Amazing Grace

I don´t know this song in Portuguese and i don't know it well in English, but i read an email that Aunt Bunny forwarded to me and a missionary named grace shared some thoughts that touched me about Grace. Mom could you find the talk by brad Wilcox His grace is sufficient` or something like that and send it to me. I read the news first from Russell about dad. strange, well not at all, but about 2 days ago i said something about dad being in the branch or maybe it was just a thought, but anyway, the question popped into my mind, is he still in the presidency? then the thought went away. then today, when i read it, i thought back to that experience... anyway it is so amazing how the holy ghost prepares us in all things. Dad, thank you for your service. I know that the branch kids all love you. thank you for your example in all things. Ellen also shared some news; I know that God has a plan for each of His children, and through His grace, all things will work out! Okay, well i am here in Porto!!!!! Here´s kind of how the week went: I arrived in Porto Monday night, and emailed Tuesday morning. Then Tuesday we visited a family that are members who really really have the desire to be instruments in the hands of God to share the gospel with their friends. we are excited to work with this family. WE don't have water in our house so we stayed the night at the casal McConkie again. (they are the senior couple in charge of the young adult center that is held in our chapel. PS it is really neat because it is like the centro that i went to when i lived in Vienna... I always wanted to be a missionary in a jas (YSA) center, and now i am here!! Wednesday, We visited some people, a recent convert who ended up going to the temple to do baptisms this past weekend!! yeah! that is what it is all about!! then~at night i got back on a bus to go back to Lisboa. i stayed with the casal forbush and in the morning we had training with our new companions!!! it was similar to the other one last transfer, but President talked a lot about the war that we are in, and the war that happened in heaven. It was not a war of swords, but of testimonies. That is what we are fighting for now. our testimonies are what will save us. I am grateful for the years of building my testimony so that i can be here now fighting for the salvation of souls. My new companion is Irmã Fontes she is straight from the island of Fogo that is part of Cabo Verde. She has been waiting for her visa to go to the MTC in Madrid but still hasn't received it so she will be here with us until November then go to the MTC. This also happened with some elders, who were trained by the assistants then went to the MTC. She is so AWESOME!!!! She just so excited to be here as a missionary and has such a strong testimony! she has been a member almost 4 years. We returned Thursday night from Lisboa, and began to work!! oh, we didn't have water in our house until Saturday... adventure, but i kept thinking of Jacob whose situation is way harder!! Super cool story: the elders have been teaching this family the mom, and 2 sons were baptized last week. they moved to our area on Friday and Saturday we and the elders helped unpack a lots of stuff. The sister, Patricia was baptized yesterday!! we went to the baptism with some pesquisadores who live in our area, and we will begin working with this family to help them make the transition to this ward and the process of conversion. we helped pass out convites to the baptism to this family, 2 sisters and their 7 kids (all boys) who, we found out, already have had tons of contact with the missionaries in Cabo Verde before coming here... the one sister was baptized like 8 years ago, but when she moved here, she stopped because she never found the church. IT is really neat because we had no idea that this family already has been prepared by the lord! We´ll baptize them!!! :) This is something i am seeing so often. the miracles of how the lord and His angels prepare the people, we just have to help them recognize that they are already prepared and invite them to make covenants with the Lord. I lust want to express my love for the Lord and my love for my family. Thank you for supporting me in everything that I do. I am only in the beginning of the rest of my life, and starting to understand a little better the great love that God has for each of us. He sent His Son to save us because he loves us. Also, He restored the gospel to the earth because He loves us. Go forth and serve! Perfect love casteth out all fear! xoxo Irmã Michael