The Blessings We Have

It's blurry but I still think they are worth posting!

HEY EVERYONE!!!! So this week was really good! It has been a little hard finding new people but we have some good investigators but I really wish they started using their free agency correctly!!! Ha ha by the end of the week I was feeling impatient and a little annoyed with the things that people tell us. For example we have one man we are teaching who we visited with 2 days ago and asked him if he really wanted to know what Gods plan was for Him. He said yes and then we asked him if he had prayed about what we had talked about and said no not yet… he said that he was waiting for God to put people in his path so that he could receive answers and learn more about the gospel...Wait, HANG ON, what are we?? At that point I wanted to scream and him to "OPEN YOUR EARS!!" "OPEN YOUR EYES"  "OPEN YOUR HEART!!!" This man has received many blessings and knows that the church is true but is still waiting for MORE. God gives each and every one of us things to answer our prayers but we have to be ready to hear! We then calmly explained to him what he needed to do and tried to help him. I really hope that when we go there today that he has prayed and that we can at least try to help him recognize the blessings in his life. This man is really a good investigator but we need him to do what we ask so we can help more.

The only other SUPER AWESOME thing that happened this week was that Elder Rosário and I have taken over the responsibility of teaching an older lady, Maria Fransisca, the Temple Prep course. She was baptized 3 years ago but has not been able to go to church for the past 6 months because she has to watch her 90 year old mother. For the past 4 months she has been waiting for people from the ward to teach her what she needs to go to the temple but they have all fallen through. So this week we started teaching her! It was such a blessing to be able to do what we have been doing. The Holy Ghost has brought back to my memory the covenants and the teachings that we learn in the temple and I understand a little bit more every time I think about the temple. It is one of the amazing blessings that we have in our lives today. There are saving ordinances that we can be a part of that were not available before. Even with Maria Fransisca yesterday we taught her a very deep lesson about the plan of salvation where both I and Elder Rosário were able to learn about so many new great things. My studying this week has really strengthened my testimony of the temple and temple work.

Also in my studies this week something that really stood out to me was some of the parables that Christ taught. The Sower and the Mustard seed were two that I found to be able to go together! The parable of the Sower is that the sower threw his seeds into the field and some fell on the way side, where nothing can grow, on bedrock, where the seed can take root on the thin soil but cant mature, throughout the weeds, where the seed is choked by the bad roots, and then in the perfect ground. During the parable Christ never states that every type of soil cannot be prepared in different ways to where the seeds could take root. Then we can think about the mustard seed that is the smallest, which was compared to the kingdom of God, of all herbs that turned into a great tree after time. The sower, or Christ, can cast the mustard seeds (us one the the lowest creature here on the Earth that CAN turn into GREAT eternal beings) and spring up so that our branches can be safe heavens for all those who enter into the branches! Through our small faith at first we can spring up and help other people through physical and spiritual means to help get the comfort they need. The only things we need is just that SMALL faith and let it grow in our hearts until it gets to that great tree of knowledge and wisdom!!! I know that if we do these things we will receive many great blessings from our Heavenly Father!

 To end this email I have to thank my family, something I haven’t done in a while. Thanks to Great grandma and great grandpa Stilson for every sacrifice that they gave so that our family could be here today for your continued love and support. Thanks to Grandma and Grandpa and for their example and things that you guys have taught me! Grandma, learning piano has blessed my life and the life of the people here in Brasil. When they don’t have anyone who can play and I by some miracle can play the hymns! Thanks to Nan and Bomp for what they have done to bless my life. They are great examples to me. Nan taught me to think more about the eternities than just this TINY part of life here on Earth! Thanks to mom for loving me enough to let me go to another country to serve my Lord and all of the prayers and comfort that she gives. To Dad for loving me enough to help me by whatever means even if at times it was fighting but it was ALWAYS for my good!!! Through love especially getting in my face which has always helped me here! Shea for here example on being the first Sister of the family and my best friend! For Tyce and teaching me things, even if a lot of it was patience;) haha JK bro love you!! For Brinn and her loving smile and watching Spongebob with me! Tate for his example of hard work and diligence! And to all of my family, Davin, JeryLyn, Kelsie, Elder Jordan Stilson(My best friend and brother who is serving in Georgia who continues to be an amazing example to me), Brielle, Nicole, Brayden, Derek, April, Haley, Kenzie, Drayton Gracie, Ryan, Monica, Nadine, Andrew, Jason, Kristin, Brittany, Cade, Jack, Lane, Rhett, Shantel, Kade, Ryker, Makai, Maila, Kourt, Jamie, Jonah, Josie, Maylin, Baby Parks, Derek, Shaina and Kameron who have all been huge examples on what kind of missionary I need to be. Thanks to all of my friends who have always been there for me and have helped me be the person I am now. And my priesthood leaders especially Pat Dover and Chris Hall and Jason Lynn you all have been amazing examples and have helped me so much be who I am today! I love you all and can’t wait to talk to email you all again next week. GRANDE ABRAÇO!!!!!

Elder Stilson

 


I finally have a blanket!