In many instances, these converts are established in the country but in other cases, there are those who have returned to their home countries, sometimes shortly after being baptised. Unfortunately, some then “disappear”.
But not everybody.
Back in the summer of 2010, twenty-three year old Bruno Da Silva arrived for a one year stay in Dublin to study, work and improve his English language skills. He was from the city of Novo Hamburgo, well-known locally as the capital of footwear and shoes in Brazil and with a population of around a quarter of a million.
He spent his first fortnight in Ireland with a host family and some time later, after he had moved into his own apartment, he followed up on accepting a previous invitation from them to attend their church. When he was there, they introduced him to, in his own words, a “gorgeous young woman” who turned out to be Bruna Kayser (“Bruna” is the feminine form of “Bruno”). By coincidence and also to his astonishment, she too was from Novo Hamburgo.
Bruna told him that she had only arrived the previous Wednesday and that she had likewise accepted an invitation to attend to church with her host family. However, she also informed Bruno that, at home in Brazil, she went to what she described as “The restored Church of Christ” and was planning to find out where they met in Dublin.
So it was that in early October, Bruno found himself watching General Conference with Bruna. However, it did not particularly stir him. In retrospect, he feels that he was perhaps not as humble as he might have been.
But Bruna persisted and on 21st November of that year, she presented him with The Book of Mormon. She advised him that before he started reading, he should pray to the Lord to discover if it were true. She particularly emphasised the promise made in Moroni 10:4-7. In order to please her, he took the book but just put it in a cupboard.
But then on the following day, working as a door-to-door salesman Bruno spoke with a lady named Heather who told him she was unable to buy his product but that instead she had a gift for him. He stood for two long minutes on the doorstep – the early winter of 2010 was very severe – before she returned with a tiny copy of The Book of Mormon which she gave to him with the words, “Son, when you read it, pray and ponder it in your heart, your life will change forever”.
He was totally surprised and called Bruna instantly. And then she replied: “It’s the same Book I gave you yesterday. I think you’re supposed to read it then! The Lord always prepares a way to realise things.”
Bruno found himself unable to work further that day because he felt an overwhelming desire to start reading the Book of Mormon.
Bruno started meeting with the missionaries shortly afterwards and was baptised on March 12th, 2011. He returned home to Brazil not long afterwards but not before helping the same missionaries, Sisters Steele and Melanie Patterson, teach two other people who were subsequently baptised themselves. Furthermore, exactly two weeks before his departure from Ireland, he received the Melchizedek priesthood.
Bruno and Bruna were married on 15th December 2012 and in 2016, they were blessed with their first child, Lisa.
Today Bruno serves as a counsellor on the Presidency of the 3,000 strong Novo Hamburgo Brazil Stake.
He has a firm testimony of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. From his own experience, he realises the importance of opening our hearts to the voice of The Lord. He is grateful to the members in Dublin (particularly Heather), the sister missionaries, three special senior couples, Elders and Sisters Card, Hancock and Geilmann, and also to Padraig Brophy who performed his baptism.
He quotes our late beloved President, Thomas S Monson, that we must see others as they can become. In his own case, he feels fortunate that his now loving wife saw this in him several years ago, and that, as a result, they are now an eternal family.