Dec 1, 2014

split in Vitória da Conquista!!!






like 1/15th of my area. hahaha.

 

Nov 24, 2014

Hey so this is a guy that is actually almost totally blind and plays the guitar like the great Slash. We almost baptized him. He wanted to get baptized so  badly. he loved the church but....his pastor started saying lots of bad stuff about the church so he decided not to be baptized....Its sad to see some people listen more to men then they do to God.... it was pretty sad even though I am pretty much used to that happening cause that happens A LOT!!! Either way. A really good guy. In the future he will be baptized.  

Nov 24, 2014

Family,

So this week was a really good one....other than our baptism falling on Saturday after doing everything possible to make it happen. But Its okay. It will happen next weekend. 

This week I spent the whole time in Vitória da Conquista. A really nice city. I loved it! I did some divisions with some missionaries there and we saw some incredible miracles. It all started off on Wednesday morning. I got there at 5:30am. We then went to their house and got ready to go to district meeting. We had district meeting.

Then we ate lunch with an incredible couple who has about 8 years as members of the church who had a girl who is 8 years old. I hit it off really quickly with the two of them and all during lunch the three of us (me and the wife and husband) were laughing and having great conversation. Anyway I had no idea that they are less active. Its been almost two years since they have been to church. So they chose me to leave the message with them. As they were talking with the other missionaries I had the STRONGEST urge to talk a little bit about Carson and share my message while using some scriptures about the importance of eternal famalies and temples. I was fighting that feeling a little bit just because I dont share real personal experiences with everyone and anyone, you know? Anyway I read some scriptures and shared with them that I had lost a member of my family and proceeded to show them the dog chains that I use around my neck. As I was testifying of the blessings we have from the gospel and the temples the mother and father just started sobbing. I was a little confused and asked them if everything was okay. The mom got control and answered that two years ago they lost their two year old baby girl to a sickness that they didnt even know she had. She then went on to tell me that is why they stopped going to church. She said that the entire day she had been thinking about her baby girl and was having a really hard day. She then told me that because of the death of their daughter they had stopped going to church. They were angry and questioned why it had to happen. I read one more scripture in The Book of Mormon and testified to them the importance of going to church so that we can prepare ouselves to go to the temple to be sealed with our famalies by the priesthood power. They have not yet been. I invited them to return to church and start reading The Book of Mormon together as a family and they agreed. The Spirit was so strong. Everyone in the house was crying. After leaving a chapter in The Book of Mormon to study that night we left. 

I got a call from the missionaries yesterday and they told me that the whole family was in church and the dad went to talk to the bishop about baptizing their 8 year old daughter and plans to go to the temple. 

Miracles like this happen honeslty...weekly on the mission. As many hard times as I have had Its hard to remember them because experiences like these shut them out. 

Later that same day we went to do some baptismal interviews. As we were walking one of the missionaries said....hey lets go visit a man whos entire family is baptized and has a daughter on a mission. He isnt baptized yet because he believes he doesnt need to be. Well the missionaries have been working with him for over a year but we were determined to help him understand the importance of baptism. 

We got there and started talking. After three hours of talking I finally picked him up and threw him up on my shoulders and ran out of the house yelling back to the family to show me where the nearest river was cause I was gonna baptize him. hahaha. It was pretty funny. He is a little guy. I ran a pretty long ways with him on my shoulders. haha Then we talked for another hour. We explained everything and took away all of his doubts and answered his questions. He has a testimony of the church he jst didnt really understand why we needed to be baptized. So after 4 and a half hours of talking with him. He was interviewed and baptized this Saturday.....another incredible experience. He and his wife also talked to bishop on monday making plans to go to the temple with their daughter in January when she gets home from her mission. 

Thursday and Friday I worked with other missionaries where we also saw some miracles. They baptized some great people on Saturday as well. On Friday I made a contact with a woman in front of her house who is super strong in her church. While the other two elders were teaching someone right next to me I just went on to teach her taught about the restoration of the gospel. By the end I started to testify and while I was testifying I saw a wedding ring on her hand (something you dont see cause its hard to find people who are actually married) and the thought came to share a testimony about eternal famalies and temples and priesthood power. While I started talking about eternal famalies she started sobbing.....again i stopped and asked her what was wrong. She answered that her husband passed away four months ago after 20 years of marriage. Her and her daughter were very sad and having a really hard time. I continued to teach and then left.  

In the beggining of the contact she said she wouldnt go to church cause she had to go to her church. By the end of the lesson she said she would go to church with us. The missionaries called me and told me yestreday her and her daughter were there and really loved it. 

The gospel is true and brings happiness to ALL who hear it and apply it!!

Sorry, I know this email was long and I usually dont share very many stories with you guys. I just wanted to share a couple of experiences with you all because they had a lot to do with eternal famalies. I am grateful that we can go to the temple with our famalies and be sealed for time and eternity. I love you all. 

Have a great week! 

Elder Hadley