March 17TH The long bus ride and our Saviors Love

This past week, we found out Monday that we needed to leave Tuesday for a 14 hour pass ride to a city called Fera, to a missionary conference with the mission President. We arrived Wednesday morning just as the conference started, sat in the 8 hour conference, waited at the bus station for a few hours, back on the bus, in our area in time for our lunch appointment on Thursday. Haha, here´s a photo of us arriving back here. 

 

(For those of you who don't know Daylen gets car sick very easily and would even get car sick from Oakley to Salt Lake if he sat in the back of our van) It was cool, we taught a bunch a lessons at the bus station, and I bet the lady who sat by me for 14 hours has to be converted by now. :) jk

 On Friday we invited a young woman from the branch to visit a investigator with us. I should have known that if you invite one, you invite them all. We found ourselves with nearly all the young women from both branches here. Our appointment dropped, as did our backup one. Yet armed with the guidance of the spirit and 7 giggly girls, we felt impressed to visit a less-active couple. Alvise and Lone. Now in their 50´s. They joined the church 25 years ago in the south of Brazil. 

They know the truth, they have felt and experienced the miracles of being part of the restored church of Christ. Yet for whatever excuse they had, they have been inactive. We have passed by on Sunday to have them go with us, and they denied us. 

Yet here we were once again and the spirit was with us. We entered and the Lord gave us all what was needed to be said. Everyone of the young women that came with us gave powerful testimonies of the church. The couple bore their testimonies as well. 

We stated to them ´We know that the Lord loves you. Because we feel that Love. He sent us to be here with you, we are His angels. Sent with His message, it is a message of His love. He loves to forgive. He loves it. He wants so badly to forgive us, if we will just come to Him. He knows you need to be at church on Sundays, partake in His Sacrament. Remembering His body and Blood, His pain He felt individually for you.´Great joy filled us to see them at church on Sunday. Joy and smiles on their faces. With tears in his eyes Alvise gave me a grateful hug there. As I marveled how they had returned. I wondered what made the difference. How was this change brought about? I believe it was brought about by the Love of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ knows how to minister to others perfectly. When the Savior stretches out His hands, those He touches are uplifted and become greater, stronger, and better people as a result. As we strive to emulate His perfect example our Hands become His hands, our eyes, His eyes, and our heart, His heart. If we fail to be obedient, if we fail to be keep the commandments, if we fail to be humble, if we fail to be fearless, perhaps we intellectually understand the Atonement, but somehow we fail to grasp  the underlying love of His sacrifice. Once we feel that, as well as understand it, we will be given to give our all. We love Him, because He loved us first. When we truly love Him, we keep all His commandments, we preach His gospel, we give our will to His. Nothing can separate us from His love. This love never changes. It´s always there. Whether we feel it or not. Whether we feel we deserve it or not. It is ever encompassing. It was His Love that brought him to the Garden of Gethsemane to make Himself a ransom for our sins. That same love He has for us today. 

We as disciples of Christ should have our hands stretched out in compassion to others, for everyone is walking his or her own difficult path. We are called to support and heal, rather than condemn. We are commanded to mourn with those that mourn and comfort those that stand in need of comfort. 

Love you mom! Love you Dad! Love you Kendyl Love you Rayna (stay on the road). Love Sienna because she is Awesome! Love you Lilly, keep these nutjobs on track.