Campo Verde
Hastening the Work!
Campo Verde is a city of about 40k people. It is about 1 1/2 hours drive by car from Cuiaba. We have driven thru it many times. Just to give you some indication how the Spirit works. It starts with a quiet thought yet a loud voice! Several months ago President had the thought that we should put missionaries in Campo Verde. We can not put missionaries in cities without members. We have been trying to find if there were any members there. Several weeks ago we attended and were speaking in a Stake Conference. After the conference a man, Bro Jefferson, approached President. Bro Jefferson is a great member. He has been a Bishop and helps us a lot in the Mission. These were his words "President, this year I am going to retire. My wife and I want to move to Campo Verde. We want to grow the church in this city. We are willing to drive there on Sundays". President told them that we can not find any members there. Still we knew we needed 'a center for strength' ( a strong member family). About a week later President got a phone call from Bro Jefferson. These were his words in excitement "President, I know a family who just moved to Campo Grande. They are strong members of the church who have moved there from the State of Rondonia". President, asking Bro Jefferson "Do you have a phone # for him?" "yes, I do", was the reply from Jefferson. We knew we would be driving thru Campo Verde so President call Bro José da Silva. Bro da Silva comfirmed that they are indeed members and had recently moved to Campo Verde for better health care, better work and less crime. He said they were active member having served in leadership position in his Ward. He said that when he told his Ward they were moving they declared 'You will go inactive because the Church is not established in Campo. He said "No, we are going to help the Church grow and come to Campo Verde. Now he said "3 weeks after moving there I receive this phone call from the Mission President"! We made an appt the next week that we were driving thru to stop and meet this family. Immediately upon meeting him we could tell that this indeed was going to an answer to prayer, an answer to the quiet prompting that it is time for the Church to be there. We indeed believe that the Lord places people, families, where he needs them to be. Whether they think they are moving for Health reasons or Work reasons, they are reasons that bring people to where the Lords needs them. The Lord is truly hastening his Work. It will be a process to get the Group going but the wheels are in motion! It is excited what happens when the Lord is incharge!
This last transfer we place 2 Missionaries there. This past week they had their first Group meeting with 11 attending! Missionaries have located other members and many to teach. It is exciting to be apart of the Hastening of the Work!
Here is a letter written by one of the Elders who is Opening this City
President Reber,
This week was a great week! Although we were without a house and spent lots of time looking, we were able to have some great experiences as well. We meet some really neat members this week and church was wonderful. We met Sunday morning and their were 11 people in attendance. The Alves family, us, Gustavo (a boy that was baptized in Primavera do Leste last year) and his investigating mom Angela and grandma Valdaci. (Valdaci accepted a baptismal date for the 19th). The meeting was simple but very special and I felt lucky to be a part of it. We´re exciting to have more time to work this week and to bring even more members and investigators next week. Our goal is to have 20 people next week.
We met a neat member, Juliana, who was baptized in Cuiabá in 2001. She said that she wants to return, and we taught her nonmember husband, and her two kids (7 and 4 years old). We brought them to a special family night on Sunday put on by the Alves.
Sunday afternoon we had a nice meeting with the Alves family and I said a prayer to dedicate and open the area Campo Verde. They all said that it´s such a miracle that missionaries were sent so quickly to Campo Verde and they are happy and excited to be the pioneers here. Boa Semana, Elder Hancock
Here is a letter written by one of the Elders who is Opening this City
President Reber,
This week was a great week! Although we were without a house and spent lots of time looking, we were able to have some great experiences as well. We meet some really neat members this week and church was wonderful. We met Sunday morning and their were 11 people in attendance. The Alves family, us, Gustavo (a boy that was baptized in Primavera do Leste last year) and his investigating mom Angela and grandma Valdaci. (Valdaci accepted a baptismal date for the 19th). The meeting was simple but very special and I felt lucky to be a part of it. We´re exciting to have more time to work this week and to bring even more members and investigators next week. Our goal is to have 20 people next week.
We met a neat member, Juliana, who was baptized in Cuiabá in 2001. She said that she wants to return, and we taught her nonmember husband, and her two kids (7 and 4 years old). We brought them to a special family night on Sunday put on by the Alves.
Sunday afternoon we had a nice meeting with the Alves family and I said a prayer to dedicate and open the area Campo Verde. They all said that it´s such a miracle that missionaries were sent so quickly to Campo Verde and they are happy and excited to be the pioneers here. Boa Semana, Elder Hancock
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