Follow the Promptings

Elder Theodoro and I with Nayara and her family - Marlene & Webster, Thaynara, Laura

This past week was super great. I know I say that every week but it really was. We had the opportunity to feel the guidance and promptings of the Lord as we worked with His sons and daughters that have been prepared to receive His message. It is great to work and feel the Lord guiding you to those who are searching for Him and a better life. I just got to Piracicaba for a leadership meeting tomorrow so I am sorry but I only have a few minutes to get his written. I'll have to make it quick.

Monday, we had an FHE with a member that is active but just in the sense of that he goes to church. He could use some strengthening. So we decided to talk to him. He is a teen that is 15 yrs old. We challenged him to invite all his friends from the condominio where he lives to play soccer or basketball with us. Ends up quite a few were interested in coming and getting to know us! Initially I think they love hearing an American speak Portuguese! hahaha. But ultimately it is the Spirit that speaks to their hearts. So we went there and played basketball, soccer and then shared a message with them. We invited them to continue to receive our messages and they all accepted. So we marked dates to meet with them this week.

Nayara, who we have been teaching and whose family joined the church a year or so ago, is getting baptized this week and will be sealed to her family in the temple on the 28th. I am happy for her and for the blessing it is for the whole family. She is ready now and has moved forward and followed the Spirit. It has been a great blessing to be part of it. Danilo has also marked a day for baptism this week. We also have four more people we are teaching marked for the following two weeks. We had all our investigators at church this past Sunday also which was super awesome! The Lord is blessing us for sure.

With Nayara after church

Wednesday was another great day. We went to Rio Claro 1 to help the sisters. We visited some investigators that they are teaching and then went to visit some other people for them. They had some appts to go to so we went by ourselves in a neighborhood that they have been working in. Elder Theodoro and I have been talking and working on how we can truly follow the Lords promptings in all we do. We decided that we would try to follow an impression on the first time that we feel it instead of thinking about it then following it. We just started following every impression that was good. Many blessings came and good contacts were made through following those promptings. We finished our work in that area and we were going back to our meet up with the sisters to go back to our area. We were passing a street and saw a man standing outside his house on the side of the road. I felt like we should go talk to him so I did and spoke with him a little about who we were and asked if we could help him in a way. He said that he needed help because he was without a job and had been looking for a job for a long time without any success. We invited him to the self efficiency class that the church has to help people put together a better resume to give to companies and employers. He accepted and we asked if we could go into his house and meet his family and leave them with a prayer to bless him and his family. He gave us excuses and rejected the offer. I felt that it was essential that I persist with him. I persisted and asked him if he didn't have "2 minutes to talk to God in a prayer or worship him". I sometimes think if we really think about what we are rejecting we will reconsider. He then reconsidered and let us in and we ended up teaching the first lesson to him and his mother. They have since accepted to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it's truthfulness. They have felt the Spirit in the lessons and are thinking they will be baptized at the end of the month. What a blessing it is to have the guidance of the Holy Ghost in our lives that prompts us. Through following the small and simple prompting that we needed to persist, Jefferson and his mother's lives can be forever changed for the better. What a great gift we have all been given to have the guidance of the Holy Ghost in our lives. I love the Lord and I am thankful to be serving Him here in Brazil.

After district meeting with Sisters Silva, Wood, Fullmer and Gamarra and Elders Kleinkauff, Sederholm, & Theodoro

Have a wonderful week. Thank you for your support and love. Love you all!
Elder Davis