"Whence Knowest Thou Me? Jesus Answered And Said Unto Him, When Thou Wast Under The Fig Tree, I Saw Thee"


Hello everyone!

This week has been pretty fun being in 3. Lessons were a bit of a struggle the first day because we weren't used to teaching and splitting the lesson three ways, but we're pretty solid now. I've only got one more week with Elder Gois, my original companion, before he goes to another area, but he'll still be in my zone, so I'll see him around.

Because we're showing the area to Elder Lamoreaux, we visited a bunch of members this week. It's nice to meet with the members here and talk with them. They're super animated and fun! We also showed him the usual "taxi" stops. Taxis here are very different from other places I've been to. No matter where you're going, they tend to all cost the same, and they follow set routes, more like a bus than a taxi. But the funniest part is that any car could be a taxi if they pull over for you.

Yesterday, Jacinta was confirmed in Sacrament following her baptism the previous Sunday. We've been teaching her about temples, and she's so excited! It's amazing seeing how a future temple is already blessing the people here.

As we move into the rainy season, we get more and more rainy days. So far, I enjoy walking in the rain. The only problem is nobody wants to talk when it's raining. People even cancel previously confirmed appointments. But we always keep the work moving, rain or shine.

I'm really thankful for how the Lord has helped me as I've stretched and struggled to be the missionary I want to be. The language comes when I need it most and is improving line upon line. I've been getting more used to the culture here, and although it's still different, ironically, it no longer feels foreign. I owe everything I'm able to do to the Lord's grace and empowerment.

Sometimes I've felt alone when I can't understand anyone or I don't have anyone to talk to, but I know He is always with me. It's nice to have a perfect Savior who perfectly understands me, and I've grown more thankful for that over the last month. Because He knows me, He can perfectly help me. He can perfectly comfort me. It is thanks to His perfection that we can be all we are meant to be. That I can be all I am meant to be. He sees us under our fig trees. We never have to face anything alone. I know that with every fiber of my being, and I promise that your Savior loves you more than enough to always be there when you need Him.

Thank you to everyone who writes me emails during the week but then I forget to respond to on Monday. I do read every email, and I'm so thankful for all the encouragement everyone offers. I hope everyone is doing well and stays safe!

Elder Thatcher Bishop



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

It's A Boy!

Image
Hello Everyone! Sorry about not writing for a while. I had a really hard time with my companion and trying to work all that out. However, things are looking up as I've had my first son! That's right, I got a new companion again, continuing my streak of new comps, and I am now a trainer! He's in his first transfer in the field and from Brazil. I've also been set as District Leader, so it'll be interesting balancing training, District Leader duties, the Branch responsibilities as 2nd Counselor, and just normal missionary work. Luckily, I'm not actually doing any of these things; I am just a vessel for the Lord to realize His work. He does everything—I just do as He says. We started an English class in our group to try and bring more interest to the church, find new people, and just help out in the community, and we found a new person! We are also getting a new chapel that's actually in my area soon, so we're working on finding people close to there. The wo...
Read more

Living On A Prayer

Image
Hello Everybody! In 2 days, I'll have been on my mission for a full year! As I've reflected on this last year, I noticed some ways that I've changed because of the mission and by God's hand. Fluency (2 Nephi 32) Yeah, I can speak Portuguese fluently (and honestly, I'm proud of that), but I've also gotten better at speaking "with the tongue of angels." My relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Savior has grown. I've learned how to speak "by the power of the Holy Ghost" and to "speak the words of Christ." I can teach people about Christ's doctrine and help them grow, and I have learned how to help people apply this gospel in their own lives. By learning how to touch people through teaching by the Spirit, I can recognize the Holy Spirit guiding me more in my own life. Love (Moroni 7) While on my mission, I've interacted with many people, be it companions, friends, members, or other missionaries, and I've learned to...
Read more

God Is A God Of Miracles

Image
Hello Everyone! So it's been a while, but I am still alive! We had a hard few weeks at the beginning of this transfer. All people that were progressing suddenly just stopped keeping commitments, and our teaching pool fell down to 0. However, this week we had a bunch of miracles! We were having trouble bringing people to church, and then out of nowhere, 2 people that we've never met before showed up to church 2 Sundays ago. We were really excited and marked lessons with them so that we could meet them later and begin to teach them and hopefully help them gain their own testimonies. Both of them are super awesome, but the absolute golden miracle was Jocinda. When we went to her house, Jocinda had already read Joseph Smith's testimony, so we explained to her the restoration of the Church of Christ and had a great lesson. She invited us to come back the next day so we could teach her husband and all her kids, which we were happy to do! During that second lesson, while we were t...
Read more