Hey hey!
Actually, when you sent me the questions that Sister Clark had, the thought did pop into my head - "I am going to be her companion" funny how things like that work, isnt it? And I am sooooo happy that she is! We have been having so much fun, there is just no other way to put it. She is from New Jersey, and she has a little bit of a valley girl accent, which I absolutely love, she is blonde and is as tall as Mom. And we are doing miracles here.
It was also really nice because Sister Nascimento went to São Caetano and she visited a few of the people that I taught and she got to see Daniel! I miss him, as well as all of the others in Itabuna. It really was a little odd writing letters to all of them to, the kind of feeling that I had. I think its the closest someone can come to parently love before they become a parent.
I also had a huge realization this past week. I remember that a couple of times I was going through some difficult things in life and I would always be told that because of my experience I could help someone else who was going through the same problem. To be honest, I never really liked hearing that - that I was suffering so that I could maybe some day help someone else. But this week I had that opportunity. One of our investigators was really struggling, and as she started to talk and tell us about that things that were going on I thought, "wait a minute, this sounds really familiar..." and I realized that it was basically the same thing that I went through not that long ago. So I shared a few scriptures with her, scriptures that really helped me and explained how they helped me - especially Moroni 10:33-34 - and as I was explaining I could see her understanding, I could tell that she not only understood but that she knew that what I was saying was true, not that what she was going through was easy or insignificant, but that there was a way to get over it - that Christ provided that way for us, and what we need to do is accept His will and His way and our lives will be perfect, because He will make them perfect. It was amazing. It was amazing to see that, as she understood, she was able to feel the Spirit and overcome the feelings that she had. And it was incredible because I realized that the pain I felt as I was going through the same experience lasted a long time, but the joy I felt when I was able to help her, though we were only together a few minutes, completely validates everything that I went through. And that is what Christ knew when He accepted to be our Savior - He knew that it would be really difficult, that more people would reject His sacrifice than who would receive it. But he knew that if he only saved one soul, one human, and yet eternal being, all his suffering would be worth it. And it is. I can testify to that. I was reading Jesus the Christ today, and Talmage has a part when he is explaining the difference between happiness and pleasure - I just focused on the part that he said about happiness. I dont remember exactly what he said, but I remember feeling that it was the best description I have ever heard. Happiness is something that is fulfilling, it has purpose, and it makes even more sense to me now why "men are that they might have joy". I think one of the Godly atributes we are sent here to learn is how to let ourselves have joy in the midst of so much sorrow - that would be how we hope for things.
I am so thankful to be a member of this church, to know things that the eye cant see and that words cant explain, but that are so real that when people deny their existence, the very purpose of life is negated. And all of the things that I know can be broken down into one simple sentence:
Jesus is the Christ.
Até logo -
Sister Petersen
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