Happy Mothers Day!
I have the greatest mother to ever walk the face of the earth!!!
Also, Happy Birthday to a great example of an older brother, Brad.
I Love You Both.
This week was a very special week.
Claudio was baptised, and I was pleased to be the one that baptised him. We always try to let the members do the baptisms, but through all our trying, He doesn´t really know the members, and so he asked me to baptise him.
After he left the water, he just stood there, thinking and contemplating and praying. The spirit was there strong. I love him. He is moving back to Praia in a few weeks, so I hope that I get transfered to his ward there, and can see him continue to progress.
This week we went to São Vicente for zone conference. That was an incredible experience. The Spirit was so strong and changed the lives of every person there.
First, Prayer.
Enos´s soul hungered. He kneeled down and prayed UNTIL his prayers reached the heavens. This is how we need to pray too. We need to give more time for prayer, to talk with God until we recieve answers. When we talk to God, it is called prayer, and when He talks to us is is called revelation. Every time we pray we can and should recieve revelation. It should be a grand experience. It takes time though. If you find yourself falling asleep while you pray, find a way to fix that. Don´t pray at your bed, and pray outloud. I know that prayer like this is real and that it changes the lives of every person that prays like that.
In other churches, they have prayers for specific things that are memorized and everything. In our church we don´t do that. Prayer is a conversation. But, we are no better than other false faiths when we say the same prayers over and over. When we have our Morning Prayer, our Breakfast Prayer, Our Lunch Prayer, our Going out the Door Prayer. our Night Prayer. Our Group Prayer. Alma showed up at the ramiumptom and saw the people praying saying, Thank you that we are a chosen people and that only we will be saved. That was very iniquitous. But, how many times do we say thank you that we have the only true church and that we can have salvation because of it. We must speak with our Heavenly Father in order to fulfil the true purpose of prayer.
Second, Doctrines
The Only Way to teach or preach or live is to have the doctrines written on our hearts. Conversion is an active change. When we talk about being converted to something we can ask about our reasons for doing stuff, and about specific things. For example, if we say that we are converted to the doctrine of tithing, but grudgingly pay out tithing, it doesn´t work. We are not converted. We must be converted to the Atonement of Jesus Christ. If we ask ourselves why the Atonement is specifically important for our lives, and cant clearly respond something that has been written on our heart, we need to pray and so we can have that blessing of being converted to the Atonement. That is what matters.
Charity never fails. It is never okay to be angry or mad at someone. If there is a problem, serve that person until there is no more problem. Charity never failith. I invite everyone to study the doctrines of Charity, and apply them until charity is written on your heart, and then tell me about it. It will be a fruitful process.
Lastly, I just wanted to appologise because, Like Nephi, We are weak in writing but not in speaking. I need to appoligise to my family that I selfishly did not share more of the Gospel with them when we talked on sunday. As a servant of Christ, I should have better remembered my purpose as a missionary. I love you all, and hope that you can forgive me as I am seeking repentance for forgetting my calling here. I know that the things I could have shared could have changed your lives as they have mine, but I hope that you can get a little through reading this email.
As Always, Love You All.
Elder Sampson
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