a true friend

on feb. 1 2007 i read 2 nephi 1:30 "and now, zoram, i speak unto you : behold thou art the servant of laban; nevertheless, thou hast been brought out of the land of jerusalem, and i know that thou art a TRUE FRIEND unto my son, nephi, forever."

transfers happened one week earlier. i met her january 23 when i picked her up from the bus station in sao jose dos campos. she was my second companion. thus it began...

here's my nephi:and this weekend she was sealed in the spokane temple to one lucky guy! alexsandra de freitas silva- or as i like to call her, minha tia, minha metade melhor, bixinha, freitinhas, e nefi- knows me. she knows the raw, stripped, real, vulnerable me. she knows my weaknesses, and she still thinks i'm great. she shares my sorrows, and takes part in my joys. she prays for my family more than i do. whenever i REALLY need a prayer answered, i just ask her to offer it. i'll never forget our nights on our knees in caraguatatuba, brasil, when i would open my eyes as she prayed just to see what heavenly messengers were in the room... her conversations were that intimate. she is one of the angels to which Elder Holland referred to in his general conference address. tonight, as i was talking to my friend about her, i said she changed my eternities... "wait, what? how?" well- she changed my mission, which transformed my life, which will determine my eternity- ergo, she changed my eternity!


i vividly remember a day during our magical transfer together... we were walking in a neighborhood called Barranco Alto and she threw her hands up in the air and said, "i don't need much in a husband, i just want you, but a guy version!" well, i don't know daniel garret trawick very well, but i know she loves him. i know he loves her. that is all i need to know.

i am forever grateful for nefi, my true friend, and all the other true friends that that Lord has blessed me with. they really color my world beautiful.