week 37

sooo we had a surprise MLC this week... and Elder Soares showed up! It was very short, but the spirit was so strong in that meeting and you could feel just how much that man loves the Lord.

 

He talked to us a lot about how our job as missionaries is to invite EVERYONE to come closer to Christ. Or in other words, no one is exempt from our invitations. At the very end of the meeting he shared the story from the end of Luke 7, of the woman who washed Christ's feet. Go re-read it if you have no idea what I'm talking about :)

 

He focused on one line, "Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much". v.47

 

And then he said, "The Lord will consider every action you do in love for other people at the judgement day". Truly, love is the greatest thing we can offer to others in this life. For the last couple months, I have found myself really trying to better understand how to show my love for others: whether they be people I meet at the door, or the sign flipper lady on the corner, or other missionaries I serve with, or members of the ward, or the less-active family that we just want to come back to church.

 

The only thing that I have found to work for me is to pause for a moment and ask the Lord to help me see just a glimpse of who they are, through His eyes. I have found myself embarassed time and time again at my first judgement of them. I have found myself asking the Lord for forgiveness because I forgot that everyone around me is a child of God. 

 

Everyone. 

 

That mean guy that flipped you off in traffic yesterday, the kid in school that gave you a mean glare. The ward member that said something that offended you. No matter who it is, or what they have done, they too are a child of God. And if you really understand just how much God loves you, then it really opens your mind to think He loves these other people just as much as He loves you. So why don't you love them too? 

 

My goal? To act in love, motivated by my testimony of God's love for me. Elder Soares promisd us that if we did so, that we would be able to overcome the natural man within each of us. Try it with me :)

 

Love you!
Sister Mal

sister de jesus is fascinated with halloween- so us americans tried to give her a true halloween. it was our last pday all together so we carved a pumpkin. we attempted to convince her that its tradition to lick the stem... it didn't work. we got a good laugh though

this little friend jumped into our house last night. we kept him long enough to take a picture and then let him be free. it's taken 9 months for a frog to come into my apartment... THAT my friends is an accomplishment.