How Great Thou Art.

Olá Familia!! Bom Dia! Ok, this week was actually pretty chill! And I procrastinated writing this email, so it's not gonna be very long. We had divisions this week! (exchanges) They were great! I went with Sister Fernandes and she made a really yummy vegan lunch. I would have liked a little cheese on top, but it was still super good! She also helped me a lot with my Portuguese! I am pretty good, but I still have SO MUCH to learn! We went out to this far away area that was right next to the ocean! It was already dark and pretty foggy so we could only see the very edge of the ocean with the waves crashing onto the sand. It was loud, the air smelled like salt, and it was so beautiful! We went down to the beach for a few minutes (we hadn't used all our meal time, so we decided it was OK) and we collected some shells and sat on a rock looking at the water. It was so extremely beautiful and I felt overwhelmed by the power and majesty of God's creations. Right then a streak of lightning flashed through the sky over the ocean and I began to sing"how great thou art" it was a beautiful, sacred moment for me. God is amazing. 

D is progressing super well and is stoked for his baptism! When I saw him at church he was glowing and had this huge smile on his face! When I asked how he was he just said "I am just super excited for next week. I want it to come faster" he is amazing. That night we had a home evening with him and this awesome young couple in the ward that has befriended him. He had told us he wanted to ask the husband to perform his baptism, so we told him he could invite him! It was so cute. We were going around telling our story of conversion (though Denzel was the only one not born into the gospel there, it was cool to hear how each of still had our own special story of personal conversion!) and as Denzel was telling his and came to the part of baptism he turned to Italo and asked him if he would Baptise him! They were both smiling big after that. We shared a quick message (that was actually a lesson covering some of the material we still need to teach before his baptism) and it was awesome because Denzel was soaking it all in and this couple was really able to help out and participate. I am excited for next week too! 

Yesterday, we also had a ton of people at church! It was awesome! Four non members came and 7 returning members! I performed a musical number, but the guy who played the piano wasn't who it normally is and so when he started playing he had changed the key drastically, making the song much much higher. It didn't go great because I, though I am a soprano, was struggling to hit the notes and not sound like a screaching banchee. It was rough, but everyone was really nice about it afterwards. Haha. I got to translate again to for this really nice couple from Utah! I love being able to use this skill that I have gained to serve in that capacity. After church one of the non-members wanted to talk to us! He was actually a reference and we had invited us to church and he had told us he had some questions he wanted to ask us. Turns out he meant that as in he wanted to interview us for a school project. So we sit down and he starts recording the conversation and starts asking us questions. They were all very polite and earnest questions about our belief system, the history of the church, and such. We invited him to come to church again and to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know if it is true. It is very possible he only came and talked to us for his project, but I hope that because of his experience, he will gain a desire to know more. 

Anyway! That was our week! It was a week of a lot of self discovery and growth for me. I learned some hard lessons on where I desperately need to improve, and also felt the peace and comfort of the Savior's grace. I love this Gospel! I know that it is true!! It just feels right, I feel good, and I don't ever want to let that go. I love you all! Read the book of Mormon! DAILY! It will help help you withstand temptation and make correct decisions. It will help you feel comfort and peace. 

OK that is all. Peace out. 

Sis Hardy