Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2008 - Emails

Hi, Are you on? Okay last week I set it up so that my received emails would be sent to another email so that I could save them to look at after my mission. The only problem is that it was erasing all of the emails from this one after they were forwarded. But no problems now, I should receive all of them on this one as well. How are you all doing?... sounds like Sammy is doing well which is good, I miss her a lot, dogs here are all idiots.

Yes, I received all of your emails. But they are on a gmail that I set up so that I could have all of these emails after the mission, I have it saving the copies on this email as well now, so no problems. I haven´t received any letters. It is good to know however that the package was not lost haha. Funny that they see vitamins as drugs, but as far as they know they are drugs turned into pills. Don´t worry about vitamins they have them here pretty cheap and sister Tobias knows what we can trust and not, so no worries there. How has the week been?

Alright, well, I have 2 stories for you and both happened on Sunday. First of all, do you remember that woman that I asked that you pray for last week? Well, she decided to be baptized! The lord guided her and she made the right decision. She was baptized at 9:30 in the morning, and then she went to Stake conference with us later in the afternoon. She wants us to help her 11 year old sun prepare for baptism as well! It was a very spiritual experience. My companion and I sang ´I like to look for rainbows´ in Portuguese, it was a very spiritual experience. She is one of the baptisms where you absolutely know she is going to stay firm in the gospel. I marvel at the love and mercy that the lord has for his children here on earth... which leads me to my second experience.

That night we went over things and talked a bit, ate a snack and went to bed. I woke up at about 2 in the morning sick, I was shivering with nausea. I went into the bathroom just in case, but nothing happened I was just feeling more and more miserable by the minute. I finally remembered something that was urged by the Stake President that very day to all of the Melchizedek priesthood holders. He said, ´use your priesthood, bless the saints, bless your families´ He taught how we have this authority not to be cool, or to say that we have it. We have it to serve and we should use it as often as possible. In that moment I knew I needed to give my companion an opportunity to use the priesthood. I woke him up at 3:00, and willingly he arose to give me a blessing. The moment that he opened his mouth and said my name, a feeling indescribable by any means other than our Father hugging me entered into my soul and filled my entire body. I began to weep as a child, almost uncontrollably my companion commanded that I be healed in that prayer. For the next 2 hours I was completely fine. I continued to weep for another 15 minutes as I knelt in prayer in thanks to my father. I cannot express the love that entered my soul, the song how firm a foundation came to my mind and since that night still brings me to tears. For whatever reason I began to feel a little sick again after about 2 hours and then I was up until about 5, but I knew that I would be completely healed according to my faith. I feel, that I had something very serious that night and the only reason that I continued to feel after affects were to remind me who had saved me from such pain. I changed that night, I am a different servant of the Lord from that experience.

I urge you to use the priesthood that you have, be ready to use it at all times, use it frequently it doesn´t need to be a once a year blessing. My siblings, ask for blessings when you feel lost or sick or afraid, it is a real blessing and you need to remember that just as the Lord takes care of the lillies and the birds he takes care of you. Love one another, don´t let a moment pass with your family, they are what is important. Be kind, be selfless, be random in your acts of charity. I love you all I keep you in my prayers and in my heart. Nothing can separate us from the love of god (Romans 8).

I am completely better now, I would have called, but I was already better the next day, and in reality the phones are all down in Goiania and I didn´t have any way to call for help, which is another blessing.
I will get a new companion tonight his name is Elder Lima and I don´t know him very well yet. I don´t think anything special is happening thanksgiving, but Christmas is coming up soon so you´ll be able to hear my voice again haha. I am really sorry that it is taking so long for this package thing, I just am so worried about it not working out... but I have other copies of the cd so no worries.

My Sundays are good. We get to the church an hour early 8:00 and then we help out with whatever is needed. We have been giving the new members class, but I think the bishop is going to call somebody to do that now. After church we go to work like any normal day.

I gotta go. I love you all!

Elder Cameron Dean Summerhays