Well, as the title of this weeks letter suggests, I caught the dreaded sickness that comes to every American Elder serving in Brazil. As much as you try to avoid it, you get it. Just because you forget about it (like I did) doesn't mean it doesn't exist or has forgotten about you, because it never passes up an American missionary. Basically I was bed-ridden for 2 days with a high fever, headache, stomachache, whole-body ache, and other things I would rather not say. Pretty much, as what Sister Lanius (that's the president of the missions wife) and other elders told me was that my body was just accustoming (wow I cant even English anymore) to Brazil because the food and environment are just plain different. But things are all good now (I'm pretty sure my mom and grandma are freaking out right now) and I'm able to work.
That being said, I had baptism #4 this past week! Her name is Kirsheline and she is 43 years old. She has a very moving story behind this baptism too. So when she was brought to us by her family, she had already been introduced to the church but had previously declined to accept the invitation to be baptized. just 3 days before the first time we taught her, her husband died, and she was really shook up about it. When we started teaching her a month ago her heart was very open to the message. We taught her how the knowledge that families can be together forever was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith and on the first lesson agreed to be baptised. it truly was a great miracle. The baptism itself was even better. She had asked her cousin, she didn't serve a mission because he was a convert to the church to baptize her. That baptism was so spiritual. To add to it, her aunt, which is pretty much her mom at this point because all of this woman's family is dead, gave the closing prayer and just wept like a child because of the joy that she felt and the spirit that was there. I could feel it so strongly. After the baptism I went and congratulated Irmã Neidy (the aunt) and she just cried even more and said she had been praying for this moment for a long time.
This baptism really strengthened my testimony about the divine nature of families. The family is ordained of God and through the sealing power found in holy temples we can be with those we truly love, our family, for time and all eternity. We can see a glimpse of heaven in the home. When a home is centered on the gospel of Christ a sense of peace is felt and lives are changed. I'm so grateful that I have parents and grandparents who are faithful in the Church because I couldn't imagine living forever without them.
Well, that's really the highlight of the week. Near death sickness (just kidding mom I just felt that way) and a killer baptism. All in the life of a missionary.
Até proximo!
Elder Dimmick
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