1 Nephi 3:7 “In
Brazil, I met Aroldo Cavalcante. He was baptized at age 21, the first member of
the Church in his family. His faith burned brightly, and he immediately began
preparing to serve a mission. Sadly, Aroldo’s mother was diagnosed with cancer.
Three months later, only days before she died, she spoke to Aroldo of her
greatest concern: There were no relatives to help. Aroldo would need to take
full responsibility for his two younger sisters and his younger brother. He
solemnly made this promise to his dying mother.
“By day he worked in a bank, and at night he attended the
university. He continued to keep his baptismal covenants, but his hopes for a
full-time mission were gone. …
“Months later … , Aroldo studied the words that Samuel
reprovingly spoke to King Saul: ‘To obey,’ he read, ‘is better than [to]
sacrifice’ (1 Samuel 15:22). Aroldo received the seemingly impossible
impression that he needed to obey the prophet’s call to serve a mission”
“Undaunted by the obstacles before him, [Aroldo] moved forward
with enormous faith.
“[To pay for his mission,] Aroldo saved every Brazilian
cruzeiro he could. At age 23, he received his mission call. … Aroldo still did
not have enough money to pay the full cost of his mission and the living
expenses for his brother and sisters, but with faith he entered the MTC. A week
later he received the first of many blessings. The bank that had employed Elder
Cavalcante unexpectedly doubled the money he was to receive as he concluded his
work. This miracle, along with others, provided the needed income for his
mission and his family during his absence” (Neil L. Andersen, “Faith Is Not by
Chance,” 65–66).
