Um Ano

Hello everyone!  

Last week I completed one year as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!  It has been a year filled with ups and downs, incredible experiences, exciting new things and more miracles than I can count.  I can confidently say that I have grown more as a disciple of Jesus Christ, Child of God and just as a person in this year than I have in my whole life.  But the progress and growth came at the price of an absolutely rigorous and sometimes monotonous daily routine, a whole lot of sweat, a whole lot of prayers and maybe one or two tears haha.  I can say with certainty that God lives and loves us.  He wants us to be like Him so that’s why He gave us this life where we can learn and grow.  

God loves effort!  One of my greatest desires in the beginning of my mission was to learn to be a tool in God’s hands. I think I chose this motto because a tool, as a lifeless inanimate object, doesn’t have to exert any effort and is entirely dependent on the user to fulfill its purpose.  I wanted to be like Nephi in Helaman 10:17 ( “And it came to pass that thus he did go forth in the Spirit, from multitude to multitude, declaring the word of God, even until he had declared it unto them all, or sent it forth among all the people.”) who was carried by the spirit from multitude to multitude preaching the truth.  I thought if I decided to be perfectly obedient and desired to do good, He would do the rest.  I have since learned that missionary work is nothing like that .  I have learned to be something much better, His servant.  I have not always felt the “angels to bear thee up” promised in the scriptures as I have climbed the many steep hills here in Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, Brazil.   This is because God cares about our personal growth.  He will always let us do that which is within our control.  And then when we are at the end of our strength, He will do the rest.  He wants us to continue to serve Him, even when the blessings don’t seem to come.  He wants us to serve because we know it’s right and for our own good but most importantly because we love Him! 

I’ve been blessed to have experiences here on the mission where I’ve seen people as the Savior sees them, with a love that wasn’t my own.  In my service this past year I haven’t had as many baptisms as I would like, but I’ve changed some people’s lives with the message of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I know that this message is the most important thing in this world.  And that the greater knowledge of Jesus Christ that it brings can and will bless the lives of any who listens to it!  That’s why it is so important that everyone does what they can to share it!  I’m so thankful for this opportunity I have to do it full-time!  I love Jesus Christ and His Gospel! 

Love, Elder Keeler