We went to the temple!

So, this week was really great (setting aside the depression)! I´m in 3 Nephi 20! I LOVE the Book of Mormon! Every time I pick it up, I have a hard time putting it down! Wow! On Tuesday, we went to the temple! It was so great! Our mission had reserved enough seats throughout the day so that the ENTIRE mission can do a session. But when we got there, we found out that the other FOUR missions in São Paulo showed up! So the temple was (wonderfully) full of workers! Our scheduled session was already full, so some of us were chosen to do vicarious baptisms. I was chosen, however, to work in the laundry room. The temple president led us down to the laundry room, where we folded clothes for an hour or so. He read to us what has become one of my favorite scripture passages, found in 1 Corinthians 12: "For the body is not one member, but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body. And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body, which seem to be more feeble, are necessary: And those members of the body, which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour; and our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness. For our comely parts have no need: but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked: That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular." No matter where we serve in the temple, whether it be in the kitchen, folding clothes, cleaning bathrooms, etc, we are doing temple work. All of this is necessary and contributes overall to the work of salvation. In the temple, we can receive revelation, whether it be on the grounds, in the kitchen, the laundry room, or the celestial room. God will have us serve where we are needed, and where we need to be. I´m learning that this is the same in any place in the church. Whether you are an apostle, a nursery leader, a sunday school teacher, giving a talk or cleaning the chapel, you are participating in building Zion. No matter our callngs, we are members of the Church of Jesus Christ. Each and every one of us is important and necessary. Thus, we must magnify our callings, all of them, including home and visiting teaching, and the duties we inherit when we are baptized. This week, Elder Sá and I haven´t had much time to work. Actually, we´ve had very little time, between meetings and service projects, and bouts of depression. So on Friday, I got really discouraged. I felt ashamed that we had done nothing... because of me. But Elder Sá reminded me that we had done many things. We´ve received revelation in the temple, we´ve discussed the ward with Bishop, we visited a struggling recent convert, we helped clean a member´s house, and we helped both the zone leaders and the sisters by traveling to the mission office to get boxes of the Book of Mormon. Elder Sá reassured me that Heavenly Father is seeing my desire and will reward us. That same night, three things happened: (1) immediately after he said this to me, we both felt suddenly really uncomfortable and unsafe, so we went to get our investigators. Once we were far away from that spot, I felt the Holy Ghost confirm, in my heart, that we had been protected once again. (2) The investigators, Murilo and Kelly, despite our inability to follow up with them this week, were ready and waiting for us. We went together to a family home evening in a recent convert family´s home. Josie and Amauri, who were baptized almost a year ago, testified about eternal marriage, and got Murilo and Kelly excited to be married. Our neighbor bought us pizza when we got home. (3) Yesterday, a member from the ward brought his brother to church. He and his wife will be married and baptized! I love you all so much! But i´m out of time! This gospel is true! -- Élder Thomas Richins Ala Interlagos (antiga Cidade Dutra) Estaca Interlagos Missão Brasil São Paulo Interlagos