Week 50, July 24, 2010
Hello everyone!! How is the fam doing today on this big 24 of July! It sounds like you guys are all having a blast up in Sun Valley and Katie is throwing a big party at the Wiscomb residents hahaha so that’s great! Everything here is just amazing! Today isn’t that cold, but I think it’s the warm before the storms… so that should be interesting… but other than that, we have had some fun things happened this week and some great experience that I will always remember.
So first of all last Saturday night I received a call from an Elder Zukini, who left the mission about 4 months ago, that lives in São Paulo… one of my great friends… and he said that he had someone that wanted to talk to me. You guys will never guess who it was. The famous BJ Little! Oh man, what a surprise… it was awesome to talk to him for a little bit and to be notified that he was leaving in 10 days… I can’t believe it. So that was the start to a great week. And it just kept getting better. So this week is transfer week and we are almost done with it, thank goodness. But let’s start talking about what is going on in the office.
So what is going on here in the office? This week has been super crazy. It has been the first transfer for president Ribeiro and everyone thought that we weren’t going to mess with the mission that much, but our entire mission is changing so much. It’s been great to see him receive this inspiration about the mission and him act upon this inspiration. I have had some great opportunities this last week too. During this last week I have had the chance to sit down with president on numerous occasions, in front of the mission photo board to talk about the mission in general, how it functions, companionships, and individuals. In the past, pres. Myrrha closed the door and did this himself, but getting a chance to sit in on the changes was something really cool. It was inspiring to see how much president took into consideration when he thought about an individual and where he should go, or what he should do with him, and it was cool to give a little bit of my insight. It was a really cool opportunity, something that I will never forget.
But as great as that was, working in the field this past week has been something amazing as well. I have had the most amazing experiences with this family of Sabrina. Today we are going to have the baptism of her mom, Beatriz and her little sister Luiza, and also a baptism of another young man who we have been teaching Giovanni. I would like to tell you a story of my mission. Something that touched my heart so strong, and it all started with a little travel.
So ya you heard right, we traveled a little bit this week. That’s another blessing about working with president, you hopefully gain a little bit more confidence so he allows you to do some “different” things. Beatriz and Luiza, they live in a little town that doesn’t have the church there. Like I said they are trying to move here to Santa Maria but right now they live about 2 hours out of Santa Maria. We got permission to go there, travel for two hours to teach them a lesson and to bring them here for their baptisms. Ah man it was such an experience. When they saw us arriving they were jumping up and down sooo excited and happy that we were there. So excited that they run up forgetting about the rules hahaha, and almost gave us huge hugs with kisses on the cheeks, but don’t worry I quickly extended my hand and then it was fallowed but a lot of laughs hahahaha.
So we got in this little town called Julia de Castigues, and we taught them such an amazing lesson about the commandments of God, then the most amazing thing happened to me. Luiza she is the 12-year-old girl that reminds me so much of Molly, called me over and said that she had a present for me. She drew me a picture, I sent it in the email. It’s a picture of Sabrina, Luiza, Elder Muller, Beatris, and me in a green field with flowers surrounding us and she looked at me and said, “I have chosen you to baptize me Elder Smiley (that’s what they call me) and I drew you this picture. It’s a picture of us five all holding hands together in the Celestial Kingdom. That is how I imagine its going to be, all of as together” when she said that I sat there just thinking filled with joy. So much joy that I will be honest with all of you, I didn’t cry hahaha but my eyes just filled with a little water. She is so sweet and ya only 12 but she understands how important this gospel is. It’s quite incredible.
I’m so grateful for the chance and the opportunity that I have had to teach this amazing family, and for the testimony that they have gained through the Holy Ghost about Gods true church here on Earth. That promise that I made them about 3 weeks ago, that they would be ready and feel that they are ready for themselves about their baptism if they did everything that we said, came true. Now it is time for them to take this all so crucial and important step in life and enter the waters of baptism to take upon themselves the name of Christ and become members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
All of this is going to happen tonight in about 7 hours! A 24th of July that I will never forget!
And the next time I write I am going to have a new comp. Elder Felipe, he is going to be the next financial secretary. And today we are going to do something really different too. We are going to pick up an American that was sent in directly from Provo at the bus station. At 5:00 so that should be fun. He will get here and see his first baptism how great is that.
There is now doubt in my mind that this is the most important work on the face of this Earth and I'm so happy for my time that I have to serve God and be His representative acting in His name here on Earth. Ya in this moment I am a missionary but I and whoever is a member of the true church of Christ are his disciples. Think about that word for a second, always be the example and do the things that Christ and our Heavenly Father would want you to do. This world is so dirty, and in simple words “earthly.” I believe that God understands that the temptations and the trials that we go through are difficult and sometimes we are going to end up doing things that are shameful in His eyes. But how many times to we read in the scriptures that he is a merciful God? Many. DON’T be deceived by that word though. He might be merciful, but the scriptures also say that nothing impure and inherit the Kingdom Of Heaven. I believe that God doesn’t look at us as Earthly beings, or in other words temporal beings... I believe that God looks at us as the eternal resurrected and glorified beings that we are capable of being. For this we need to strive everyday to be His Disciples and to follow the footsteps of Lord and Savior Jesus Cristo.
I love you all so much. I hope that you all have a fabulous 24 of July and a great week! Hugs and kisses to all.
Your Son, Brother, Grandson, and Missionary
Elder Wiscomb
Jacob 3:1
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