Monday, May 14, 2012

May 8, 2012

Happy Mother´s Day on Sunday Mom, Jennifer and Grandma! I look forward to talking to you all.
 
Our weeks continue to improve. This last week we were able to see many people progress in their knowledge about the Savior as well as their desire to learn more. We are being blessed in many ways and Elder Keesling as I continue to get along well and work well together. We are teaching a young family Roberto and Fabiani who I really love visiting. They have a 3 year old daughter named Yasmin who is full of light. In church on Sunday, she jumped in my lap during the middle of the sacrament meeting which was funny. Since holding children is against the rules, I put her on the ground, and she turned around and gave me a big wet kiss right on the cheek. I haven´t decided if I am going to confess that or not... This family should be getting baptized as soon as they are able to marry. I would absolutely love to see it happen and in a year go to the temple with them while they are sealed for time and all eternity.
 
Elder Keesling and I generally start our lessons by singing a hymn to invite the Spirit and the practice is very effective. However, in one of our visits this week, we began singing and a parakeet walked out from behind my back on the arm of the sofa and decided to walk on my thigh and stop there. I fought through the urge to laugh, but the moment Elder Keesling saw it, he couldn´t continue singing. This occurred during the first verse of the song. I thought he was just trying to clear his throat, so I began the second, only to finish that verse completely alone. And they didn´t even kick us out after the solo... I decided to spare them from the third verse to let everyone laugh at the incident. I am just glad the bird didn´t get too relaxed to leave a white spot on my pants, because there was plenty of evidence of it around.
 
Our first day in church had 31 people in attendance. We meet in a house right now. It was neat arriving and already knowing every member there. We have good goals to help the grow and the leadership is very excited to help us with the work. This week we have a zone conference and interviews with President Pavan. His time in the mission field is just about over. I hope to get to know him a little, because the first interview consisted of one question in total.
 
One thought that I received this week was while reading Alma 32:39. I only have scriptures in Portuguese, so I won´t quote it, but the thought I had was along the lines that truth will never change, only our individual passion and desire to capture it. The fact that Heavenly Father exists, Jesus Christ suffered an infinite Atonement, the Priesthood is necessary to perform the ordinances of salvation and lead the Church... will never change, but the individual conversion each of  us have to these eternal principles will alter depending on how we nourish the knowledge we already have and the knowledge we wish to obtain.
 
With much love and charity,
Elder Graziano

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