I hope ya´ll had a great conference. I really enjoyed and was looking forward to it all week! Some of my favorite talks were by Elder Scott who talked a lot about loving someone enough to help them. Elder Uchtdorf on gratitude, Elder Bednar about our load, and trucks..... (honey, we need a truck) :) and Elder Cook who talked about the temples and baptisms for the dead.
We were able to bring quite a lot of people to church to see the prophets and apostolos that spoke to us on those two days. Sara, one of our golden investigators was able to come to 3/4 of the sessions. This week she was having a lot of doubt about the restoration, why the church was restored on the other side of the world and why we need prophets today when Christ left the Holy Ghost with us to teach us and guide us. After a rather long lesson with her and her niece she asked us these questions. To her it seemed like we were telling her that she has to go through the Prophet to get to God. That only through one man we can know God. It's funny at times we think that were teaching clearly but to another person we are mixing everything up. I ended up telling her a story about how my wonderful mother felt the impression to adopt my little brother Samuel. I told her that my mother felt the impression through the Holy Ghost, that came from God and not a prophet that she needed to adopt my little brother. We told her that the Holy Ghost will guide her to make the right decisions and the prophet will teach her and help her to recognize the spirit and the blessings. It was something like that. So she came and really paid attention to the talks. One thing that hasn't settled well with her is baptisms for the dead. She had never heard of it before and it's something new and different. Elder Cook gave a wonderful talk about Elias and the turning of the hearts to the fathers.... and it was everything that I have been studying and passing to Sara. I've never studied a topic of the gospel more thoroughly! And he said everything that I have been teaching her. She liked it and understood even more about the purpose, but it still doesn't make sense to her. Especially the part when Elder Cook said that we can't obtain exaltation without our ancestors... Ahhh so much to teach and so little time. But Sara really liked the conference.
We are working with another lady named Rosangela. She is loving everything that we are teaching to her and wants to believe it. Her doubts are about prophets, that the world is so horrible that there can't be prophets today because there isn't enough faith. Her difficulty is faith, and she said it herself. "I've seen so many things, been part of so many religions that it's hard to believe, I lost my faith". She's really a great, spunky lady, but she gets down on herself easily. She really paid attention to the talks of the prophets and she really liked it. There was one talk, I forgot who gave it but he talked about the restoration and it really helped her.
Hey I saw Carli's Dad and Sarah in the videos after the first conference. AND my mission president was called to be a member of the 70! WoW! And we're going to have interviews with him here in a bit.... woah... interview with a member of the 70..:D
I finished reading the Book of Mormon for the third time on my mission this week! I love that book it awesome! :)
This coming weekend we are hoping to have a few baptisms but it will sure take a lot of work to be sure that these people are ready to be baptized, but we're super excited.
I love being a missionary. I love helping these people! I'm so thankful for the friendships that I have made, that love and spirit that I have felt from the members here in Brazil! I love my mission!
Elder Ralph
PS. I'm teaching Elder Martins how to play the piano.
Hey thank Brother Carter for me... he sent me a package!
and Melissa Meracich sent me a letter :)
