Invite Month

December 16, 2013   Week #25

Dear Everyone,

The month of December is the `Invite Month´ for all of the members of the Church in Portugal. All of the leaders have been urging everyone to extend a hand out to those who have fallen away or who aren´t of our faith to come to Church as a gift to our Savior. Well, all I have to say is that this month really is the invite month, because we had 12 people that we invited show up to church yesterday. I never thought I would say this but we almost have too many people wanting to be baptized in December! Right now we´ve marked 7 people for baptism within the next two weeks. AH! This is such a wonderful blessing! Here´s all of them:

Maria Augusta: She´s the drug addict that we´ve been working with lately. Yesterday she came to Church sober and happy! She is continuing to really improve because she wants to change, and not because someone has been nagging her about it. The ward is doubtful, but supportive. We´re all ready to prove to them that this time she´ll make it! Thank you for all your prayers.

Stella: She is a cancer survivor that has a few Mormon friends and acquaintances that got her interested in the Church. We taught her for the first time last week, called her up to set up a next appointment and she said that she prayed about the Book of Mormon after reading and received an answer that this is `the right way.´ After our second lesson with her she said that she wanted us to teach her whole family!

Silvia: We contacted her in the street a month or so ago, and honestly forgot all about her because she didn´t leave her number or address with us. A week and a half ago she called us up because she said that she wanted ‘more orientation’ in her life. She spent 17 years with the Jehovah´s witnesses, but never felt for sure what was really the truth. She also has received the answer that the Church of Jesus Christ is the only true church!

Júlio: Silvia’s boyfriend. He felt awesome at church, but when we taught them the law of chastity he had second thoughts. We´ll be teaching him tonight...

Sandra and Cristina: A mother and 19 year old daughter. They are so talkative it´s almost hard to keep the lesson an actual lesson, but they loved what the Book of Mormon had to say about the Plan of Happiness and what happens after this life here on Earth. They want to be baptized, and are marked for this weekend, but we´ll see if they understand everything they need to. (Seriously, we are at a loss of how to get them to stay on topic!) But the Lord has been preparing them well to hear the gospel.

Jacinto: The gypsies´ 14-year-old son. Lately he´s been avoiding us, but we´ll get to the bottom of whatever is going on with his situation.

Whew! All I have to say is that I´m beat! I really hope things work out with all of them. Tomorrow the Sister Training Leaders are coming for a split to help us out in preparing so many precious souls enter the waters of baptism.

 

Can you believe that 2013 is coming to an end? I can´t believe how fast time has flown! I love you all!

 

Love,

Sister Derrick