An Instrument in His hands

Well...

Things are going just swell down hear in Brazil. We had a baptism this week. Her name is Rosangela, she is a good lady. We actually cut her and stopped teaching her. But then one day we decided to go back just to see how things were. She said that she had received an answer that the Church was true and that she wanted to be baptised the following Sunday. It was a bit of a headache because it was Stake Conference and everyone was just not on the same page. We would have baptised her at the stake center....

GGGGGGGOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL!!!! Brazil just made a goal. Yes, all of Brazil is screaming right now.

...Anyway, returning to my story. We would have baptized her in the Stake Center that morning, but it was all "uma bagunça" [just a mess] so we decided to move the baptism to later that night and we did. :)

Well, Elder Erick is up to par right now and we are back to 100%. We actually played soccer this morning, (4 goals by me) it was good for him to get up and move around for a little bit.

But this week was not the best week. I mean, ya, we baptized someone but it just wasn't the best week for the work. The World Cup is coming up soon, and Brazil is scrimmaging a lot these days. So it's basically the hardest thing to do, to speak about God to these people. I could say that soccer is the number one religion in this country. So it has been kind of a discouraging week. We just keep fighting the good fight.

We have a lot of good people that have been progressing though. Rykar is one of them he is a Rapaz, of 17 years old. He loves the church and loves the friends that he has made there. But his problem is the usual one... "I'm scared to be baptised." Maybe he just doesn't want the responsibility or something. We actually are going there today to teach him and his mom (another promising). We want to get to the bottom of his problems and respond to his concerns. That's one thing I have learned to love. Finding out the problem and then solving it with the Spirit. It's the best thing ever when you really can feel the Lord using you as a instrument it His hands to bring salvation to His children. It's amazing because sometimes you don't know the answers, but your testimony does. Your testimony, you could say, is your weapon against Satan. He will throw anything he can in your way but with a testimony "inabalavle" [he has nothing on you.]

Sit and think about your testimony of Christ and his teachings. Reflect on how it has saved you from sin and I promise that you will be strengthened.

I know this Church is true church of Christ on the earth today.

I love you,

Elder Manis

...about my package...throw a football in there...a real one :-))