Camila was baptized!

Camila was baptized!!!!!!!! We got Alexandre, a recent convert we are helping to stay firm (and whose brother was killed a couple of weeks ago), to baptize her. He bore his testimony and said that now he wants to serve a mission really badly. Thanks to help from the Bishop and from Ana Paula (the Young Womens President), and all of the young women in the ward, she is well-integrated. The YW even prepared a little gift basket for her and made her feel really special. We worked really hard to make this baptismal meeting spiritual. Sister Maia played the piano for us and I played the violin. Missionaries from the Primavera and Castro Alves wards joined us in singing "When I Am Baptized". The youth also sang a hymn. It was so great! Camila brought her little sister, Carina (11), and invited her friend, Davi. Davi didn´t make it, but we´ll meet him this week. Carina went to church the next day! We´re planning on using the "lei de dupla colheita" and teaching her along with her sister. It was so great watching the transformation in Camila from before the baptism, before the confirmation, and after. I had the privilege of confirming her as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and giving her the gift of the Holy Ghost. She was so happy afterwards. She just seemed to glow! There was definitely a spiritual change. She was born again! And I made sure to completely fill out her baptismal form right after church! On the side of the nursing home, Maria Del Carmen, who is marked to be baptized this week (we might need to re-mark her for next week), came to church. She has doubts, and said that last time she went to church, she didn´t feel what she was wanting to feel. We´ll follow up good with her and follow the Spirit. Cris, the less-active sister, may not have been confirmed, which means that she would have to be rebaptized. We´ll try to get in contact with the bishop of the Jardim Record ward, where she was baptized. Gianne, the recent convert, and her son, Lucas, are doing really well. He received the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday. They are helping Evailson and Iracie (the owner and his mother) learn more about the gospel. Evailson told her that he wants to be baptized. Bishop took them on a tour of the Bishop´s Storehouse, and they say that they know that this church has to be true. They couldn´t come to church yesterday because there was an emergency at the nursing home, but we will start teaching them this week. We´ve been kinda "staking out" the other patients, and we feel good about one of them. We´ll try to teach him this week, too. On Friday, we will have another service project there. Isaura, who we baptized around New Years´, came to church! We hadn´t been about to talk to her in more than a week, and we were so worried! She´s having a rough time. But I talked with her, made her smile, and helped her schedule an interview with bishop. We´ll visit her on Tuesday when her son, Tiago, is home. Tiago likes us a lot (he´s our age) and I feel really impressed that now is the time to help him be baptized. Isaura also said that she´s convincing one of her friends to come to church! Alessandra, another recent-convert, had her baby, Pedro Henrique. He´s a beautiful, healthy little baby. She wasn´t able to go to church, but she did make sure that her son, Davi, got there to pass the sacrament. So she missed me playing the violin in sacrament meeting. We went by there and I played the violin for her and her baby. Elder Sharp and I are doing great. The depression seems to be getting a little better, but it´s still really rough. I´ll be going back to Doctor Carmen on Friday. I´m taking my medicine faithfully, though. I´ll get the lab results tomorrow. I´ll keep you guys updated! Sure do love you! I know that this church is true! -- Élder Thomas Richins Ala Interlagos (antiga Cidade Dutra) Estaca Interlagos Missão Brasil São Paulo Interlagos