*Lead Kindly Light
All of the Irmãs sang this song at Zone conference on tuesday, there were 10 of us, so missiong 4 (2 in the azores and two in another zone). Sone conerence was in Miratejo, where I was in Almada, it was so neat to return and pass through my `birth place` :) there were 3 zones together and the focus was in this last week as Portugal Lisboa Mission!!! Because startign July 1st it will be called the Portugal Mission, and President Torgan and all of our leaders talked about how we will close this mission Lisboa with a legacy! They gave the challenge to every single dupla to baptize this weekend at least one person! Then we talked about the resources that we have to use to find people through contacts de poder, e contatos de oração e também the power of finding pesquisadores who will be baptized in the following weeks when they assistir a reunião batismal. Irmã Speigle and I were full of fogo and excitement to work this week!!! There are so many miracles happening here in Portugal. THere are several people being baptized each week and PResident Torgan said that it is completely possible to have baptisms weekly in each of our areas. THere is a program that we have here in the mission that helps us seek and do the will of the Lord. Each Friday we seek revelation through prayer as to who is ready to be baptized by the following weekend. It is so amazing how the Lord gives us revelation when we seek it! Then, of course we work throughout the whole week to help these people be baptized, of course there are some who progress mroe quickly than others and there are some who really are ready, and others who need more time, but anyway, this is basically how the work functions here, and i am still learnign the process. Anyway, we were super excited to work and we worked hard all week to meet with our "revelados" Joana and Bruno, who had met with the missionaries in the past. There were some big mountains to pass with Bruno, but we were full of faith that everything would work out and that they both would be baptized! But, at the end of the week they were not baptized, and i was sad for a little bit, because especially, Joana, she is so ready, she jsut still doesnt realize why she needs to be baptized again. she i sso converted to the catholic faith. Sometimes as a missionary it is frustrating because we can see the blessings that come with the gospel and we try to explain it, but it takes longer for some to understand. I am learning patience, and also really, we are here to help people find joy! Yes the most joy comes when a person enters the waters of baptism, but also there is so much joy in hearing a person pray for the first time out loud, or read the scriptures and understand what Heavenly Father is teaching through the prophets! I am here to invite others to come unto Christ and experience joy!!!
Wow, everything has it´s timing right. I am slow at learning so many things, but one thing i know is that there is joy in doing to will of the Lord!!
Here is what happened this week:
Well, it just seems that HEavenly Father is always showing us miracles through the small and simple things, and so many times we are going to be late for an appt or to get home, when the bus shows up right in time. i cant even count how many times we have been blessed to have teh autocarro pass by right at the perfect moment!!! we have been running all over the place too to catch the bus right in time. Seriously, we are running and i just laugh as we run because it is so hilarious/ a huge blessing that Heavenly Father is protecting us and watching ovewr us and continuously answering our prayers!!!
Also, Saturday night the ward had a "Sardinhada" basically a barbeque with sardines :) yum!! and lots of other carne and doces. So we invited several pesquisadores, hoping that some would come, but we also had to keep working to find the people that the Lord had prepared to be baptized. So it started at 7 and we told the pesquisadores that we would be there, we were working in an area near the church, but we felt we needed to go to Outerela, street Rua de Liberdade, so we decided we would pass by there then go to the capela after. Well, it was already after 7, but we decided to pray one more time and ask the Lord if we should return to the capela or continue to that street. We both felt to keep going forward and visit that street. (background on this... i had a dream at the beginning of the week that someone is ready to be baptized on rua de liberdade, and the whole week long we kept saying we need to pass there... but até sabado we hadn´t so we said we need to go there...) Anyway, so we started running to make it there and back, but it was already past 7. we laughed as we ran because we said we are just trying to follow the spirit!!! We stopped the first person we saw on the street and it was a girl who had talked with the elders in the past, we prayed with her and marked another appt for during the week. Then, we received a phone call from a member at the sardinhada that there were people there looking for us... so we immediately turned around and ran back to the chapel, the distance is like from our house to DHS +/- anyway, we arrived completely sweating, red in the face, oh yeah it was like 100 degrees that day too :) and everyone was like oh the sisters were at the beach today :) lol we just laughed. Anyway so the people who were waiting for us were pesquisadores!!! We had contacted a few people and invited them but they were all iffy, not sure if they would come, but they came!!! Our alegria was sky high!!! Especially because there are 2 families that came who we have felt have so much potential!!! Irmã Speigle gave a tour of the capela to some of them, and the others were playing basketball and making friendship with the ward! This was such a hugh miracle!!!! We were so happy that it worked out! something i am learning that itma graf taught me is you do your best and the Lord will do the rest! It is so true!!!
There is this one pesquisador, George that is so incredible! He is from South Africa, portuguese, and we will continue to teach him this week. the members are helping so much with him!
Basically i love this work and i love the Lord. thank you for your prayers and support! i am so grateful to be here! the Lord is the head and we are simply instruments in His hands. Really that is all that missionary work is: fight for the Lord fight for the salvation of these people who are trying to find it but cant do it alone. None of us can do it alone!
I love you so much! This is the Lord´s work and we are all over the world doing the same things!!
Have a fabulous week and trust in the Lord!!
xoxo
Irmã Michael
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