Hope everyone had an AMAZING EASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FELIZ PASCOA!!!!!!!!!
Easter has become my new favorite day of the year. It is a day of miracles and I learned so much about the true meaning of the atonement and our saviors sacrifice!!!!
Yesterday! We had a baptism!!!!!!!!!!!! A family! (couple) haha Maria and Ramos!!!!!!!!!!! They have been married for about 33 years and I have never meet two people with more faith than this couple. I love them so much! They taught me so much about the many of sacrifice.
Maria is the sister of my recent-convert Joao! He invited her to his baptism and she came to see him receive the Holy Ghost. That day she stayed to watch a baptism. And it was like a child of christmas, she knew the church was true and wanted to be baptized. She invited us to her house and the next day we met Ramos. Maria had told him EVERYTHING and before we could even say our names he told us that he wanted to visit the church the following Sunday! haha
After that we began to teach them and their grandaughter Edwarda. We are also teaching their son Marcos. As we were teaching them Ramos began to have serious problems in his back and legs. These problems create a huge amount of pain when he stays in one spot for to long. But every Sunday he sat through all the meetings and if he could stand the pain (he stands up in the back); but he never left. He wanted to be baptized so bad but he was scared to death that he would not get better and would not be able to make it to church. But everyweek he pushed through. The faith this man has makes me cry just thinking about how he suffers.
Yesterday- He really showed his faith and desire to be baptized. Saturday night (the day before his baptism) he was in such pain that he was in the hospital all night. And he returned home 7am in the morning. Maria told him that she would be baptized and that he could wait for another Sunday, but he told her no I will be baptized today. And he took a shower and went to church 9 am. And he stayed in all of the meetings; all three. And he was in so much pain he began to throw up in the bathroom. But he knew this was the only true church and the only way to salvation: that he stayed and did not tell anyone. (We found out all of this hours after the baptism.) And when the baptism came (12 o'clock) He hadn't eaten, was in extreme pain hadn't slept, and was completely sick to his stomach. He waited patiently for his turn and I have never seen such joy. His smile brought tears to my eyes. And in that moment I didn't know of the pain he was in, I just saw the joy in his eyes. He was a new Ramos, he was clean, and he knew it. He knew and knows that he is following the example of his Savior. He didn't complain and he didn't rush any minute. He showed me - the true value of this gospel. What are you willing to sacrifice to be clean?
I know that God guides this church and that the gospel is the only way the only path. I never have an excuse to not go to church again. That is where I need to be every week. That is where we all need to be. Ramos showed me that. Maria and Ramos showed me the importance of faith, sacrifice, and commitment to God. They do not know how to read and so everything they do is on faith alone- and the knowledge they have from prayer and the spirit!
I love you all so much! Feliz Pascoa! Happy Easter. A time of new beginnings and a time to remember our Lord and Savior. He sacrificed his life for us and he experienced all our pains. Its now our turn!
Sister Wheatley
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