Finding God's Elect (Week 6)

My dear family and friends!

Ah, what another amazing week on this amazing mission. I think I've used amazing too many times but to find an English thesaurus here would be a challenge. Just bear with my English, it will probably only go downhill from here. ;)

But really. what a blessed week! On Wednesday we got to go to the Campinas Temple and the spirit that is felt there is really undeniable. It's like my spiritual batteries were recharged and we left there with a new found desire to let ALL people receive the great gift of the restored gospel so that they can be baptised and one day enjoy the blessings of the temple. It was awesome to be there with all the missionaries and to meet new people and make new friendships. I really feel the São Paulo North Mission is a big happy family, we know how to have fun but how to focus and BAPTISE! :D If you have a temple recommend, go there often! If you don't, work towards that righteous goal with help from the bishop and other church members. It is really the closest place to Heaven on earth.

This week we were teaching on the street that our recent-convert José Berto lives in and Elder Zenteno got the feeling we should knock on a certain gate. We asked her neighbour what her name was and she told us it was Simone. So, we clapped at the gate and called "SIMONE!". To get people to come meet us at the gate instead of trying to talk to them from a distance, we always ask for a cup of water. So when she came out I asked for a cup of water but she was like: "Did you call my name?" I suppose it a bit strange that a random person asking for water knows your name. So we explained that a neighbour had talked about her and we started talking at the gate while I drank the cup of water, even though I wasn't thirsty. We'd knocked a lot of doors that day... :P

Haha, anyways, it turned out Simone had talked to the missionaries before but missed the appointment they set. So, she had been waiting for more Elders to go past and knock on her door. She invited us into her house and she showed us the Book Of Mormon she had carefully kept in hopes we would one day return to teach her more. She said she dreamed that night that two angels would come and change her life that day and she was sure we were them. The Spirit was STRONG! She then opened up about the many financial, spiritual, emotional and physical difficulties she and her family were enduring. She had felt there was nothing more to live for. When we began sharing scriptures and praying with her, tears streamed from her eyes and she said she KNEW this was the way God had prepared for her and nothing would take her out of this course. The word that kept going through my head was ELECT, elect, elect. God had humbled her and prepared her in such a way that all we had to do was knock, ask for water, listen and then invite her to make some changes in her life. The next day, me and Alan, who were doing a division, went there and taught her the Restoration. Once again, holding tight to the Book of Mormon she told us with every fiber in her being that she knew this was the true church and the way that she should follow. In the end of the lesson, we gave her a hymn book which she was VERY grateful for and me and Alan sang "I Am a Child of God" to her. I am excited to work more with this lady and her family, we cannot let her flame die out! Unfortunately yet not surprisingly, she's not married to her partner... Ah... The joy. But she will get married and she will be baptised. If not, then we went wrong big time!

Yesterday before General Conference was one of the happiest mornings I have had on my mission yet. A few days before, our Zone Leader interviewed the little boy Fernando and he passed with flying colours. Later that night, we went to talk to his dad as we needed his authorisation.., As Elder Zenteno explained the interview questions and what else, all I did was pray that God would soften this man's heart and let his son be blessed with the soul saving ordinance that is baptism. When Elder Zenteno stopped speaking, the father was like: "Yes, this time I'll sign". I kept a calm look on the outside but inside I was doing triple-backflips and setting off fireworks. So as I was saying, yesterday morning, Fernando's whole family was there at the baptism. His dad smiled the whole way through and Fernando overcame his "fear" of somehow drowning in the baptismal font and was baptised. He said he wanted to stay in the water for a bit longer. One day he'll be a mega baptising missionary and spend his days in the baptismal font. ;) But it truly was a special moment and the family got one step closer to being an eternal family. Now, we can work with the dad. It'll be hard, but then where's the fun in that? ;)

This transfer was Elder Zenteno's last on the mission. He has served the Lord faithfully for two years and the time for him to return has finally come. I have learned a lot from my mission dad. I have learned the importance of baptism and his burning desire to bring the gospel to everyone has certainly rubbed off on me. I hope that I can carry on his legacy on my mission and make my mission dad proud as well as my dad back in England and my Father in Heaven. I haven't met my new companion yet but I hear that his name is Elder Yegros (I think that's how you spell it), he's from Argentina and he is one of the mission's BEST! :) I'm looking forward to learning more and growing every day so I can become the missionary God knows I can be.

I love you all and hope you're all well. Send me emails and pictures, I'll try my best to reply to each one. :)

Lots of love,

Elder Torres

PS: General Conference was SOOO good! I loved hearing from three new apostles and know that they were truly called of God. If you didn't watch all of the sessions go to /www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2015/?lang=eng now! :D What a spiritual banquet! :)