The Best Two Years

Hello every one!

I love P-day because it gives me time to write this weekly letter to you all.   During the week we don't have a lot of time to think and relax but as I'm writing this letter I am able to see all the blessings that happen  daily and even hourly in my life.  This week has just been an amazing week!  We have a woman who is marked for baptism this Saturday and her husband is an inactive member and all her sisters are members.   As she has been on this journey preparing for baptism we have seen the excitement growing in the ward and in her life.  It really is such an amazing thing.  We also have an young man who  lives about half an hour from town but is preparing for baptism and willing and happy to make the sacrifice to come into town every sunday to go to church.  I remember something....I think I learned in the MTC about why we have the right to ask people to make these drastic and hard changes in their lives or why they even should make these changes! And the answer is because its true, every single little part of this gospel is true, and when we live it our lives are blessed immensly.  This is the best week of the transfer because you and your companion teach "perfectly" together you have already had a lot of time together and you know what they will say, what you need to say, and you just let the Spirit guide the lesson it is really amazing.
I have a joke which I read in a coloring book that one of the crazy churches down here puts out.   It was a cartoon strip and in it a man asked the other man what was all powerfull, rules our life, and starts with a "D"  and the other man answered "dollar!" (the word for God in portuguese is Deus).  I thought it was funny, but also sad, how true that cartoon can be in our lives often times the hardest part about a person accepting the gospel here isn't if its true or not, but the fact that they don't want to give up the things of the world.  That is one of the saddest things to watch as a missionary.   Well my time is short today but I want you all to know that I know this Church is true!  And I know it not just because my parents told me, but because I recieved an answer myself  and it's for this reason I'm here in Brasil having the time of my life preaching this gospel.  I love you all and hope you have a great week!
Love, Elder Mender