I can't believe you'll be here in 2 weeks!

September 28, 2015

Como vai? I can’t believe you guys are going to be here in 2 weeks! I still have trouble imagining how life must be for people who aren’t missionaries. My last companion will be Elder Ribeiro, I forgot where he’s from but I think it’s São Paulo. He has about 10 months on the mission or something like that and he’ll be a new zone leader, so we’re pretty excited. We´ll be working in a three-some until Elder Freeman goes home later this week. I liked the photos you sent of the BYU football fireside. Sounds like the game was rough, but I liked the picture of the Slippery Rock score they showed at the game haha. 



So this week didn’t exactly go as planned, but I learned a lot. This week we were teaching 2 families (7 people in all) who had all accepted to be baptized on the 4th of October, and they had said every day of the week that they were going to go to church Sunday. I had prayed so much for these 2 families, especially Saturday night. After pondering on some scriptures that say if we don’t doubt, God will bless us according to what we ask, (Mormon 9:21, Mark 9:23) https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/morm/9.21 and https://www.lds.org/media-library/images/meme-bible-mark-believe-possible-1342064?lang=eng  I was certain that God was going to bless us so that these 2 families would be able to go to church and be baptized next week. 

However, when we went to knock on the one family’s door Sunday morning they said that the 2 year old was super sick and the grandma had to take care of her and the mom had been called to work (she was unemployed and the first day they called her was this Sunday). When we went to get the other family they had reasons equally convincing and upsetting. I was convinced that they were going to be baptized on the 4th. We had taught them so diligently about the commandments and obedience.

As I walked to church with Elder Freeman and quietly pondered, Why didn’t this work out? Did I not follow what the scripture says, ask, doubting nothing, and you shall receive. Doesn’t God have power over sickness? So then why did the girl get sick Saturday night right before church if God knew that would stop them from going to church. Then I thought that anything can happen, but what’s more important is that I follow Nephi’s example never murmuring and never doubting. 

As we walked into the church with our heads down, after only 30 seconds someone from the other ward came over to us and said, Are you the Elders from Tancredo Neves? There’s a boy here who is 17 and I’m trying to figure out how he can get baptized. He’s been coming for 3 months and he goes to seminary every week day. She then called him and we talked a little and scheduled his interview for today and baptism for Tuesday before Elder Freeman leaves the area. So maybe I won’t end up baptizing 2 families this week, but I learned a lot about how if we ask, doubting nothing, God blesses us according to our will, but His will as well. But this is my last week to find people to be baptized during my mission, so I’ll be praying and working a lot to find a family this week. 

I hope everyone’s doing well at home, sounds like all is well.  I hope you guys have a good week, don’t forget to study the Book of Mormon every day personally and as a family. Have a great week! Love you guys

-Elder Udy




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