The Sweetness of Baptism

                                                                                                                  April 11, 2016

 

Oi Family!!!! Wow, this week has been really eventful!!!! I´m so proud of Benjiman!!! So excited for Elder Harris to serve in Bolivia!!! He will be a wonderful servant of the Lord in the Lord´s vineyard!!! 

 

Yesterday, Victor and Maria Luiza were baptized, and it was a sweet experience!!!

 

 We were taking pictures before the service, and Maria Luiza said, I just want to enter in the water (Quero entrar na água). She was super anxious to be baptized, and didn´t want to take more pictures hahaha.

 

She wasn´t able to be baptized by her grandson yesterday because he was nervous to baptize her, but she was baptized by our District leader.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I remember just watching both Victor and Maria Luiza be baptized, and smiling from ear to ear because of how happy I was to see them completely put the Savior first in their lives.

 

I know they received a remission of their sins yesterday, and they have a new start in their lives.



Sister Cellurale and me with Vitor

Yesterday, Sister Cellurale and I sang I feel my Savior´s Love in Portuguese and English, and the Bishop spoke about a secret to staying active in the Church--feasting on the scriptures every day. It was a sweet service, and I know that the Lord is working with us.

Yesterday, I also had the privilege to teach Rafaela. Sister Cellurale and I went on splits with two returned sister missionaries from the ward who work in the CTM, and so I taught with an Irma named Juliana. She has an incredible testimony, and taught me a lot about really understanding an investigator´s needs. It´s really strange because I feel as though I am only in this mission to help Rafaela understand the power of Christ´s Atonement to overcome sin. The Spirit always touches my heart so strongly when I teach her. She feels as though she is unworthy to go to Church because she has made a lot of mistakes in her life, and I told her that the Church is for sinners who keep on trying. I told her that Heavenly Father never gives up on us, and I told her that the Lord had been preparing her to receive our messages since the first day we taught her. By the gift of tongues, and trusting in Heavenly Father, words came into my mind that I needed to tell Rafaela. The Lord had been preparing her with trials and difficulties in order to recognize the light of Jesus Christ. At time we live in darkness. We feel as though we are the worst of sinners, or we feel as though there is no use in trying again. The Savior´s grace is infinite and endless. There is always hope, and we just need to believe in Him to see miracles. The minute that we accept His grace into our lives, our works change, and we begin to see ourselves as our Heavenly Father sees us. At the end of the lesson, Rafaela told us that she has always felt that we are sisters to her. We really do have a special relationship, and she is like a Sister to me when I have the opportunity to teach her. She is going to read the Book of Mormon and pray to know that it is true. She is also going to pray to have the strength to come to church this Sunday.

This past week, we received a reference from our neighbor that Leticia (the granddaughter of Ester) was interested in learning about the gospel.  

Leticia, the grandaughter of Ester

 We taught her about the Restoration of the Gospel, and she was super receptive, and repeatedly told us that she only wanted to know Heavenly Father´s path for her in her life. She had many questions, including one about temples, and she is the sweetest girl!! She is young, and works in the law field, and she has a strong desire to visit the church. This reference was random and a miracle, and we are hoping that Leticia helps soften the heart of Ester so that Ester is baptized this month.





Ester attended church yesterday even though she was really sick, and she also attended the baptism of Maria Luiza and Victor. We had been praying for this because she is ashamed of being baptized because of her age, and after seing Maria Luiza, with 75 years old, be baptized, she was more excited to be baptized. She won´t mark a date yet to be baptized, but she still has a desire. A desire of faith works miracles.

José is on track for being baptized this Sunday, and he is being well-integrated in the ward. 

Isabella went to church yesterday with her younger sister Manuella, and friend, Jaqueline, and enjoyed it!!

This past week, Thaissa chose the date of the 24th of this month to be baptized, and Sister Cellu and I laughed because it was super easy to mark this date with her. We practically did nothing, and she chose this date! I said that the Lord must be tired of working with these investigators of ours because now we are easily cultivating the fruits of his vineyard.

The Lord is at the front of His Work. He is working with us, and we are simply instruments in His Hands to Fulfill His Work. LOVE YOU ALL!!!