January 8, 2018
Hey everyone! Mom and dad!
I missed your faces this week!!!
This
was another good week in the mission! We baptized two young women-
(both 12 years old) A. and N.! They are so great! I don't have
pictures this week but I will try to send you some if I can! We found
them both recently- my first week here in Planalto and they were both
baptized and confirmed this week! Both great girls with lots of
potential!
My divisions in Tupã went well and
we stayed with them all day on Wed and Thurs- they are good sisters- we
did some good training with them and feel like Presidente will be happy
to know that they are progressing in obedience and in the work. We had a
good experience there and I just love being with the sisters. It was amazing to do companionship study with these sisters and
to have received revelation from Heavenly Father to help them
individually. The Lord seriously guided my divisions this week- such a
testimony builder of the power of fasting and praying with specific
names and areas in mind! The Lord is so merciful!
We
returned to our area on Friday morning and went out to work- we are
lucky to have Sister Marshall and Ferreira in our area to help us keep
the work going in our area while we travel- we marked more baptisms for
this week as well! So exciting! Sister Pinheiro (my comp) isn't feeling
great so we talked to Sister Pereira and ended up having to stay inside
on Saturday and Sunday (yesterday) to let her rest. We travel so much
and have so much going on that it is hard to take a minute to eat right,
sleep well, etc, and so it was good to have some time to catch our
breath this weekend knowing that we are going back to Tupã again this
week to do divisions again with the other companionship that lives and
works there as well. Should be great!
This week another miracle happened! THE LORD IS SO MERCIFUL!
So,
last week we were knocking doors and met a woman named
C.- She accepted our invitation to come to church and she came last
week! She was well greeted and treated by the members and really had a
great experience- she was in the new members sunday school class and the
topic was the word of wisdom- I ended up sharing my testimony about how
grateful I was for this commandment. Afterwards she told me that her
heart was touched by my sincerity and testimony.
Then
we went to do our divisions in Tupã and the other sisters in our area
went and taught her- they marked her baptism date and were so excited!
Sister
Pinheiro and I got back into the area on Friday and were exhausted but
went to visit her for the first time as a companionship. C. was super
great and told us that she is planning on moving herself, husband, and
11 year old daughter to the united states this upcoming year. we were
excited and she and I talked a bunch about what her transition will be
like and about how becoming a member of the church now would help her
adjustment there in the states. We had a great conversation and she was
soooo great and then we read with her in the Book of Mormon. We
explained to her about Lehi's vision and she was amazed. She said that
she already has a testimony that the Book of Mormon is true and is
reading by herself. So awesome!!
My companion
shared the most sincere testimony of the Book of Mormon that I have seen
her share during our two weeks together as companions and in all of the
other times before that I have seen her teach- she even got emotional
which really isnt like her--- then it was my turn.....I shared my
testimony that I have NO DOUBT whatsoever that the Book of Mormon is the
word of God- that it is the most true book that was ever written and
that will ever be written- I talked about my experiences and
difficulties and how the Book of Mormon has changed my life and the
lives of those who I have served up until now---
C. with tears in her eyes thanked us for bringing her the truth-- she was
so sweet and said, "for these last two weeks I have been praying so hard
to find the truth- to find a church that would be the best fit for my
family and that would leave me without doubts-- I was praying to know if
going to the united states would be the best change for my family and I
prayed that God would send me a sign; a messenger... I was
looking for some sunshine to show me the way." We listened quietly and
then she said to me, "when you came to my door that day last week, I
first saw your smile and then your name tag- you invited me to visit the
only true church and promised that I wouldn't regret my visit that it
would bless my family to find the way back to God and then you took down
my address and phone number and left," then she said, "I felt so
strongly that you were that messenger..sent from God during a
week that I was praying harder than ever for a sign-- then I saw your
blonde hair, bright smile, and thought 'God is funny..He actually sent a
ray of sunshine to my door!'" we all laughed and cried together!
I
explained to her about how she had been the answer to my prayers! That I
had been transfered during the middle of the transfer from an area and
people that I loved and that it was hard for me to understand why God
was doing this- transfers of this kind were rare or never as
missionaries, but that I had just trusted that He knew why He had sent
me to this area in the right timing-- and that hearing this was an
answer to my pleads with the Lord to know why He had moved me again. I
felt so strongly that the Lord knows me- that He loves us and that He
knows better than we do- that my plans are nothing and so insignificant
in the grand scheme of things. I was reminded to trust Him and to show
gratitude in the difficult moments. SOOOO MERCIFUL-- I start to complain
or to question and He is always here to tap me on the shoulder and
said, "I havent given you any reason to doubt me before now- so just
trust me! Oh ye of little faith..."
Love,
Sister Tyson
