A selfie for mom!

A selfie for mom!

Monday, April 7, 2014

Healed by the word of God

The week was already going really well, prior to General Conference. Yes, there had been more trials and difficulties than last week, including more baptisms falling through, but I was feeling more edified, still. Then, saturday brought the event every missionary has been waiting for, for the past six months. We had an early lunch, met with our one faithful investigor of the day, ironically named "Messias" (Portuguese for "Messiah") and took two buses (only about 30 minutes) to the stake center in Grajaú. I said good bye to my companion as he ascended to the chapel to watch conference in Portuguese, and I stayed in the relief society room with the other ten or so Americans. The Conference was wonderful! The Saturday morning session was from 1 pm to 3, and the Saturday afternoon session was 5 pm to 7. In between sessions, Elder Paiva bought us ice cream, and (as a zone) we practiced saving baptisms. It was a great day! We ended up having two investigators watch the conference, the other, Bianca, having arrived earlier for the General Women´s Session (10 am). Unfamiliar with the area, and unsure of where to go because it was dark, we decided to walk to Bola Branca, a large bus stop nearby. En route, it hit me You know how some shops have canopies that hang over the entrance? And the part that hangs down and shows the name of the shop? Well, it has a hard, iron pole that weighs it down. Because I´m so unusually tall compared to the general populace of São Paulo, this particular banner was installed so that the iron pole reached the level of my eyebrows. Because I was walking fast (we had a schedule to keep), and there was no lighting, I ran right into the end of this iron bar. At first, I didn´t know what happened, so I stumbled behind my companion. A few seconds later, he turned around to say something, but apparently forgot it when he saw his companion bleeding from the forehead. He helped me into a bar, where I washed my face and hands. We pressed on and caught a bus back to our area. The pain in my head was excruciating. i was dizzy, off-balance (which makes standing on a roller-coaster ride of a bus even more complicated), and really confused. We reached the house of a member, where I again washed more blood off my face and hands. I used tissues to stem the bleeding, which had lessened considerably. I remembered that this sister was wanting a priesthood blessing. So with one hand on my head, trying to stop the bleeding completely, I asked this sister if she would like her blessing now. I did the anointing and Elder Paiva gave the blessing. Refusing to go to the hospital (it really wasn´t as bad as it sounds), we tried to confirm with some investigators in the street, before returning to our house (that sister gave us a ride) and ordering pizza. Elder Paiva gave me a priesthood blessing at home. The next day was work as usual, though the pain had not subsided much. Plus I didn´t sleep well. We skipped the rebroadcast of the Priesthood Session (because it was at the Stake Center, 6 am). Even as we prepared to watch the next two sessions, I was so uncomfortable that the thought of trying to pay attention to two more sessions was unappealing. But the moment the conference began, the pain disappeared. The conference was amazing, the best I have ever seen. And as we left the church, until now, I still have no pain from the already healing wound. I believe that I was healed by the mercy and by faith in Jesus Christ, the Word of God. This church is true. in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. i love you all elder Richins -- Elder Thomas Richins Ala Jardim Mirna Estaca Grajaú Missão Brasil São Paulo Interlagos

2 comments:

  1. I am so blessed to follow your blog! Thank you for sharing and thank you for being an amazing Missionary!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Gwen, thanks for your comment. Do you know Thomas? I'm glad you're enjoying his blog. We are grateful he has this opportunity to serve and share the gospel of Jesus Christ.

    ReplyDelete