General Conference is amazing!

I absolutely love General Conference! I got to watch all of the sessions...and in English too! They always set up an english room for the missionaries to watch at the stake centers. I only didn´t get to watch the Priesthood session live, but I did see it early sunday morning. I had to wake up at 5am to see the re-broadcast. I loved all the talks. Elder Holland´s declaration ``God´s word will be heard`` was one of the most chilling testimonies I have ever heard. Also the testimony he bore about President Monson was amazing. Another of my favorite talks, though hard to understand the with just one hear was Elder Pratt´s talk about the ``to be´´ and ´´to do´´. Many of us have to do list lists, but do we have to be lists? It was a fantastic talk. I´m just glad I didn´t have to try and translate that one. Another favorite was Elder Samuelson´s (BYU President) talk about the steps of gaining a personal testimony. ALso closely related with Bednar´s talk comparing light to the gaining of a testimony. Sometimes it is immediate and intense, others it is gradual like the sunrise. I absolutely love conference. None of us could believe it was already over. 

Conference Sunday was marvelous. One of the closed areas in our zone had a baptism and it was done in between the two sessions. The second picture is a group of us from the zone that were involved in the baptism of the girl. It was a real neat experience having it right in between the sessions. The First picture is my district. Starting on the left, Elder Peterson, Elder Shelley, Elder Hepworth and me (notice the tie I´m wearing?). Conference on the mission is so awesome!  The last picture is the last baptism I did while in Birigui before I was transferred. The picture is me and Batista, Sisters Lewis and dos Anjos and the familly of Layana that was baptised.

Last week before conference was probably one of the most difficult weeks of work I´ve experienced so far. We have really hit a slump in the work. We went two days without getting into a single house to teach...which is pretty drastic for the normal Brazilian mission atmosphere. But at the same time I´m about the happiest I´ve ever been on the mission. Elder Hepworth and I are working as hard as we can and we know we are doing our part. I would much rather be giving it my all and having little success than having a little success without giving it my all. It´s definitely been a week of trials but I have grown a lot.

Well I hope everyone enjoyed conference as much I did. I can´t wait to get the Liahona to reread all of them. The notes I took will have to do for now. Até semana que vem!

Elder McLelland