E aí? Beleza?

Well there´s nothing too new to report from this past week. Things are still good here. On Tuesday after district meeting we had to pass by the temple store and just my luck, Daphne happened to be there again! This time we actually got to talk for a minute and take a picture. It was so good to see her! She looked great! I remember being in her shoes 5 months ago...wow has it really been that long?? It was funny because I didn´t know which language to speak in, Portuguese so my companion could understand or English so she could understand! I had to translate every sentence. It was pretty funny.

We are doing our best to work hard and to find people. Fortunately on Wednesday night we had a TON of people at our English class! It´s such a great way to slowly and naturally introduce the gospel. The people who came seemed to really enjoy it so I hope we will be able to start teaching some of them...if they live in our area of course!

Flávia is doing well. We had a great lesson with her the other day and she is starting to pray and read the Book of Mormon. Unfortunately she didn´t make it to chuch on Sunday but she did go to the regional singles dance on Saturday and loved it! We are really hoping that she will truly feel the truthfulness of our message and have the desire to be baptized. She is so awesome!
The bishopric has asked us to do a sort of "treinamento" for the families in our ward. This training is more of an explaination of how to easily share the gospel with our friends and family as members. Sure its easy when we´re wearing a black name tag, but what about in our day-to-day lives? We are able to share firstly how important and necessary the Atonement of Jesus Christ is in our lives. That without Him and the sacrifice that He made, nothing would be possible. In order to return home to our Father in Heaven, we have to repent and try each day to be better than we were the day before. And this is only possible throught the Atonement. We share that it is our responsibility as well as it is a commandment to share the gospel with those who surround us. We need to develop the desire to share the gospel, but it can be done so easily! One time I heard that we can bring up the gosel in a conversation in three sentences or less. It really works! "Hi how was your weekend? Mine was good I went to church...." or "Where did you go to school? I went to BYU....." or "Gosh I´m so tired because I had to get up today for seminary. Oh you don´t know what seminary is? Let me explain..." lol. Every ward has a ward mission plan, and now we are showing these families how to have a family mission plan! So far it´s seemed to be productive and successul. Plus I´m learning tons. Being a missionary sure prepares you for everything, including how to be a better member once you return home from a mission. I love this work so much! Without memebers nothing happens! We need you! Sure we have the responsibility to teach and prepare people for baptism but please remember how you, or your family came to know the gospel. Com certeza it was through a friend who was already a member. Help the full time missionaries out by being a member missionary! I love you all and appreciate all your love and support. Until next week!

-Sister Emily Peck

Como eu adoro conferência!

Ah conferência geral! A gente aprende muitas coisas boas! I remember one time at BYU-Idaho my religion professor said to us "Isn´t it interesting how the bretheren are FINALLY speaking about interesting things??" We all just sort of looked at him strangely. Then he continued "The truth is, they have always been saying the same things and in the same way, WE are the ones doing the changing!" It really made sense to me at the time, dont know if it made sense how I explained it just now. But I pretty much LOVE conference now. I look forward to it so much and always leave feeling so inspired, with so much desre to be better and work harder. As a missionary I loved how I could apply everything to my life right now! Teaching, faith, trials, living in the world but not of the world, patience, families, families, families! I could go on forever! How blessed we are to have the gospel and to have the instructions we do from a living prophet! Sorry I havent written more but my time is short! Besides getting water splashed on us by a car this week in the street!!! THAT WAS AWFUL but hilarious!!! Hope everyone is well!!! Thanks for everything!!! COM AMOR, Sister Peck