March 23, 2015

 Hey Everyone!

 Only two more weeks until I leave for Brazil! I can't believe that I am finally going to go to Brazil, it’s crazy and I'm not really sure what to expect! But I'm super excited

 So this week Elder Holomon and I have been able to stay pretty busy and we gave quite a bit of service which isn't something we get to do that often. We chopped some wood, helped out a returned senior couple, and lifted heavy stuff! It was great. We also had some great teaching opportunities. While I have been out these past few weeks I have given more blessings than I ever thought I would. It has been incredible to see how they help people heal according to their faith and to see how the priesthood can touch other peoples lives! One of these opportunities was with a man named Gerald Anaya. He is living in extremely humble circumstances and can't work, because of a back injury which he had to have surgery on. The day before the surgery we went over to share a message with him and give him a blessing. He was very excited to see us and couldn't wait to recieve the blessing. After we gave him a blessing he couldn't stop smiling and he said that he felt the spirit in him. I was so happy to see him recognize the spirit like that. He had his surgery and the next day we saw him. The doctors said it would take a week or so to recover but the next day he was up and feeling great! He knew it was because of the blessing and is looking forward to having us return and talk to him.

 It is so great to be able to have experiences like this with complete strangers. The spirit speaks a universal language of love that is easy to understand. I feel so blessed to be able to be a missionary.

 I hope you all have a great week, I love you all!

 Love,

Elder Rice