June 6, 2016

Hey Everybody!!

Good week, great area, and my companion is a great kid from Brazil! What else could you want in life!

Really, my companion Elder Novaes is pretty great! He is 19 years old and is from the state of Bahia. Baianos have a reputation of being super lazy... luckily though Elder Novaes is a hard worker and another upside is that he loves making and keeping records. So any paper work that we have to do I just hand off to him! Honestly I got to say that is probably one of his greatest traits, because I dread making records and filling out reports...

Another upside to the week is all the work that we have. The mission is easily the absolute busiest time of my life.  Since I have been on the mission I think I can count on one hand the hours that I have been able to ``rest`` even on p-days we are busy. 

Luckily though because of the hard work my companion and I are putting in we are able to see some results already. It is always incredible to see how the gospel has the power to change peoples lives. I think I am always amazed and the powerful peace it can bring in to the lives of people. It doesn't matter if you are a member, recently baptized, non-member, young, or old,  when if live the gospel and strive to be more obedient to the commandments the quality of your life improves! You feel more peace and have greater self-confidence.

When Christ promised us his peace is was promised upon this condition of obedience.

``Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.`` (john 14:26)

``There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated. And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.`` (D&C 130:20-21)

I am loving this new area and all the people we are working with. I have already seen so many incredible things happen and I know that there are many more greater things still to come!

Love,

Elder Rice