Yesterday it rained a lot so the whole city didn't have internet But I'm here now! YOOOOOOO
Dear family and friends.
This week was great. My new companion and I are working really well together, finding new people, teaching with the spirit and always striving to be more and more obedient. He likes to work hard and always finds things that we can do to be better.
This week we worked really hard to help a young girl named Tamires be baptized. Ever since we started teaching her, Tamires was always scared to make decisions and just go for it. Last week we almost unmarked her baptism because we didn’t want to push her more than we already were. But then we met Bia. Bia is Tamires neighbor and best friend that started coming to church with us and was absolutely loving it. Bia wants to be baptized so much and wanted to be baptized with Tamires. This gave Tamires a lot of gas and so we continued working with her. But unfortunately Bias parents wouldn’t let her be baptized because they don’t want her to be part of another religion besides their own. That was a major disappointment, but that didn’t get Bia down. She just kept encouraging Tamires every step of the way even to her baptism she was giving her advice and encouragement. It was really special for me to see all this take place. I really do believe that God is in complete control of this work and that he puts people in the right place at the right time. Without Bia I don’t know if Tamires would have taken those steps of faith to baptism but with the help of an inspired friend, she made it. I was touched when I saw what a difference a friend can make in the lives of others, made me want to be a better friend to the friends I have and always strive to make new friendships, always helping people come unto Christ.
Two of our recent converts came to church this past Sunday with a shirt, tie and black pants. They looked so awesome, haha. They came all dressed up because they wanted to bless the sacrament. So one of the Elders sat behind the bench and instructed them on what to do and what to say and it was really, really great. It was a great feeling to see those two blessing the sacrament and exercising their priesthood. They both want to serve missions and I think they are on the right road to get there. After the sacrament one of the boys, Cicero, gave a talk about service. He was super, super nervous but he prepared a great talk during that whole week and read it to us many times. While he gave a talk he just looked at me the whole time. He hardly even looked down at the paper but just spoke everything by heart on how we should serve our fellow men. It was great! I was sitting on the front row next to the other boy that blessed the sacrament and it seemed like we were all alone listening to him. Everyone was dead quiet, not even a baby made noise. Cicero has been a member for one month… The testimony of that boy is amazing! He passed through so much and is still passing through many difficulties, but he is conquering all of them! Everyone complimented him after his talk! Ahhh, tears, tears!
Something rather interesting happened a few minutes ago. We went to visit one of our recent converts, Sara, who came a across doubts. But the spirit has been taking away every doubt that she comes up with, haha! Got ya! Teaching her has been one of the most spiritually strengthening experiences of my mission. She's done philosophy, college, and has been taught a lot about religion. She's awesome, haha, and super smart! But not smarter than two boys called of God! Haha…. It's funny she goes on these little tantrums of doctrine or principles and says that she doesn't agree and so on and so forth and we just smile at her and start teaching by the spirit and at the end of the lesson she is either in tears or with a smile on her face. And it's not me or my companion, it's really the spirit. Because when we plan to teach her something and lay out a plan the lesson never goes according to plan, but the spirit always touches her, without fail. Today we talked about the fact that our loving Heavenly father has a body of flesh and bones which is something that her past did NOT teach, but taught that he is spirit because of one verse in the Bible. She was fixed on her train of thought and her own knowledge for almost the whole lesson until, at one moment the spirit touched her and she began to understand the magnitude and beauty of everything we were teaching her. The spirit is So real and really does testify of Christ and his eternal plan! I love this, I know this!
Thanks you all for all of your love and support! Until next week!
Elder Ralph
Thanks you all for all of your love and support! Until next week!
Elder Ralph
