Oi família!
Well, it´s really here.
I´ll be home here in a few days (don´t ask me how many, I´m not counting
nor do I plan to) and it´s a really, really, really weird feeling. But just to let everyone know, May 6th, 10:30
AM, Élder Evans will be back in Salt Lake.
Weird.
But this week had some ups and downs. We had a baptism, which is always
awesome! Irmã Filáucia decided to follow
the example of our Savior Jesus Christ and be baptized a member of the
church. It was an extremely spiritual
service. Irmã Filáucia is a very simple
woman with a very strong testimony. She
was talking to us on the way to her baptism on Saturday night and she said,
"Well, I was talking to my friend who´s from another church and I told her
that I´m going to be baptized in the Mormon church. She didn´t like that (yeah, there´s
anti-mormons even in Brasil)" and we said, "Oh, and what did you
say?" and she responded, "I
said, Well, it´s where I feel good and I know it´s what´s right, so it´s what
I´m going to do!" She got spunk,
Irmã Filáucia. We had a member who helps
us out a lot, Matheus, baptize her. It
was awesome.
Remember that family that we brought to church last week of
5 that accepted baptismal dates for this Saturday? Well, it didn´t quite work out. It was one of the most dificult but spiritual
lessons of my mission, We headed over to talk and the dad began to explain why
it wasn´t going to work out. He said
that they weren´t ready to live what we taught and that they had given up. We began talking about the Plan of Salvation
and how each of us began as a spirit child of our Heavenly Father. We explained that we had chosen to follow
Jesus Christ before this life and that our purpose was to follow Him in this
life as well. We explained that this
life is our time to prepare to meet God and that we need to prepare today
because we never know what tomorrow holds.
We talked about how one day we will be judged for our actions in this
life and that we will have to explain to the Lord why we did what we did and
why we didn´t do what we didn´t. We
finalized explainig, "Look, we´re not to simply bring you to another good
church. We´re not here to tell you that
your whole life is sin and that you need to change. We are here because the Lord loves each and
every one of you and He wants you back home with Him. We know that what we teach is true and that
it will bless you guys beyond your ability to comprehend, but you will have to
make a sacrifice. Are you willing to
sacrifice everything you have to follow Jesus Christ?" They thought about it, and thought about it,
and finally decided, "I know that I need to. But not now.
Not today." With that we
invited them to pray about the decision that they had made and kindly reminded
them that the church is always open to them.
Though it was a sad lesson, the Spirit was really strong as we taught
and testified. Even though they decided
to turn us down, they understood what they were rejecting. I think that was almost the worst part, but
at the same time, we can´t condemn others for the choices they make, just
counsel them with how to do better. But,
I am extremely grateful to be a missionary, born of goodly parents, who taught
me the ways of the Lord. I´m grateful to
know that as I hold fast to gospel principles and truths that I and my family
will be blessed, guided, and protected all the way back to our celestial
home.
How does it feel to have to come home? It´s really weird. It´s also really sad, because I love these
people and I will miss them greatly. But
at the same time, the words of scriptures that I have already shared explain
more deeply the feelings that I have of my service as a misionary.
Alma 36:24-25
Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored
without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring
them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also
be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.
Yea, and now behold,
O my son, the Lord doth give me exceedingly great joy in the fruit of my labors
Doctrine and Covenants 58: 6-7
Behold, verily I say unto you, for this cause I have sent
you—that you might be obedient, and that your hearts might be prepared to bear
testimony of the things which are to come;
And also that you
might be honored in laying the foundation, and in bearing record of the land
upon which the Zion of God shall stand;
Alma 26:14-16
Yea, we
Yea, they were encircled about with everlastingdarkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.
Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will glory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his mercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel.
From the beginning to the end, I have loved every minute.
Eu amo ser missionário. Nunca na minha vida eu imaginei que seria algo tão maravilhoso quanto que era. Eu louvarei para sempre o Pai Celestial e meu Salvador por tão grande uma oportunidade. Até o último minuto eu farei tudo que eu posso para a salvação de meus queridos e amados irmãos. Amo vocês. Até casa.
Pela última vez, (For the last time),
Élder Evans
1) Filáucia´s Baptism
2) We did it!
3) Looking to the future with hope
You probably always do this, but here is the translation
from google translate; what a great summary.
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