SERVICE. MEANS. JOY.

Hi!!

I hope everyone had a good week.  This week flew by for us. It seems like I say that every week now.  :)   We are loving our new apartment compared to our last one.  However, our washer did break and we had to haul it to a repair shop in a wheel barrow.  It was pretty funny the looks we got while we pushed our washer to the shop.   We still need to get the hot water fixed in our other bathroom though. I have been having some pains in my foot this week.  When I looked at my foot to see if I could notice anything different, I found a few huge lumps.  I don't know what they are, but there are times that they sure hurt.   I hope whatever it is, it goes away soon. But don't worry about me, I will be fine.

This week was a week of service.  We helped a lot of people in our area.  It always makes me feel happy after we are able to help people and get things accomplished. Sometimes I feel like we better show our testimony and the gospel through our actions. We also helped put a roof on a house.

The president told us this week that we need to make sure we never slack and we show love and respect for each other.  That was a good thing for us to hear because it can be easy to get discouraged when we struggle to find people that want to come to church.  Not every day out here is easy.  It takes a lot of trust and faith in the Lord to keep putting one foot in front of the other and to maintain a positive attitude.  I am grateful for the opportunity I have to serve here in Brazil and get to know the people.  I am also grateful for all the times I know the Lord is here helping me through the tough times and softening the hearts of the people we are teaching. 

I hope you all know that I truly feel your love and support from home.  I sure hope that you all have a great week.

Here is a picture of a spider I found. 

“To find real happiness, we must seek for it in a focus outside ourselves,” President Thomas S. Monson teaches. “No one has learned the meaning of living until he has surrendered his ego to the service of his fellow man. Service to others is akin to duty, the fulfillment of which brings true joy.” As we look heavenward, President Monson says we will inevitably learn of our responsibility to reach outward.

I love you all very much.   Talk to you soon.

Elder Nickerson