They Came to the Rescue!

The mission is all about change and doing things differently and becoming a changed person. I can honestly say that I’ve been changed.

This past week was another rough one. We didn’t know what more we could do to help this area. So I called my ZL and told him that Sister Aquino and I had the idea that our district could all come to our area and knock doors in different areas and help us find new people to teach. I can’t lie; it was a humbling experience asking for this much help. But I felt like we really needed it. The same day that I called, Elder Amancio (Zone Leader) and Cabrera (District Leader) got it all planned out and ok'd by Presidente. They planned it all out for us and all we had to do was separate the bairros and get maps for all the duplas. Knowing that we were going to receive that help, helped me stay positive until Saturday. When Saturday came around...all the elders showed up super excited to help us. We had a quick breakfast and then with the help of a few members they were off to their designated bairro. We all knocked for about 2 hours and when we came back to the chapel they all had things to tell us about how many eleitos they met and how fun it was. Oh my goodness, seeing their enthusiasm really helped me keep my positivity. In all we ended up getting 63 addresses that said we can return. That night we went back and visited 1 person and the next day he went to church. Milagres são reais! (miracles are real). And I learned that you should never be afraid to ask for help.

Lea received the Gift of the Holy Ghost on Sunday. And she was so happy about it. She even got her daughter and son-in-law to go to church with her. And get this....SHE PAID HER TITHING!!!!! I have no doubt that she will forever stay strong in the gospel!! I love her so much!!!

The other day as I was reading the Book of Mormon, I thought "why do they include the war chapters??" Then I realized that we have them because we are in a spiritual war. Every day we are fighting against temptations, we are trying to turn our weaknesses into strengths, and we are recruiting others to be part of the Lord's army. In all these war chapters we can learn strategies and with these strategies we can be prepared every day! Captain Moroni is one of my favorites and he trusted in God so much that his army and people were always protected. In Alma 49, the Lamanites are trying to start yet another fight with the Nephites. They thought it would be an easy win if they went after a city that was trying to recover from the last battle. The Lamanites even prepared more on their part by using shields, breastplates and animal skins to "cover their nakedness!" What they didn’t know was that Moroni had told the people of Ammonihah to fortify their city in such a way the arrows and stones of the Lamanites could not harm them. These Nephites had protected themselves in such a way that they left the Lamanites surprised and then disappointed because they didn’t even stand a chance. So what did those disappointed Lamanites do? They went to the other, normally weak city, Noah. For them it was "the next best place for them to go against the Nephites" Did they not remember that Moroni was behind all this and that they could really try to outsmart him?? Obviously not, because "to their astonishment, the city of Noah, which had been a weak place, had now, by the means of Moroni, become strong, yea even to exceed the strength of the city of Ammonihah." Oh man, you mean to say that Ammonihah was just a little ‘cut’ into their confidence and Noah was the sledge hammer to their dreams of ever defeating the Nephites??And let’s not forget to add the part where the man they all fear the most, Lehi, was in command of this city...nothing was going as they had planned. And when they did start fighting, many of the Lamanites were slain. A few of the Nephites were wounded, about 50, but it was nothing serious. So why did the Nephites have all this success?? "Because Moroni had kept the commandments of God in preparing for the safety of his people" BINGO! If you are on the Lord's side and keep all the commandments...you will have enough strength to overpower your enemies. Alright...how can we use this in our lives...easy! We must strengthen our weaknesses...We must become stronger in the things that make us weak, because when we are tempted we will be so fortified that this temptation will be nothing for you to overcome. We have to evaluate our weaknesses and then go to the Lord and he will tell us how and where to start. And as long as we do this often we will be like the city of Noah, prepared to take on anything. And we must always remember to be grateful when we do overcome our weaknesses...like said in verse 28 "And it came to pass, that on the other hand, the people of Nephi did thank the Lord their God, because of his matchless power in delivering them from the hands of their enemies." I have no doubt that this blue book called the Book of Mormon is true...and if we read it every day, we will have more strength and be closer to our Father in Heaven!

Eu amo vocês!!!

Com amor,
Sister Perez

The rescue party

Lea is a officially a member!