This week was great. We have a wonderful investigator that I told you about last week, Alexia.* She is an amazing example of someone who studies the gospel. She is reading all of the material we give her and asking for copies of the Pearl of Great Price and True to the Faith because she read about them in the pamphlets! She is being integrated well, which is really good. But it was a bit of a roller-coaster this week because on Sunday she didn’t go to church. She said she was sick. Alexia’s mother had said she would pray about the church. She said she prayed and received an answer that she should stay in her church. But she also said she believes that Joseph Smith was a prophet. So hopefully we can help her understand that if Joseph Smith was a prophet, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has to be Christ’s restored church. One of our other investigators, Willian, unfortunately, had to work a lot this week; we are still hoping he can be baptized.
We did not have a lot of success with teaching lessons this week, but the upside was that consequently we did a number of contacts and managed to meet a number of new investigators who seem to have a lot of potential! We have really been trying hard to put President Nelson’s advice from his missionaries-only broadcast from Brasilia to missionaries into practice. He said that the most important part of the Book of Mormon is 3 Nephi 11, when Christ visits the Americas. He said we should have people read the 3 Nephi 11 chapter heading because after reading that they wouldn’t want to put the book down! Initially, I had been worried we weren’t doing it right because I wasn’t sure if people were understanding the chapter summary. But this week some people really seemed intrigued as they read the chapter summary. Several people asked us how much it costs to buy a Book of Mormon before we had a chance to tell them that we would take it to their house for free!
I believe Christ truly visited the Americas. I am so grateful to know that our loving Heavenly Father wanted His children on both sides of the globe to hear His gospel. The Book of Mormon is a blessing in my life. Did you know that the Church of Jesus Christ is publishing Book of Mormon videos? I watched the first one today and it is cool! Watch here.
I also saw this article by Sister Eubank** on the church website today that I really liked. It has a really great explanation about the difference the Church can make — even in the lives of great people. Evangelical people we meet always want to tell us to go talk to someone who isn’t Christian instead of wasting our time talking to them. But the truth is that the restored gospel has a wonderful multiplying power. If you start as a wonderful Christian you have the potential to become an even better Christian with exponentially more opportunities to serve and bless.
“But let’s say a good woman or man encounters the restored gospel. She makes a covenant at baptism into the Church of Jesus Christ that promises her she can receive priesthood power: God’s power. Is her life and power vastly different from before? Yes! I believe her good power is greatly magnified by her covenants . . .”
We also have zone conference this week. One downside of living in the Central Zone is that our conference is on Tuesday. It doesn’t help with my never-yet-achieved-goal of having the 2 five-minute talks we are asked to prepare prepared well in advance! This week the topics are Personal Conversion and the Day of Judgement.
On Friday I am going to go to the airport to renew my visa! That’s weird. I have a new card to show off my legal status as well. Other people apparently can tell that I have lost a little weight since my passport photo on entering Brazil. On Sunday Sister Barros will turn 21! Also, I found out that I will be flying home March 31st, arriving at home just a few days before my 21st birthday. Weird weird weird.
*Investigators’ names are always changed to protect their privacy
**Sister Sharon Eubank is the first counselor in the general presidency of the Relief Society, the Church’s organization for its six million female members ages 18 and over.
Headed to Recife 