and more BAPTISMS! :)

This week was really good :) 

Sister Velasquez and I were really blessed to get to share experiences with Leticia and Maria as they prepared to be baptised. I really saw how the spirit teaches people and they change. When we read in the book of mormon about faith, and how we need to allow the desire to grow in our hearts, it really is as literal as a seed. 

Leticia has been going to church for the last couple months with Rogerio and his family, and when they can´t go she goes with us. She´s been wanting to be baptised for a while and we wanted to help her learn about what it means to be baptised and make the commitment in her life to follow Jesus Christ She´s 12 and really sweet. Our ward mission leader Rogerio was worried about the responsibility it would be for her to follow the gospel without her parents (her mom died last year and her dad is in prison) but I explained to him that for that reason alone, it made Leticia receiving the gift of the holy ghost that much more important in her life. I know that the holy ghost is the third member of the God Head and takes care of us after we´re baptised. He turns into our guardian, and wants our welfare as much as our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ do. 

When Rogerio heard Leticia pray, his heart was touched and he supported her being baptised full heartedly. Leticia´s prayers are really sincere :) you can feel that she´s talking with her father in heaven. After her baptism she felt really happy, and after she received the gift of the holy ghost she was talking to Rogerio and said she felt really good, and he explained that that was the holy ghost. 

Maria is a fighter. She has had so many trials in life and her faith only got stronger through it all. Did i tell you she had 23 kids? 11 are living and she lives with the youngest frankie. Frankie gave up on giving up drinking and smoking and didnt attend Maria´s baptism or church. But she didnt care (I mean she would have liked him to have been there, but she was determined to be baptised) She had a stomach surgery and is 72 so it made it hard for her to bend over backwards, so Rogerio laid her down backwards into the pool to be baptised. She came up treading water a little while Rogerio guided her to the steps of the pool :) She looked like a young woman, really :) Her spirit is so pure. She´s scared of swimming so it was really sweet to see her tread water holding onto Rogerio´s arms. From where the baptism was, it was a half hour walk to the church building. I was talking to Maria and didnt pay attention to the streets and got lost :p but we were close by, and Maria knew where we were. She´s a trooper :) and the Lord blessed her because there was a couple with a car who took her to Rogerio´s after church so she didnt have to walk home :) Tender mercies. 

Sabrina remembered that I´ll be going home in november and got really sad. I get sad because we really are friends, but I told her to remember my purpose in coming was to help her get closer to Jesus Christ and be baptised and confirmed. And that every sunday I´ll be at church, and she had to be at church too. I´m really grateful that heavenly father let me make so many friends here in brazil. Fransisca mentioned it too. I told her, you know what though, this gospel is for the future, we really will be able to meet again in heaven, its not just a cute thing to say. I´m grateful for the plan of salvation that Heavenly Father made for us, I´ll be able to see my friends again no matter what, and live with my family forever. Of course, I hope to save money and visit before my time on earth ends :p 

I have so many emotions today :p sorry if the email runs long, but yesterday we also taught Fransisca about sunday being the Lord´s day, and keeping the sabbath day holy. and when we taught her she was like, oh, I didnt know. I´ll keep it from now on. I was really glad that she committed to attend church on sundays, and on the other side, was sad that she had never heard of it before. This town is full of churches (a different one on every corner no joke) and there is only one, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that is teaching the true gospel of Jesus Christ, to help people prepare for his coming. There are so many gospel truths that bless our lives and so many people that have yet to learn them. 

I´m really grateful to be a missionary, called by a Prophet of God to teach his children. I know this gospel is real. I can feel His love for me and the people around me. His love is what makes me want to be a better person and treat others better. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I love you guys!! :) 

Sister Miess