It
has been said that the gate of history turns on small hinges, and so
do people's lives. These small hinges, or the small decisions
individuals make daily, can end up having large effects with the
passing of time. Such was the case with my father-in-law and
mother-in-law, Edmundo and Fátima Leite, with a decision made many
years ago on a particular Sunday.
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| Fátima & Edmundo Leite Children: Ricardo and Lia June 1981 - "Festa Junina" |
Nearly
four decades ago in Brazil, Edmundo converted to the church
his wife Fátima belonged to, The Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints (“Mormon church”). Edmundo was very excited and
happy to be a new member, and he loved the missionaries who taught
and baptized him. He developed a strong friendship with the
missionaries and thoroughly enjoyed being warmly greeted at church by
them.
One
day at church, Edmundo met a new set of missionaries that had
arrived. He learned the ones that helped baptized him were no longer
in the area. This greatly dampened his enthusiasm. Edmundo didn't end
up feeling the same friendship or affection for the new missionaries
– they just weren't the same and weren't as warm or friendly. For
that, Edmundo didn't want to go to church anymore and stopped going
altogether. Fátima, however, continued attending every so often.
Edmundo
soon found himself creating excuses why he wouldn't go to church on
Sundays. He would talk to Fátima on Sundays in a manner such as:
“Oh,
we need to go to the beach... today is Sunday.”
“Want
to go to a churrasco?” [Brazilian barbeque]
“Do you want to go to a soccer game?”
He
was also invited by others to participate in such things on Sundays,
particularly during church hours, and he would accept the invitations
and go.
Some
time passed, and on a certain Sunday, Fátima spoke with Edmundo and
said, “Today is Sunday. Let's go to church.” Edmundo responded in
the negative. “No. We're not going to church. Let's go somewhere
else. Let's go to the beach!”
Fátima
sternly replied, “You can go to your beach, your churrasco, your
soccer game, to wherever you want go to. . . but me and my children,
we are going to church!!”
Edmundo
was shocked. Fátima had never addressed him in such a manner with
such vigor and firmness. He watched her gather the kids and things
until her arms were full. He remained silent. Out the door Fátima
went carrying a diaper bag, a bag for babies' bottles, scriptures,
and one of the children in arm. She took the second child by the hand
to walk along side of her. Down the stairs they went, and off they
were to catch a bus.
Edmundo
continued watching from a window and saw Fátima board the bus with
kids and bags in hand. The bus was also full of people (mostly men) dressed in shorts and without shirts going to a soccer game. The
bus then drove away.
Edmundo
remained standing at the window pondering about the situation. He
thought to himself, “You are such a coward. How can you say you
love your wife and kids, yet leave your family in a complicated
situation like this? You are not worth a thing.”
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| Fátima (4th from the right), Edmundo (3rd from the right) At church in Belém, Brazil, ~1982 |
From
that day onward, Edmundo resolved he would never miss accompanying
his family to church due to his own choice. He is certain today that
if Fátima had said to him on that particular Sunday, “Yes, let's
go to the soccer game,” or to go anywhere else except the church,
they would both not be attending church at the present time. Fátima's
choice to attend church, alone with the children in spite of the
difficulty, was a life changing experience for Edmundo.
The decision to keep the sabbath day holy and attend church that day, the “small hinge,” has had a tremendously positive influence through time and also far-reaching effects for good. Edmundo
believes that his and Fátima's lives, along with the lives of his
children and grandchildren, would probably not be what they have
become today had Fátima chosen not to go to church that day.
Fátima
is also grateful for the way she acted that Sunday. She believes that
if she didn't remain firm in her conviction, it's possible she and
Edmundo would not have even stayed together as a married couple.
Fátima has said, “The church helps us in all things … and helps
us overcome challenges and difficulties.”
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| Fátima and Edmundo Leite At church in Utah, 2017 |
***
Adaption
by Tom Hartley, son-in-law to Edmundo and Fátima Leite. Based on a
video interview with Fátima and Edmundo completed on July 12, 2017 by their daughter Juliana Leite Hartley. Additional consultation done with Juliana to clarify details. The original interview, in
Portuguese, is located here: https://youtu.be/mHKRB4NY9uc
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