Here
in São Borja its so so so hot. Its 41 degrees Celsius. Y'all are free
to look up what that means in terms of Fahrenheit but I am pretty sure
its somewhere around 105. HOT! So this will definitely be a Christmas I
am going to remember.
This week we had a great Zone Conference, where we
set up some goals. I am excited to get to work. Right now we are trying
to get to know the members in the area. Our mission President
discourages us from knocking on doors, so we spend most of our time
talking with members to get references from them. But that means we do a
lot of walking walking from house to house on opposite sides of the city.
But its a great way for me to learn some Portuguese. My companion is
also trying to learn some English and its so funny to hear her say the
words in her Portuguese accent, so I can't imagine how I sound. LOL!
Being on a mission is quite the experience- Let me
tell you. Everyday you have to actively choose to "be in the mission."
Its so easy to say "this is too hard", "I didn't know what I was signing
up for", or "I just miss my family and friends too much." But when you
have those "ah-ha" moments thats what makes it vale a pena- in English
that means worth the pain. One of the ideas that comes to mind when I
think about the pain of a mission is a thought I heard from Elder
Holland. And its this very thought that I would love to share with each
of you today.
I chose to serve a mission because the happiness, hope, and
love in my life comes from the knowledge I have that we have a Heavenly
Father who loves us. He sent His only Begotten to atone for us so that
one day we can live with our families for forever. Now I am no way
insinuating missionaries are perfect like our Savior. None of us are
perfect- Perfect people wouldn't have needed a savior. But I would like
to use the comparison that Elder Holland used concerning missionaries.
As missionaries we literally wear the name of Jesus Christ on our name
badges, and if we chose to represent Him in His work we are choosing to
need to expect to experience a little of what he experienced; shed a
tear or two of the tears he shed; and we need to expect to walk a little
of the path he walked. I would also like to suggest that that same
responsibility not only applies to missionaries, but applies to all of
us. We are all followers of Christ in one way or another- and as such
need to remember that when the burdens we are called to bear seem to be
more than we can carry- Remember He is there. As His representatives,
missionary or not, we have His promise that he will accompany us through
our trials, and raise us up in strength when we are weak.
I am sure that today there have been some amazing presents both
given and received today. But today is truly about the ultimate gift
ever given- the gift of a Savior for the world, the gift of Jesus
Christ. That through our Savior we can each be made whole. I ask us to
think about this gift, and in no way can we ever repay this gift, but we
can each find something we can give our Savior this year. I leave you
with this challenge to ask yourself what gift you will chose to give
back to Him who sacrificed all for you? In the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen.
I love you all so much. Thanks for the
supportive emails. As a missionary its so hard not getting to talk with
family and friends often. But emails and letters definitely make it
worth it. So thanks:) Please keep them coming.
Much Love,
Sister K. Seal
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