Educating Missionaries

How are you doing?   Good.

Did you get your baptisms this week?   Two of them! 

Live in three what?  Last week Jess wrote about 2 brothers they met in the park and when they went to visit them at their home he found them living in humble circumstances and that they live in three.  I asked him what live in three meant.

Three people. aka the three live together.

What do they do for their work?
Recycling. Basically, they go around the city and open all the trash cans looking for cans, plastic, etc. Then they sell large bags of them to a collector or business.

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Flip-flops are an essential element of Brazilian culture. They are a fashion statement, they run and jump in them, walk around the house in them, and  above all, use them to educate rebellious children. Recently, the missionaries in our house have decided to adapt them into fighting tools to "educate" one another. Basically that means that in the minutes before bedtime there is an all out flip-flop war in the dark. If I didn't know better, I'd say we're all crazy. However, I've learned the secret to life: What we call crazy is many times unique and therefore normal, and what we call normal is the exact oposite. :P 

Anyway, with that thought off my chest, this week was really good.  I had the opportunity to travel and do divisions with the Elders in my district. That means a view of the mountains of Santo Antônio and the beautiful beaches in Torres. Beyond that, it also meant learning even more from the other Elders in the District. In fact, during these divisions, I've taught two among the best lessons I've taught on my mission. 

The first was a nice old couple. They were parents of one of the Elder's other investigators, and although the mother had interest, the father stated clearly that 'he was Catholic and would die Catholic.' However, we conversed awhile and he sat down to listen. Then, we went, and we taught not by our own voice, but as the Holy Ghost directed us. We taught about God's plan, about the family, and about baptism's great importance. By the end of the lesson, the spirit was so strong that everyone, especially the father, was in tears. He told us he'd never felt so good, and committed to be baptized. Being that this man was a stuborn Italian, such a drastic change was so incredible that I, the other Elder, and the wife were all completely shocked. Just goes to show the power of God. 

In the other area, we were teaching a couple where the woman was a less-active member. In the lesson, we spoke simply about the restoration of God's primitive church, and about baptism as Christ was. Then, we began answering so many questions, most of which I don't even remember how I responded, but in the end we knelt down, and the husband offered a beautiful prayer, expressing his great gratitude, and even expressing his desire to know the truth and be baptized. At the end of the prayer, the other Elder and I were smiling ear to ear with joy. I hope I'll be around for their wedding and baptism. 

This week we had two baptisms! There were many complications that the Devil threw our way, even to the point where one investigater had desisted and decided he didn't want any more. However, we did our best to fight the Devil off, and we helped two more of our celestial family enter into the baptismal font. I'm excited for the work and glad to see it moving forward. 

whoops! Time is almost out! Thanks for everything; prayers, honorable mentions, worries, letters, candy, etc. I'll do my best to retribute.

Anyway,

Elder Angus

Phrase of the week.

Não queiro não (naugh kei-roh naugh) No, I don't want to(it).

Photos:

- Baptism of Rosa

- Baptism of John

Against the River Flow

Have you had any baptisms lately?

Not recently, but this week we have up to three. I hope they all follow through.

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This week we were blessed with cooler weather, and that weather brought with it a plenitude of rain, and with the rain came an notified switch from streets to rivers. If anyone remembers the classic game 'Frogger', they'll understand the type of proselyting we need to do. XP Oh well, it's better than the burning sunlight.

Anyway, this week involved a lot of sunlight, a lot of walking, and very few lessons taught. Recently we've been running into a wall as some of our investigators begin to cease visits and or progress, and new investigators are in rare supply. As a result, we pass a lot of time walking in the empty streets of Osório. However, we do have great blessings that come along-side these tribulations, as all of the investigators that we have been able to teach are progressing rapidly, and all of them preparing to be baptized in these next few weeks! This week will be a special blessing, because three people are preparing to be baptized that hadn't been progressing for the last few months, then suddenly started booking it to the finish line. Their stories have already been scattered across my letters from time to time, but now their stories will be getting even better.

But, as far as cool stories go, I'll talk about a few others. In church this week, we had a ton of investigators, including two brothers in jeans and sweaters. We'd contacted them first downtown, sitting on one of the park benches, where they had expressed a great desire to follow Christ. When we passed by their house on the other side of the city, we learned just how special they are. They live in three, and as my companion likes to put it, their house doubles in value with just our presence in the room. However, despite the circumstances, they are truly faithful, humble, and motivated. They walk through the whole city almost every day for their work, which rends near to nothing. But, when all is said and done, they were happy, and in search for something even better. The moment we began to teach, they accepted everything, and even began testifying to us how they already knew it was true. They accepted baptism and  will soon enter the waters they've always wanted to.

I guess I'll finish with one of their words. "If it wasn't for God, we'd have given up on life a long time ago. Because God is, our life has purpose."

Thanks for everything, and sorry I never have time to write more. 

Sincerely,

Elder Angus

Phrase of the week:

E aí (ee ah-EE) Meaning literally 'and then,' but commonly used to greet people. aka "Yo"

P.S. We totally taught Elvis this week! I knew he wasn't dead. :D

Who Turned Off the Dark?

What did you do for the Beginning of the New Year?

We ate at president Chiaki's house for dinner, then we went home and watched the fireworks at midnight. Unfortunately, champagne is against our beliefs, so we just drank grape juice. :P 

When you were teaching the new investigator, who talked a lot, did you get a chance to get a lesson in?

Kind of. What we did is to let him teach himself. Just say a few things and try to direct him into the right train of thought. ;) However, it's a lot more complicated than it sounds.

Fireworks are really a big thing in Brazil. For one, summer isn't complete without tons of randomly fired fireworks during the day. For another, every official holiday(Christams and New Years) means staying up til midnight and setting off all the mortars you've got. Officially, we missionaries have to sleep just as we always do. However, just as I could never sleep in a war zone, there was no way we'd be snoring in bed any of these nights. ;)

Anyway, although this season is full of some great memories and some wonderful opportunities, it also means a lot of difficulty in the missionary work. When it gets really hot around here, you can guarantee that everyone in the city has one, gone to the beach, or two, gone to the lake. So, the official population of the city falls somewhere around two, Elder Angus and his exhausted companion. So it goes to say that this week we knocked on a lot of doors with little or no success. But, we did however find a few golden families, all of which were truly prepared by God.

The first was one that I'd actually met before. We'd knocked on every door, in the rain, and we were rejected by everyone until we reached the last house. Once there, the woman shouted, "Oh, Elder! Come on in!" Beyond the fact that she already knew us, she said it all in English. :) Turns out that she was an English teacher that my second to last companion and I had helped out once. She told us that she was 'agnostic' but that she wasn't really able to decide because all of the different descriptions of God, who he is, and what he does just left her with doubt. So we sat, we talked a little while, and she showed this intense desire to know, as if she was simply waiting for someone to say simply, "God exists, and he loves you."

Another, although only a contact, was something really cool. A member was helping us do contacts yesterday, when we passed one of the richest houses I've seen in all the area. So, Elder dared me to try the contact, and I did. After chatting a little on the interphone, she came out front and we talked to her about the importance of the family and a little about the church. In return, she told us that this had been exactly what she'd been looking for. Although her husband was under the belief that "all churches are true," she was truly searching for one different, and one that could help her family be happier. When the holidays settle down, we'll start visiting with her and her family. Booyah!

Just to finish, I'll talk about one of the coolest things I saw happen. Basically, the Holy Ghost takes an active role in every life to help them do what's right. That role kicks in for all of those that are ready to follow his promptings. One of our investigators showed us this. When we arrived there to visit him, he said he knew we would come. Earlier, he'd passed in front of six churches he'd previously attended and was invited to, but something inside him told him to leave and keep going. So returning home, not knowing why, he got the feeling to stick around, because God would be "sending him his servants." Little later, we arrived at his doorstep. 

Anyway, gtg. Thanks for everything!

Elder Angus

wotw

desafio (des-ah-fee-oo) Challenge. Life's better when it's full of them.