Bagunca!

Meus Queridos,

Sorry mom about not sending an email yesterday.... Missão Natal was a bagunça! (Bagunça= hot mess). We had some crazy emergency transfers going down all over the mission - a group of americanos got their visas! Huzzah! But their transfers were two weeks off from us, so when they got here Presidente Soares had to change a bunch of things up really quickly. Luckily, me and Sister Christensen stayed put but Sister Ribeiro(who has been in the house with me since I go here) was called elsewhere. So we were so busy yesterday that there was no time to email.

Other than yesterday, which was loco, this week has been so so incredible! Sister Christensen and I have been working so hard and things are finally starting to come together in our area! We have 4 baptisms for this Sunday, so if you could keep Bruno, Marceilda, Calianne, e Renato in your prayers that would be wonderful :)

We had the Primary program on Sunday and it was SO DANG CUTE! Oh my goodness. I think the killer at the end was the little group of kids singing Chamados ao Servir (Called to Serve) at the top of their lungs. Everyone wants to be a missionary. Everyone is bringing their friends to Church. We are just here helping them along and pointing them in the right direction :) Also, I got to play piano which was AWESOME!

Saturday night was so fun and so incredible! We had an awesome FHE. Almost the entire stake went on a week-long temple trip this week, which is great BUT it meant that it was really difficult to get any members to help out with our pesquisadores and in lessons because everyone was gone. However, we had this incredible FHE with a less-active family, a bunch of recent converts, and some of our investigators and the spirit was SO STRONG! I really love working with the recent converts and less active members in missionary work because it gives them an opportunity to share their own testimony. And, everyone knows, when you share your testimony it grows stronger. I’ve been learning that a lot here in the field.

I mean, we can have a testimony about a lot of different things. The Book of Mormon. Thomas S Monson. The principle of tithing. But I’ve been working to gain a testimony of some of the smaller things - a testimony of the mission rules. A testimony of the counsel that my leaders give me that I don’t necessarily agree with. But, like Christ counsels, the only way to know His doctrine is to do His will. The only way to gain a testimony is by acting and then feeling the Spirit testify. I’ve been going out of my comfort zone a lot, trying to gain a testimony of different aspects of missionary work. And with all the sincerity of my heart, I can say the Lord will give a testimony to those who do their part! The Spirit is the best teacher, but the Spirit cannot act on us until we get out and get moving! I love this gospel, I love the Atonement. It’s a message of hope that we can all, every single one of us, change and improve everyday if we just take the first step.

Cheiros e beijos!

-Sister Carroll