Boom!
Guess what movie my quote is from!
What a good week. I have some good stories for everyone!
So, first of all my district is a miracle district. We have been baptizing A TON! I am so grateful for this. Elder Earl and Elder Machado, the other dupla in my district, had NO ONE this week who was prepared to be baptized. They have tons of people to teach but for the first week during this transfer, they were not going to have a baptism. Well about wednesday Elder Earl tells Elder Machado that he is going to have his first week on his mission without a baptism, to which Elder Machado replied, "I don't know Elder Earl, I think God could still provide for us."
Well, THAT day they got a call from a member in the ward, Alessandra. The week before, Elder Machado had given Alessandra's sister a Book of Mormon and told her to read. Turns out, she had been reading, knew it was true, and wanted to get baptized that week! So they taught and prayed with her and taught her again on thursday, then called me at about 5 pm and asked if I could do an interveiw for them that day! Luckily at 5 pm I was already at the church so I said "sure, but can we do it NOW?" the Elder was a littled startled but in the end we had the interview. It was fantastic and the spirit was truly there with us. Despite the speed of her conversion, I felt she was truly ready to be baptized and on saturday at 6 pm, she was. Elder Machados faith provided a way and because of that, Elder Earl has baptized 20 people in one area of his mission, in 21 weeks. What a miracle!
My companion is also a man of miracles. This week I have really been pondering the importance of EXACT, 100% obedience. I have just felt that the Lord truly expects that of me right now on my mission and I have been making bigs steps to achieve such. HOWEVER, I had been feeling some coutner-pull from my companion all week and it was just bothering me. He, in his words told me "We are practically doing everything." I wanted him to understand that PRACTICALLY is not EXACTLY. So eventually we had a long talk about it and it really hit him hard. THEN, that same day (friday), as we were preparing for the day ahead of us, he realized he had lost his english study book. I was lying in my hammock in my white shirt, tie, and all, studying in Revelations and not paying much attention to him. He just kept pacing around. Then he left the room of a few minutes and re-entered in white shirt and tie (normally he wears regular clothes in the house.) Then he turned off the music he had playing (he was listening to some samba which is typical Brazilian music) Right after that he found his lost notebook. Keep in mind, I did not notice any of this unitl he recounted the story to me. What had occured was this. He had HEARD in his mind; "Stop searching and put on your shirt." "Turn off the music." "Good, now go look underneath your backpack." He was freaked out because he had never HEARD the spirit speak to him before. I pondered on this experience for a few minutes and left him to think as well. Then I asked him "What was the spirit trying to tell you. What are you going to do?" He replied that he realized he could not receive help or hear the spirit if he was not prepared to do so and he decided right there to get rid of ALL that music he had and to become more diligent. I just pray that this lesson we learned sticks with both of us through the rest of our missions.
So in this process to become better, I have decided to exercise EVERY DAY!!! Yes, I have made a promise to get up and exercise every morning. Well, this week I have been successful and I FEEL GREAT!!!!
We had a zone training with the President. It was a lot about doctrine and also about VIRTUE. Really, he just wanted us to ponder whether we consider ourselves virtuous in all our thoughts and actions. Something we should all think about.
We had a guy stop us on the street this week. He stopped us and asked us to wait for a second because he was going to grab his book and we were going to preach from it to him. (We were not sure what book he was talking about.) He ran inside and then after a few minutes came back out with a BOOK OF MORMON. We were shocked. He said he read the book every night. But he also said, "Hey, look. I will never go to church or stop drinking, but you guys can always come by." So I guess he can be our new project. haha.
So last week I told you all abouy Nilza and her baptism. This week we baptised Eliana, Nilzas sister. She has been reading and she loves going to church. Infact she was supposed to be baptized last week but she had a pastor teach her last week, who told her that we were the church of the devil. That we were lairs. So she was scared. But we talked to her again and she prayed and realized she KNEW that this church is the church of God. She asked my companion to baptize her which was his FIRST TIME baptizing anyone in his life. It was wonderful to see him all dressed in my white clothes. haha. It was such a golden moment for me.
I have such a firm testimony in this gospel. I have just come to believe more and more, little by little every day. BUT, I do not just know, I FEEL it. I UNDERSTAND it. I LIVE it. This mission has literally changed EVERYTHING about how I see the world. I feel like a new person. I feel a joy that NOTHING ever gave me before. Not even music makes me feel the way that this work, these truths, this love makes me feel. I have traveled to many places in the world. I have seen many amazing things. I have won many awards and have had the pleasure to be apart of championships. But none of that makes me feel so happy and so much joy like the Gospel of Christ has given me. I invite all to read the Book of Mormon and ask God, the Eternal Father, if it's true. I invite all to re-dedicate to a more diligent study of the Bible. I love the Lord. In him my soul delights.
Eu vos amo.
Elder Asa Laws
My companion is also a man of miracles. This week I have really been pondering the importance of EXACT, 100% obedience. I have just felt that the Lord truly expects that of me right now on my mission and I have been making bigs steps to achieve such. HOWEVER, I had been feeling some coutner-pull from my companion all week and it was just bothering me. He, in his words told me "We are practically doing everything." I wanted him to understand that PRACTICALLY is not EXACTLY. So eventually we had a long talk about it and it really hit him hard. THEN, that same day (friday), as we were preparing for the day ahead of us, he realized he had lost his english study book. I was lying in my hammock in my white shirt, tie, and all, studying in Revelations and not paying much attention to him. He just kept pacing around. Then he left the room of a few minutes and re-entered in white shirt and tie (normally he wears regular clothes in the house.) Then he turned off the music he had playing (he was listening to some samba which is typical Brazilian music) Right after that he found his lost notebook. Keep in mind, I did not notice any of this unitl he recounted the story to me. What had occured was this. He had HEARD in his mind; "Stop searching and put on your shirt." "Turn off the music." "Good, now go look underneath your backpack." He was freaked out because he had never HEARD the spirit speak to him before. I pondered on this experience for a few minutes and left him to think as well. Then I asked him "What was the spirit trying to tell you. What are you going to do?" He replied that he realized he could not receive help or hear the spirit if he was not prepared to do so and he decided right there to get rid of ALL that music he had and to become more diligent. I just pray that this lesson we learned sticks with both of us through the rest of our missions.
So in this process to become better, I have decided to exercise EVERY DAY!!! Yes, I have made a promise to get up and exercise every morning. Well, this week I have been successful and I FEEL GREAT!!!!
We had a zone training with the President. It was a lot about doctrine and also about VIRTUE. Really, he just wanted us to ponder whether we consider ourselves virtuous in all our thoughts and actions. Something we should all think about.
We had a guy stop us on the street this week. He stopped us and asked us to wait for a second because he was going to grab his book and we were going to preach from it to him. (We were not sure what book he was talking about.) He ran inside and then after a few minutes came back out with a BOOK OF MORMON. We were shocked. He said he read the book every night. But he also said, "Hey, look. I will never go to church or stop drinking, but you guys can always come by." So I guess he can be our new project. haha.
So last week I told you all abouy Nilza and her baptism. This week we baptised Eliana, Nilzas sister. She has been reading and she loves going to church. Infact she was supposed to be baptized last week but she had a pastor teach her last week, who told her that we were the church of the devil. That we were lairs. So she was scared. But we talked to her again and she prayed and realized she KNEW that this church is the church of God. She asked my companion to baptize her which was his FIRST TIME baptizing anyone in his life. It was wonderful to see him all dressed in my white clothes. haha. It was such a golden moment for me.
I have such a firm testimony in this gospel. I have just come to believe more and more, little by little every day. BUT, I do not just know, I FEEL it. I UNDERSTAND it. I LIVE it. This mission has literally changed EVERYTHING about how I see the world. I feel like a new person. I feel a joy that NOTHING ever gave me before. Not even music makes me feel the way that this work, these truths, this love makes me feel. I have traveled to many places in the world. I have seen many amazing things. I have won many awards and have had the pleasure to be apart of championships. But none of that makes me feel so happy and so much joy like the Gospel of Christ has given me. I invite all to read the Book of Mormon and ask God, the Eternal Father, if it's true. I invite all to re-dedicate to a more diligent study of the Bible. I love the Lord. In him my soul delights.
Eu vos amo.
Elder Asa Laws
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