The First Step

Wooo!! I do not have much time left, this will be quick!

This week I got to go register with the police which took place super

early in the morning. So I've been pretty tired all week. Also, my

shower head isn't working. Here, water comes from the pipes, through a

shower head that warms it. If the shower head doesn't work, no hot

water. It's literally cold enough that I can see steam come off my

body because there's such a difference between my body temperature and

the water. Fun stuff. We're working on getting a new one. My companion

and I work super well together. We love teaching and my Portuguese is

making leaps and bounds of improvement. There's lots of work to do

here, and yes, Irmão Pinho, we invite to baptism the first of second

lesson. Speaking of which...

My super awesome experience for the week is this:

Last Saturday, we held our first baptism in this area together. After

a couple weeks of work, Janaina Menezes and Vinicius de Oliveira were

baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and

yesterday received the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was an amazing

experience, especially because I was asked to baptize them. I did, of

course, accept. It was the most wonderful experience for me and them.

Their faces after the ordinances were a sight to behold. I asked them

how they felt, and they said they had peace like never before. I title

this The First Step, because for them, this is the first step to a

totally new life. One centered in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The two

are dating seriously, and I wouldn't be surprised if they married

eventually, which means an eternal family for both of them. Before

then, Janaina has a desire to serve a mission and share this with

other people. We're still working on Vinicius, though he definitely

has the desire to share. It's an amazing thing. And yes, that blue

pool behind them is the font.

Sincerely,

Elder Ashford