atonement

So, we had a great week! Tuesday we had our zone conference in Coimbra. We had the blessed opportunity to awake early and leave the house at 8:00 to catch the bus to the chapel and then hope it wouldn´t rain on us as we waited for the Assisentes. The conference was absolutely amazing! I believe in revelation both personally and through the line of authority. President Greene and Sister Greene talked about all the things that I needed to hear. One of the big things that President talked about was the quality of our prayers. Sometimes it gets really easy to just pray out of habit and forget that we are really conversing with our Heavenly Father as well as excercising the Atonement. It was really a great lesson. We have been studying how to use the Atonement more this week and really it is about changing our desires on a daily and minute by minute basis. The way we use the atonement is first by having faith in Jesus Christ and then by repenting daily and making covenants with our Heavenly Father and then receiving more of the influence of the Holy Spirit and continuing in this cycle until the end. The thing I really like about repentance is that it is not about doing or not doing, but more about our desires and changing and elevating them. This is something that we get to do daily, and every time that we pray we have the opportunity to make our will in line with that of the Father. I really like the reference on prayer both in true to the Faith and the Bible Dictionary where it points out that relationship and opportunity in connection with our prayers. Sister Phillips and I are already feeling a difference in the work, and in the satisfaction and the way that we feel as we really use prayer to accept the Atonement into our lives. It is not a limiting, but much of a freeing power. It is absolutely amazing, and we´re not even scratching the surface.

In our fun adventures this week....Rufino and Margarida are really doing well. They got to attend a baptism in Gaia and from that time on they tell everyone, and remind us frequently that on the 18th of February it will be their turn. It is really exciting to see the changes in them and to see their excitment to be a part of this great movement for good. We are here to bring peace! We taught some awesome lessons this week. It is always just so fun to feel the Spirit rush as our weak powers are caught up and the Lord uses us to relay His message. I love this truth restored! I know my Savior lives and has love for me.

Sister (Nelson) Phillips and I are going to miss each other when this transfer is done. We just look at each other and laugh sometimes. It can get a bit scary the way we laugh at the same things, like the handle of a broken umbrella in our mailbox or the funny advertisements for the presidential elections. Great fun.

Well, love you all, portem-se bem e até logo!

ellen