And a Happy New Year!

2014 is coming to an end. It´s hard to believe that I passed this entire year down here in Brazil. What a blessing! Saturday was the baptism of Luzia. Lots of people came and it was great! We watched a little video while she was changing and the Spirit was very strong. She lives one street down from the Bishop so when he was welcoming her to the ward, he promised to take her to church and drop her off every Sunday for the rest of his life. It´s so great knowing that she already has such good support from the ward.

On Christmas Eve we went over to a member´s house. It was us 4 Sisters and 2 Elders (because no one invited them). There was lasagna, salad, casarole, rice, and chicken. And for dessert, a tropical fruit salad with strawberry whipped cream. Super delicious. The tradition here is to eat dinner at midnight, but we ate around 9:30 pm. We had a secret pal and Sister Barros gave me a pair of earrings and a piggybank :)

Yesterday was Maria´s homecoming talk. She talked about the difference between doubt and fear. She said, "If you have doubts, it´s because you´re lacking information. You need to study it out, and ask Heavenly Father for answers. But if you know what you need to do and are afraid, just do it." I thought that was super awesome. If you have doubts about the Gospel, you need to study the scriptures and pray. If you are afraid to share the Gospel, just do it! Heavenly Father will give you the courage and the words to say. And it will get easier every time. Every member a missionary.

I was studying Doctrine and Convenants today and I loved this scripture: "And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more." D&C 78:19. I challenge you to end this year by making a list of all the blessings you received in 2014 and expressing gratitude to the Lord. It´s a promise that if we do so, He will add upon it! Imagine how many blessings we will receive in 2015! I love you all and wish you a good week and a very happy new year!

Love,

Sister Lopez