Gratitude and Perseverance.

Hello from Brazil! Sandro keeps telling us that he isn't ready to fully accept what he has learned to be a great blessing; that of the Gospel  (even though we have born testimony to him that he is). He has not yet accepted the Savior's challenge to be baptized. We are praying for his acceptance soon. This past week we taught a teenager named Guillherme. Also, another teenage girl that we challenged to ask Heavenly Father by offering a prayer about the Gospel and the importance of baptism - we are hoping that even if no acceptance occurs now, a "seed" of truth and Gospel light can be nourished and grow to its potential in the future for each of them.

On the Tuesday (Nov. 6, 2018) Sister Lara stayed with both Sister Melo and I in the Vargas area. Sister Lara will soon be released as a missionary and return to her family and home. It was a very spiritual experience for me. I have learned a lot from her from the first day we met nearly seven months ago. She reminded me that when we do what God asks of us, He will always complete the rest. We need to trust in Him with everything that we have with a perfect knowledge that this is His work and He will always lead us and help us. We shed lots of tears at her departure from our apartment. It will be sometime before I see her again. She thanked me. I will miss her!
Another week ahead of us. We will continue moving forward with faith as we prayerfully seek those Heavenly Father has prepared for us.
Happy Thanksgiving to each of you in the states!

Book of Mormon, Helaman 5:12: “It is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, … it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo.”

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:“Our Father in Heaven does not wish us to cower. He does not want us to wallow in our misery. He expects us to square our shoulders, roll up our sleeves, and overcome our challenges.

“That kind of spirit—that blend of faith and hard work—is the spirit we should emulate as we seek to reach a safe harbor in our own lives. …

“Use your ingenuity, your strength, your might to resolve your challenges. Do all you can do and then leave the rest to the Lord” (“Finding a Safe Harbor,” Liahona, July 2000, 73).

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:“Your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience.

“To exercise faith is to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it. We are like infants in our understanding of eternal matters and their impact on us here in mortality. Yet at times we act as if we knew it all. When you pass through trials for His purposes, as you trust Him, exercise faith in Him, He will help you. That support will generally come step by step, a portion at a time. While you are passing through each phase, the pain and difficulty that comes from being enlarged will continue. If all matters were immediately resolved at your first petition, you could not grow” (“Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17).