Jan 20: Hello!

Hi Family and Friends!

This week has been wonderful!

Thanks for your emails and letters! I love hearing from you!!

We had lots of lessons last week, with members present!  One of the one that stands out in my mind is the lesson with Mi and her children, Ch and Little Ja in the D Family's home. We taught the restoration again, emphasizing priesthood. Mi and Little Ja had been going through a rough time. Ch and Little Ja go to their dad's a few weekends in the month, Mi worries about their dad's influence on them. Anyways, it had been a really rough day for them.  During the lesson, the Spirit was so powerful, my companion, Sister S asked Mi if she would like a priesthood blessing and asked Brother D if he would be willing to give a priesthood blessing. So right there in the lesson, Brother D gave Mi and then Little Ja also a priesthood blessing. The spirit was incredible!!  I know that it is true that the place most sacred after the temple, is the gospel centered home!  We really see that as missionaries.  We go into all different situations and see people struggling, but when we enter a gospel centered home, we can feel the Spirit there, and the peace is so comforting.  I know that the power of the Holy Ghost is real, and that the Holy Ghost is one of the two Comforters, along with our Savior Himself!

We've had some good lessons with Mi, she is super open and progressing, the hard part is just hearing what she has been through.  Wow, she has had a lot of challenges in her life and sometimes it is even weighs on us hearing about them. But Sister S and I have found strength through the Spirit and I've learned that those burdens - even the ones that are not our own -  can be lifted through the Atonement.

We have met some incredible people this week!  One is Ni!  She was on our records and had met missionaries briefly a year ago.  When we knocked on her door and met her, she was so happy we came! She was STILL looking for a church! (Because she hadn't found the true church until now! Hooray!!) We taught the first lesson, and she could feel the truth! After sharing the first vision, she said something like "Wow, that is amazing."  She could feel the significance of Joseph Smith, this young boy, seeing God the Father and Christ, His Son!

Another miracle: on that day, we had three member present lessons. And at the end of the day, it occurred to me how perfectly the members and investigators were matched up for the lessons- and it wasn't Sister S and I! We had no idea!

Here is what we realized as we taught each lesson...

1st lesson:

Both investigator and member have dealt with depression and feelings of loneliness

2nd lesson:

Both investigator and member had dealt with bad marriage, had gone through a Women's shelter, and are now single parents

3rd lesson:

Both investigator and member were going through a struggle with their sister and were not on speaking terms with their sister

It hit me how well Heavenly Father knows His children and who needs to meet who, and who can succor who!

I know that Christ is directing this work. It becomes clear over and over again, on a daily basis, how involved He is in every aspect of His missionary work.

Thanks for your support and prayers!  This church is Christ's true church on the earth, and I know that Joseph Smith DID see our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ as a 14 year old boy!

Tudo bem!

Love,
Sister Greenall