A recent email from a sister missionary serving in Brazil reminded me of the worldwide presence of the gospel of Jesus Christ and its expansion in many places around the world.
I was again made aware that we can never really know who will or won't embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, and of the love the Savior has for each and every individual who ever has or will live on earth. The e-mail illustrated the power that comes when the Spirit is with us and testified of the inherent dynamism of the Book of Mormon.
Sister W — in the Brazil Brasilia Mission — wrote of tracting in Brasilia and coming across a woman, Ana, who was "super anti-Mormon," having heard many falsehoods about the church. Sister W and her companion asked Ana if they could teach her to clear up those misconceptions and in the process ended up meeting and teaching her brother who lived close by.
The brother was thrilled with everything he learned. He read, "prayed about the Book of Mormon, and was practically converted in one night." While preparing him for baptism they "went back to teach" his sister, fearing that Ana would try to dissuade him from being baptized because of the mistaken beliefs she held about the church.
The sister missionary described, "We went with the purpose of just softening her up for her brother's baptism, but when we got there and sat down, the Spirit took the lesson in a direction completely different." Together they read passages from the Book of Mormon, although Ana "previously REFUSED (to accept) that there was any chance the Book of Mormon is the word of God WITH the Bible."
While the first passages they read were from the Book of Mormon on faith, they changed topics and began "reading and explaining a scripture from the Bible, relating it to a passage in the Book of Mormon" because the Book of Mormon improved understanding of the meaning of the Biblical passage. The woman started to cry and, overcome by emotion, explained that "this was an answer to her prayer."
Ana was experiencing some serious problems, and a night or two earlier she "had opened her Bible (and) read a scripture, but didn't understand it." However, she explained that the sister missionaries "were explaining the thing that she didn't understand. ... At the end she couldn't stop thanking us."
Ana told the sisters, "Please keep teaching me. I promise I'm paying attention now. I know that you two were sent here by God tonight, and I know that what you are teaching me is true. What else can I read in the Book of Mormon? I promise I'll read it."
The sisters encouraged Ana to read Alma 32, Alma's great discourse on faith, and unable to stay longer, promised to return the next day. She responded, "OK, good, but what time will you come? Can you come at 4:00 p.m.? I know this is important and I don't want to miss your visit, so does 4:00 work? I'm so sorry but when I saw you in my doorway I didn't want to invite you in, but now I can't wait for you to come back."
The sisters assured Ana they would return and as they were leaving she called after them, "Good, but don't be late."
Sister W ended her e-mail, "Anyways, it was sweet. The Book of Mormon is t-r-u-e. It changes our lives! One time our (mission president) said, 'We don't give people the Book of Mormon so that they'll read a couple of scriptures. It is a gift from God to change our (and other's) lives. Read it, study it, ponder about and live its principles.' Amen presidente!"
If we truly love our fellowmen, if we desire to experience a more peaceful and loving world, let us not forget the power of the Book of Mormon and the wonderful changes that occur in lives when we take the opportunity to share with others — in Brasilia, Brazil; in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia; in Dresden, Germany; in Kyoto, Japan; in Bangalore, India; in places around the globe — the words of life and our testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ.