Let's Give This WARD a BISHOP! (Mar. 25)

Good morning family!!!!!!!!!!

 I hope you all are doing SO WELL!!!

 

What a crazy week.

Let me tell you about it.............

 

FIRSTLY,

Did I mention last week that I´m training this transfer!!???! Yeah, that´s right. Me, teaching a newbie how the mission works........ Scary thought right??

Alright, so Tuesday, Sister Moraes and I went to meet all the other missionaries at the bus station in downtown Campinas.... And after eating lunch in center with some of the other sisters, I went with the 4 other sisters that are training, and a BUNCH of elders to the chapel in Castelo to pick up our new companions.

Needless to say, I was a little nervous... haha. Freaking out wondering WHO would be my new companion... if she´d be awesome, crazy, american, brazilian, etc....

President Perrotti and the assistants enjoyed extending our pain and nervousness and made us sit through an entire training meeting, watch a video and then FINALLY, start to introduce the new companionships. 

Picking up my new companion!! Sister Sá with her trainer Sister Compton, and Me and my "daughter" Sister Bispo

 

Alright, well I´ll get over the drama of how long they made us wait introducing ALL the trainers and all the newbies one by one, and let you all know about my new companion!

My new companion is Sister Bispo................ THAT`S RIGHT, Sister "Bishop"..... President just couldn´t handle the funnyness of the situation and when he announced the companionships he was like "Sister Bispo.... we decided that this BISHOP really needs a WARD to work in.... So Sister Bispo, you will be with Sister Ward!!"

So, now this WARD has got a Bishop to take care of her.... =]

Sister Bispo´s first Sunday on the mission!!!! Told her beforehand that the bishop probably wouldn´t make her bear her testimony in sacrament meeting (cause he didn't have me OR sister Moraes bear our testimonies...) but then at the last second he announced her and asked her to come up! hehehe. Should´ve seen the look on her face! ah. But she was great of course!! and at least she wasn't stuttering out a few words in really bad Portuguese like me on my first Sunday...... hahaha.

Sister Bispo is from Curitiba, Paraná..... the state below São Paulo (where we are) and her city is about a 50 minute plane ride away. (THINK Spokane to Seattle.....). She is one of the first 19 year old sisters arriving here in the Campinas Mission. I may or may not have joked about the possibility of having a 19 year old companion that had never lived away from home, and didnt know how to do things like wash clothes.... Guess what, I taught my companion how to use the washing machine this morning. Oh boy. BUT DONT WORRY, she knows how to do pretty much everything, and cooks better than I do. =]

My companion made breakfast for us everyday this week.............. Yep. that´s right. She is kind of an angel already guys..... So I decided to repent of my terrible ways and make breakfast for her this morning!! PANCAKES and maple syrup!!! She loved it. I think I ate three and she ate about 7.... hahaha.

Things are going really well with Sister Bispo this week.... She is VERY smart, super diligent, a very very very very very VERY hardworker and really excited about learning and doing EVERYTHING in missionary work. I dont have any worries about her learning how to do everything quickly, she practically knows everything NOW..... My only worry is not being able to keep up to her crazy pace!! hahah.

This transfer is gonna be really good. No doubts about it.

 

Otherwise, our week was really good.

I won't complain about the weather (since LEILA told me that I´m not allowed to complain about it anymore...... ) but let me just say that it got kind of cold this week and it is weirding me out..... =]

We worked a LOT and found a lot of new people, but sadly, none of the people that were going to come to church ended up coming............... ahhhhh.

Késia and family also didn't come to church this week...... Apparently because she is really busy again.

But we´re hoping for some serious miracles this transfer.................. and working hard.............. so, hopefully all will go well.

 

Spiritual thought-

I´ve been reading in Mosiah this past week, and this morning I read chapter 24. I REALLY like Mosiah............ a lot. and I really like this chapter as well.

It is talking about the people of Alma that are being enslaved by the Lamanites and the wicked preists of king Noah.

But the reason I like it is this:

Firstly, the people of Alma were living righteously and in peace when they were enslaved and had to go through this VERY difficult time.... They had repented of their sins, been baptized and were living in peace and serving one another.... Then, BOOM, they get enslaved, the wicked preists are being terrible to them and putting very heavy burdens on them, and put guards around them that will KILL whoever they catch praying to God...... In all this, they dont give up, but they continue being humble, patient and opening their hearts to the Lord in prayer. But still, God didn't just answer their prayers immediately and set them free... Instead, he told them that He would make their "burdens become light" so that they wouldn't even feel them on their backs. And after time, after God had tested their patience and faith, He did set them free.

SO, what I got from reading this again.... When we are going through a difficult time, many times God will not just "take away" our burden. Instead, He will let us grow and test our patience, faith and humility to accept His will. But He WILL make our burdens light enough for US to carry them!! We just have to have faith and always pray and ask for His help.

Many times, we go through times that are difficult, NOT because we did something wrong, but because God has a bigger plan for us.... He wants to "polish us a little more" and prepare us for what is coming ahead. He is molding us and shaping us for bigger things to come. (check out Pres. Eyering´s talk "Mountains to Climb" from conference April 2012)

And finally, every challenge has an end planned out. God will "set us free from bondage" and take away this difficulty in His own time............ But we always have a lesson that we are supposed to learn first.

So, if you are having a challenge right now, DONT GIVE UP!!! God has a bigger plan in all of this and is really just trying to help you! I know that God loves each and every one of us and sees the big picture. And because He knows what we need, He tries to help us giving us the challenges we need to grow. We just need to have the faith, patience and humility to keep going and accept His will.

 

Love you all SO MUCH!!!

have the best week!

 

Sister Ward