Us Against the World - Vitor's Story (Week 46)

Hello family and friends!

This week I understood how real the battle between good and evil is right now. The role we have as missionaries and members of Christ's restored church is crucial in this great war. I learnt this with our friend Vitor, who I told you about last week.

We knew that helping this young man be baptised and enter the Lord's fold would be a challenge from the first day. To help him have a desire to change his life, we took a member to his house. His name is Luciano and about 6 months ago he was quite literally "of the world", trafficking drugs and doing what too many Brazilian youth are doing nowadays. When he met the missionaries he quickly felt the desire to leave it all behind and be baptised. We took him to meet Vitor and it was an amazing lesson! Vitor saw that the change of lifestyle, althouh initially difficult was very possible. They became instant friends! In the picture below Luciano is next to me and Vitor in behind him. :)

Every day of the week we went to teach Vitor and see how he was doing. It was worrying to see the amount of iniquity that exists in that one street! As soon as Vitor took one step outside his door he was faced with drugs, crime and other not so good things. Unfortunately we couldn't take him from the physical location but made sure that spiritually he was far from those things. He began reading the Book of Mormon daily and praying for strength. That was a little victory in itself!

On the day we took the interviewer to speak with him, he wasn't home. We walked around for a bit and found him in the corner of the street with some very sketchy looking guys. One of them asked me quite aggressively: "What are you guys? What's he owing you?" Vitor quickly stepped in and said: "No, no they're fine" and walked with us to his house. The interview was great and when he came out of it he turned and said to me: "Elder Torres, I am ready to be baptised!" :D Ahhh, miracles do happen! Of course, the enemy wouldn't give in so easily. To see a young man who was in the world now begin to make Christlike choices clearly troubled him..

Then came along Sunday morning. I went to Vitor's house with a member called Cesar to wake this family up. When I knocked on the door and asked forVitor, his brother said: "He's not here." We didn't wait around too long and soon we were on the street looking for this boy. I did a prayer to the Lord, knowing that if he wasn't baptised that day then the world would swallow him up. It took no longer than two minutes and we found him sitting on the hood of a car with his hood next to some sketchy looking dudes once again. "Vitor, you're baptism is today, we brought your Sunday clothes. Let's go to your house." He replied: "Elder Torres, I haven't slept yet... but let's go." He walked home, got dressed in his new Sunday clothes and came to church. His very worried mother relaxed and had a smile on her face. Look at Vitor! He was even reading the Book of Mormon on the way to church!

All the way through church meetings he said how he was going to change his life from that day on. It didn't matter what others would say to him, he had made a decision to follow Christ and that was that. It was incredible.

His baptism was amazing, his mother cried all the way through. To see her son who was lost in the world now in church was everything to her! What a miracle this week was. :)

I know that the Lord has a great plan for him. This rescue effort wasn't by any means easy but to see him come out winning made all the work and worry worth it. I know that the Lord was behind every miracle in Vitor's story and he will continue firm in this gospel.

I love this work and the Lord Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the Atonement He performed for me and for all of us, regardless of how far from Him we have fallen. There is always a way back. I know that to be true.

Thank you for your prayers!

Love,

Elder Torres

PS: My little brother Jared sent me a letter and (jokingly) predicted correctly that Portugal would win the Euro. He was right! I know I shouldn't be thinking about these things but... GO PORTUGAL!!! :D