I have felt His Mercy, I have been changed by His Love

Hey everybody, well this past week was the last week of the transfer and it flew by!  And the results of the transfers looks like I am going to be staying here in Póvoa but as the new district leader with Elder Ricci at least one more transfer!  It is going to be awesome!  Elder Ricci is such a great example of humility and love to me and genuine happiness!  It is awesome to serve with him!  Well, it is getting colder and colder and rainier and rainier here and it is also the humid cold that isn't very fun!  I got kind of sick this past weekend but we had appointments that were important and so we went ahead and worked anyways and even know I was down in the dumps I know that the Savior made up the rest and I came to the end of the week feeling a peace in my heart knowing that I did my best.  

We had a good week with our investigators in church and our members are doing a wonderful job in helping them feel welcomed.  Many of them are on the road to baptism and are just fighting against the addictions that are holding them down.  It is such a sad thing to see people in addiction.  I want to help them so bad but I can't do it for them.  I have never been addicted to tobacco so I honestly have no idea what it is like to try and overcome that.  But what we try to help our investigators know is that He knows.  Jesus Christ descended below all things in that He could comprehend all things.  That He could lift all others when they fall, that he can lead us through the darkness because He has been there before.  He has experienced ALL.  Absolutely everything.  He is the only Being in this universe that knows each one of us perfectly.  He can and will deliver us from our struggles and circumstances as we turn our backs on our ungodly habits change our hearts and think as He thought, do as He did and be as He was.  I truly cannot comprehend the greatness of it all or how He was able to do it.  But what I can say and what I do know is that He did.  I don't have any doubt in this world that He did.  I have felt His mercy, I have been changed by His love, I am seeing LIVES being changed through Him.  His power is real.  It is the most real power that I know and I know that we can all feel it, as we seek Him in our day to day.  His hand is outstretched, our choice is whether we do what is necessary to take it or not.   

I love you all!  Stay warm stay healthy with the cold season coming in and remember the Savior and his Atonement.  Always.

With much love,

Elder Brandon Eldredge