Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Transfer 6 week 5

Dear family;
This week I had quite the experience of faith and diligence.
Our president had challenged us to find someone who´d already attended a church meeting and baptize them. To be honest, I never thought I could be one of those missionaries that have one of those faith building experiences. But, when in district meeting, my district and zone leader both felt like we would have a baptism, i started to think about what I could be doing more, what I could be doing better. I decided to accept the challenge. It was a really hard week, with both my companion and sister warken falling ill, and myself not too good either, it was rough, but we worked até o pó. every single day we had some sort of challenge of faith, if we could REALLY find someone. While on a division, I left the chore of praying and prayfully studying the area book to Sister Morais. I had to have the faith that she would find someone. and she did. The following day we were in the house of 82 year old João, and taught him the plan of salvation. (his wife died just after accepting the convite to be baptized. his niece did her work in the temple already.) The spirit was so strong as we invited him for baptism the following sunday, and his grandson, a less active was so supportive about it (the rest of the family kinda ignore granpa, he will probably die in a few months, his health isnt good). that night my zone leader called me and challenged me to find another person. That was another stretch, could we really? we keept searching. The next day João said that he wont be bpatised sunday, but wouldnt give another reason other than it was too miuch work for other people. The following day the elders were with us (as we were accompaning them for a enterview for the other companionship, sis. warken being ill) and we decided to visit joao e see if we couldnt help him still. he still wants to be bpatised but, only tjhrouigh Elder De Oliveira talking with him one and one did he reveal how poor of health he has. we willl pray for his health to improve that he can be baptized. I think he will be strong eough to baptise and depois, die. anyhow that was satuyrday afternoon. 24 hours to find someone befoire the stake conference. I didnt know what to do, but we did a lot of praying and pondering and we continued working. We sought the help of a member for references of friends already done a visit. What is amazing is that by doing this, we found one of her friends that we tought two times whos heart was realyl closed, is now open. She said to us, this is the church of juesus christ, huh. YES! but she didnt accept the date of baptsm. Nos vamos proximo domingo. :) so we worked all sunday and caught the bus at 430 for conference. With no prospects but still faith that the Lord would provide someone. During the conference i pondered on who i knew that was in the church more thna 2 times, and the two people i remembered didnt seem very likely but i was willing to do whatever was required. in the middle of the conference the intermiedo hymn, i looked behind me and young man waved excitedly at me. In that momoment i knew who it was that we were to baptize. Douglas. A young man, we tuaght him the past transfer but he wasnt open yet to making the cnhanges. His aunt is a member in anopther ward and he´s been frequenting for some time now. AFter the meeting we saught him out and asked to talk to him privately. He smiled and quickly followed our lead. In the front on the chapel we invited him to be baptised, clearing his doubts and he accepted to be baptized that night. 1 hour later, he entered the convennt of baptism. We still had to have faith to the very end, that he would passs the enterview, as his aunt and uncle were very scepticle to his preparedness. We are excited to work with him. he is a good young man, in the interview he said that he´d been waiting for someone to invite him to be baptised, that he wanted but was embarassaed to ask.
Oh how the Lord works. I know that if we´d had someone else to baptise, we wouldnt have invited him that night.
I learned so much about faith and work, and that I can work harder than I thought I could.
Love you all,
kristin

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