Semana 67
Oi gente!
So I totally tried to write about two sentences of this email in Portuguese.. it´s going to be rough talking to you guys in English! But that doesn´t make me any less excited to talk to you guys SUNDAY!! Wohoo!!! I´m hoping that last year´s Mother´s Day surprise doesn´t repeat itself (#headlice). 5:00 pm my time works great! On this note, one of the things that I want to hear from you guys is how our family has been blessed specifically while I have been serving. It´s so apparent for me to see how I have been blessed, but I imagine that the blessings have come in full on your end as well! I can´t wait to talk to you all!
This week was a week of miracles. Tuesday we met with Paulo, who is an "eternal investigator" of 6 months. Every time we visited him it was the same story, he knew the church was true and the Spirit had confirmed to him, but he was waiting for a sign. We explained time after time again of the importance of faith and how God requires a trial of our faith before He shows us His mysteries. He insisted that he wouldn´t be baptized until he had his sign. Paulo´s parents died a few years ago, and one thing that he has a real love and anxiety for is temple work. He wants to be able to do the temple ordinances for his parents. And literally, a miracle happened. Tuesday when we followed up with Paulo, he told us that he had a dream. He dreamed that he was in a line of people that lead to a baptismal font. A woman in white touched his shoulder and said, "it´s your turn, Paulo." And then he woke up. He told us that he had his answer, and that he wanted his brother Paulino (a recent convert) to baptize him! So when we heard that we told him that the next day would be his baptism. When wednesday came around and we went to his house, literally everything was working against us. Long story short, Paulino had a course that he forgot about and would only come home at 10 pm. So, we got permission to baptize Paulo at 10 pm wednesday night! It was such a special baptismal service! The spirit was so strong and I knew that his family beyond the veil was anxiously waiting for this day, that their temple work can be completed and this family can be sealed in the temple.
Another special baptism happened this week, of another eternal investigator named Sena. Sena is from Rio de Janeiro and met the missionaries there. He frequented the church for 6 months in Rio but was never baptized because he wasn´t legally married. About a month ago he separated from his wife and moved to Natal to live with his sister, Livramento. During this time he just showed up at church together with Livramento! So this week we prepared him to be baptized, and he had a beautiful baptismal service yesterday as well. We are preparing Livramento to be baptized next week.
Daisy is a girl that we had been preparing to be baptized this week, but when we went to follow up with her we found out that the whole family has been reading the Book of Mormon and wants to be there for her baptism but they weren´t going to be able to go to church this week. So her baptism is marked for Mother´s Day and we are going to try and baptize her parents as well! Pray that they will open their hearts to receive a testimony of the Book of Mormon so that this whole family can be baptized together!
Beyond the baptisms from this week, Sunday was an incredibly special day, especially after reading your emails from this week. I stood to bear my testimony on the power of faith and the restored gospel and how my mission has helped me develop my faith. I had a feeling that at home, Adam would be bearing his testimony as well. It was super special for me to read this morning that Adam, mom, dad and I all bore our testimonies at church. The whole family had an opportunity, even separated by a hemisphere, to share our testimonies on the same day about the same eternal truths that connect us through space and time.
As for other events of this week -
we made french toast for district meeting. I made lunch a couple times this week--I'm learning!!
Sister Trage went to Amarante to help the sisters there until sunday, so that´s why it´s just me and Sister Barbosa in a few of the photos. (yes we were in a new area trying to orient ourselves but we didn´t get lost!)
Thursday the secretaries called me to ask a question. "Hey Sister, do you like airplanes?" me... "yes!!!" Elder... "If you were an airplane, what airport would you land at?" me... "SALT LAKE CITY, ELDER!!!!" They have officially purchased my flight plans and I really am going to be coming home!!!!!! They should be sending home my itinerary to your emails this week, so be on the lookout :)
I love the mission. I love Natal. I love the people here. I love the gospel. I love that we are all imperfect, because that gives us the opportunity to grow and perfect ourselves in Christ. When we have faith, we have a surety that things will happen according to God´s will, because we don´t doubt! That´s how not one of the 2000 stripling warriors were killed in the nephite battles, how the brother of Jared saw the Lord in the flesh, how Enos received a remission of his sins. Because of their unwavering faith that they "didn´t doubt" the hand of God and the power of His promises. I know that the same goes for us.
Talk to you guys on sunday!!!
Sister Brown
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