Camera still broken, dealing with adversity, one tired sister

This week was great. We're teaching a woman named A who is AWESOME! She just gets it, so quick. we had a lesson with her about the Book of Mormon -it's weird, we have a separate lesson with the Book of Mormon because we have limited Books of Mormon...Book of Mormons...copies of the Book of Mormon, so we can only give them to people that we think will actually read it - anyway, when I said that we were going to be talking about the Book of Mormon she got all excited and was like "I read about the Book of Mormon in that pamphlet ya'll left me and was going to ask where I can buy one to do the studies in the back of the pamphlets."

First off, not very many people actually read the pamphlets we leave, and secondly NO ONE does the studies in the back!! She is AMAZING and has a baptismal date for the 27th of December! BUT she's not married to the man she lives with...he is super awesome too, but hardly has time to sit in the lessons with us because he works all day everyday. also she is super pregnant and her feet look like soccer balls they are crazy swollen, so its hard for her ot get around...but we´re going to try to get her a ride to Church this next Sunday, I am SURE she is going to love going to Church!

Ae is still struggling with the palavra de sabedoria (Word of Wisdom), we're going there tonight to have a heart to heart with him to evaluate if he is actually willing to change or just likes the idea of changing.

God is good! this week I was sitting in Church feeling bad that no one that said they were going to come to Church showed up, but then Áa (an investigator we haven't visited for 3 weeks) showed up! AND she said that she was there last week (we skipped church last week for our Christmas tour....we went to church in Guaruja) AND she brought a friend! If that is not a miracle, I don't know what is! We're going to her house tomorrow to evaluate the situation and help her progress towards baptism.

Not much else to say...a lot of hours traveling on the bus. A lot of singing. Little sleep. And one tired, but happy sister missionary.

These past couple days I've been thinking a lot about obedience. Christ the Son of God, was exactly in tune with the Father. ALWAYS doing His will. That is why they were one. They aren't literally one person, but they are one because Christ's desires were God's desires. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I need to be better at not just doing what He would do, but WANTING and desiring what He would want and desire.

I love ya'll. I hope you have a good week.

Love,

Sister Byrne

Singing in the Choir, A new, powerful, ally and teaching with the Spirit

What a week! Sorry I didnt get the chance to write last week. I was super rushed with internet time because we went to Monguagua to go on a hike with the other sisters in our zone. It was a blast!

I LOVE when missionaries come home to their home wards! they are always so excited for the work and ready and willing to do everything to help us. A brasileiro named W came home this week. He spent all of Wednesday with us taking us to the homes of his family members and friends he left behind before the mission. We met his cousin A, who is bom de mais! (the coolest). A is 18 years old and living a life that is contrary to the laws of Heaven, and he knows it. But he straight up told us in our first lesson with him that he doesn't think he can change. He wants to, but he doesn't think he can. He said, "Sister, I'll be honest. I don´t have the desire to change my life right now, but I have the desire to have that desire." He had no idea how powerful that desire to have desire could be. We left him with the commitment to read Alma 32 which teaches us about faith. Verse 27 touched his heart. It teaches us that if we just have the DESIRE (Sis Cabral has been teaching us a lot about our desires lately. D&C 11. We are going to get whatever we WANT. God gives us what we WANT, so we have to replace our hearts with a heart that wants what God wants so we can inherit all He wants to give us.) that desire is the catalyst to start a mighty change of heart.

Anyway, we taught A about repentance and his countenance illuminated and he was so excited to know how to apply it in his life. when we went back to teach the restoration he was so excited about the first vision that when we described what happened in Joseph's words, he was speechless and he was just like, it makes so much sense.... he accepted a baptismal date and he is going to be baptized the 19th of December!! :D I love teaching him, the spirit always fills the "front yard(?)" when we teach him and I haven't felt the Spirit THAT strong in teaching since we taught H.

Speaking of yesterday was one of the BEST DAYS EVER! I got to go back to Guaruja for one of our cantatas and all my people from Santa Rosa were there!! Including H. Now, that is complete joy. My heart was so full of alegria that I thought I might just die from happiness right then and there. My moms hugged me tight and wanted to steel me. haha. I got to see so many of the people that I LOVE so much! As I stood at the pulpit and sang of the Savior´s love for us and the remarkable gift He gave, I looked around and remembered the stories of the people sitting in the crowd. Everyone of them with a story of how Christ transformed them. I think of how Christ has transformed me. My heart was completely full. I am so grateful to be here. I am so grateful for the Savior. He's the reason I'm here. He's the reason any of this even matters. I love Him.

Anways, I feel like I'm rambling, but there is so much more that I could say about this week. Just know that I know that Christ LIVES. He is the way, the only way, that we can change. He is the only way that we can be forgiven for our mistakes and weakness. Think about Him this Christmas season and think of what you can give Him this Christmas. I love ya'll. have a great week!

Love,

Sister Byrne