Ben #47 Faith is Action

Nossa gente! I heard once more from so many wonderful family and friends this last week. Mom and Dad your emails as always touched my heart as I heard of your crazy adventures in Rexburg... and Utah haha Its good to hear everyone is doing great. I heard from my 2nd family as well :) which was a big booster to me. Love you so much and I have such a testimony on the power of Eternal families. Ali, wow was it amazing to hear from you and the news of good old Jamba. The Brasilians here have a hard time believeing that an American could make a good smoothie... but I still got it haha :) Love you and the team and be sure to tell them hi from Basil haha. Tyson haha your email was awsome I felt for a small moment we were all together again as memories of late nights at your house came flooding into my mind. Its crazy to me to see where all of us are going in our lives and the growth we are making as we are continueing to pressforward and preservear atê o fim! Im at 1 year, and as we say on the mission I have reached the sumit of the mountian and now "Its all downhill," it kind of makes me sad as I see how fast this time is passing and how much more I need to work to bring thy children unto God. I must give "my whole heart, mind, power, and force to progressing this work... as the field is white all ready to harvest" (D&C 4:4) Well, as for this last week it has been a pretty intense one for me. As you all can probably tell my mind is in so many other places right now. Dad I will try and include some funny stories from the mission but time this week is short haha... Anyways lets get to the events of last week starting with Transfer news! Yup its transfers once more and this transfer was a real shock to me haha

 Last night we heard about transfers and it turns out I will be training... I was a little in shock but im a Trainer. I felt and still feel very inadequate for the position but I know "Whom the Lord calls He qualifies." As I heard this news I layed in my bed as my thoughts went back to one yer ago when I entered the Rodoviária in Campinas with my trainer Elder Clay. I remember the fear of the unknown before me and the nervousness within. I remember it was pouring rain and a man came running up to me and began to dance infront of me while griping my hand. He was shouting and singing in Português. (It was also the first time I smelt Alchoal and someones breath haha) I sat there, an American smack in the middle of Basil without the ability to speak Português, with a man dancing while griping tightly to my hand... I was in shock haha :) and now to see how fast the time has passed by. Its funny cause in some way I still feel like that Elder one year ago as the unknown and nervosness was before him... but now I know through faith all things are possible (thank you Matt for that amazing and powerful email) This last week I learned a very powerful lesson but at the same time so basic... Faith is Action, We must trust in the Lord and have faith in His son Jesus Chirst and do as Matt said "and step into the darkness and do our part" and then the blessings will come. Spencer W. Kimball once said that "Some want the Harvest before they plant the Crop." We have to show the Lord that we will accept His will in any given circumstance even if we dont know why. In Moses 5: 6 we see that Adam , our first parent understood this principle as an angel appeared unto him and asked "Why does thou make burnt offereings? Adam Responded: I know not, only that the Lord hath commanded it." Sometimes we dont understand a principle or commandment of the Lord but as we act and fullfill what the Lord has asked we will begin to see our own testimony and understanding grow. Faith is a principle of power. Its a knowledge that you know you have a spiritual potential beyond your own understanding. I felt this so strong this last week as I saw this very power of Faith is Action. I challenge all of you to try a little better and exercise you faith and ACT and trust in the Lord and I promise in due time you will see the blessings I so testify.

I must apoligize alot of things are happening here in the mission right now and in my area of Botucatu and my mind is a little jumbled right now. There is so much I want to say to you all and so many experiences I want to share (Dad I really want to share every little detail of my mission with you haha) but time really is so short. I just want everyone to know through the thick of the confusion and unknown that Faith is the key. It is the light that will brighten any cloudy day as long as we do our part. That our knowlege of this Gospel and that we are sons and daughters of a living God alone can bring a relization and power to guide us through any trial of hardship. As Matt said we must have a conversion not just a testimony... Conversion is an on going thing that must be nourished and fed. My prayer is all of you will seek this own conversion and change within your own lives. Know that though right now the unknown, confusion, and inadqeucies that I feel are great... I know they can be overcomed through trust in my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Though I know not His will, I must be as Adam and just DO, is my testimony and love for you all this day. I promise next P-day will be filled with more stories and adventures here in Brasil but until then I hope you can feel a small portion of Elder Benjamin B. Doggett back home. :) Once more it was so wonderful to hear from so many of you this week and though I cant email you all I want you to know how much it helped me right now... I Love you all and may God be with you til we meet again. 

Ama Élder Benjamin B. Doggett

p.s. As for Sueli mom things are going great with her. We have taught her all the lessons and she knows this is all true. When we taught her the Plan of Salvation she began to  cry as she said she had a dream about this Plan once but her Pastor told her that nothing like that exists and the will of God is unknown to us concerning the next life... She as a strong testimony and is reading faithfully the Book of Mormon. Her Husband is struggleing a bit as the other night we had to go search for him in the bar... He was completely under but extremly friendly as he anounced to everyone in the bar "im his American friend from the land of Potatoes." :) haha Pray for him that his heart will be softened... Anyway thats the update I love you all so much. Have a blessed week.