One more week of training (Week #30)

Hello all!

It has been a busy week here in Pedregal! This last week we had zone conference in Fortaleza, so we had P-day on Monday, Weekly planning on Tuesday, Then Wednesday District meeting in the morning and travel to Fortaleza in the Afternoon, and finally returning from Fortaleza Thursday night. So basically we only had Friday and Saturday of last week to really work, but they were good days!

Last P-day, after emailing, Elder Passos and I left Aracati early to go to the house of one of our investigators where he taught us how to prepare castanhas! Pedregal is rich with cajueiro trees, which bear fruit called cajues! (Kah-jew) BUT, cajues have a strange stem attaching them to the tree, that if you remove and allow to dry, and after put in fire for a few minutes, you can break open and eat the nut inside, which back in the united states we all know as cashews! So last P-day we prepared and a ate a lot of cashews which was cool!

I understand that the last few weeks have not necessarily been easy in the United States. While I have a responsability at this time to dedicate all of my focus on the wonderful people of Brasil, I wanted to pass a small thought of comfort on that we learn from the Corinthian saints in the second book of Corinthians. While these saints were experienceing every kind of persecution and difficulty, their statement to Paul was this:

´´ We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken;cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body they dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.´´

                                                                                                                      (2 Corinthians 4:8-10)

When we are faced with hardship, difficulty or discouragement, we have a choice to decide how to react. It can be easy to fall into despair, but if we put our faith and trust in god we will have the opportunity to respond as the Corinthian saints, and make the life of Jesus manifest in our own bodies. Because of Christs sacrifice all of us can receive help with our trials and challenges, and if we try to always follow his example, he will not only help us with our own sorrows, but use us as an instrument in his hands, to help meed the needs of others.

I am praying for you all every day, and wish for a good week for you all,

Until next time,

Elder Ferrell