Another Wonderful Week!

Hello everyone!!!

 

I cant believe that we are already in JULY!!!!! Here in a couple days I´ll be at my four month mark here in Brazil!!!! CRAZY!!!!!

 

Last week was SO GOOD!!!! AHHHH.

In particular....we had the hugest miracle.

One of our investigators, José, we have been teaching since before I got here. He was a missionary for his church before, has studied the bible a LOT and he has always had a lot of doubts and really hard questions for us. Each lesson we would leave with questions unanswered, or when we tried to answer his questions, he either couldnt understand us, or wouldnt accept our answers. It has been TOUGH.

He even came to church a couple times trying to get answers for all of his many doubts, but with little success.... So we really were just stumped on what to do. I think we would have quit passing him eventually, if not for Alexandre who lives in the back at his house. Alexandre was SUPER accepting and excited about everything we taught, so we kept coming back and taught the two of them together.

Sunday before last, we were able to go by with a member and talk with José. It was PERFECT for him. He was able to ask all of his questions and discuss his doubts for the entire time.... And at the end, the member-Irmão Zezinho was just like "the only way you are going to know if this is all true is through reading the book of mormon, and praying about it". THIS was the essential thing that he was missing!!! And Irmão Zezinho just bore his powerful testimony to him and challenged José to actually read and pray.

Then, we were able to go by another night that week with another member couple. The lesson turned into another question session for José and he just discussed and debated all of his doubts with Irmão Luiz Antonio. But again, Irmão Luiz just bore his testimony of the book of mormon and challenged him to read and pray.... which he still wasnt doing.

The next night we came by again with Irmão Luiz Antonio and his wife Luciana. That night, Sister Pedersen and I challenged José to read and REALLY pray about being baptized and he said he would.

The next day, Sister Pedersen and I came by again. Every lesson, we always start out with some of José´s many questions.... but this night he didnt have ANY. WHAT??! Then we asked him if he had prayed about baptism and how it went. He told us that he had prayed and while he was reading the book of mormon, he got his answer. He knew he should be baptized!!!!! Then he told us he would be baptized sunday!!

IT was AMAZING!!!! It was a HUGE testimony builder for me of the power of the book of mormon. Just reading took away all of his doubts and uncertainties and left him knowing exactly what he needed to do!!! The change that it worked in him was HUGE. He was one of those people that we taught, but figured would never get to the point of baptism, because he couldnt accept so many things that we taught him..... But once he got his testimony of the book of mormon, that all changed!

Sunday, José was baptized and it was SO COOL. So cool. Miracles really do happen!!!! The book of mormon is TRUE.

 

I want to send some pictures, but it will have to wait till next week...... I cant figure out this computer today......

 

Everything is going so well here!!! I love love love LOVE it here in Araras!!!!

We have transfers the coming tuesday, and i am crossing my fingers that Sister Pedersen and I can both stay..... but we will see what happens!!!

 

As for funny stories----

Lately, Sister P. and I have just been laughing a lot at how terrible our english is becoming..... Right now, I cant really speak Portuguese or English.... Just some kind of terrible mess of the two. ahahah. But almost everytime that we are speaking English, we end up throwing portuguese words accidently into the middle of it. It definitely makes life entertaining! hahah

Sister P. has a running quote book of the more memorable phrases...... The best ones are when we start using portuguese grammar structure in English.... like "he has two years..." instead of "he´s two years old....". yep.

But, I´m gonna take this new development as a change for the better. hahaha. Always progressing. =]

 

Well. I love you all!!!! And i hope you all have a wonderful week!!!

 

Love!!

 

Sister Ward