"It was mine."

Ashley around the time of her baptism

 Had a really amazing baptism this Sunday! March 6th. It was very quiet, and I was the only person that knew it happened, but it was as beautiful and powerful as all the others.

It was mine. 

 

Twelve years ago, on March 6th, I was baptized, and then yesterday, twelve years later, I was sitting in a little branch in this teeny-tiny town in Brasil, and I had the chance to eat a tiny piece of bread and drink a little cupinho of water, and renew that promise I made with the same power and potency that it had 12 years ago. I felt that clean feeling, that confirmation of the Spirit run from my head, aaaaaaall the way down me to my toes, and I felt myself in peace. 

My invite for you this week is to pay more attention to the sacrament. You can feel as clean as the day you were baptized, and all of this is possible because of Jesus Christ. My daddy told me this week:

"Today in class with the deacons, I was teaching a lesson on the Atonement.  I love this topic, especially grace.  Amazing!!  Mom shared with me an object lesson that was so cool and really helped visualize the point.  I took 3 quart jars (or you can just use clear cups).  I then put about 1/2 cup of Clorox bleach in one jar, then about 1/4 cup of iodine in the next jar which is dark red, then plain water in the third jar to about half full.  Then I filled the first two jars with water so all three jars were half full.  I then wrote with a marker on the jar with bleach "Jesus" then on the jar with iodine I wrote "SIN" and then I wrote "Us" on the one with just water.

Then I started talking about the plan of salvation.  I talked about the two things that prevent us from returning to Heavenly Father, physical death and spiritual death due to sin.  I then shared that we are born clean and pure like the jar labeled "Us".  The we discussed temptations and the sins that we commit and the impact it has on our pure state (at which time I poured some of the "sin water" into the "Us" jar, and it tainted the clear water to be polluted.  We then talked about the fact that no unclean thing can dwell in the presence of God.  Then we discussed the only thing that can fix us is Christ.  At which time I poured some of the "Christ water" into the "Us" jar.  The water becomes perfectly clear again.  We then talked about how Christ overcame ALL sin.  I then poured the whole jar of "Sin" into the Christ jar and as it pours in, the red liquid turns completely clear.  It is such a power representation of how our lives are washed clean through Christ.  It then led to a very power discussion of the Atonement.   It was so amazing.  I just thought I would share."

This is true in our own lives, and like my mission presiden ttold us last week, just the chance to walk everyday with the Savvior is a miracle, so FEEL that miracle. Let His miracle work inside of you. You will feel at peace, and you will feel strengthened to do the little things and the big things. Even your difficulties will become more desirable. (Because life would just be BORING if there wasn´t opposition.)

Love you all and MAKE it an amazing week!

Sister Little 

PS-  I only took 3 pics this week...it wasn´t SUPER interesting (and I have a good whopper cold, so I have a cara de morte [face of death]....at least that´s what everyone is telling me....)
 

 

HUGE snails! Like, holy cow, Brazil! 

 

Emylly with my nametag! Haha! People LOVE to try on your plaqueta. It´s super cute!

 

I made your pizza crust recipe with vegetable oil instead of olive oil, and sugar instead of honey, and a lot more flour (bc for some reason EVERYTHING I try to make with an American recipe needs more flour), but it totally worked, and it made me happy bc I´m sick, and homemade bread is the only thing I ever want to eat when I´m sick.