Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. – Matthew 11:28.
THE LORD HAS A PLAN
The place where students would likely gather is in the dining room. Anyone who would ever cross this room would see students studying in their notebooks, eating a snack, or simply chatting. Once, a couple of senior missionaries on campus saw a student walking without shoes in the dining room. Moved by a sense of service, they kindly asked him, “Do you need shoes?” The student joyfully answered, “Oh, no. I just like to feel the floor beneath my feet.”
This is how Matheus faces life: with a smile and confidence. He is effortlessly funny, making those around him feel better about themselves. In a nutshell, Matheus is the friend everyone deserves. His journey at Cumorah has taken more unexpected paths than he planned. Matheus’s story is a sign that the Lord has a personal plan for each of His children.
Keep reading this story of how Matheus found that God has a plan for him.
WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT HIM
“His personality is big.”
“He is so humble.”
“He’s the kind of person who always cares about others.”
Our students tell these and much more about Matheus. Even unconsciously, Matheus was following the Savior’s teaching of loving and caring for one another as He loved and cared. Little did he know he was taking the road that would eventually lead him to Christ. Although he is a colorful, happy person, Matheus shares that he has many deep questions.
“I like answering questions, and I love receiving answers,” he says. The answers he was chasing were deep, profound questions that he would not find anywhere else, even not on Google. We are living, as Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf says, “in the age of instant answers.” In God’s plan, all His children are worthy of receiving answers. However, they must pay a price to receive them.
LET’S DO IT – Following the Lord’s plan
Matheus’s interest in the Gospel of Jesus Christ strengthened when he met the missionaries and his friend, Gilmar. He encouraged Matheus on his journey of self-discovery. “Matheus is not only physically and emotionally strong,” Gilmar shares, “but I’ve found out he is spiritually strong as well.”
The missionary couple invited Matheus to learn more about Jesus Christ and His Gospel. His answer? “Let’s do it!” They were gathering twice a week, on Thursdays and Saturdays. At each meeting, they covered different parts of the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Plan of Happiness to God’s children, and the commandments, and also answered questions as they came.
IF ANY OF YOU LACK WISDOM…
To receive spiritual answers, we need a different approach than the scientific method. Truly, we need to ask sincere questions and compare the answers. However, President Dallin H. Oaks teaches: When we seek the truth about religion, we should use spiritual methods appropriate for that search. What spiritual methods are appropriate? The answer to this question is immortalized in the powerful verse of James 1:5:
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him.”
There it is! Talking to God unlocked doorways that would remain closed.
As Matheus started feeling something – powerful enough to shake his heart. In one meeting, he was invited to do the closing prayer. The spirituality of the environment made him barely finish it. He was crying. The missionaries were crying. “After saying the closing prayer, I took my coat and ran to the field next to the campus. I looked up to heaven and started to cry unstoppably. I’ve never felt this way before,” Matheus shares. The darkness of unanswered questions has finally come to an end.
YE SHALL FIND REST
The invitation to follow Christ by entering the waters of baptism was natural at this point. His answer? “Let’s do it!” Naturally, he chose Gilmar, his dear friend and shoulder to cry on, to baptize him. On the appointed day, Matheus was astonished to see the amount of people gathered only for him. “It was very special,” Matheus said. “All these people are doing their best to be better and teaching me to be better.” The baptismal meeting had very delicate and earnest moments of missionaries, students, and others sharing their special feelings for Matheus and his decision.
He found solace because he chose to trust in the Lord and rely on His plan for him. “When I arrived at Cumorah, I would often ask myself, ‘Why Cumorah? Why am I here?’ Now, I see it. I’ve met good people thrilled to teach me and guide me.” Indeed, these types of experiences are not limited only to Matheus but to whoever wants to feel the love of God.
Christ Himself assures all of us with His words:
“Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
This is His plan and will for all. These words of the Master are the quintessential of our mission. Our program and training are not mainly focused on professional qualifications. Indeed, they are. But most importantly, we want every single student, from the Business & Entrepreneurship class to the English program students, to feel the rest only the Savior can provide. No, we are not substituting the role of the Savior. Our main role is to provide an environment where they can open their hearts to Him, the Good Shepherd and Teacher, even Jesus Christ.
You can watch a little of Matheu’s baptism below:
Written by Fernando L. Ferreira Junior.
Supervision: Kamila Uberto Fullmer.
For more stories, check out our blog page.
