YUS!!!! We baptized 2 men this week (one 18 years old, and the other 20.) Who in fact will BOTH serve missions. This is my dream, to baptize a young man that will be sent on his mission before I´m sent home off of my mission. It´s possible! We found both of these guys 2 weeks ago, and they were both investigating the church, and both already recieve some pretty powerful answers about the Book of Mormon. And the Church. Lo and behold, they both baptized on Saturday!!! (I´ll include pics.) So right now, me and my American powerhouse comp. have 4 baptisms, and we´re in the top of the Zone for the last 2 transfers, if we get 2 more this month, we get to take an 8 hour bus ride to good ol´ Goiania and eat some lunch with the President! But, they aren´t stats, they´re real people that we need to help. Need to remember that. But all in all, I love seeing these people put aside the things of the world to follow the Savior, Jesus Christ. Such a great feeling.
Other than the 2 baptisms, the week went by very slow. These 2 investigators lived pretty far away, it´s about a 2 and a half hour bus ride to get there and back. So it took up a LOT of our work time this week. We also went to visit some less actives in a neighborhood called Morumbi (Some Elders passed through there in the 90´s and just tossed people in the baptism font, and so there are TONS of less active members. To put these numbers in reality, there are 602 members in our ward. Yet only around 70 are active) so we´ve got a lot to do here this next week. Along with preparing these next 2 men for baptism before May get´s here.
I left my planner at home today, so I can´t remember any good stories from the week. Bleh. I´ll try to think as I keep typing.
My companion is like 6´5 and he´s a big guy. But this last week and a half we decided to start up with a good ol´ Elder Comsa weight loss program. He has cut down a ton of food, and we´ve been doing some hardcore weight loss to get his weight down. He lost about 8 kilos last week and half. That´s like 20 pounds or something, I don´t know. Maybe 18. All I know is that 1 kilo is equal to 2.2 pounds and I´m not gonna pull out paper during my email time to figure that out.
Hmmm, spiritual experiences, here is a story about a missionary that served here in the Brasil Goiania mission a few years back. He was teaching a family that had been investigating the church for quite some time, maybe for even a year or so. And this family wasn´´t literally a family (The parents were not married.) and when the parents aren´t legally married, it inhibits them from being eligible for baptism. (Surprised I remember big words in english still.) But anyways, this family really liked the church, wanted baptism, but weren´t married... and on top of that, haven´t recieved a REAL sign or answer that this church was indeed true. So after a lot of time, the missionaries kept on passing by to their home. And every single day, it just kept raining and raining and raining. The couple kinda thought about marriage a little, but couldn´t do it because of the rain. And they WANTED their marriage to be in this special place that´s outdoors. As the Elders kept teaching and passing by, it got to a point where they couldn´t waste any more time going there. They weren´t progressing or anything. So this missionary invites them to get married, and to get baptized. They use the excuse "well, it rains everyday. It hasn´t stopped raining straight for 3 weeks. (whjich was true. That´s normal here in Brasil) And we haven´t really recieved an answer on this book of mormon." So the Elder, he says a prayer and immediatly in the moment decides to make a promise to this couple. The Elder looks up and says "This baptism has delayed long enough, you guys are ready. We cannot continue to pass here if you guys aren´t progressing, because we have other families waiting. (Yeah pretty blunt eh?) So, I want to make a promise with both of you. Tomorrow morning, at 11 o´clock. It will stop raining, and there will be sunshine and a rainbow. You guys will be married at 11 and baptized right after." And the couple just kinda looked at him like he´s nuts. But they accepted, and it was explained to them that through faith, this was real. So here is what happens!!! The next day, it rains hard. 9 o´clock still rianing, 10 o´clock, still pouring. But 11 o´clock EXACTLY it stops. And there is a massive rainbow in the sky, and the sun was insanely hot. The couple couldn´t believe it, and they then got married!!! And Baptized right after!!! 12 o´clock, it poured rain again and the rainbow left, it then continued to rain for the rest of the day.
Faith is powerful. And these things really happen! Sometimes The Lord will show little signs to us that this church is true, but we need to just pay attention. I see little miracles happen daily that when you think about it, they are actually quite amazing. I´m grateful for this gospel, and for the teachings we have to lead us in the right direction.
- Elder Comsa - Sorry this email was garbage. I´m tired.
P.S. Did Matt Beach get married?
P.S.S. Zach Hixson - Tu puedes entender meu portspanhol? I speak portuguese mixed with spanish for you
Pictures - 1. Max 2. Gilmar and everyone together 3. Me and Alex the 2nd counselor in the Ward! He is from Rio Grande do Sul! 4. Junior and I, he just returned home from his mission in Salvador, Brasil!
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