Bringing Familes Together

From the moment Sis. Matos and I first got to Queimadas we started teaching Maria.  Her husband is a Counselor in the Branch Presidency and was baptized in the Fall last year.  Missionaries had already tried teaching her in the past when they were visiting her husband, Carlos, but she had never been truly interested.

Teaching Maria in and of itself was a learning experience.  She doesn´t know how to read, so her comprehension is low.  We had to learn to teach very simply, like we were teaching a child.  When we invited her to baptism she said, ´I´m already baptized´.  We had a hard time teaching about proper priesthood authority.  

We finally had her committed to baptism the upcoming Sunday, when we visited her Thursday.  When we arrived, she said once again, Í don´t want to get baptized anymore.´ We invited her to pray and start a fast Friday (She was going to visit the temple grounds Saturday with her husband. Yes!) and end while she was at the temple Saturday.  We invited her to fast and ask God if she should be baptized.

Saturday, all the members were gone at the temple, so we went to clean the church with another member who stayed here too. (Lack of $$, he´s 20 and is our ward mission leader ).  We cleaned and got the baptismal font all ready.  But there wasn´t any water to fill the font.  (the city runs out of water every day from 7 am until 4 pm.)  Tiago said he could return in the evening to turn on the water.

6pm we get a call from Tiago saying the water still hadn´t come back! We got over there at 7pm.  We found a hose extension cord to pull water from another source, but the hose had holes!! While Tiago bandaged up the hose with plastic bags, we resorted to buckets.  This was going well until the water source for the buckets ran out!! And slowly the water from the trickling hose ran out as well.  (9:15 pm) The font water was about mid thigh. Nooo!!!! 

We had to go to bed, but Tiago woke up at 4:50 am to start filling up the font again.  We got to church at 8:30am and the font was waist high.  Yes!! Church started and our 1st counselor announced that there probably wouldn´t be enough water for the baptism and Maria´s husband agreed.  But when Maria looked at that water she announced that there was enough water and she was getting baptized! :) 

At 12:30 our baptismal program started.  Carlos and Maria in the jumpsuits climbed (literally) into the font.  They had to squat together and then she leaned back, but she was completely submerged. :)  I´ve never seen a family look so happy together.

After the program was all over and she was walking in the parking lot, she turned and gave me a back-breaking hug.  I asked, ´Como você sente?´ She responded, ´Me sinto livre.´ (or I feel free.) :) :) :) :) Happiest moment ever.

It was a lot of prayer on our part to even help her have the desire to get baptized.  Little did we know it would be a battle with the font water for her to actually be able to get baptized.  But watching that family walk away together all holding hands was the greatest joy I could possibly feel.  It was a lot of hard work, but knowing that I was the Savior´s instrument in bringing that family together was incredible!

Hi!!!! :)

So all the transfers took place.  I stayed in Cabedelo and my new companion is a North American named Sister East.  Adoro-la!  We´ve been having so much fun together and I´m learning SO much!  I´m so excited to work with her.  Oh my gosh I love her so much!  It´s so weird being able to speak English in our house!

Sunday night, when we got to Luzimar´s,  Irmã Carina walked out and said, "You have people waiting for you."  My thoughts were ´what??`´ and then out of the house walked four other sisters!  It was a party!  Luzimar made dinner for all of us and then all the sister missionaries had a big sleepover with all the mattresses on the ground in our apartment.

Happy Smile!

Monday we went teaching with 4 sisters!  It was so awesome.  It was so cool teaching lessons with all 4 of us together.  It was so cool seeing how everyone teaches and everyones different testimonies.  All the girls are so strong and so awesome but all in different ways! :)

The next day we had a conference with our whole mission!!!  It was with Elder Christensen and Elder Mazzagardi!  Sooo awesome.  Elder Christensen talked all about Spiritual revelation and the Holy Ghost.  He said that first the spirit just talks to you in yes and no´s.  Then as you try to get closer to it you can hear words, then sentences.  He said that one prophet told him he gets paragraphs and sometimes pages.  Elder Christensen said, ´wow that´s when I realized I need to study more about spiritual revelation´´.  He said that sometimes we think the prophets have it easy.  Like the prophet wakes up with a list of things to do that day beside his bed.  Nope!  They spend hours and days praying in the temple to receive guidance and spiritual revelation.  He said we have no idea how much time they spend.  It made me think, wow!  I really want to grow closer to my Heavenly Father so I can get more guidance from him!

We took a ferry to Lucena!  Lucena is a vacation place with lots of palm trees and gorgeous beaches.  I felt like I was in Jurassic park arriving at this island with a whole bunch of trees.  It hit me again, ´Wow! I´m way out here in Brazil!`´ 

It felt like our bus was arriving in Jurassic Park!

I love you!  Love, Kim

Monday, December 24, 2012

Today is Vespera de Natal, and I’m missing our family this Christmas Eve!  Although it sooo doesn't feel like Christmas because it’s the middle of summer here.  It’s 90 degrees and there is no snow in sight!   We´re going to visit a lot of people and sing Christmas carols.  I´ve heard from many people who served missions here, that this time of year is the most difficult to teach because many people leave out of town or like to party.  But I´m really excited to share with people Mensagems de nosso Salvador Jesus Cristo and the magnificent gift he gave by coming to earth and being the Savior of the world!

I´m so excited that I have the opportunity to serve Christ this Christmas.  (He didn´t open presents on Christmas either)  

We had our conferência de Natal last week!  It was really awesome.  Ahead of time, President Hall gave us scriptures to study on the Gathering of Israel.  It really is amazing that Abraham, Jacob/Israel and his seed were promised and told over and over again that the gospel would be preached to them in the last days.  And when they accept Jesus Christ, God remembers and realizes the covenant he made with them before.  It´s cool to know that we are the missionaries prophesied that would share the gospel today and help in gathering Israel.  Our work is so important! And Heavenly Father needs all of us to share His gospel in this dispensation to fulfill the promise he made with Abraham! I love this work, and I´m so happy to be here serving my Heavenly Father.  Each of us are so important in this role. :)

I loooove you sooooo much :) you´re the best missionary support ever ever ever ever!  Thank you for serving a mission and being such an example to me.  Thank you for all your amazing letters and your encouragement.   CAN´T WAIT TO SKYPE WITH YOU ON CHRISTMAS DAY TOMORROW!!!!  :) :) :D