had the opportunity to practice with Ení. She´s a 60-year-old woman, who confided in us a while ago of her weaknesses. We've been working with her, and the last lesson we had was WAY long because she would get sidetracked a ton. While she was talking about how her brother-in-law died as well as various other family members, I interrupted her. I reminded her that she can see them again after this life, and I bore my testimony of it. Although she doesn't feel much love from her family members here in this life (she had one child out of matrimony and doesn’t know where the father is nor does the child ever visit her), she can feel the love of her Savior, Jesus Christ, because He suffered all of our heartaches. AND His church can bring much love into her life; because in His church, we all believe we’re family. So, Ení, your family is waiting for you every Sunday. As representatives of Jesus Christ, He is inviting you to go to church this Sunday. So, will you go to church this Sunday? She said she would, and we had a member retrieve her. However, the member forgot which house was hers and didn't have her phone number. Yea.
CHALLENGE FOR THE PRIMARY CHILDREN:
We are teaching a man and his two children.
Primary girls ages 8-10: bear your testimony to Melissa, our investigator and your future penpal. Please tell her how the gospel has helped you be a happier person and has changed your life.
Primary boys ages 7-8: explain to Marcos why it is important and exciting to be baptized and explain one thing you learned from going to church.
We have decided that every time we teach or contact, we will bear testimony of Jesus Christ. Why? Well, I came across this… what is the word… pensamento… duvida… nope… don’t remember. [This brain blooper is good news!!! As she is forgetting the English words, it means her Portuguese is improving! I believe the word she was searching for was "thought."] I came across this ______ when I was trying to mark my scriptures according to lessons. I was stumped as to which color to mark because Jesus Christ is in every lesson! I bore my testimony in District Meeting about the idea that we worship Christ because He died for our sins, and He is our Savior. We FOUGHT with Him for the Plan of Salvation. We lived with Him. We love Him so much. He was such a good big brother to us. And when we testify of Him, our investigators or contacts will experience a tug on their heartstrings because they will connect to Christ’s name, spiritually. It will ring true because they will faintly remember what it was like--what HE was like—before this life.
I am ever grateful for my Heavenly Father for sacrificing His Only Begotten Son to be our Savior. He hates to see ANY of his children suffer, so don’t bring this pain upon yourself. Repent daily, feel of His love, and commit to keep His commandments. It is only in and through the name of Jesus Christ that we will live with Him again. It is a great privilege to live with Him again. We must perform our labors in this life—right NOW—to receive this blessing. No sacrifice of comfort, normality, or love is too big in exchange for Eternal Life.
Dear family,
There have been many specific promises made to the missionaries here in the Rio mission about their families. God has promised that He will help us, so let’s do the impossible. What problem or bad habit or doubt have you suffered with? Focus on this—or these things—for a year and a half. Pray for strength and the promises given to you. Let’s get RIPPED, spiritually. Wink. LOVE YOU ALL!
Sister Nelson
P.S. One of the Brazilian missionaries had “an accident” that dripped down into the shoes. [Oh, gross!] That missionary is not used to the Rio water (river water). Do you know that “Davida” is “water” here? It means “Of the life.”
Sister Selfaison’s letters are like Christmas cards but way better than the letters Sister Diller gets from her bishop. He talks about the mundane details of this life… like how he had to wait for the certification for the boy scouts to camp this summer and how he noticed the blades of his lawn are suffering with the way he cuts them, he thinks. He has two daughters on a mission, and it’s HILARIOUS how different their missions are. One is in Japan, and the other is in Brazil. One only teaches lessons in the church building and teaches English classes; the other talks to drunks in the street and decided one day to teach those who were smoking about the Word of Wisdom. It didn’t turn out too well but ended up being a very funny day. Selfaisons, I like the reuse of the envelope. I felt very official, wink. AND when you wrote, “If you’re on the Lord’s errand,” I automatically thought you were going to write, “You know you’re in the exact right place.” But, rather, it was an answer in my mind to my prayers.
At times, I feel lost here on the mission. We aren’t having much success; and even when we have a great lesson, our investigators don’t want to keep their commitments. We have been practicing in District Meeting to commit people to go to church. I had the opportunity to practice with Ení. She´s a 60-year-old woman, who confided in us a while ago of her weaknesses. We've been working with her, and the last lesson we had was WAY long because she would get sidetracked a ton. While she was talking about how her brother-in-law died as well as various other family members, I interrupted her. I reminded her that she can see them again after this life, and I bore my testimony of it. Although she doesn't feel much love from her family members here in this life (she had one child out of matrimony and doesn’t know where the father is nor does the child ever visit her), she can feel the love of her Savior, Jesus Christ, because He suffered all of our heartaches. AND His church can bring much love into her life; because in His church, we all believe we’re family. So, Ení, your family is waiting for you every Sunday. As representatives of Jesus Christ, He is inviting you to go to church this Sunday. So, will you go to church this Sunday? She said she would, and we had a member retrieve her. However, the member forgot which house was hers and didn't have her phone number. Yea.
CHALLENGE FOR THE PRIMARY CHILDREN:
We are teaching a man and his two children.
Primary girls ages 8-10: bear your testimony to Melissa, our investigator and your future penpal. Please tell her how the gospel has helped you be a happier person and has changed your life.
Primary boys ages 7-8: explain to Marcos why it is important and exciting to be baptized and explain one thing you learned from going to church.
We have decided that every time we teach or contact, we will bear testimony of Jesus Christ. Why? Well, I came across this… what is the word… pensamento… duvida… nope… don’t remember. [This brain blooper is good news!!! As she is forgetting the English words, it means her Portuguese is improving! I believe the word she was searching for was "thought."] I came across this ______ when I was trying to mark my scriptures according to lessons. I was stumped as to which color to mark because Jesus Christ is in every lesson! I bore my testimony in District Meeting about the idea that we worship Christ because He died for our sins, and He is our Savior. We FOUGHT with Him for the Plan of Salvation. We lived with Him. We love Him so much. He was such a good big brother to us. And when we testify of Him, our investigators or contacts will experience a tug on their heartstrings because they will connect to Christ’s name, spiritually. It will ring true because they will faintly remember what it was like--what HE was like—before this life.
I am ever grateful for my Heavenly Father for sacrificing His Only Begotten Son to be our Savior. He hates to see ANY of his children suffer, so don’t bring this pain upon yourself. Repent daily, feel of His love, and commit to keep His commandments. It is only in and through the name of Jesus Christ that we will live with Him again. It is a great privilege to live with Him again. We must perform our labors in this life—right NOW—to receive this blessing. No sacrifice of comfort, normality, or love is too big in exchange for Eternal Life.
Dear family,
There have been many specific promises made to the missionaries here in the Rio mission about their families. God has promised that He will help us, so let’s do the impossible. What problem or bad habit or doubt have you suffered with? Focus on this—or these things—for a year and a half. Pray for strength and the promises given to you. Let’s get RIPPED, spiritually. Wink. LOVE YOU ALL!
Sister Nelson
P.S. One of the Brazilian missionaries had “an accident” that dripped down into the shoes. [Oh, gross!] That missionary is not used to the Rio water (river water). Do you know that “Davida” is “water” here? It means “Of the life.”