Copa do Mundo Madness!!!!

It´s actually not tooo crazy here on a daily basis...we can´t leave our house when Brazil plays though. Today isn´t my p-day but I still get to email. Tomorrow when Brazil plays we have to stay inside so we don´t get much of a p-day today. Tudo bem. It has been fun to see how much people care about a sport though. Wow. On Thursday, Sao Paulo hosted the opener. Traffic was crazy that day and the day before. When the game started, we didn´t have to watch the game to know when Brazil made a goal because there were horns and sirens and fireworks everytime. It was insane. So loud! I´ve never heard streets this loud in my life. Our Brazilian companions were super trunkie, and Sister Stephens and I just chilled watching Ephraim´s Rescue. 

Other than that, we are still able to do a little work with at least the investigators that we already have and our recent converts. The 14 year-olds that we are teaching were supposed to get baptized this past Saturday but neither of them have gotten permission from their parents yet. It doesn´t help that they don´t have good relationships with them, which is a bummer.

 However, we helped the other sisters in our ward with their baptism this Saturday. Gleice had a baptism scheduled for like 4 o´clock, and Sister Stephens and I (2 Americans who don´t always completely understand what is going on) were sent to go pick her up and walk with her to the church. Well, that would have been easy, but when we got there we were like ``are you excited for your baptism?`` and she frowned. I was thinking ´oh no. this isn´t even my investigator. I barely know her. Sister Stephens barely speaks Portuguese. I have no idea what to do.` Then she told us that she didn´t feel entirely free because she doesn´t feel completely free of her addictions to cigarettes and alcohol. I didn´t know really anything about this situation, but I knew that she had already been interviewed and found worthy to be baptized, so we tried our best to just cheer her on. We bore our testimonies and that still wasn´t going anywhere. So I´m thinking ´now what do I do. everyone is waiting at the chapel and I need to get her there somehow.` When Gleice went inside her house, Sister Stephens and I said a prayer and then within like a minute, Sister Costa and Salles showed up. I was so relieved. We had a mini-lesson and discussion with Gleice then knelt in prayer on her kitchen floor. There were tears as we assured her of her decision. We encouraged her to forgive herself and promised her that she would have more power to abstain from alcohol and cigarettes after her baptism and be receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. After that Sister Costa and Salles left again to pick up some things from the store, leaving Sister Stephens and I with Gleice again. Gleice continued to doubt being baptized that day. We then tried so hard to cheer her on. Then another tender mercy. Her friend offered to drive us to the church. Yes! Very rare to get rides to places because not many people have cars. When we got to the church, Gleice wanted to talk to bishop first. She did and decided to get baptized. It was a beautiful baptismal service. She was so happy. After that day, she was so much happier than I have ever seen her. There is visible peace and a light that comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ. Baptism for the remission of sins has a power to cleanse and then the gift of the Holy Ghost sanitifies and helps us to make the right choices. Her example was a powerful witness to me of faith and forgiveness. When she finally felt worthy, she changed. 

From this experience with Gleice, I was reminded by a quote by Elder Holland in his recent talk ``The Cost--and Blessings--of Discipleship``: 

 In addition to teaching, encouraging, and cheering people on (that is the pleasant part of discipleship), from time to time these same messengers are called upon to worry, to warn, and sometimes just to weep (that is the painful part of discipleship).  

Something that changed me this week was receiving an English Ensign/Liahona of General Conference! Whoop! I especially enjoyed this counsel from President Eyring:

 In the evening you will get on your knees and thank God for the blessings of the day. You will thank Him for parents, for teachers, and for great examples to follow. You will describe in your prayers specifically who has blessed your life and how, during that day. That will take more than a few minutes and more than a little thought. It will surprise you and change you.

As you pray for forgiveness, you will find yourself forgiving others. As you thank God for His kindness, you will think of others, by name, who need your kindness. Again, that experience will surprise you every day, and over time it will change you.

That changed me and my prayers this week. I believe that everything can be traced back to your prayers. 

Hope everyone has an exciting week. Watch the World Cup for me ;) 

Love you!

--Sister Sadie Bledsoe

``a verdade é tipo uma faca...`` (June 9, 2014)

What a week. It´s always strange trying to capture a weeks worth of laughs, lessons, and experiences...especially this week. I am still loving my area and my companion. I didn´t get transferred so we are all still here, and there will be lots of good things in the next few weeks. We are teaching some investigators who are really getting prepared to be baptized and our recent converts are continuing to learn and progress towards the temple. 

This week we stopped by Larissa´s house to teach her, and like always there were a ton of people there. We sang a hymn and taught the Restoration to her sister and friend. They were pretty interested, but when we were about to teach about the First Vision, their other friend walks in. He is like 15 years old and super immature and starts like rattling off some Portuguese slang. When we got him to sit down, he was still being immature, but we were able to continue teaching. When I recited the first vision, it was crazy, there was complete silence and everyone was staring at me--like really paying attention. Then the moment I finished he was back to laughing/joking. After the lesson, Sister Salles was like, ``That ALWAYS happens right before you talk about Joseph Smith. Something always happens to distract people or draw away the Spirit,`` then she joked, ``the devil always sends his servants.``  That 15 year old definitely wasn´t a servant of the devil like literally, but it really was no coincidence that he came at that time. It is important for all of us to understand the reality that there will always be an opposition to truth. 

We also went with a recent convert, Sandra, to invite her next door neighbor to visit the Church on Sunday. We knocked on the door together and it was so awkward. She was really unhappy and said she was Catholic and a bunch of other mean things. I was ready to leave, and Sister Salles finished an invitation to church. She was about to shut the door when for some reason I said, ``Do you have kids?`` She stopped and started talking about her kids and grandkids. At that point I knew she was crazy because she did like a 180 and invited us in. She talked and talked and we tried to teach her but it was like impossible so we decided to just leave her with a hymn and a prayer. We sang ``Nearer My God, To Thee`` and the Spirit was just undeniably there. After it was completely silent and the look in her eye, you could just tell that she felt the Spirit...But then she looked at us and said, ``Are you actresses?``...no...``of Global?``(some tv network) then she rattled off a whole list of news networks/tv programs that we could possibly be from. She asked us if we were journalist. again, no. We said, ``We are missionaries and representatives of the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called by a prophet of God to be here and talk to you about what we know to be true.`` She was unhappy again after that so we just left with a prayer. We went back once more with the member because the member had been friends with her for 20 plus years, but that visit wasn´t any better. However, my testimony was strengthened that 1) the promise in D&C 100:5 is true-- ``you(servants of God.us as missionaries) shall not be confounded before men.`` the Spirit testified to Damiona´s heart and she denied it. 2) in 1 Nephi 16:2 Nephi talks about how Laman and Lemuel reject the truth because they are guilty and it cuts them to the heart. Seriously, truth spoken and driven to a person´s heart by the Spirit is undeniable. 

We also had a going-away conference/training with President Pinho this week. The whole mission was there, which is super rare. We got to watch Ephraim´s Rescue and the departing missionaries bore their testimonies. 3 of our 6 assistants are leaving, so I think we will go back to having only 2 assistants after this transfer. They also talked about the World Cup, and we will continue to do what we always do, missionary work. Each missionary will pray to find, teach, and then have a baptism every week, which really is possible. We also have another training this week on Thursday for just the sisters in the mission. Thursday is also the first day of the world cup, so who knows what will happen. I know that it will be crazy here though, no doubt. The streets are already painted and Brazilian flags are everywhere! I´ve never seen anything like it. I will try to send pictures but know that they don´t do it justice. 

We also had stake conference, which was really good. I want to share some thoughts:

-Our mission never ends. It didn´t end for our Savior after the Atonement, after He was crucified or resurrected. He lives and leads this church. His mission is our mission and He is at our side. 

-To the members who sacrifice a lot to feed the 6-10 missionaries in some of the wards in the stake: the Lord will recompense/repay you for all you give. 

-The stake president had all the missionaries stand. Literally, the missionaries were like 1/3 of the audience and the room was full. There has to be at least 40 missionaries in this stake right now. The stake president said, ``Look for the missionaries in your ward. Do you know their names?...the names of their investigators?``

-Abish was a member missionary. She brought the whole world to the missionary. She had faith (Alma 19 verses 16-17,28-29)

Also some things that President Pinho said:

--Remember the desire of your parents. They want you to return home after your mission. They want you to come home healthy and happy. Imagine the desire of your heavenly parents, who have a love much greater than your earthly parents. Your calling is to help Heavenly Father´s children have the homecoming that you want after your mission. 

--The members in your wards will either be Marys or Marthas. Some will love to feed you. Others will find and teach and baptize and retain with you.

--When you like soccer, you talk about soccer alot. When you like food, you talk about food alot. When you like baptisms alot, you talk about baptisms alot--that is why we talk about baptisms with everyone we can

So much more happened this week, but I don´t have much time. Know that the work is working and I´m so happy to be a part of it. 

Eu amo voces bastante!

-Sister Bledsoe

                    Zona Casa Grande!!!

Sister Phillips! my companion in the Provo MTC

my zone/district in the MTC

these flags are painted on like every street

this little guy isthe mascot. he is everywhere too....and these are just the streets. I will try to get pictures of the flags hanging in the streets. its crazy

Foto da missão 

sisters of the mission

FÈ e PAZ

So this week was cool. For lunch one day I ate rice and beans with an omelete and french fries on top; totally normal here- sweet. It was good. It´s also quite cold here; its almost winter! 2 winters in a row is strange.

This morning I read the talk ```Safety for the Soul`` by Elder Holland about the Book of Mormon. So epic. One of our investigators, Jennifer is reading the Book of Mormon really fast. She just started and is already like 50 pages in. She underlines really strong words and asks some weird questions, but I think she is really enjoying it. Truly, there is a peace that the Book of Mormon brings that is amazing. It especially helped her this week because on her way to seminary(seminary is at night during the week here) with Larissa, they were ´assaulted.` Basically, two guys tried to rob them but they just had their copies of the Book of Mormon, which apparently these guys didn´t want. Larissa and Jennifer ran to the chapel though and Jennifer was really spooked. We sat outside and talked to her for awhile. She showed us where she was in the Book of Mormon and we sang a hymn. There was a peace that was tangible. I was glad that everyone was safe and that we could feel at peace amongst the craziness of the world. 

This week we have continued to teach many recent converts and they have given us some good references. Gabi, who was baptized one of the first weeks I got here, is trying to help her mom get married and baptized. She bore her testimony yesterday that she has noticed a huge change in their home since they met the missionaries. I know that they can feel a difference because I have seen them actually apply the principles, instead of just learning them. They read the scriptures and kneel as a family in prayer. These simple things really change homes and families. I´ve seen it over and over again. Gabriel, her brother, just got the priesthood. They both go to seminary everyday. They are living the gospel and they love it. I am grateful for their examples and enthusiasm for the gospel. I love being able to see them so happy and grateful to have been baptized and to have received the gift of the Holy Ghost. The youth that I have met on my mission are so strong and faithful. They are so great. 

This week I have been thinking about the Atonement a lot and Christ´s grace, or the power that allows us to change. I liked this quote by Bruce C. Hafen: ``Some Church members feel weighed down with discouragement about the circumstances of their personal lives, even when they are making sustained and admirable efforts. Frequently, these feelings of self-disappointment come not from wrongdoing, but from stresses and troubles for which we may not be fully to blame. The Atonement of Jesus Christ applies to these experiences because it applies to all of life. The Savior can wipe away all of our tears, after all we can do...The Savior’s atonement is thus portrayed as the healing power not only for sin, but also for carelessness, inadequacy, and all mortal bitterness. The Atonement is not just for sinners.``

This week I hit the ´metade´(or middle) of my mission. crazy! I have noticed how much I have grown and changed in that time, but I also know that I still have many weaknesses. I am grateful that my weaknesses can still become strengths through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I am continually blessed by the sustaining influence of the Holy Ghost, and I know that miracles still happen today, according to our faith. I hope to strengthen my faith everyday and help others too. 

---Sister Bledsoe

(or as my Argentino District Leader says ´´Sister BlessYou´´)

Faz sua parte

Hello World!

So this week was a little difficult, but I learned a lot. It rained a lot this week; not the greatest when literallly all we do is contact people on the street. We did find some new investigators though, and a few of our investigators are really progressing. YAYA

I mentioned two of our investigators, Larissa and Jennifer, before. They are so cute. They love rock(pronounced ``hockey`` here) and always have like AC/DC or some other American rock band playing on their phones. I would define their style as like punk because they wear skinny jeans, band t-shirts, bright red lipstick and both of them dyed most of their hair bright red. I just love them because they are just so young and confident. I think they are really learning things though. They went to seminary everyday this week without us picking them up or reminding them! They are pretty much socially converted to the church but we still need to have more lessons with them and talk to their parents more before they can get baptized. We did have a lesson with Jennifer´s sister who is 16 and her boyfriend who is 19(Carol and Gustavo). They seemed interested, but my favorite part was when we were teaching about the Book of Mormon. We were sitting at the kitchen table and Larissa was at the sink washing dishes. Gustavo asked a question like ìs the Book of Mormon like the Bible?`` and Larissa turned around and said that they complete each other. Me and Sister Salles looked at each other and were like YES. Our little investigators continue to surprise us with their intelligence because we have only had like one lesson with them and they always just seem to get off topic and ask strange questions. They are part of the youth choir for stake or ward conference(I don´t remember which), and they are memorizing scriptures with the seminary class. I´m really happy for them. The decisions that they are making now will totally change their futures if they continue to learn and live the gospel. 

Ah what else. So Wednesday we were supposed to have a conference in Sao Paulo in a chapel by the temple with Elder Anderson and possibly Elder Nelson, but as luck would have it, there was a huge protest that day. All the buses were shut down/unsafe so we had, so we had to be on lockdown. Couldn´t leave the house all day. We studied and then slept like all day and then ordered pizza, which was so wierd. Imagine a pizza with a chocolate-filled crust and a cream-cheese like substance and corn as toppings. Yumm.....

We had a FHE with a member family, a recent convert and our stake president on Friday night. We watched the Restoration movie and our stake president slept through like the whole thing....haha. He´s really awesome though. We had like a mini testimony meeting after though and it was powerful. We read D&C 135: 3 Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more,save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it. In the short space of twenty years, he has brought forth the Book of Mormon, which he translated by the gift and power of God, and has been the means of publishing it on two continents; has sent the fulness of the everlasting gospel, which it contained, to the four quarters of the earth; has brought forth the revelations and commandments which compose this book of Doctrine and Covenants, and many other wise documents and instructions for the benefit of the children of men; gathered many thousands of the Latter-day Saints, founded a great city, and left a fame and name that cannot be slain. He lived great, and he died great in the eyes of God and his people; and like most of the Lord’s anointed in ancient times, has sealed his mission and his works with his own blood; and so has his brother Hyrum. In life they were not divided, and in death they were not separated!

Last night we went to the stake center for a fireside. After we were really hungry so some elders gave us some bread that a member gave them earlier that day. It was like partially soggy because of the rain but we ate it anyway. Sister Costa said, ``This is so sad. 6 poor missionaries eating soggy bread.`` haha missionary life

Also Sister Salles calls me `Barbie California´ and Sister Stephens ´Barbie Oklahoma.´ haha. 

``Never give up on any investigator you´ve ever taught; keep praying for them.``--The District 2

``We don´t just teach lessons to teach lessons; we teach lessons to build faith.``--Sister Voyles

We also had a lesson with a recent convert about missionary work, and he expressed that he has already tried to share the gospel with all of his friends and family but they aren´t interested. I think a lot of members feel that way. We talked about Mosiah praying for Alma (Mosiah 27), and how an angel comes to Alma because of the prayers and faith of his father. Truly miracles happen through our faith and prayers. Also we talked about giving our friends opportunities to feel the spirit(bearing testimony, inviting them to activities, etc) because it often takes time for people to recognize the spirit and a desire to learn more about the church. A lot of converts that I've met on my mission have joined the church because they had good experiences with church films, English classes, etc. I know that when we do our part, ultimately though we are the ones that become converted. When we invite and talk about the church, we are becoming more converted. Other people have their agency to either accept or reject, but the important thing is that we try and learn to show our love to God and become more like Him. I know that the reason that we are here on earth is to learn how to become like our Heavenly Father. We become like Him through faith and obedience. 

Love you all! 

Sister Sadie Bledsoe

Vai Brasil!

Hello everybody! Hope you all had a killer week. Shoutout to Nathan for turning 18th this week--you´re the best brother i´ve ever had ;) 

So this week was crazy, in a really good way. On Tuesday (when we usually have district meeting) we walked to the stake center, which is pretty far, only to find no one there. Our phone is broken so we couldn´t call anyone; we then assumed that there were emergency transfers today(the only reason we dont have district meetings on Tuesday). Then we realized that more Americans probably just arrived in the mission. Later we went to lunch and the elders in our ward said that they overheard that we would possibly be getting more sisters living in our apartment. We were excited about that, and then at like 6pm we got a call from the secretary who needed us to pick up some sisters from the mission office who would be living with us. Now we have 6 missionaries in my ward! We have another Brazilian sister from Fortaleza, Sister Costa, and another American from Oklahoma, Sister Stephens. Sister Stephens served for a year in the US. 

The work really is hastening. Elder Walhstrom(an American from Utah) gave a talk on Sunday about missionary work, and he said that when he arrived in the mission, it was rare to find a ward with more than one set of missionaries. Now it is rare to find only one set of missionaries in a ward. He talked about how great of an opportunity we have to triple the size of the ward. He then talked about how lots of members have fears to talk about the gospel/church with their friends. He then shared an experience from before his mission. He said that he was super shy when we was growing up and always said no when the bishopric asked him to speak in sacrament meeting. So when it was time for him to give his farewell talk right before his mission, he was mortified. He said that he didnt eat for three days before his talk before he was just that scared. He is from the Ogden, Utah area where there are a ton of Mormons, and the day he gave his farewell talk there were also lke 3 other missionaries giving farewell talks. He said that there were over 800 people in that sacrament meeting. He said then when he got into the field, he was so scared to talk to people. But after lots of prayer and trust in the Lord, he now loves talking to people and it is easy for him. 

Like Elder Walhstrom, I know that we can replace fear with faith and pray to the Lord to help us in His work. I know that ``whom(which is all of members of the church after we stepped out the baptismal font) the Lord calls, He qualifies.`` However, I know that missionaries are the only people in the world who hold the keys to help people get baptized. They have that authority. Thus members and missionaries need to learn how to work together. I have learned so much in the past couple of months about our roles as members and missionaries. We have been training the members here, doing role-plays, having firesides, etc to help the members get excited about this work. We have also been using the ``My Family`` booklet with people and helping them learn more about their families and how their families can be sealed in the temple. 

We are also working with two teengaers who are 14, Larissa and Jennifer. They are crazy. They are very social, which is why we got to teach them at first. They come to seminary and church when we pick them up. However they are very fickle and dont take things really seriously most of the time. They love American music and words so they constantly ask me about that stuff. We have to refocus them often ; its like herding cats. But its worth it because when we actually have real lessons with them, they have really insightful comments and questions. They are super intelligent, but they are also 14 so we need to work with them and their families alot before they get baptized. 

We also taught a former investigator who was dropped before because he didn´t want to get baptized. We visited him because he came to church that week and seemed interested again. When we came by, we asked him some questions and he told us that he had never prayed about the Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith. That surprised us because his teaching record said that he had been taught all of the lessons. We committed him to read and pray and came back later in the week. We wanted to review the Restoration with him and as we began we realized that he really knew nothing about it. He ´s 21 and really smart so I was really surprised. We retaught him and really focused on the doctrine of prophets, authority/priesthood, apostacy, how Jesus Christ established his church, the great apostacy, and the Restoration. At the end, we felt like he really understood how our church is different from all the other churches because he couldn´t tell us before one thing that was different. Everyone needs to understand the doctrine of the Restoration before they get baptized. They won´t have a desire to read the Book of Mormon or pray if we don´t teach them, so they can understand, that this is the church of Jesus Christ. That lesson taught me that we need to teach quality lessons to people, especially the Restoration. 

Also this week on Wednesday, I had to go to the Federal Police building in Sao Paulo to do visa paperwork. It was a really long day of standing in lines that were worse than the DMV. However, I got to be with the Americans that arrived with me. One of the elders decided that we are like the Breakfast Club. We had a really awesome discussion on the way home because we were stuck in traffic. We were talking about cool things we´ve learned/heard on our missions, and one of the elders said that he heard that once missionaries were talking to President Hinckley about how they shoud be able to have beards because Jesus had one. President Hinckley responded, ``He didn´t the last time I saw Him.`` I dont know how accurate that story is, but it made me think about whether or not I would recognize the Savior when I see Him. 

Also for lunch here its normal to eat rice and beans and pasta and mashed potatoes all on the same plate. Interesting but delicious! 

``You can´t do everything for everyone everywhere., but you can do something for someone somewhere.`` 

Love ya! Sister Sadie Bledsoe

bom de mais

Happy Mothers Day! Yesterday was awesome being able to see my family (minus Elissa). I am so grateful for my mom! I love you! 

This week was pretty interesting. I got to skype my family. I took my first trip to a Brazilian hospital--I might have had/still have parasite(s). I had a whole day of training in Santo Amaro with our 6 assistants(crazy that we have 6. I think its because we are getting a new mission president soon) and President Pinho. I found a bank and a post office so I sent some letters today! We had a pizza party with our BFF Bea, who is our 5 year old neighbor, and her brand new puppy Vivi. I ate chocolate pizza :) Other than that we are still looking for more houses and trying to find more investigators but we do have some investigators and new members that we are working with and they are progressing... kindof. We are trying to find more families to teach because lots of individuals want to ``hear the word`` but not many families yet. We also had a really cool ward activity on Saturday night where we played some games and we (the missionaries) were in charge of the spiritual thought. Elder Capunay (from Peru) had some cool object lessons about chocolate. First, he opened this huge chocolate bar and asked everyone how much they liked it(its a really delicious brand). They all wanted some. He ate a piece and then gave some to the other missionaries because it was easy because he knows us and knows that we like chocolate so no threat in sharing it. He didn´t know how to share the rest of the chocolate with the group/if he should so he decided just to keep it for himself. The second object lesson was like a scavenger hunt because we had previously hid chocolates all around the room. He made it clear that we are all on the same team and before they start they should think about the BEST way to find the chocolates. He let them search and some were successful, but a majority weren't found because they were in really hard places. In the end, he said that it would have been easier and faster if they had just asked us where the chocolates were because we are on the same team and we need to work together. It was cool and everyone ended up with chocolate! The chocolate here is like really good. 

some random thoughts;

-70% of the people that come to church will get baptized

-Faith is a principle of action. We have faith that medicine will help us get better when we are sick. However, if we dont use the medicine, then nothing happens.

-In 2013, the US had the most baptisms. Before it was always Mexico or Brazil. 

-simple steps to train members how to share the gospel: first, help them have the courage to open their mouth. second, they can 1. identify the dificulty that the person has 2. bear their testimony 3. invite them to church;

make plans to go with them to ask their friends to learn more about the church

te amo! --Sister Sadie Bledsoe

​Bea and Vivi

​pizza!

Preach My Gospel

Oi! Tudo Bem!

So I am still here in Jardim Campinas. My new companion is Sister Salles; she is from Curitiba, Brazil. I have been in this area for like a month but we are still trying to figure out our area because it is HUGE. We are also starting this new program to focus on retention. The first presidency and the area presidency chose my mission to pilot this program, so we are testing it out. Basically we spend 50% of our proselyting time working with new members. There are lots and lots and lots of members to find and re-teach. Thus, we have been trying to find houses so we can do this program. Its been a lot of walking, but its been good. 

On Tuesday, I got to meet my mission president, President Pinho. He will only be my mission president for like 2-3 months since he just got called to be a seventy. So when I arrived in this mission, he was in Salt Lake City for General Conference and other meetings. Since me and the other Americans who arrived with me didn´t get to meet him, we got to have lunch with him and Sister Pinho. It was cool to be with the Americans that I arrived with because we got to exchange stories about our areas. Its funny because we are all experiencing the same sort of things being in a new country. 

Anyway, when President Pinho welcomed us into the mission he said some things that were way cool. First, he welcomed the Americans (we were in a meeting with the Americans who had served in the states for some time and the new Brasilian/Hispanic missionaries). He said,`` the Lord is the Master of the Embassies; He controls the visas. The US has more baptisms than Brazil. The missionaries in the United States know how to work with the members. You were there to learn how to work with members. You are here now to teach us.`` That was a new perspective on the past 6 months of my mission.

Then he talked about his and Sister Pinho´s purpose. He said that his purpose is not to invite others to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith, repentance, baptism...(though he loves that too). He said that their purpose here is to save missionaries. 

He then talked about the order of leadership in the mission. He has it set-up so we talk to our district leader, then zone leader, then assistants when we have any kind of problem. He said that it is easy for us to just call him with a problem and it is easy for him to resolve it with us, but that destroys the opportunity to create more leaders. 

Also, this week I was studying the first three lessons in Preach My Gospel (The Restoration, The Plan of Salvation, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ). I remembered something that an elder told me at the Brasil MTC. He said that the first lesson is all about faith. The second lesson is all about hope. The third lesson is all about charity. That is so true. As I´ve read and studied and pondered the doctrines in these lessons, I am beginning to appreciate the simplicity of the truths that I have grown-up learning and teaching. 

I hope to respond to more emails today! Love you all! 

-Sister Sadie Bledsoe