Sunshine From Brazil

Olá!
Well, for the first time ever I am teaching a lot of couples. We have 3 couples that are actually kinda locked in to do the baptism. There is Fabricio & Antônia. They want to be baptized and believe in everything but are kinda lazy to repent.  We are being very patient with them, and they are slowly improving.

There are the parents of a recent convert, Joana & Gabriel. Basically they are super old and not married. One is disabled, a bit mentally and he doesn’t walk. But they like going to church.

The best is Leonardo and Cristiana, this one is a family.  They have a young 22 year old daughter with a baby that lives next door, a young man, Eric, who is 14 years old, and Yasmin, who is 10. They already know about the church a little. The first time we taught them they asked us to help them get married, and then on the second visit they asked us to be baptized as well! WOW! That’s rare! Ha, we’ve got to be patient with them as well  because usually it takes a month to do a marriage but I feel really honored when it comes to teaching a family, it just feels right you know?

Ha,and about prayer. I actually had this thought this last week. One thing I have learned a lot about prayer is like what you said, It’s not just words but meditating, and connecting spiritually. Something we always say when we teach prayer, when we say ”In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen”, it is "Nada vai ao Pai sem pelo Filho" Or nothing goes to the Father without going through the Son. We say that a lot but I never really stopped to think what it is saying. We know that through the atonement of Jesus Christ that spiritual death was overcome. Spiritual death is being separated from the presence of God. In prayer we have the privilege to speak with God, to break that separation, and to connect with him. But if it wasn’t for the atonement of Christ, this connection would not be possible, and we would be completely separated from God.

This thought really made me grateful for Christ’s atonement, but I know that one of my biggest spiritual pleasures that I have is the blessing of being able to talk with my Heavenly Father at any moment, in any place, at anytime. I am so grateful that I don’t have this gap between me and my Heavenly Father and I truly feel Him as a big part of my life. So I thank my Savior Jesus Christ now in my prayers that I can go to the Father through the Son.

I love you,  By the way today I am 16 months on the mission. That is TWO-THIRDS of the mission!!!
Wow... I am definitely over the hump now.
Cool huh?
Até mais!
Tchau!
-Elder Zachary Adam Cetraro