SISTER AVA LUDLAM: A Mother's Day Message

John and Cintia

This week was WONDERFUL. The biggest miracle was getting John and Cintia's wedding marked on Wednesday. Satan was working SO HARD to mess it all up. The whole day was a roller coaster of "WOOHOOOOOO-- its gonna happen," massive problem, we hustle and do crazy things to get it resolved, IT'S RESOLVED!, "Woohhooooo!! its back on!!!-- another massive problem. So on and so forth. But its always like this, with every baptism and wedding thus far. Sister Lee and I just felt the whole time this peace that it would work out, so we just kept going, and the end was a very happy ending. :)

Best Mother's Day ever!

John fasted without being invited to this week, Cintia has been watching church videos and they are really strengthening her testimony. Many other serious problems are trying to tear the two apart, but the Lord has been sending "angels" in the night to comfort them and encourage them. Just because the wedding is marked doesn't mean its all smooth sailing now, so we are going to keep following up daily and strengthening them. We know the Lord's will will be realized. :)

Still looking for the elates (prepared investigators) that our President told us he saw in our area in his dreams.

During the Mother's Day phone call, my heart was FILLED WITH JOY! I can be with my favorite 7 people for all eternity--we are SEALED together! I bore my testimony in Portuguese, so I don't know if they understood it, but I bore my testimony of the Book of Mormon and about the mothers of the strippling warriors. This is what I told my mom today:

"I don't know if you understood what I said in my testimony yesterday (especially because I began to cry), but I talked about how much I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON and that this week I was studying about the 2000 stripling warriors. For years I have pondered the question "What did Mom and Dad do to make us LOVE the gospel and want to be good? We are ALL like that, is it just a trait of who we 6 are and they never had a rebellious child who didn't want to go to church, or is it something they did?" It is very clear now that the reason our family delights in the gospel and strives for goodness is because of your consistent, perfect example.

As I read the story of those amazing sons of Helaman, I just cried but I know you know it, Mom. We all do. It's because you live the gospel, and you love it. I never had a very strong testimony of the Book of Mormon before the mission, but I wanted to because I saw how you delighted in it. As I said yesterday, women who keeps their covenants (the mothers of the strippling warriors) TEACH THEIR CHILDREN TO BELIEVE. I don't remember which verse says that, but it struck me. (Alma 56:47) We must be TAUGHT to BELIEVE. This is not a hands-off, let them choose what they want to believe so I don't brainwash them idea. That is why we have parents, to be taught to believe!"

One of my favorite people this week gave a talk about Mothers. He said the sea turtle lays her eggs and leaves them on the shore. They hatch knowing how to swim, how to protect themselves, how to get food. Why didn't Heavenly Father make us like that? Because within our family ties, within mother and daughter bonds, the teaching is where love is developed. How perfect is Heavenly Fathers plan for us!