Letter 10/1/12

We had a super fun week! The best news of all is that we had a miracle! Dora and her daughter Daiane were baptized this week! We really weren't expecting it, but a few things swung our way and we ended being able to win the day! I had explained earlier that Dora has some depression problems. She has been mistreated by several of her "Husbands"....she never was actually married, but each time that she ended up with a man he just used her for his own purposes. She never was really loved or appreciated by any of them. She single handedly raises her two daughters (one of whom was baptized a while back). She had some issues with agreeing to pay tithing and also dealing with some unresolved mistakes in her past....we helped to recognize the importance and the role that repentance will play in changing her life, and really making her into a new person. She has a pretty humble income and some substantial debts, but she was able to understand the blessings that she will receive by paying an honest tithe. It was a real miracle for sure. The Lord really blessed us with this one. I feel that it was a response to the work and faith that we have been putting in...obviously it was because of the Lord that Dora and Daiane were baptized, but it was definitely a nice reward for us. 

So Daiane and Dora both asked me to baptize them. I was a bit surprised seeing that I've only been here for a few weeks and they know Elder Jubitz better, but I was nonetheless honored to perform the actual ordnance. When I was in the bathroom changing into my baptismal clothing, the power in the entire city went out! Yup. The adversary ALWAYS has a little trick up his sleeve before every baptism. Anywho, after wandering my way out of the pitch black bathroom, we decided to wait a few minutes to see if the power would come back...no dice....so, we decided to perform the baptism in the dark! It was a pretty fun experience. The witnesses had their cell phones shining on the baptismal font so we could make sure that they were completely immersed in the water. In the pictures that I'll send, it looks like the font has lighting, but it's just because of the flash. It was quite dark actually! It was an experience that I will absolutely never forget. Even without electricity, we could all feel the presence of the spirit as those two women were cleansed of the sins, and made eternal covenants with our father in heaven. 

The Baptism

Diane and Dora in the Dark

Baptisms in the Dark!

What else is new....I heard news from Abreu e Lima that a few people that Chapuis and I found and taught are going to get baptized. Neide, who is going to be married before her baptism (the missionaries are processing her wedding papers for her), is super excited for baptism! She was the one who had a vision of the chapel before she showed up one Sunday to visit. Another family that we found knocking doors, Pedro and Weslaine, are also getting ready for baptism. That was just about the best news ever! I want to go back to see those baptisms! 

We had splits this week with the assistants. Elder Clark (who is from Danville, the Alamo 1st ward) teamed up with us for the day. That was fun. I had never met him until I got here. 

Jefferson, that super elect guy that we found last week, ended up not wanting to meet with us anymore. We taught him quite a bit during the week. He had a ton of questions and doctrinal ideas. We responded to every single question that he had, but when he found out just how important the Book of Mormon is to us, he got a bit offended by it (he thought that it was taking the place of the Bible). We did our absolute best to explain things to him, but he just couldn't accept another companion to the bible. It was too bad...he was really one of the most intelligent men I have ever taught on my mission. 

We made a contact with a man on our p-day while waiting in line in the grocery store. The man was real friendly, and said we could come back the next day to teach him. When we showed up, I walked into the nicest house I've ever seen in Brazil. Boy was it nice!  What's more, is that they prepared a feast for us! We weren't expecting anything like that at all! Their names are José and Dora (yes another Dora). They are Catholic, but really like us a lot. I'm not sure exactly why they received us so well. Their son lives in Holland, and I think they miss him a lot, so giving us a meal and some attention was a way for them to satisfy some of that longing-ness (like I'm sure my mom does with the Elders at home.....) We taught them the restoration. I've never taught "real" Catholics before....just people who say they are so they don't have to talk to us. The "real" Catholics rarely give us the time of day. Their usual response is "I was born Catholic, and I will die Catholic, and that's about all I have to say to you guys". It was a fun experience. They were interested in the Book of Mormon. We are going back there tonight with a couple from the ward who they know. Should be fun. A mission usually is! 

Until next time,

Elder McKinley