"Do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you." - D&C 30:11 - 1/18/16

"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear..." - 2 Timothy 1:7

These scriptures and many others have been a great comfort to me this past week. It is amazing how the writings of prophets from hundreds of years ago can be so relevant and applicable to us today. I´m so grateful for the scriptures and for the knowledge and comfort we can receive because of them. God is so good.

First of all, sorry that I didn´t write a general e-mail last week! I was busy sending pictures so I didn´t get around to writing much :) But I still thought of all of you, I promise :)

This week was probably one of the hardest weeks of my life, but I have learned more from this week than I think I could´ve in any other situation. And the blessings that have been poured out have been innumerable. On Tuesday, we had a District meeting, during which we found out that there will be some changes in the way mission transfers happen worldwide. I was feeling pretty stressed about that, but I know that God knows best and we just have to trust His judgment. Then, on Tuesday evening, Sister Bundy and I were assaulted (robbed) while tracting in a neighborhood in our area. It was scary, yes. But we had angels on both sides of the veil helping us. As soon as the men got back in their car, a young man who had seen the whole thing jumped on his motorcycle and sped after them. Many people who lived nearby and heard the commotion came out of their houses and helped us, offering rides, phones, water, etc. Ten minutes later, the man on the motorcycle came back with our bags! He had somehow managed to get everything back. A kind couple from the street drove us home and made sure we were doing okay when we got there. I will forever be in debt to those generous people. It is amazing how God provides in our time of need. I have learned so much from the generosity of complete strangers during this experience. And I know that God was watching out for us. 

The rest of this week has been almost as hectic as Tuesday, complete with visits to the office, renewing Sister Bundy´s visa at the police headquarters, teaching a bunch of amazing people, and eating A TON of chocolate :) We taught a new investigator named Fran this week, and she is so prepared and wonderful! She and her son came to church this week and they really liked it. She even asked if we could come visit her neighbor sometime this week. I love that when people realize how the Gospel is blessing their life and the lives of their families, they can´t wait to share it with their friends and neighbors. 

Another exciting thing: Julio passed the sacrament this week!! I almost started crying when I saw him up there in his new white shirt looking nervous and excited :) He goes back to Bolivia this week, and although I´m going to miss him, I know he is excited to see his family again and share the Gospel with his wife and daughters. If I go my whole mission without another baptism, it will all be worth it. He is truly elect.

Another miracle: Money has been a little tight this transfer because we had to pay a bunch of bills, but this week, we were walking along as always when I saw something on the ground. I bent down, picked it up, and it was a $50 bill! There was no one around, so we couldn´t give it back to whoever dropped it. We are currently saving it for someone who needs it. It was a good reminder for me this week that God is always looking out for us :)

I hope you all had a great week and are enjoying the cold weather of The United States :) I miss you all very much but I am happy to be here serving the people of Brazil. Don´t forget your prayers!!

All my love,

Sister Doyle