March 17, 2009

March 17, 2009

I'm so happy that everyone's doing so good.

We're working great together in Boa Esperança. Sister Candland is already doing everything and teaching everything. We even spoken in Sacrament Meeting--at least I spoke and she bore her testimony for everybody. And she did a great job. We had an awesome Zone Conference in the which I learned how to do a better baptismal invitation than I ever knew how to do. We also found some great new investigators.

The best lesson of the week was when Luiz and Cleide (recent converts) went to visit a family that we're teaching, Marcos and Edilene. It was perfect. Well... it was as perfect as Marcos let it be. Marcos has a bit of a hard heart. He is afraid to read the Book of Mormon and doesn't want to believe the Joseph Smith was a prophet. But we gave him the perfect oportunity to accept the invitation to read... He really respected Luiz and listened to everything he had to say and almost gave in... but at the end he still said he wouldn't read. Hmmm. Edilene has already read a lot and says that the doctrine is everything she always believed but no church ever preached. Luiz and Cleide and I left the lesson euphoric, knowing that we had done exactly what the Spirit wanted us to do and knowing that we'd done our best. And now it's in the Lord's hands. Sister Candland left sad because she still can't understand why someone would reject the opportunity to read and ask God... what's the risk?? And she does have a point. But that's the beauty of free agency. People are free to reject the truth. And they will continue to have other chances to accept it. We can only do our part. And it's so great when you know that you did your part. Because sometimes you don't... you are full of maybe's. Maybe if I'd said or done or been this or that they would have accepted... And you doubt yourself. But that lesson with Marcos and Edilene was perfect.

Dona Teresa will be baptised on Saturday. I don't know if I already mentioned her. She is the mother of some really wonderful members in the ward. She used to smoke and drink lots of coffee and was really angry and bitter at life. She used to xingar--call names and talk bad--about all the missionaries that went to their house. But since her daughter and her son-in-law joined the church, the Lord has slowly been changing her heart. She stopped smoking. She stopped drinking coffee. She got happier. And recently she had a dream in the which her foot was entering in blue, blue water. And now she wants to be baptised. And now she loves the missionaries. She is 79 years old.

Isn't the Lord wonderful? He can really open hearts that are very, very closed. Gotta keep hoping.

Love you all!
Sister Todd