Holy cow it's December!

This week was interviews and Multi Zone Conference. Awesome that you got to see the pictures from President's Facebook! (: Haha

We learned a few new changes to the Brazil missions, and maybe worldwide too but I don't know. (:

#1 No more backpacks. I wasn't planning to use Mike's mission bag but I'll tell you what, 8ish pounds of religious material in a side bag does a number on  your back, so I switched to Mike's last transfer. It was nice while it lasted. /:

#2 They've given us new guidelines for teaching children ages 8-15. With their parents, they may be baptized after any period of time. If they will be baptized with an adult family member, they must be progressing for 3 weeks before they can be baptized. And if they will be baptized alone, they must be progressing for 3 months beforehand. 16 and 17 year olds can be baptized alone after 3 weeks progressing. 

I love these guidelines. We're really focusing on retention and reactivation of families and I think this will help everything move in the right direction. 

Before the mission I made some goals, knowing I was coming to serve not just those I'd teach. I made a goal that for my companions, I'd be completely obedient to the rules of the mission and diligent to the work so we could find who the Lord prepared for us. For those I'd teach, I'd study the gospel and language as much as I would and practice to refine my teaching skills so that I could teach to the best of my abilities. And to the wards, I'd make sure they wouldn't have to worry about any of those I'd helped come to the church going inactive.

Anyways, to sum all this up, I'm excited about the direction of the work. 

I remember the night before Vitoria's baptism not sleeping all that much, knowing the time we'd known her hadn't allowed us to prepare her, like.. a lot. But after her baptism, she came out of the water and gave me a huge, dripping wet hug; I had the biggest feeling of peace come over me. I had an impression of my baptism when I was 8, I didn't really understand what I was promising, but I knew I wanted to follow the Savior. In the same way, I knew she'd stared a journey as a disciple of Christ that she would learn more about as she continued to have more experiences in life. 

Had the new guidelines been in place, she wouldn't have been baptized, and though 'twas a bit stressful at the time, she is making the difference for her family, friends, and other members of the church. 

Ok that's all the rambling I got for today.

Here's a thought:

"Happiness is the destination, but it is also the path. 'Peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come' is what He promises." - President Dieter F Uchtdorf 

Love yins. (:

Love, love, love,
Sister Vaughn