Life After Transfers goes on

Hello!well so much has happened, I dont know where to begin!! Transfers were last week, and those are always fun. I was transfered from Nova Cidade, Sete lagoas to Divinopolis, Divinopolis!Its funny, Nova cidade was like a forth of the size of salem- and Divinopolis is probably about the size of 2 or 3 salem´s put together.. its HUGE.I love it though! Its a city! Like, a real city!! (*have I been city deprived for the past year? I think so..) Its so fun! The contacts are harder because people are always in a hurry in big cities, but still. Fun. A new dynamic.ALSO! We have a new Mission President, so with him, a whole bunch of new rules. So far I´m not a huge FAN of the new rules, but I completely trust the Lord,and I trust that he was called of God. So, I accept these new rules. Again, change is part of the journey!Just before I left Nova Cidade, we had a miracle happen! I was getting sad because we were having a lot of trouble getting people to PROGRESS. And I started to feel like there wasnt ANY one in that area who wanted to hear the gospel! So I prayed fervently and fasted. I remember that one day in one of my prayers I said "Lord, where aRE Thy children who are READY to hear the gospel? Where??" and the next day at church, a kid showed up and said "I like how I feel here, and this is the only church for me. I know its true. I want to get baptized."Wow! So, we taught him (and had a few problems with authorizing him to baptize because of a crazy aunt of his, who actually didnt have anything to do with signing the baptismal form, but somehow managed to mess everything up.. just a little though.) and then *after all that with his aunt* he was baptized!!! It was so rad! And then he bore his testimony in sacrament meeting the next day! It was so simple and beautiful. I´m grateful for the opportunity to see God´s answers to our prayers.
Right now I live in an apartment with another pair of sisters!!! My companion, sis. Reis and I have the lower half of the city, and Sis. Smith (my former companion, whom I adore!) and her comp (and DAUGHTER, cause she´s training her!) Sis. Morais have the upper half- but we all live together. It is AWESOME. I love it. Sis. Smith is still insane, and it is lovely. She´s so much fun. We all sing all morning long!
I was reading an article this morning in the ensign that my amazingly awesome mother sent me (thaaaaaaaaaaaank you, it was the envy of every american, I´ll have you know) this morning and found this part particularly interesting:
"Our challanges, including those we create by our own decisions, ar part of our test in mortality. Let me assure youthat your situation is NOT beyond the reach of our Savior. Through Him, every struggle can be for our experience and our good. Each temptation we overcome is to strengthen us, NOT to destroy us. The Lord will never allow us to sufferbeyond what we can endure." -Rober D. Hales ("becoming provident providers temporally and spiritually")
I loved that part "each temptation we overcome is to STRENGTHEN us, not to destroy us!" our experiences can be what creates us, if we let it! IF we trust in the Lord. He knows how to use our experiences for our good! He knows how to illuminate our minds to make trials and challenges appear as the character-building opportunities that they are (or potentially could be.)I´m trying to put this all into practice in my life. Easier said than done, eh?But yeah, life is good right now. I´m loving every minute! Soaking in the present is how life is meant to be lived. The good and the bad have something of worth to offer. If only the exhilerating experience of feeling alive. I´m still, and continually impressed by the scripture in 2 nephi 2:26 that explains to us clearly that WE are free to choose. Our lives are ours to live- but the consiquences are what we need to be careful of! understanding the CONSIQUENCES of our actions is true freedom. God´s commandments are for exactly that. To teach us how to have the CONSIQUENCES that we want. Peace, security, wisdom, health, love- everything that we are all searching for in one way or another.Anyway, thats all for now, I love and miss you all tons.Até mais- com amor- sb