1000 Miles

When I'm finished with this mission doodad, I wouldn't be surprised if the odometer read more than a thousand miles. After a few months out here, home seems close enough to walk to. ... Okay, maybe not, but you get what I mean. Why I'm talking about walking, though, is that we've been doing a lot of it this week. I remember complaining about walking a mile for nothing when I first got in this area, and now we're walking at the least four or five. One day, we spent two hours walking back and forth, looking for an address that was written incorrectly. But, it must be done, for the lives of the many are a lot more important than the exhausted legs of a young gringo.

Anyway, we also began teaching some really interesting families this week. One woman that absolutely refuses to pray, one that won't change but is helping others join, teenagers that think I'm Justin Bieber, and one that switches (wants or doesn't want to be baptized) every day of the week. What chaos! But really, it's a pleasure to teach whomever God places in our path, because the miracles he does are for everyone. 

This week we finally were able to visit a woman we hadn't visited in a while. When we had first taught her, she hadn't been doing anything we invited her to do, and it appeared as if she wouldn't progress. But, when we returned this week, she was happy to tell us that she'd begun praying and reading since the last time we'd passed by, and that her life had made a great change for the better. Family members who'd been lost had been found, work had been located, and everything else she'd been having problems with were becoming much better. All of this, she said, because she had faith in what we'd said. Que benção! (What a blessing!) Now we just need to  help her go to church.

Anyway, this week I've been studying the Book of Mormon a lot, highlighting any references to God, Christ, or the Holy Ghost. Because of this, the first few pages have become decorated with hundreds of highlighted words. As well, I've learned some pretty interesting things about the three of them. Just one, for example, is that the holy ghost is the means by which all holy prophets of old had received inspiration, and the means by which we may know of the truth for ourselves. If we are worthy and clean, all of us have the ability to feel and know what God desires for us. All we need to do is search  him in diligent and humble prayer.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Thanks for the prayers and the letters. You guys are all the Man. All of you!

Elder Angus

Word of the week: 

Neve (Neh-vee) Meaning snow, something that I'll never see here. :(

Sink or Float

Very few could truly know the gravity of this subject. Fortunately, the literal definition is enough to show everything I need to say, which is: "This week was tough." Really it was actually a little depressing. If I could pin it down to two downfalls it would be these: Insolence and wicked tradition.

This week we had a for-sure baptism lined up with a young man, Marcos who changed completely. Before we taught him, he was depressed and under all sorts of drugs. After, he was bringing the scriptures to work just to read during break. In fact, he and his little brother were ready to be baptized, when the mother suddenly changed. First she denied the baptism of the little brother, then she began to lie about when Marcos was at home. One time, she even threatened to call the police on us! So, we'd begun teaching Marcos in the home of a member. He was really happy, and so excited to be baptized. Then, the day of the baptism, it happened. After the mother threatened to kick him into the street, he sadly come to us and said he won't be baptized. I won't lie, just about then I was ready to shake the daylights out of that woman, but in the end I just feel sorry for her. I have no idea as to what happened, but it is the insolence, negligence, and sometimes hatred that people have that sometimes bring us all down the wrong road. Fortunately, some of us have been blessed to know the Gospel in its fullness, and have found others that receive it with open eyes and a ready heart. If we always remember that somebody is there, waiting for the gospel and ready to receive it, we will never become dis animated.

Traditions is another thing. We all know that traditions can be a powerful tool to unite us as families, civilizations, and faiths. Unfortunately, this tool is not exclusive to the Lord. We've taught countless families this week, almost all of which have received powerful witnesses of the truth of our message, know that the church is true and sometimes even know that their church is wrong. But, they choose not to change. Why? Tradition. They have so much confidence in the traditions they have, they fear what could happen if they change. They see their families, their friends, their peers, and they fear that if they change, they will lose it all. 

Really, all of us are victims of this. All of us have thousands of traditions, whether we label them as such or not. What we all need to do is sit down one day and think, "Is this really helping me, or is it limiting my potential?" Just as traditions prevent many from entering the true church, they stop others from going to college, lead others into addictions, keep others from work, and even make people believe they're nothing. Don't fall victim to them! I challenge all of you to do this. Think about every single aspect of your life and change those parts that Satan has control over. If you do, I can guarantee that you will feel more secure, more happy, and more one with God.

Anyway, thanks for enduring my council and lamentations. Remember, for every trial and time of darkness, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. For this very reason, we should never stop half-way. Thanks for the prayers and the support, I couldn't do this without all of you.

Elder Angus

Word of the week:

Bomba (bow-mbuh) Meaning bomb. Everyone down here thought the entire United states was being blown up. Unfortunately, I didn't know anything to tell them until this morning. (Thanks Mom) My prayers go out to all the victims and their families. 

Don't Do Dumb Things

Unto all peoples and all dedicated disciples of the strange Elder Angus Chronicles: Pay heed to the great words presented in the subject of this letter. These are the very words a wise leader once told me that we should live our life by. In reality, it was actually just a phrase he used teaching us about safety in scouting activities, but I like to think it extends  to all parts of life. :P

Anyway,  I'll just let y'all know first off that I really love my family, even if it is in my own strange way. They probably understand the gravity of this statement more than anyone else, just because they are the sole witnesses of the "sealed portion" of this letter. >:P Of this I will say no more. However, I will say that my love for others has been sky rocketing as well. Each week we receive a letter with the names of all the people baptized in our mission during the week, and although I'm in a different area now, I always search for the names of people I taught. You have no idea how happy I was this week to see the names of a family show up! Yahoo! ... Unfortunately I'm sitting at a public computer, so these shouts of joy were oppressed into mental jubilee (I like this word). 

This week has been substantially colder. When people say it feels cold here, they're not lying. For this my faith in God has strengthened dramatically, because only he could help someone like me leave the cozy confines of my bed at 6:30 in the morning. Unfortunately, for all the cold you feel here, it never drops below freezing, which means no snow here. :( Oh well.  However, along with the cold this week, we've also done a few things differently.  Mainly: contacts. This week alone, we did over 120 street contacts. O.O I wouldn't believe this number myself had I not been doing all of the contacting. Just for all of you to understand how big of a change this is, think about me. How much do I talk? How many people do I talk to? How often do I leave my comfort zone? If you know the answer to all these questions, this is one more witness to the power of God. Truly there is no other explanation for how someone like me could walk up to a group of five strangers in conversation and invite them all to be baptized. Hehehe That was a fun contact. 

Anyway, I'd like to leave you all with a thought, knowledge vs. wisdom. In a world like today, knowledge is somewhat easy to come by. With all of the professional courses one can take, you could learn just about anything from underwater basket weaving to astrophysics. Wisdom, however, is more important, because wisdom defines how we use our knowledge. Many people that I've met think that knowledge gives them power. In this they are right! Knowledge is power! But I have a step more. Wisdom is happiness. How can we think that God doesn't exist, that work is more important than family, that worldly desires are greater than service and charity, or that the so called "worldly wisdom" is greater than the commandments of god. To be learned is good, but only when we hearken unto the council  of our Lord, Savior, and God. Jacob 6:12 "Oh be wise! What can I say more?" 

Well, "that's all I've got to say about that."

Elder Angus

Oh, and thank you for everything, prayers and letters alike!

Words of the week:

Piada (Pee-ah-duh) Means joke.

Trocadilha (Troh-kah-dil-yuh) Means pun. I've learned a few of them, but I always forget. Maybe I'll give you guys one next time. 

Tongue of Swords

Bah! Que coisa maravilhosa! Here in the mission, there's truly nothing greater than the opportunity to listen to the prophet and apostles during general conference. Even when it's in a foreign language, you can feel the power of their words, and the strength of their message. I've heard many stories of people who'd been entirely converted just listening to the conference, and I do not doubt the likeliness of that story. I just hope that some of our investigators felt the same.

Anyway, this week's adventures were pretty interesting. This week we've been changing our game. One technique being contacts. Normally we don't do a lot, but this week we've been talking to practically everyone. I'll be talking to one person, my companion jumps over to talk to the next, and then we begin to leap frog. But, the best part about it is the contact itself. We don't cover our purpose with fancy doctrines or comforting words. We speak frankly and to the point. "Hello! Pleasure to meet you! My name is ... and I've been commissioned of Christ to baptize his brethren. Would you like to be baptized?" >:P What I think is more impressive is the number of people that accept. 

Anyway, Just like the Lord taught, we should always speak simply and with clarity. This way, no one should misinterpret our purpose, nor misunderstand the truths we carry. Unfortunately, this is a lot harder than it sounds. However, I've already been witness time and time again that you don't need a lot of detail to be converted. In fact, sometime a simple truth such as that of the Book of Mormon or that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God is sufficient to help us know where God wants us to go and in whom he wants us to trust. Over the past month, we've been struggling with an older woman who's been fighting against baptism for quite some time. She's a great person, for sure, but she'd always had fear that she'll sin afterward, and that she'd disrespect God by being baptized. For many weeks we'd taught her about the purposes of baptism and all of the commandments, but it wasn't until two simple truths were stated that she finally made up her mind. 1. God is our father and 2.He only wants the best for us. Maria was baptized yesterday, between the two sessions of conference.

Many times we begin to have fears and doubts, questioning the things we've learned simply because our minds have been stuffed so full of info that our mind is beginning to explode. When a house is built, it needs a good foundation. If we try to build an enormous mansion if we don't lay the foundation first, nothing will work out right, and the house would likely collapse. Likewise, if we don't have a firm testimony or belief in the simplest of doctrines, that God is our Father and that Jesus Christ, his Son, was sent to save us from our sins, no other doctrine will make sense, and it'll all fall into ruin.

I know that God is our Father. I know that Christ suffered for our sins. I know that he lives and loves us all. I know the book of Mormon is true, and I know that Christ visited that young man, Joseph Smith, to restore his only true church to the earth. And of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Well, I guess that's about it for now. Thanks for all the prayers and the love/candy. 

I'd give you all chocolate if I had any still.

Elder Angus

Bom de mais (bong gee my-s) Direct translation is "good of more," but the closest phrase we'd have to this would probably be "gooder than good."

Pics:

- Baptisim of Maria

- A Lovely Nutella Meal (I just had to post it) >:P

Pity the Fool

Given the date of today's correspondence, I couldn't let a good pun run on past... Even if it is a pretty sad pun. >:P Anyway, Just so y'all know, I won't pull any tricks or who-dat's during this letter. (Or will I?) heheheh.

Well, it looks like things are getting even better around here. Sometimes even when we least expect it. In the entire mission (Brazil Porto Alegre North), I've seen many miracles happen. For example, after tons of revelations and simple councils, the mission has gone from 20 or 30 baptisms each month to 80 and now 110! The Lord is truly hastening his work, and the converts are some of the strongest we've ever seen. Just this week, we were passing by in the house of a member when a young man, Marcos, passed by to ask for money. After a few minutes (or hours) or discussion, we found out that many times he would normally use this money just to buy drugs. However, this time things changed for him. We taught him a little about Christ, repentance and baptism, emphasizing the enabling power of Christ's sacrifice. The very next day, he called at us in the street and told us excitedly that he had completely lost the desire to do drugs, and that his life had already begun to fill with a perfect love and hope in Christ. He'll be baptized here on the 14th and he's really excited!

Just like Marciano, Marcos was another miracle I had the pleasure to see. One more prodigal son that returned to the warm embrace of his redeemer. Many others we've been teaching as well have seen a greater light, felt a little better, and had greater hope in all things. For me, just seeing those who open their hearts to God and completely change their lives for the better is the greatest thing I can receive here on the mission. (although, I can't deny that Skittles are pretty good too) >:P

Anyway, I'd like to bear my passover/Easter testimony. I know the my Redeemer lives. God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son, and I know that through his sacrifice, all of us may arrive clean and with no imperfections in the presence of God. Through his sacrifice, you and I can be lifted from the weak and terrible state of our natural man and become children of the most high God, powerful, happy, and ready to help all others do the same. I know that God and Jesus Christ love us, and I know that he shall return. Be of good cheer, do not dismay, for we are never left comfortless. If we seek him, he will come. This testimony I bear in the sacred name of our savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Anyway, good luck with April fools day. I'll be praying for everyone's safety and trust...

Elder Angus

Palavra da semana:

Pascoa (pah-sko-ah) Meaning passover or Easter. Here it is the day where everyone parties. However, no one leaves home on black Friday. Only us missionaries are in the streets.