Week 23
This week was a little rough cause a lot of people cortou the gente
and we cut (stopped teaching) a lot of people too...so we really are starting
over again trying to find people that are willing to change and cumprir the
compromissos that we leave them!! but yeah this week was rough...a lot of tears
and a lot of ups and downs!!
One story that I have to tell is about Wellyngton (my first
baptism). He hasn’t been confirmed yet so we have been visiting him, but the
problem is that he works a lot and he´s started to drink and smoke again! Em
fim, we passed by his house, I think it was quarta-feira (ummm I think its Wednesday)
day 6 of January, at night time and we were with Thiago and Emanoel (recent
converts) and we started talking with wellington and we started to ask how he
was, how´s it going with work, with The word of Wisdom (alcohol/cigarettes) ...he
said that he stopped drinking but he doesn’t want to give up smoking...tá bom!
So I start talking to him about The Gift of the Holy Ghost that he needs to receive
for his baptism to be complete! He said to me, `No, the Mormons isn’t the
church for me, I’m not gonna go back, no, it´s not for me` Tá bom...sister Leal
started talking and I was just fighting back the feelings of anger and sadness!
I started talking again after sister Leal and I was asking questions and
explaining that we can be happy for ever, not only here on this earth right
now, when we keep the commandments, when we partake of the sacrament, when we
really esforcar to be better and to be more like Christ!! Side note: it´s really
annoying to be when we explain to people what they need to do to receive blessings,
but they just wont do it! They say that they want to be blessed, they say that
they want to follow the example of Christ, but then when we ask them to
actually do something, they´re like awwww nah, I want to go to the beach, nahh
I want to keep smoking cause it´s just too hard to quit!.em fim, back to wellington!!
something amazing happened to me...I was praying to know what I needed to say
to help him get back to church. At this point sister Leal was talking again and
I was just listening and praying and all of a sudden I think Alma 5...alright I
knew that Alma 5 talks about repentance but I didn´t know what verse...all of a
sudden 32 popped into my head!! I had no idea what this verse said, but I
thought tá bom lets see!! LET ME JUST TELL YOU THAT THIS VERSE WAS PERFECT!!!!
This part of the Book of Mormon is literally perfect!! It will burn anyone and
anything if they aren’t following the commandments lol!! But yeah...I read the
scripture and I just felt filled with the spirit. I just started to talk and
explain the scriptures in Alma 5:32-35 ( I read a little more than just 32) and
I felt the spirit so strong! after all that wellington still said, `yeah I
know, but no Mormon isn’t for me, I wont go back.`UGH THE ANGER!!!! haha I
started to talk and he started to talk and I was like Wellington, I just want
to bear my testimony to you, posso falar?! em fim, I bore my testimony to him
about our Savior...I felt the spirit so strong and I just had so many emotions,
I was just talking and bearing my testimony and lightweight quemando him! When
we left the tears came...I cried a lot! Sister Leal helped me and comforted me,
but I was filled with so much anger and love and sadness! It´s just so hard to
explain the feelings that I had...I did literally all that I could do, and he
chose not to listen. That moment I think I understood a little bit more of what
our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ feel when one of us doesn't follow
the commandments, or when we choose not to repent! Because of this experience,
I learned a lot! I grew THAT much closer to my Savior!
different day: Another example that tested my patience. We were
teaching a young girl, Wandala, the Restoration and literally SHE TALKED SOOO
MUCH!! I started to explain the First vision, and after she said that she didn’t
understand and that she wasn’t paying attention (ugh) and so I started to
explain that Joseph Smith saw Jesus Christ and God and then she started to talk
over me and she kept asking questions like How did Joseph Smith die...hahah now
I can laugh about it but literally it was so annoying and a test of my patience.
But that literally happened 6 times I said the same phrase, `Joseph Smith saw
Jesus Christ and God and then something happened, she started to talk or
somebody walked by and she wasn’t paying attention ahaha..it was just so
strange!! So yeah that was that and I was really annoyed because I just didn’t
feel the spirit, but after that we had another lesson just like the lesson with
wandala, I wont go into details because I don’t have a lot of time, but lets
just say that Dona Maria chose not to follow the example of Christ and accept
to be baptized! She said she believed in Joseph Smith, in Thomas s. Monson and
that this igreja was the only church...but when we invited her to be baptized
she said no and that she wasn’t ready...we bore our testimonies sobre baptism
and about Jesus Christ and that this was the path she should take...and yet
Nothing!!! I was getting so frustrated I didn’t feel the spirit! So sister Leal
and I left and I was just so annoyed, I had to say a prayer! alright, wahhoo, I
feel a little better I said a prayer, let´s go meet Cristiane (pres de Relief society)
to go visit a less active Rossana (she forgot she was baptized, we found her,
invited her to be baptized, she accepted but she said that she remembered that
she was already baptized). Alright, we show up and we walk up to her husband
that is sitting outside of their house and we say Oi boa noite and he starts to
say, so yeah we´re of the Assembly and we don´t want to know more about your
church and we already told you that we are of the assembly and we don’t want
you guys to come back!... I was like yeah we know that you´re of that church,
you already said that the other day...but then he got up entered the house and
he grabbed the book of Mormon and give it to the gente and was like we don’t
want this in our house we don’t want that you guys come back, Rossana is at
church right now with our neighbor, please just don’t come back! Take your
book, give it to someone that will read it, but just don’t come back here!! I
was like you gotta be kidding, what kind of day is this! haha it was just a
really rough and trying day!! Everyone was denying the gente!!
I guess that´s what I get for praying for help with patience and loving
the people here!! haha
I´m really grateful for these experience because I know that I can
learn something every time!! usually it´s after the fact, but I´m just so
grateful that I know this church is True and that we have the Restored gospel
on the earth today, and that right now I have the chance to be in Natal, Brazil
to share it with some of the most wonderful people!!
oh...it´s been raining here a lot this week...and that day that was kind
of horrible, it rained most of the day and the sky stayed gray and depressing!!
hahaha oh the irony!! (makes sense or no?) haha what’s funny to me is that I
read Scott’s emails with this vocab bem fancy and what not and I’m over here
struggling to remember what is irony...LOLZ!!!
but em fim...I was reading the talk given by Elder Costa about the
Sabbath Day..guh it´s sooo good!! GO READ IT!!!! it´s from this past
conference!! and also 3 Nephi 18 talks about the sacrament and it helped me strengthen
my testimony of the importance of keeping the Sabbath day holy and to partake
of the sacrament!!
LOVE YOU ALL!! Love you mom. Praying for the mowreys...love them so
much!!
-Love Sister Talentino
FICA FELIZ!!!!
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