Oi

2-24-10

Oi amigos e família, espero que todo é bem com vocês.

Here the work is essentially rolling like a snowball. Getting bigger and better every day! Sometimes it´s difficult to know what will make the biggest impact in these emails, but I´ll do my best.

We taught a lesson to Miguelina this week that was probably the most spiritual lesson of my entire life. She is a member of the Assembly of God and has a rigorous belief in the Bible. BUT, she also is starting to read the Book of Mormon with her husband, Miguel (yeah, they look like Tom and Tomika Doman with the name similarities). They are absolutely devouring it. They´re taking 2 Nephi 32 into complete effect and I wouldn´t be surprised to see teeth marks and a chunk missing from the title page. But, she still has three doubts: eternal marriages, eternal families, and baptisms for the dead - basically the BIG stuff about our church. She is always talking about her doubts and how she wants an answer, but we keep explaining over and over that she´s already received her answer - the missionaries and the BOM!!! She´s really starting to notice this. We were talking about when we first started to teach their family - Elder Duarte and I were looking for another family and couldn´t find it, then I had a feeling to knock a certain door. We knocked, and out came smiling Miguel, probably the happiest man in the world. We started teaching him and after reading the BOM a little, he said in one of our lessons, This book is amazing! There´s nothing in it that´s not supported by the Bible, and it supports the Bible too! As we were talking about this with Miguelina, she started getting a little emotional - not crying, but feeling the Spirit. She basically said that when we are here, she doesn´t want us to leave, because of the feelings of peace we are able to feel. During that lesson, I feel like I did everything right. Instead of thinking of what to say, I was listening and praying for my companion. We were testifying with power and authority of representatives of Christ. We were bashing her doubts with our own firm knowledge and faith. After a while, we stopped and I bore a specific testimony about how I prepared for the mission and the things that happened that tried to impede me. I felt empowered! It was natural that she felt it, and I actually noticed a physical difference in her countenance. When we started teaching her, she frowned a lot during our lessons because she was confused and had doubts. Now, she KNOWS that it´s true. She kept trying to pitifully bring up the doubts again, but Elder LeBaron wouldn´t have any of that. We challenged her to be baptized that Sunday and to be interviewed the next day - she accepted!!! Another miracle: becuase Miguel works as a bus driver, his hours are nuts and he can´t make it to church on Sundays until next month. Becuase of this she was worried when we could meet them at home to interview them. I felt a huge prompting to say a prayer - I explained: we´ll say a prayer and then you will tell us what time to come by, and that will work. I said the prayer, and after the prayer, with a  little struggle, she said that we should shoot for 5 oclock. Not even joking, my companion and I looked at each other and gasped - we were thinking the exact same hour!! We told her that and she got even more excited. We also brought a member - Julian - with us to that lesson, and he was also very excited. After we left that lesson, we both did huge fist pumps and I remember screaming "SIM!!!!!" really loud in the middle of the road. That was a good day.

They didn´t end up getting baptized this week becuase of Miguel´s work, but they WILL be baptized on the 7th of March. Woo! The ward here is getting ready to divide! When I got here the ward was a little miffed about missionaries because they would either get only 1 good one and another one who was going home soon and losing motivation. Since then we have saved 14 souls and will save 4 more this week! This ward is rolling!

I know that obedience is amazing. Through it, people are baptized. I also know that as we subject ourselves to His will we will forge ourselves into the tools that our Father can weild to "thrash the nations" with the power of His Spirit. Let´s baptize!!!!

Todo bem, all is well. 4 baptisms this week!

 Elder Brown, Santa Felicidade, Missão Brasil Curitiba