Week 7

Alright-o! this week has flown by! I swear yesterday was my last p-day, the count down is starting. I have two weeks until I get a reassignment, Sister Shaha is sure I should be going to Kansas. (Might need to pick up some red shoes, no?)

This week has been really good for me. I've found I hit that plateau and so I've been trying to pick up the slack and work harder. This work is so important; I want to be as prepared as I can be before I get pushed out into the field. This tuesday devotional we were graced with the presence of Elder Jeffery R. Holland, he was here for Thanksgiving, so I didnt think I 'd get the priveldge to hear from him but alas, he came! Nos amos Ele! Sister Randall and I, if we were to have favorite Apostles, would pick Elder Holland. He is just such a powerful speaker. He knows how to pierce our hearts! One of the nifty parts of his talk, he shared how "Preach my Gospel" came to be. President Hinkley, in a meeting with people involved with missionary work, asked what was wrong with the program that so many missionaries who go and serve faithfully come home and go inactive. he was very emotional about it, and made the furrow in the field of change. The focus is for us missionaires to convert ourselves, so that we can be able to fully have to spirit so we can truly teach to the needs of the people. I love the vision of Preach My Gospel and truly feel the weight of my calling. This responsiblity is huge! Elder HOlland told us that "you are the hope of Israel". how humbling, I am just a 21 year old girl, yet Israel depends on me? Well, thankfully I have the Lord to depend on. He knows how to help all His children, far better than I could ever pretend to think I could. I am so grateful for that, for having oracao (prayer) and that direct communuication with the Lord. God is just so awesome! Earlier that day in Large Group meeting, we talked about our Proposito (purpose!) as missionaries. OUr teacher talked alot about how we have to have faith in ourselves that we can do this work. he gave an example of on his mission, he got to the area and had no idea about anything really. In his first meeting the mission presdient said the goal was to contact 7 people a week. qwhen his companion and him were planing that night, his comp. asked, how many contacts should we do, he said, 7. they got seven. the next week at weekly planing, his comp asked again, how many? and he responded, lets try 8. each week they'd do more and more until their next meeting, everyone was like, WHOA ELDER! how do you do it? what do you do? apparently his area had been "known" as a "difficult" area. When we put limits on ourselves, we never can improve. We have to believe that we can do anything, we have to trust in the Lord. I turned to my companion Sister Randall and said, Im thinking we're going to have to set a goal for Cuiaba to be the next city of Enoch. Pretty sure its attainable. :) haha No but seriously; it shouldnt matter where you serve; if you have the right positive mindset, you truly can do anything. Its just like that story of the little train that could. Ya'll know it--well it was my role many times as a kid when I was trying to do something that was hard for me. I'd say I think I can, I think I can. I know I can, I KNOW I CAN.

Everyone, I know you can do whatever you set out to do. Have faith, rely on the Lord and He will bless you abundantly, this I know, as its become increasingly clear everyday that I am in the MTC, everyday I teach a lesson.

Speaking of lessons.....I totally blasphamed yesterday in the TRC. I half blame my lack of portuguese vocabulario. So We were teaching a muslim man about the restoration and everything. I got the clever idea to share the scripture in ezekiel 37 about the stick of joseph and the stick of ephraim, and how it is the bom and biblia--togheter are a complete whole. Well....briliant me.....thought of the Torah instead of the Korahn so Im saying, yeah the book of mormon and biblia, or the koran, go together. my companion was like !!! sister smith!! (after the lesson of course) so yeah, don't be comparing scriptures and tell people to book of mormon and the koran go together! its a lie!

But hey, at least I didnt tell someone they are a message, like sister Ricchio did. :)

My portugese is coming along, I love this language. Its great to see improvement, but I cant help thinking the day I get to brazil that Im going to feel like Im starting over again at day 1. But to be optomistic, I know I will be fluent by next Christmas! (if not i've got some serious issues!!)

Well, I wanted to say something hilarious, but Its not coming to me. Except my Sister Randall and I are tootally pulling a joke on our roomates tonight. We already prepped them last night for it. It is going to be funny and hopefully they dont hate us for it. oh well if they do because its just too funny.

I will tell how it goes later.]

Mom, thanks for the items in the box, got em today. Meu pais sou bom!

Love

sister smith