This week was extremely eventful. Lots of ups and downs!
Firstly, as for the very good things, our weekly family home evening with Sonia and Paulo was delightful, we talked about setting daily goals and doing the little things, reading scriptures, praying daily, fasting, going to church and how that is how we become converted. I love this family so much I think my heart will just break when I have to leave them! They are the ultimate new converts. Gabrielle, who is 10 saw that his uncle and aunt and cousins went to a certain church(ours) and really wanted to go. So he started to go, and when his parents(Sonia and Paulo) found out they prohibited him from attending this "mormon" church (we have a really bad reputation on their street for being voodoo crazies) but Gabrielle went anyways. He was finally allowed to be baptized and in the words of Sonia he brought in a new light to their home. Slowly over time, Mateus, who was 14 and a youth pastor in his youth church joined and was quickly ordained to pass the sacrament. Sonia and Paulo softened after many times of expulsing the missionaries finally listened. They were married, Paulo stopped drinking and stopped smoking. They were baptized last november and Sonia became as animated towards the church as she was against it. She is now is in the primary presidency. And Paulo, who is a very very large man, is the most faithful best sacrament passer you will ever see! Mateus and Gabrielle have become our best friend little brothers, and well. The church is true. Thats all I will say.
Another miracle. As we redivided the area last week we decided to visit an old investigator of the sisters who didnt get baptized with his brother because he loved dancing, and drinking and well, breaking the law of chastity. When we sat to talk with him, he said he received a very powerful answer that the church is true and he has stopped all his bad behavior for almost a month now and is just waiting to be baptized quickly. I literally sat there with my mouth open, I could hardly believe the change I saw in him. He is very very sure about baptism, and is excited, he is just scared he will get baptized and fall away, so we are working to help build him up and show him the blessings. You eat an elephant one bite at a time.
Sebatiana and Fabio have decided to get married! It takes about a month and we have transfers in a few weeks but after all this time I am so excited for her to finally be so close to baptism.
Saturday night we finally got the opportunity to teach Daniel, Arlette's husband. The spirit was extremely strong and we testified with our whole souls, but he is quite stubborn and said he had read lots of contradictions on the internet. We continued to explain calmly the facts of the restoration and asked if he would let his daughter attend church so his wife could attend also and be baptized. He was passive aggressive. The lesson ended with Arlette in tears telling her husband how much she knew that this is the only true church. Sunday morning we came to get her and she and her daughter came to church! We passed by that afternoon to try and mark a date for her baptism and Daniel, who had been reading some of the pamphlets wanted to argue about how the degrees of glory dont exist. He said that getting baptized at 9 is a sin and that getting baptized again is also condemnation. (Arlette was previously baptized in another church). He wanted to argue, and though said he thinks we are great people with only the best intentions we are contradictory we are ignorant, and we are women, and it is his responsability to protect his wife from the damnation our church will cause to his family. We simply testified, and I finally decided to just pray and leave for arguing never solves anything. I could literally feel the power of what I was saying was true as I spoke and I know he felt it too. As we left Arlette told us that we should never doubt the influence of peace and good we brought to her.
I will admit we did not go home last night joyful, never in my life have I met a person who more needed the gospel in her life and wanted it so deeply but was not allowed to exercise her agency and therefore receive the blessings. This experience was one of many, many we have had with disrespect towards our callings and especially towards our gender. It is not always easy to be a sister, or a missionary really but I know that our softer more emotional side does make a difference! And despite what many people may say or think here the women work so hard to keep things together and really do make a difference.
Satan has real power on this earth, but so does God and God's power is greater. And thats the team I play for!
To many miracles trumping over the disppointments,Alma 26:27-30
Sister Holmes
Firstly, as for the very good things, our weekly family home evening with Sonia and Paulo was delightful, we talked about setting daily goals and doing the little things, reading scriptures, praying daily, fasting, going to church and how that is how we become converted. I love this family so much I think my heart will just break when I have to leave them! They are the ultimate new converts. Gabrielle, who is 10 saw that his uncle and aunt and cousins went to a certain church(ours) and really wanted to go. So he started to go, and when his parents(Sonia and Paulo) found out they prohibited him from attending this "mormon" church (we have a really bad reputation on their street for being voodoo crazies) but Gabrielle went anyways. He was finally allowed to be baptized and in the words of Sonia he brought in a new light to their home. Slowly over time, Mateus, who was 14 and a youth pastor in his youth church joined and was quickly ordained to pass the sacrament. Sonia and Paulo softened after many times of expulsing the missionaries finally listened. They were married, Paulo stopped drinking and stopped smoking. They were baptized last november and Sonia became as animated towards the church as she was against it. She is now is in the primary presidency. And Paulo, who is a very very large man, is the most faithful best sacrament passer you will ever see! Mateus and Gabrielle have become our best friend little brothers, and well. The church is true. Thats all I will say.
Another miracle. As we redivided the area last week we decided to visit an old investigator of the sisters who didnt get baptized with his brother because he loved dancing, and drinking and well, breaking the law of chastity. When we sat to talk with him, he said he received a very powerful answer that the church is true and he has stopped all his bad behavior for almost a month now and is just waiting to be baptized quickly. I literally sat there with my mouth open, I could hardly believe the change I saw in him. He is very very sure about baptism, and is excited, he is just scared he will get baptized and fall away, so we are working to help build him up and show him the blessings. You eat an elephant one bite at a time.
Sebatiana and Fabio have decided to get married! It takes about a month and we have transfers in a few weeks but after all this time I am so excited for her to finally be so close to baptism.
Saturday night we finally got the opportunity to teach Daniel, Arlette's husband. The spirit was extremely strong and we testified with our whole souls, but he is quite stubborn and said he had read lots of contradictions on the internet. We continued to explain calmly the facts of the restoration and asked if he would let his daughter attend church so his wife could attend also and be baptized. He was passive aggressive. The lesson ended with Arlette in tears telling her husband how much she knew that this is the only true church. Sunday morning we came to get her and she and her daughter came to church! We passed by that afternoon to try and mark a date for her baptism and Daniel, who had been reading some of the pamphlets wanted to argue about how the degrees of glory dont exist. He said that getting baptized at 9 is a sin and that getting baptized again is also condemnation. (Arlette was previously baptized in another church). He wanted to argue, and though said he thinks we are great people with only the best intentions we are contradictory we are ignorant, and we are women, and it is his responsability to protect his wife from the damnation our church will cause to his family. We simply testified, and I finally decided to just pray and leave for arguing never solves anything. I could literally feel the power of what I was saying was true as I spoke and I know he felt it too. As we left Arlette told us that we should never doubt the influence of peace and good we brought to her.
I will admit we did not go home last night joyful, never in my life have I met a person who more needed the gospel in her life and wanted it so deeply but was not allowed to exercise her agency and therefore receive the blessings. This experience was one of many, many we have had with disrespect towards our callings and especially towards our gender. It is not always easy to be a sister, or a missionary really but I know that our softer more emotional side does make a difference! And despite what many people may say or think here the women work so hard to keep things together and really do make a difference.
Satan has real power on this earth, but so does God and God's power is greater. And thats the team I play for!
To many miracles trumping over the disppointments,Alma 26:27-30
Sister Holmes