Lost Sheep & Lost Camera (Week 66)

Olá from Brasil!

Transfer weeks are usually very stressful, specially when you're in the mission staff but this time round it was surprisingly chill. On Monday morning me and Elder Fly went to pick up a senior missionary couple from the airport. Elder and Sister Barrus are from Idaho and this is their first mission together. They will be mainly working in the Tatuí branch in order to turn the branch into a ward, the district into a stake and then... SPLIT THE MISSION! :D We are at a very exciting time in the mission and before President Farnes goes home the goal is to work very hard in order to create the Sorocaba Mission. Let's do it!

At the beginning of the week I was summoned by the São Paulo police to come to the capital and give a witness in front of a judge about the robbery that happened a few months back in the mission office. We lost the whole day of work travelling and when I got there it took 3 minutes to give my witness. The robber was in the room with his head down, he was older than I had pictured him! :P

This week me and Elder King experienced one of those mission miracles that seemingly only happen to other people in church magazines. This week we were able to see one first hand! A couple of weeks ago me and my companion were returning home and as we got off the bus I felt my pockets strangely empty. I put my hands in my pockets only to confirm that my camera was not with me. The second I turned around to look into the bus, the driver drove off and my hopes of seeing my camera were very thin. My first camera was stolen when I was secretary and I was sad to lose another one.

A few days later I received a call from the sisters of another area. They said someone had found my camera on the bus. I was pleasantly surprised to hear that, I've lost my wallet on the bus before and no one gave me hope of ever finding it! They explained that a less-active member had found it and she had handed it to them. Then an elder passed me her number and I called her to thank her. Her name is Mara and when I called her she was very happy to hear from me. She briefly explained how she had found it. I thanked her and asked her where she lived. When she said her address I was really happy, it was in our area! Then I asked who she lives with and she told me she has a 9 year old son who isn't baptized yet! I tried to mark an appointment with her but she said she had a lot of stuff going on, she would let us know if she had some free time. I was sad that she didn't seem interested but happy to have my camera back.

On Saturday morning we got a text from Mara saying she was going to have some free time and we could come over. We ran over there and met her in person as well as her son, Eduardo. Through teary eyes, she told us the story of finding my camera in more detail. She said that when she looked through the pictures and saw two missionaries, the memories of the church came flooding back. To think that the missionary in the pictures could lose all these memories moved her and she reached out to an old church friend and got in contact with the sisters. She was crying as she said that God has been merciful with her once again and had made this happen in order to bring her back to the fold. We read a few scriptures and invited her to church the next day. She and her son went. Eduardo took part in the special primary presentation and sung the hymns he could remember with a big smile on his face. Mara was received with so much love by the relief society. We extended them the invite for Eduardo to be baptized this Sunday and they both accepted. Please pray for this small wonderful family and that Eduardo's baptism will happen. :) I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who through a lost camera helped us rescue one of His lost sheep.

After several weeks of teaching, lots of visits and today after a car-ride in an over packed taxi, Luís and Geane got MARRIED! :D It was a very quick thing but it was great to see their joy in that special moment.

MISSION IS THE BEST.

Love you all,

Elder Torres