Physical and Spiritual Protection

Hey everyone! I would like to wish a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Grandpa Stilson. Thanks for everything that you have done for me Grandpa! I am studying Portuguese really hard so that when I get home way we can talk back and forth along with Taeten. I am excited to come home and see how much you have learned. It is an awesome language. But I love you Grandpa!

But this week was kind of crazy really good. It started out a little rough and slow but I know that the Lord is aware of our needs and anything that we need. Thursday afternoon we went to Quissamã again and did 2 more baptism interviews with these 2 kids, Gabriela(14) and Felipe(15). Because they are minors we have to have permission from their parents to be baptized. Their dad is from the "7th day" church and he really doesn't accept the church especially because he doesn't think that Sunday is the Day of the Lord but that Saturday is. But I fasted for them before we went to the interviews and they turned out really good. Felipe has the same questions that Joseph Smith had. During the interview he said he was still looking for an answer that touched his heart. He wasn't expecting to see Christ but he wanted a feeling that helped him know it was true. I promised him, in the name of Christ, that if he would pray and ask God if the church was true, if Joseph Smith was a prophet, if the Book of Mormon was true, and if President Thomas S Monson was the prophet of today, he would receive an answer that he would feel that it was true. That night he prayed but didn't feel anything. He went to sleep and dreamed that he was walking in front of the church and someone called him to enter. He went in and saw Christ. He was so surprised that he woke up and then remembered my promise. He knelt down and prayed. With every word that he said, with everything he asked if was true he received the feeling he was waiting for. He received the answer to his prayer and HE KNOWS IT IS TRUE!!!!

We also have 4 other really good people we are working with who we are going to try to mark baptismal dates with. LeideSônia, Felipe, Fabrício and Edson. They are all way awesome and we are working hard with them. They are planning to go to church with us this week and are excited to learn more.

Well, we also had a very scary incident happen last night. We were walking down a dark street and a car pulled up next to us and the driver of the car yelled "Pass your cell phones!"and had a gun pointed at us through the passenger window. We look at the man a little scared, not really knowing what is going on. The passenger jumped out of the car and blocked us so that we couldn't run out on the main road. He also had a gun and he held it to my companions stomach. He was looking at Elder Freire and tells him to hand him his phone. Elder Freire shows his empty pockets and says "I don't have anything!" and then looks at me. Quickly the guy puts the gun on me. I am taking out the phone and remembered that I had my memory card in the phone. I am trying to pull the memory card out of the phone and take the phone out at the same time. Then I say to him "Brother can I say something?" I don't know why but I was going to ask him if I could please keep the memory card but before I could say anything else he says "Wait, are you guys form the church?" At that point I finally got the memory card out and was ready to hand over the phone. When I answered yes he puts the gun back in the car and sticks out his hand. I go to put the phone in his hand and he says "NO! Give me your hand!" He then shakes our hands and says "Have a good night" Then he gets back in the car and drives away. We were a little shaken but so grateful that we were protected and nothing else happened.
 

Later my companion and I were joking a little and we talking about the 3rd Ice age movie when the opossums asked Buck "GASP!!! DID YOU DIE!?!?!?!!" Buck responds "Sadly YES..... BUT I LIVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
 

 

We have made it through again!!! Ya, I'm sure my mom doesn't think that is very funny!

I know that the Lord gives us protection if we are obedient! I have seen this! He will give us physical and spiritual protection that way Satan does NOT have power over us. I know that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ! I love you all and hope you have a good week!

 

LOVE YOU!!!! 

 

Elder Stilson