Open Your Mouth and It Is Filled

Hello Everyone! 

We did all the normal stuff this week. The only problem is that it has taken a turn for the cold and nobody wants to open their door for it seems cold paralyzes Brazilians, but we are working with that.

In other news, my companion’s hands are fine now. We went to the hospital last Monday. After waiting two hours they called him in and did a blood test that we had to wait two more hours for. It was actually two and a half because they forgot to call us for a half an hour. Then they gave him two shots (one in the rump) and a prescription for cold medicine. As much as he understood, they didn't say what was wrong with him, but he is better now so I won't worry about it. Hospitals in Brazil are a bit different.

This week I learned what they mean in Doctrine & Covenants when it tells you to just open your mouth and it will be filled. We have been teaching a family for a couple of weeks now.  It is a mother and son (advanced in age) who live together. They have been trying to quit smoking but the progress has been slow. They like all the stuff we are saying but they weren't sure if they wanted to get baptized yet. The last couple of times that we have visited them, I have just been reading scriptures from the Book of Mormon that come into my head when they ask things. I haven’t really known where I was going with it.  Then yesterday I asked them when they would feel ready to be baptized because they said they didn't feel so. They said when they quit smoking they will be ready.  I really have no idea how that happened but it is very true.  I really had no idea where I was going with any of the stuff I was saying but it just worked out.

Then we were teaching a woman and we had decided to teach her the plan of Salvation. For no reason at all, I spent about 10 minutes talking about the fall of Adam which is really a small point in the overall lesson and then she started to ask a bunch of questions about the stuff I had said (because it was different from everything she had ever learned). Then I realized that what I had said answered one of the questions she has had since we began to teach her.

Then we were teaching a less active member and I didn't know what I was going to say to her at all in the lesson, and so I just read a scripture and shared a story that was just the first thing that came into my head.  After that she said that she knows that for her to be happier in her life, she has to start keeping the commandments.  It was what we had been trying to teach her for weeks but all of the sudden she accepted it.  I never thought that would happen from the story that I shared.

Please understand that I do not share these stories to brag or to show how great of a missionary I am.  In every one of these stories I had no idea why I was saying the things that I said.  I just opened my mouth and it was filled.  It really works.  I couldn’t ever believe that I could do this whole missionary thing without God's help because I have to ask people to change their lives completely everyday.  I don't do miracles, I just get to watch them happen.  That is really awesome.

I hope you all have a good week.  I love you all!

Elder Russell