POWER IN THE PRIESTHOOD - CASTING OUT OF AN EVIL SPIRIT IN BRAZIL

I decided to enter some interesting spiritual experiences while an LDS missionary in Brazil (Fortaleza Mission) from 1988-1990.

Here is one of the most bizarre experiences - okay just one of many. How come it is that my life is just filled with these??

Here goes from my journal entry of 12/25/1988:

"We are here in Brazil in Natal in the NE state of Rio Grande do Norte. I'm going on 10 months on my mission (3 months in the MTC, 3 months in Anaheim waiting for my Brazilian visa) and just four months in Brazil. The time has gone by incredibly fast. Anyway, I had heard alot about the evil spirits they have down here so I had prayed at times in the MTC, in California, and even here to have an experience with an evil spirit so I would have the experience - and knowing I would have an experience thusly according to my patriarchal blessing.

Anyway, my companion (Elder Venancio) were in our house after Christmas letting the food from the Christmas dinner digest and me rejoicing in the fact that I got out of eating lambs feet that our dinner host (who is also our maid) offered me. I've gotten good at that here in Brazil.... Anyway, the neighborhood Mormon boy came into our home and asked if he could use us for a little while (or in other words, use our Priesthood) as he was only a Teacher at that point. He told us that the screaming and carrying-on that we heard was the neighbor lady possessed with a devil and that he wanted us to come and cast it out. I recognized this as a good chance to fulfill my desire and we left right away. We got to the house kitty corner to ours and the gal (about 30 years old) who lived there was on the ground, in the sand, screaming her head off and babbling at times after laughing hysterically. Quite frankly, I thought she was drunk or was having some kind of breakdown. There was a man holding her down and talking to her. I asked the man, who was holding on to her what was going on. He said she and her live-in boyfriend had been to the beach (drinking, etc) and as they were returning on the bus, a bad spirit entered her. I laughed to myself picturing her on a crowded bus carrying on like that - I bet she freaked some people out!

Anyway, they got her to the house and inside and tried to keep her inside by locking the front door. She went bezerk and five men could not hold her down. She got to the front door and ripped it right off of the door frame and was able to get back out side (this gal was about 85 lbs - very small build). The force required to rip the deadbolt out of the frame and spring the hinges would have taken at least four of me. Anyway, she was saying all the time that she wuold run our in the street and jump in front of a car to kill the body she was in. She said it once more as she was headed for the street and then she said "I can't do that!" or something to that effect and then she fell limp to the ground when the spirit left her for the first time. A little bit later the evil spirit returned to her and that's when Elder Venancio and I came upon the scene. I frankly thought she was just a drunk - which was partly true because she had been drinking at the beach with her live-in boyfriend. We observed for about 5 minutes. She was subdued somewhat now and just babbling. I was made a believer (to her condition) when I heard and understood what the spirit was saying over and over - "Ganhei um corpo..." = I got a body and that she was not going to let anybody take it away from her - and that she 'finally got her chance'. Freaky!!

After knowing that this was for real I started thinking of how Jesus Christ and the Apostles had cast out the devils and remembered the story of Jesus and Legion and the swine and so I asked the spirit's name. She said she didn't have to tell me because she already told the man who was holding her down. He had forgotten - and I was thinking 'Great, this is like the army where you only have to give your name, rank and serial number once!'. I talked with Elder Venancio and he seemed to think we should command it out as if we were giving a Priesthood blessing by the laying on of hands. He did so (laid hands of her head) but she just struggled to break loose - this devil didn't like anyone touching the new-found body! The crowd of around 30 people who had gathered around were getting pretty anxious to see these two guys in white shirts and ties cast the devil out - and then the boy who had called us to this started saying "Well, come on and use your Priesthood and cast it out!". So I'm going "Great! Group peer pressure to use the Priesthood. Of all the things I've ever seen!". I just sat there for two or three minutes about how my comp hadn't successfully cast it out and then I thought of how they'd successfully cast devils out in the New Testament. Finally, the Spirit said, "Now, do it now!". So I just raised my right arm to the square and proceeded to do the sloppiest prayer I had ever done in my life. It was part in English, part in Portuguese, but I got through it. It was the strangest feeling - doing an ordinance in public for a group of gawking spectators - and not really sure of what I was doing. Anyway, I got done and looked down at her and she was calm and was listening intently as if someone in the distance was calling to her or talking to her. Then she started saying "Alguem e me chamando" = 'Someone is calling me' - over and over. I was sure something had worked but a little flustered that the evil spirit hadn't left right away - like I thought it should have.

Alot more to come - this is alot of typing.....