January 12, 2015

This week we went to Natal for leadership council.  There are many missionaries leaving this transfer (including Sister Francis), so there were a lot of testimonies.  All of the Sister Training Leaders, with the exception of four of us, are leaving, so there will be a lot of new callings this transfer. 

During the first 6 or 7 testimonies, which included all of the Sisters, no tears were shed, but then Elder Adams got up.  His face was already red and there were already tears streaming down his cheeks.  Well that got me started up, seeing that Elder Adams was my favorite district leader when I was serving here in Urick Graff the first time in May and June.

As I listened to this humble 25 year-old Elder who once didn't want to serve a mission and who once never paid attention in church and left early to go out to eat share his touching testimony of how his mission had changed his life and how he truly didn't want to go home, I pretty much had a waterfall falling down my face.  Vish!  I don't know what my reaction is going to be when I'm going to have to get up there in a couple of months, but I'm trying not to think about that.

This week Sister Francis and I went on divisions with the other dupla of Sisters in Abolicão. It ended up being very good.  We learned a lot of stuff and I will try talking to the Sisters later today, seeing that there are a few problems that need to be addressed.  I'm trying to think of how to communicate to them the necessity of change so that they can still feel my love.

This week, our investigator E. was baptized.  He is 60 years old and when we found him two and a half weeks ago, he was drunk.  When we asked him we he drank, he told us that it was because he liked to.  He was a street contact that we least expected would be baptized.  His wife, who is Methodist, let us come in and share messages with him because she truly wanted him to change and we gave her some hope. 

We were surprised when E. showed up at church these last two Sundays (we didn't give him a ride or call him up or anything, he just showed up).  As we shared messages with him and gave him pamphlets and The Book of Mormon to read, he surprisingly did all that we asked him to do and by the end of the second week had gotten a testimony of The Book of Mormon and had almost stopped drinking and smoking.  E. was interviewed on Saturday and baptized yesterday.  It was truly wonderful.  Fun Fact:  E.’s son is named “Elder”.

Yesterday, Sister Francis and I went to visit an investigator.  You may remember her, she was one of my investigators when I was serving her in Urick Graff in May. She just had a problem with the law of Chastity seeing that there was a married man that was always coming to her house to you know what. She had a testimony of The Book of Mormon and was really progressing. We were just trying to help her overcome this speedbump.  She even got so far as to call this man's wife, confess what was going on, and ask for forgiveness.  The man's wife told her that she was destroying their family and would never forgive her.  In the end, the investigator didn't get baptized.

Well, when I got back here to Urick Graff I decided to check back up on her.  She was a lot happier working and everything, but this man was still at it.  Last week Sister Francis and I had the opportunity to meet the man and he told us, surprisingly, that he had almost been baptized in the Mormon Church, and that if he ever joined a church it would be the Mormon Church because he knew it was true.  He also knew that what he was doing was wrong (Well, there's another "I saw a man sinning's"). 

Yesterday I felt that we should go back to visit the investigator.  As we were talking with her, she continuously expressed her concern that she was afraid that if she was baptized, she would not have the courage of strength to continue living the law of Chastity because she knew this man would come back. 

Suddenly, I started to feel the Spirit really strongly.  It was a strange sensation.  I felt that I should promise her that if she was baptized, this man would never return to her house.  It was really weird.  I spent minutes pondering what I was feeling and debating whether I should really make this promise. I was scared that if I made this promise, it might not come true. However, every time I thought about not making the promise, I felt this Spirit even stronger telling me that I needed to make it.  I knew that it was God and could not deny it.  I finally, with tears falling down my cheeks, did it.  I promised our investigator that if she was baptized this Sunday and she told the man what she had done, the man would never return to her house, because he knew the Church was true and he knew that what he was doing was wrong and it would be him who would be scared. 

The investigator started crying along with me.  In the end, she didn't agree to be baptized this Sunday, but she told us that she would deeply consider what we had said.  This was probably one of the most spiritual experiences I have had on my mission.  It is amazing to see the Lord working through me and using me as an instrument in his hands to touch and change the lives of the other people.  It is special to know that my Heavenly Father trusts me enough to know that when he gives me a message for someone else, He knows that I will follow through and deliver that message.

I love all of you so much!

Sister Dyer