December 30, 2013

hello family! Whoo it was so great to see spencer kellie jon mom and dad ON Christmas!! I was so grateful to see my family face to face. I was happy to See spencers "jolly face" and that he is still training to become the next elf. I will pray for you kellie. haha Grateful to see that mom is looks great and that dad still has his great sense of humor! haha Todo bien? haha you know I am speaking Portuguese right? Also that Jon you are doing better! I will pray for you that you can quickly get over your cold! So You want to know about Elder Pereira? so he is awesome! He is 19 years old and has 2 years of membership in the church! He is the only member in his entire family and an only child! It has been very difficult for his parents and grandparents to allow him to serve a mission! He has much more courage and grit than I do! I am grateful for the opportunity to be his "father" on the mission. I have been very grateful for the example that he gives for me and that he has been humble, meek, and loving!

This week I  was definitely reminded about something incredibly important when sharing the gospel! study, Listen, identify, and teach! Study all the doctrines of the gospel and applying them in your life! This will allow you to gain a promise that in the "very moment" you need to teach you can. Listening shows that you care. it shows that you want to help and that you love whomever you are speaking with. The next would be to identify! Identifying what their soul is yearning for. President monteiro gave a perfect analogy. The gospel is like a huge platter of food and those who are your neighbors or the people in Walmart, anyone really, They are all hungry! But, they all have different tastes. if you find someone that wants pizza, you are not going to give him ice cream. he wants pizza. As you listen to those around you and the spirit, you can identify what doctrine they need. Then teach! As you show your trust in the Lord, he will guide your mouth! I know he Always helps those who are serving him! May we all Remember that as we continue to love and help others receive the Gospel, We will begin to have a taste of the Love and Joy that God has. The Work of Salvation is his work. I love and pray for you all!

Love
Elder Bell