E Um caiu na agua!

So this week was absolutely crazy! In the best sort of way.

So let me break it down. 

We have a Recent Convert Juliana(11) and we've been teaching her mom, Lucia, since I arrived. She was kinda an eternal pesquisadora. Her family is all in the church and now her daughter. She reads the Book of Mormon everyday with Juliana and loves to go to church. Three weeks ago we marked this past Saturday for her batismo. She was super excited! 

Sunday, we had annonced that her baptism would be Saturday. Well, afterwards, turns out she didn't want to be baptized afterall.

Well. We knew one thing for sure. We would have a baptism this weekend no matter what. Come Thursday we still had no idea! So we did the only thing we could think of. Prayer and fasting. 

I testify now of the power of the fast. Truly fasting is one thing incredible. We can truly feel close to our Lord and Savior when fasting. And honestly, miracles happen when we dedicate ourselves to the task. We set out with a list of names Thursday morning of people who could be baptized Saturday or Sunday and with a plea for our Father in Heaven that we would not enter any house that didn't truly have the desire yet. 

House after house, no one was home. Until Lucia.

We rounded the corner to her house and there she was, gettting ready to leave. She invited us in and it seemed to be an impossible task. Everything was against our visit with her. Her son kept entering, slamming cupboards, neighbor kids kept knocking, and a friend of her's came in and started interrupting and asking insane questions when all at once a calm came over us. Truly, Sister Knuth and I started working in union reading powerful scriptures about the Atonement and Repentance. Honestly, I wish I could remember everything that was said. I wish I could relive that moment. All I know is that we had asked for a dom do linguas, and not only for the ability to talk in Portugues but for the ability to speak Lucia's language. The Language of her Heart. The words she needed. 

My Portugues wasn't perfect. And I dont expect it to be yet, but some miracle truly happened. Midsentence Lucia said,"Eu dicidi. Eu vou me batizar." I've decided. I will be baptized." 

And truly she was a changed Sunday morning when we visited with her after church. She had a light that was there before. A joy within her.

I'm so truly grateful for the opportunity I have to share this gospel with people. Before my mission I definitely did not understand the power of Repentance. But truly there is nothing more powerful and not more 'doce.' Sweet. We can truly be changed through the atonement of Christ. We have an opportunity to have a new life. Not only through the baptism, but every Sunday through the Sacrament. We take His name upon ourselves and only by His name are we saved.

"E Um caiu na agua!" 

All my love. To the Moon and More,

Sister Hemmert