Oi, minha familia e meus amigos!
Esta semana foi otra semana de milagres. Cada semana no servico(tail on the c) do Senhor e(accent) cheio das bencaos(tail on the c) dos ceus(accent on e?) (Serious lack of accents in that sentence!) Anyhow, Every week in the service of our Lord truly is a week filled with the blessings of Heaven!!
On Thursday we had a Mission Christmas Conference. It was incredible to be gathered with 200+ young missionaries! Music is so powerful. It was a privilege to hear several Christmas musical numbers and talents shared. Music often touches me in a way that words cannot! Good music testifies of Jesus Christ and the miracles and blessings all around us which he provides. Christmas conference was wonderful!!
This weekend, on one night Sister S and I were driving from one appointment with Ja and his family, to our next appointment with the H family. S and E were coming with us as members- isn't that incredible! From learning, to being baptized, to sharing the gospel!! Ja is also sharing the gospel and talking with all his friends! These three are on fire! They have seen the direct blessings connected to having the gospel in their lives, being baptized, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. As we were driving, we were just laughing and smiling and talking about how much we LOVE these people!! We are so grateful that they are part of our lives. And it hit us strongly that we will never forget them. And they have told us that they will never forget us! As I thought about that, a few lines from a scripture came to mind ..."I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." I realized that we love these people so much, we sacrifice our time to be here, we pray for them and think of them specifically every day, and so we love these people very deeply. How could we forget these people?? ...but actually, we COULD! We are imperfect, forgetful, and weak. We could easily stop living the gospel, let our lives change, become numb to the whisperings and promptings of the Spirit, and possibly forget some of the miracles we experienced on our missions and forget the love that filled our hearts for those we served. But as long as we are living the gospel, I do not believe that we could ever completely forget how we love these people we are serving. But Christ is different. He, on the other hand, will never forget us. That is a guarantee! He has not just given a small portion, 18 months or 2 years, of his life for our benefit. He gave everything! It hit me strongly that Christ lived every moment of his life for us. He prayed for us, thought of us constantly, and he still does! Even as he gave his life, and suffered for our wrong doings, he thought of us and loved us, and prayed for those who He suffered for. While as missionaries our sacrifice is pleasing to the Lord, it is far from perfect. Christ's sacrifice was and is perfect. He will not and cannot forget you!
I looked up the scripture verse later when I was at our apartment.
Isaiah 49:15-16
15 Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
16 Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me.
Verse 14 stood out to me! "14 But Zion said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me." As imperfect children of God, with limited perspective here on the earth, it could be easy to think "Where is Christ? Has he forgotten about me? Does he know I am here? Why am I going through these trials?" But Christ, forever patient and merciful, replies with these verses. "Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee."
I have felt Christ's healing power and his love for me over and over again in my own life. Now I have the opportunity to feel a small portion of his love for those who I have the privilege of serving here in Texas, and his love is incredible! It is much greater and more all-encompassing that we could ever imagine!! I know that he lives! I know that his love is perfect and that he will never forget us. Just as we as missionaries think of and pray for each person individually and by name, he knows, thinks of, and loves us that way, one by one.
1 Nephi 11:31-33
31 And he spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the Lamb of God going forth among the children of men. And I beheld multitudes of people who were sick, and who were afflicted with all manner of diseases, and with devils and unclean spirits; and the angel spake and showed all these things unto me. And they were healed by the power of the Lamb of God; and the devils and the unclean spirits were cast out.
32 And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.
33 And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.
These verses stood out to me this morning. In one verse, Christ is healing (spiritually, emotionally, and physically) the people one by one. In the next verses, he is taken up on the cross and "slain for the sins of the world".
I know that Christ gave us a perfect gift. While he gave these gifts all throughout his life (like in the example of 1 Nephi 11:31) he did not receive perfect gifts in return. In contrast, he was slain and then suffered for our sins. But I know that while our gifts and offerings are imperfect, when we give them with a broken and willing heart, they are pleasing to Him. He is happy when we give of ourselves in the service to others, when we nourish ourselves and others spiritually, and when we testify of him, share his love -his gospel-, and point others to him.
I love you all and hope you have a wonderful Christmas! All is well in Pflugerville, Texas!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
-Sister Greenall
Sister Greenall and Sister S on Christmas Eve
Sisters at the K Family Home on Christmas Eve
Hi, this is kind of a crazy request, but I'm trying to get in touch with some missionaries that would serve in the Merrilltown ward in Texas. My name is Alicia Johnson. I live in Oregon, but I have a friend who lives in those ward boundaries and she needs some help. She isn't a member, but it is a perfect opportunity for members of the ward to serve, to fellowship, and show love to a very good woman. I tried contacting the bishop of the ward but was unable to (perhaps because of the holiday). My email is Lafabulosa@gmail.com. She has given me permission to send people by from my church. Anyway I can only pray you will see this. Thank you.
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