Prayer is key to living and teaching by the Spirit

                                                                                                            March 21, 2016

Oi familia!!! How are you all doing??

 

So I just want to let you know what is happening/has happened in Cotia since I left. Wesley was baptized, and Cida will be baptized at the end of this month, and Robson and Valmiria are going to get married. Crazy, how fast the Lord is working in His vineyard.



Sis. Rabbia took this picture without me knowing and
because it is so much a part of our mission--I wanted to share.   



Also, this past week I felt the Spirit so strongly because of prayer. The key to teaching by the Spirit is to pray by the Spirit, with ALL of your heart that you will teach by the Spirit.

 


Yesterday, I had a sweet experience with a young woman named Rafaela who I had briefly contacted on the street one day, and marked a day to visit her in her home (yesterday). We ended up teaching her outside of her home because her husband doesn´t really agree with religion. She had stopped attending her church not too long ago because she was offended by some of the things that the leaders of the church did. She said it is really hard to return to church because of this thing that offended her so much.

Throughout the lesson I was praying to know how to help her, to help her feel of Heavenly Father´s love for her. She began talking about accepting the will of the Lord, and immediately the thought came into my head that it was even difficult for Christ to accept the will of the Lord in the garden of Gethsemane. He had asked that the heavy weight of the cup be removed from him, but he accepted the will of our Heavenly Father over that unbearable burden. I told her that it was also hard for Jesus Christ to accept the will of the Lord, and testified of Christ´s Atonement--how with Christ´s Atonement, we can feel peace and comfort. How a part of Christ´s Atonement included his suffering for things that happen in our lives that are unfair or unjust. At the end of the lesson, Sister Cellurale looked Rafaela in the eye and said: Know that Heavenly Father loves you so much. You are a very special daughter of God. Rafaela was emotional throughout the entire lesson, but she especially broke into tears after my companion said those words of comfort. Throughout the entire lesson I was crying with Rafaela, and I realized that I had just met her in one contact on the street one day, and already had so much love in my heart for her. There is no greater work than this. There is no greater feeling than feeling the Spirit constantly testify of truths to your heart and mind, or comfort you in times of trial or affliction. 

 

Picture of Luiz: We are trying to line up Luiz and Donna Ester. (below)
Match making is not a part of the mission, but promoting family is a part of the gospel.

As for Luiz, this past week we taught him about the Restoration, and he has been reading the Book of Mormon more than we asked him to read (more chapters). He is a bit afraid of going to church because of his age, and isn´t quite ready to choose a date for baptism yet. He told us about how old he is, and how he isn´t sure if he is ready to make a complete change in his life right now because of his age. I told him of how he only needed to have a broken heart and a contrite spirit to be ready.

 

At the end of the lesson, Sister Cellurale asked him if he had seen a difference in his life from our visits, and he said that he had had. He said that he had become happier, and then began to cry. Oh, how I felt the Spirit strongly in that moment, and began to cry with him. 

 

Donna Ester came to church for the third time yesterday, and she expressed her love for it.

We love sweet Donna Ester!! 

She isn´t able to see well, or read the music in the hymn book because of how small the print is, but she ALWAYS sings with us anyway.










She expressed how warm and loving the members of the Church are to always compliment her, and how in the Catholic church, no one befriended her or paid as much attention to her as they did in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What a difference the members make in the Church!!!

Maria Luiza has been really sick lately, and was diagnosed with deep depression, so I think her baptism will have to be pushed back a little. But if you can keep her in your prayers that would be great!!
 

I love you all!! I hope you have a wonderful Easter!! And as for Donna Ester and Luiz, we´re still teaching and working with them. It may take some time, but it will go according to Heavenly Father´s Plan and timing :)