Dear Everyone!
It’s been a crazy week, but super awesome!!! This week we had zone conference in Praia. Man, it was super awesome! Their were some great trainings given by the assistants that focused on using the spirit in our work, and how only by the spirit can true conversion come. I remember the very day when I felt the spirit so greatly that I just cried. I was reading the Book of Mormon. I had asked the Lord countless times to help me know that the Book of Mormon is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. Everything just came together. My life changed after that day. Zone conference was incredible. President Oliveira helped us to understand how we can strengthen our wards and to strengthen the members.
We were walking on the road this one day and we were passing this guy and as were passing each other, he kinda slowed down like he wanted to say hi, but he didn’t. I stopped and started talking to him. Apparently he had been taught EVERYTHING in Praia by sister like 1 week earlier. he had already gone to church a bunch and he had actually been interviewed to be baptized but his family basically said they would disown him if he got baptized. He is staying here in Assomada for 1 month and he says he wants to get baptized. We have talked to him a few times and he is super pumped, he is getting baptized this Saturday. Its weird how the simply the Lord gives us miracles. Pay attention for the miracles you see, they happen every day, or at least it seems like it.
We are also planning to have the baptism of Toca this week. Man, Toca is great. Toca ONLY understands Creole, so its super hard to teach her sometimes, but we have a member that is her neighbor, whose name is Hermana. She helps us teach her all the time. Toca had some serious problems with commandments when we first met her, but she has stopped completely, is repenting and wants to change for good. She has showed up to church for the last like 2 months straight. She doesn’t understand that much at church but she says she feels good. She doesn’t feel good when she is not at church. We had a family night and Toca was there. We watched the restoration film and we all bore our testimonies. Toca was the last testimony and man was it good. She bore a great testimony and she knew it was true. I’m so excited to see her be baptized this week!
We have been working with this less active brother and sister named Karlos and Daisy. They are super cool and have great testimonies of the gospel, they just got distanced and now feel like they don’t have a ton of friends at church. We have had some great lessons with them and now we are working to teach their friends. This Sunday we passed by Carlos and he opened the door like he had just woken up in his boxers haha. We gave him a white shirt and tie and he came to church, he loved it! He says he wants to serve a mission now, I think he is 17 years old. Man he is great, now we just have to work on Daisy.
We went to visit Ze and Nininha and their family again. They are doing great! We marked them for baptism and helped them understand that to be baptized they have to be keeping all of the commandments. We taught them the Law of Chastity and taught them the blessings that will come to them and their family through marriage. They agreed to prepare to be married on like the 20th of July. Nininha is a lot more excited than Ze, but we will keep working with them. Also, one of their sons named Ivandro showed up to our activity on Saturday and also to church, it was great to see him.
I went on a division to a nearby area called Riberao Manel. I worked with Elder Gomes, a Cabo Verdian, he is from the island of Fogo from Cova Figueira. I don’t think I have ever walked so much in one day. Just to reach one part of their area you have to walk at least 1 hour and a half. It was ridiculous, but super cool!
We also had an awesome activity again this last Saturday. The activities are really helping the ward come together have fun and integrate the recent converts and investigators, its great. They did a dance night type of thing where groups of people would come up and dance to music of their choice, it was actually really sweet!
On Saturday night, I prayed specifically to know that Joseph Smith restored the true church on the earth and if he really was a prophet, I don’t know if i have prayed so much intent before. I wasn’t exactly sure how I would receive an answer. On Sunday morning, the bishop calls us and says he needs us to give a talk in sacrament meeting. He said the topic was the restoration. I gave the first talk in sacrament meeting and i have never told that story with more surety in my heart that Joseph Smith saw God the father and his Son and was called a Prophet of God. I know for a fact that God answered my prayer. Even if it was just to give a talk, I have never had so much surety the words I spoke were true. I honestly feel that the words that came out of my mouth were not mine.
Man, it’s been a great week, I’m so excited to see what happens this week. At least like six more missionaries should be coming into our zone, so that should be super awesome. I’m pumped, transfers are this next week! Crazy how fast time has gone.
Love,
Elder Rice