11/03/14 Can YOU meet the challenge.

 You can meet the challenge to pray to find someone. Just imagine for a moment that you already did it. Imagine that you prayed, and felt courage fill your heart, that you feel like your very soul was smiling. After, you found yourself unable to stop smiling. As you prayed, you felt your body entirely renewed. All sores and aches, all tiredness left you. You had a quiet joyful feeling. You still did all the daily responsibilities, that everyone so greatly appreciated. But somehow, it went by faster, easier, less stressfull. At some point in that day, you met someone, unexceptectly. They spoke to you so kindly. You loved talking to them, and felt you had made a new friend quickly.Perhaps you talked about me on a mission. Somewhow you spoke of the gospel, they so despitely needed and wanted. The impression from your prayer that morning came back to your head, though somewhat unsure how, that courage filled your heart again and you invited this person to our home, (the very missionaries could practice with real people) and visit the church with you. Think of the difference that would have today. I know you can do it.  The Lord can ease your schedule, He does it for me everyday. I feel the spirit everyday tell me that my family is being blessed back home. I feel so grateful to be here.

A couple weeks ago, we met Denevoldo, a very drunk, very smelly, shirtless, hairy man came up to us. He had a dirty beard, missing teeth, and walked slowly with a limp. He approached us holding his arm and moaning in pain. He said he had fallen and broken his arm. Looking at the disfigurement of the arm, we believed him. He asked for a prayer or a blessing. 

Reconginzing his poor nurtition, my companion bought him some rice. We walked him to his humble home that was molding away. We prayed with him. Blessed him. Taught him the importance of cleaness. Spiritual and physical. We gave instructions to how to clean his home. We taught the word of wisdom. 

When we saw him next. I honestly didn´t reconginze him. He was clean shaven. Wearing a shirt and pants. His home was cleaner. He was sober. He told us, since that day we came to his home, he never drank again. He came to church with us. Accepted everything we taught, and has a desire to obey. 

       A great lesson I´ve learned these past couple weeks is that ´any excuse, no matter how valid it is, will weaken your character.´ I´ve been trying to cut out any excuse or justification with anything. I don´t want to justify, I want to sanctify. I don´t want to be okay with it, I want to repent and feel peace. We´ve been helping others repent, by helping them stop giving excuses, and start having character. 

I love you all so much! Have an awesome week.