“Trust in the Lord”
Newly called Area Seventy Elder Miguel Ribeiro of Mem Martins, Portugal has learned the power of trusting in the Lord and enduring well.
Elder Ribeiro’s family joined the Church in 1978, when he was 11 years old. While his grandparents and mother were very religious people, his father’s beliefs remained a mystery. He had never spoken to his children about God. One day, when the family was enjoying a holiday in Lisboa, his father met the missionaries in the street. To the surprise of the family, he gave them their address. Since their address was hard to find, he said he didn’t think the missionaries would ever find them. Then one day they heard a knock at the door, and it was the missionaries.
Since his father was a man of honour, he allowed the church representatives to come in and teach the missionary lessons. After the first lesson, they gave him a Book of Mormon. During the second lesson, the missionaries felt inspired to invite him to be baptized. He accepted and the whole family joined the Church.
When the family received people at home, it was always an opportunity for Elder Ribeiro to escape and play football with friends. But when the two missionaries entered the house, Elder Ribeiro felt joy. He felt that joy every time the missionaries taught. This was a pure testimony that he still keeps in his heart. Now, looking back, he recognizes that this was the way God spoke to an 11-year-old boy. He says that when there are difficult moments in his life, he remembers the joy he felt when they joined the Church, and it still gives him a sense of peace.
As he grew up, Elder Ribeiro looked forward to serving a mission and he hoped he would be called on a foreign mission, but he was called to serve his mission in Portugal. He is grateful because it was an incredible spiritual experience.
Professionally, Elder Ribeiro is responsible for a High Performance Programme for Young Men and Women at the Pestana Tennis Academy. As a tennis coach, he loves working with young people. He focuses on helping them develop healthy habits physically, mentally, and emotionally. He obtained a degree in psychology and specialised in coaching for performance. His goal is to help young people learn to be athletes and then to become champions. In this process he helps them develop the tools they need to thrive in a competitive world and learn values for their lives.
As a coach, he won all the national titles a coach can win in Portugal. He helped young athletes, both men and women, obtain national champion titles in the categories for under 12-year-olds, 14-year-olds, 16-year-olds, 18-year-olds, and the Portuguese Absolute Championship Title.
Seeing an excellent financial opportunity, Elder Ribeiro and his wife Zélia and their small children, planned to move to the USA. Ready to leave, after prayer, fasting and attending the temple the answer was “no”. Months later, Elder Ribeiro was called as a stake president. His wife comforted the family by saying, “We were born to serve the Lord.”
During the following years, they experienced very significant financial losses. The hardships seemed to have no end. The heavens were silent. Days followed months, and months followed years. Faith was tested to the limits. Elder Ribeiro‘s testimony was forged. He learned to know his Saviour in a deeper way. He said: “The Son of God trusted in His Father, endured all things, and endured well until the end. We‘ll never know when the end will come. We can only bear it and bear it well”.