This week probably had some of the most spiritual lessons that I have ever been a part of on my whole entire mission.
I think it was Sunday and we went to visit a man named Fleurisner, (no i didnt spell it wrong) a man from Haiti, his wife Milaine and their friend Peniel. The people from Haiti are the most humble people on this planet. Many live here because of the earthquake that happened a few years back. They usually don't have a lot of money because they are having to learn Portuguese and have to work manual labor jobs. So they usually live in groups.
We got to this house on Sunday and a different person answered the door. He said his name was James and he went to go get Fleurisner. But when we saw this guy there was just something really different about him. I just had this overwhelming feeling like if we didn't talk to that guy the world would end or something! Looking back it is really easy to see that it was the Holy Ghost trying to get us to talk to this guy.
Anyways Fleurisner came and let us in and James ended up leaving before we could get the chance to talk to him. But we went back on Tuesday and James was there! So we invited him to participate in the lesson with us. We started talking and got to know James a little bit better. Then we came to the subject of the Book of Mormon. Keep in mind these guys are native speakers of French and Creol not Portugues so this is all broken portuguese here. Then James asked if the book talked about a Moroni and a Joseph Smith.
He then told us that he has quite a few family members that live in the States. One time his Father had came back from a trip and brought a box of books back to Haiti. This was 7 years ago. In the box was a copy of the Book of Mormon in French. So he started reading it. And at that time he asked God if the Book was true and felt that it was but he couldn't find the church or any members. He didn't even know which church it was. He ended up having to leave there and left the book behind. And he has been praying for a long time to find members of the church that used that book. So that day we left him a copy in Portuguese and invited him to pray again.
We go back Thursday. James said he wouldn't be there so we marked to visit him today, Saturday. But James was there and after the opening prayer he said he wanted to tell us something.He said that Tuesday night he started reading and that he prayed. And after he prayed he said that a man appeared to him in white and told him that this was Christ's church on the earth today. He then told us that he always knew that Christ's church had to exist. He said many people have invited him to tons of churches here in Brazil but he knew that all of them were false. And he has been praying to know which church that he needed to join. He said he went to bed so happy that night because he had finally gotten his answer!
But that isn't the best part. Wednesday was his birthday. James has a "madrinha" or a "godmother" that lives in the U.S. His mother, the godmother and he all went to the same church back in Haiti. His mother was killed in Haiti 7 months ago and it has been really hard for him lately. So his godmother called him on his B-day the day after our visit, wednesday and said she had to tell him something. She said that the church they had been going to was not the true church and that she had just been baptized in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She said that that was the true church.
Can you believe that kind of answer? But that's not all.So after this we invited him to be baptized. He said yes but he wanted to pray about it. This morning we went there with a Haitian member from the ward and another Haitian investigator that is going to church that Moore is teaching.
He started the lesson off telling us that he prayed about being baptized and that night he had a dream and in it he saw himself with Salomão and I in a baptismal font and he was getting baptized.This all happened without him even going to church! He is so amazing! And Fleurisner is awesome as well! I don't have anymore time but if i did there would be a lot more I could write!But the elect hear the voice of the Lord and they don't harden their hearts. God is preparing people. And we gotta find them!
Thank you so much for all of your prayers. It was those prayers that helped us find this guy! Keep it up!
I love you all so much! I hope everything is going well back home! Share the Gospel so that the Spirit of missionary work may be shared with you. Have a great week!Elder Keller
No comments:
Post a Comment