Minha quedida familia,
I love you all. Did you know that? Every single one. I think about you all the time out here on my mission. Not really in that homesick kind of way, but in that ´´helps me remember who I am´´ kind of way. I have a family that loves me and I love them. THAT is a blessing.
This week Irma De Almeida and I saw miracles. Thats right, I´m cutting right to the chase in this email, because I dont think I have much time left.
We had a zone meeting last Tuesday, where we traveled across our zone to meet with the other missionaries in our Oeiras zone. The meeting was a kind of a remember our purpose and remember that miracles happen and that there really are people here in our mission that are ready, that are just plan prepared and ready to accept the Gospel into their lives, we are here to do EVERYTHING we can to find these prepared children of God and help them remember the Truth and get onto that path back home.
It was a powerful meeting and my companion and I spent a long time on our knees that day praying about who, begging Heavenly Father to help us to know who, who was prepared to recieve the Gospel THIS week. All week we worked and prayed A LOT. I´m not saying that to be high and mighty...I´m talking we are so weak do not have the power or ability to do this work without getting on our knees to pray a billion times during the day for help and inspiration. It is a humbling feeling. It is a glorious feeling. We are not alone in this work, because this work is not ours, it is the Lord´s.
By friday we were exhausted and on the verge of death (or so it seemed), when we went to an apartment building that I swear Irma Brinkerhoof and I had already knocked, we knocked the whole building now that I think of it and it wasn´t until the last door that someone let us talk for a moment.
Gustavo.
He is from Brasil. 25 years old friday morning and he listened, he really listened as we explained how the Church of Jesus Christ has been restored to the Earth today and how we have the same Church that Christ Established. We bore our testimonies, with power (not our own power) and left him an invite to come to church on Sunday. We asked him to say our closing prayer at the door, it was powerful, beautiful, simple and genuine.
He came to Church Sunday (miracle) and by the end of the first hour of church he had made friends with everyone in the first class (miracle) and second hour he was participating in our Gospel discussion with his eyes fixed on the instructor soaking it all in (miracle).
By Sacrament meeting he was already sitting on the other side of the room with his new friends and as we glanced over during the meeting to make sure all was going well, he was focused on the speaker (miracle). It was incredible.
After Church he was exchanging phone numbers with all of the young adults and making plans for the week. Medium story short, we ended up teaching him every day last week, each time with a different member of our ward. He started to read the Book of Mormon and by the second day he was done with 1 Nephi telling us about Lehi and his dream. Wednesday we taught a lesson about the Plan of Salvation, and in the end we invited him to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptised this coming Sunday. He said he would pray and think about it.
The next day he told us that he had decided to be baptised this sunday.
He was beaming. I mean beaming. This guy is gold. Really. I mean he gets it, he gets the Gospel. After our lesson with Gustavo, Irma De Almeida and I left his sight and literally jumped up down in the street with joy, because thats what this Gospel brings, pure joy.
Something that is really important in this work is that people are truly converted, willing to make changes in their life to follow Christ, and are willing to follow Him for the rest of their life. I can see in his eyes that he is changed. Really converted. It is a blessing. The baptism was beautiful. I was getting teary all day. By seeing his conversion in just one precious week, I rememeber my own conversion so vividly, and I remembered that it is not done, I am being converted to the Lord every day here, these precious people are helping me more than they will ever know.
The picture I attached is of Gustavo, his friend, bishop, and Irma De Almeida.
This is the scripture that could sum up the week (stepper can you copy and paste to the page?)
I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do anot bglory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hath commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy.
And behold, when I see many of my brethren truly penitent, and coming to the Lord their God, then is my soul filled with joy; then do I remember awhat the Lord has done for me, yea, even that he hath heard my prayer; yea, then do I remember his merciful arm which he extended towards me.
I love you alll sooooo much. I wish I could have written more. But I love you and think of you all the time. Keep on keeping on. Never forget that you are not alone in this little old world.
Sister Liz
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