Natal, Natal, Natal, Feliz Natal!
Queridos... Wow I cannot believe it is only one week until Christmas! What happened to December: (Pretend this is a question mark, this computer doesn’t have them.) And what happened to the year 2006... I was thinking of where I was exactly a year ago... wow sooo much has happened since then!
I am so grateful for P days... Today was a day that I was just needing a little pick me up- and all of the dear emails that I received from family and friends was exactly what I needed to hear... Thank you thank you! It is amazing that we can be so far apart, and yet each of you write a little something to me that inspires me to be better. My family made several comments of how I have changed a little bit in the past 6 months- I guess I have. I don’t feel like a really different person- but to think of where I was, and the person I was a year ago- I could really see the change in that.
As far as things that happened this week- I just wanted to mention a few things more about brazil... Did you know that there are at least 5 types of mango: actually I think there are more? But wow, the mango season is only a few months, and so I have taken full opportunity of eating lots and lots of mangos. I will be sure to make a video of me eating a mango and send to my family- because eating a mango is quite an interesting thing. It’s messy. i cant remember if I already wrote about this, so I will stop! haha.
I had a great day yesterday- this past month has been quite humorous because the past 4 Sundays I have had to do several things with five minutes ( or less ) notice. The past 3 weeks I have taught the youth here- all of which are lessons in the Old Testament. It is quite humorous learning old testament names in Portuguese- I thought there were hard in English. It looks like Mike and I gave the same lesson yesterday about Daniel and Ester. But I never even made it to Ester. haha. I loooove teaching the youth!! I have grown accustomed to teaching in Portuguese- we alternate teaching the Gospel Principles class- but I love teaching the youth more- because I think they are at such an interesting part of life. They have soo may decisions, and so I love talking with them. We have a good time- and they are patient and helpful with my Portuguese pronunciation of the bible! haha!
And yesterday I had a double surprise- in that I had to give a talk in church. The bishop asked Sister R. Silva and I to give a talk right before sacrament meeting- and this is surely a sign that I have changed and grown the past 6 months- I prepared a talk in a few minutes, and felt calm and fine about. Because I have grown to realize that its not what I say, but what the Lord has to say. Its the spirit that will testify- and so I have stopped worrying about teaching or giving talks. It was great- and a thoroughly enjoyable experience- not to mention a very spiritual experience as I felt inspired to say what the Lord wanted said. It was awesome!
The best thing about Sundays is to see how your recent converts are doing. Benedito- my first baptism here- was just glowing. He is in a wheelchair- but just jokes and jokes. He recently told a doctor to cut off his other leg because he was tired of the pain. He was a bit upset when the doctor said he just couldn’t cut off his leg. haha. Yeah, he is awesome! irma Rosa is soo strong right now too- She is so friendly and cheerful with everyone- she gave the prayer in gospel principles (I wasn’t there for this- I was teaching the youth) and in her prayer she thanked the Lord for helping her find the one true church. it is just so exciting to hear your recent converts grasp that! So that was awesome!
in other quick news-
-We had the Christmas ward dinner here. There is always drama in this ward... and this was no different. haha. I can only laugh. But it was well prepared, we had an AWESOME turnout- with several pesquisadores, it was awesome- it was the first time I have eaten dinner in Porto Ferreira. I felt to sick afterwards! I like sticking to my fruit! haha.
-Fernando and Luciana had a miracle this week. They were all set for divorce on Thursday- we were praying and praying for a miracle- and the judge decided to give them one more month! Wahoo!! We are continuing to pray that Luciana will have a change of heart....But the Lord will continue to work miracles- I just have to continue to let go and rely on the Lord.
-I had my first experience with an evil spirit. It was wow..... I can’t adequately describe this in an email- this is going to have to be a story that will wait for after the mission. But I learned once more how real the evil spirits are.. and how much more powerful the Lord is. Where there is light, there cannot exist darkness. But it was an experience where I felt my mind grasped a tiny bit of how much more there is to our life here. I felt no fear, and felt completely protected.. Ok just so my mom and dad wont worry- we were teaching a lesson to a woman and an evil spirit entered her and started talking and shouting- she fell to the ground- it was quite sad for her. But I just felt that there was something so much greater there with us- I really cant adequately describe this.,... sorry! But wow.. it was truly...wow. no words!
Ok, I think I better go, Sister R. Silva is always patient with me as I write my long letters haha, so I will try to make this one short for her! But Merry Christmas to you all- I don’t know if I will be writing next week because I WILL BE TALKING TO MY FAMILY!!! Ok. I just couldn’t help myself on that. I am just a little bit excited! It will be interesting to see how my English is. haha.
But I love you all, thank you thank you for being in my life- all of you are so dear to me, and I thank my father in heaven for the support and love I have felt on my mission.
I know this church is true. That is such a simple sentence, but I am continually amazed that I am allowed to help in this work to help others now that there really only exists on church on this earth. There is one gospel. There is one baptism. There is only one of each of you- each of you is a beloved daughter or son of God- and he gave each of you your individual talents and challenges for a reason. There is one Father in Heaven, and one Jesus the Christ, our Brother and Savior who can bring us home to live together. I am so grateful for this knowledge in my life, and I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year! Boas Festas! Happy Christmas! Feliz Natal!!
Com Muito Amor,
Sister Melanie Anne Monroe
I am so grateful for P days... Today was a day that I was just needing a little pick me up- and all of the dear emails that I received from family and friends was exactly what I needed to hear... Thank you thank you! It is amazing that we can be so far apart, and yet each of you write a little something to me that inspires me to be better. My family made several comments of how I have changed a little bit in the past 6 months- I guess I have. I don’t feel like a really different person- but to think of where I was, and the person I was a year ago- I could really see the change in that.
As far as things that happened this week- I just wanted to mention a few things more about brazil... Did you know that there are at least 5 types of mango: actually I think there are more? But wow, the mango season is only a few months, and so I have taken full opportunity of eating lots and lots of mangos. I will be sure to make a video of me eating a mango and send to my family- because eating a mango is quite an interesting thing. It’s messy. i cant remember if I already wrote about this, so I will stop! haha.
I had a great day yesterday- this past month has been quite humorous because the past 4 Sundays I have had to do several things with five minutes ( or less ) notice. The past 3 weeks I have taught the youth here- all of which are lessons in the Old Testament. It is quite humorous learning old testament names in Portuguese- I thought there were hard in English. It looks like Mike and I gave the same lesson yesterday about Daniel and Ester. But I never even made it to Ester. haha. I loooove teaching the youth!! I have grown accustomed to teaching in Portuguese- we alternate teaching the Gospel Principles class- but I love teaching the youth more- because I think they are at such an interesting part of life. They have soo may decisions, and so I love talking with them. We have a good time- and they are patient and helpful with my Portuguese pronunciation of the bible! haha!
And yesterday I had a double surprise- in that I had to give a talk in church. The bishop asked Sister R. Silva and I to give a talk right before sacrament meeting- and this is surely a sign that I have changed and grown the past 6 months- I prepared a talk in a few minutes, and felt calm and fine about. Because I have grown to realize that its not what I say, but what the Lord has to say. Its the spirit that will testify- and so I have stopped worrying about teaching or giving talks. It was great- and a thoroughly enjoyable experience- not to mention a very spiritual experience as I felt inspired to say what the Lord wanted said. It was awesome!
The best thing about Sundays is to see how your recent converts are doing. Benedito- my first baptism here- was just glowing. He is in a wheelchair- but just jokes and jokes. He recently told a doctor to cut off his other leg because he was tired of the pain. He was a bit upset when the doctor said he just couldn’t cut off his leg. haha. Yeah, he is awesome! irma Rosa is soo strong right now too- She is so friendly and cheerful with everyone- she gave the prayer in gospel principles (I wasn’t there for this- I was teaching the youth) and in her prayer she thanked the Lord for helping her find the one true church. it is just so exciting to hear your recent converts grasp that! So that was awesome!
in other quick news-
-We had the Christmas ward dinner here. There is always drama in this ward... and this was no different. haha. I can only laugh. But it was well prepared, we had an AWESOME turnout- with several pesquisadores, it was awesome- it was the first time I have eaten dinner in Porto Ferreira. I felt to sick afterwards! I like sticking to my fruit! haha.
-Fernando and Luciana had a miracle this week. They were all set for divorce on Thursday- we were praying and praying for a miracle- and the judge decided to give them one more month! Wahoo!! We are continuing to pray that Luciana will have a change of heart....But the Lord will continue to work miracles- I just have to continue to let go and rely on the Lord.
-I had my first experience with an evil spirit. It was wow..... I can’t adequately describe this in an email- this is going to have to be a story that will wait for after the mission. But I learned once more how real the evil spirits are.. and how much more powerful the Lord is. Where there is light, there cannot exist darkness. But it was an experience where I felt my mind grasped a tiny bit of how much more there is to our life here. I felt no fear, and felt completely protected.. Ok just so my mom and dad wont worry- we were teaching a lesson to a woman and an evil spirit entered her and started talking and shouting- she fell to the ground- it was quite sad for her. But I just felt that there was something so much greater there with us- I really cant adequately describe this.,... sorry! But wow.. it was truly...wow. no words!
Ok, I think I better go, Sister R. Silva is always patient with me as I write my long letters haha, so I will try to make this one short for her! But Merry Christmas to you all- I don’t know if I will be writing next week because I WILL BE TALKING TO MY FAMILY!!! Ok. I just couldn’t help myself on that. I am just a little bit excited! It will be interesting to see how my English is. haha.
But I love you all, thank you thank you for being in my life- all of you are so dear to me, and I thank my father in heaven for the support and love I have felt on my mission.
I know this church is true. That is such a simple sentence, but I am continually amazed that I am allowed to help in this work to help others now that there really only exists on church on this earth. There is one gospel. There is one baptism. There is only one of each of you- each of you is a beloved daughter or son of God- and he gave each of you your individual talents and challenges for a reason. There is one Father in Heaven, and one Jesus the Christ, our Brother and Savior who can bring us home to live together. I am so grateful for this knowledge in my life, and I wish you all a merry Christmas and a happy new year! Boas Festas! Happy Christmas! Feliz Natal!!
Com Muito Amor,
Sister Melanie Anne Monroe
posted by Bev at 10:02 AM
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