Treasure Hunting

How are you?

Tudo Bem (too-doo beng) All is well. Everyone says this, as much as a response as a greeting, just like we say "good morning."

Do you ever use a bike to get around or catch the bus?

Bike, no. Bus, Yes! Especially when the area is huge, we catch the public buses from place to place. If you remember in Mexico, we took the bus into the city. Here the buses are almost the same. Unfortunately, we'll never have bikes because of a few missionaries that did stupid things on them. :(

What is your companion like?

He's really cool and a little bit crazy. But, I like crazy. He is a heavy metal fan and loves to play guitar, and his skills are through the roof. He's from Rafael Castillos, Argentina (close to the capital, Buenos Aires) He's been in Brazil for 6 months now. He's 20. 

You mentioned the area you are in has had difficulties.  What kind of difficulties are you talking about?

Well, it was more about a bunch of missionary fubekas(slackers) that didn't do anything. Basically, there were a lot of missionaries that passed through here that were in the last months of the mission, so they didn't do squat. So, we're here to help the area come back into action!

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If you ever noticed, the greatest and rarest treasures are very well protected, and many times we will have to pass through the booby traps just to get to that one perfect treasure. The mission field is almost the same. Many times we pass through the worst of storms and the longest difficulties before we have that one chance to help someone who has been truly prepared. This week that happened a lot, and always turned out well in the end.

Fortunately, one of the things that's no longer a problem is the heat, as it is finally starting to cool back down. What has been a problem, however, is the people. After a year and a half, I've received so many excuses that I could list them all off. I'm never at home, I work 24/7, I'll go if it's not raining or if no one's visiting me, etc. There are many other excuses that the general population list off. Sometimes I just get a little sad that there exist so many people who have been so accustomed to where they are that they no longer desire to search or work just a little to find something greater, better, and happier. However, there are some that do, and when we find them, it makes it all worth it.

Just yesterday, for example, we passed by the house of a reference we received. She's the grandmother of one of our best investigators.  We'd only made quick contact with her before, but now we had the opportunity to pass by and share the message of the Restoration. Luckily, we even got the investigators father to participate too, and the lesson was beautiful. The whole time we talked, they had their eyes and ears focused completely on us, asking great questions, and truly understanding all that we said. The spirit was really strong while we were there. As we left, they couldn't say anything more than Thanks for everything. Moments like these help us remember that we should never become discouraged, because if we continue to work our best, we'll find those who are willing to make the effort to change for the better.

Sorry that my time seems to be getting shorter. Today I finally get to go to the temple, and I need to run to catch the bus. However, I wish everyone an excellent week. Thanks for everything!

Until next we speak/read.

Elder Angus

word of the week:

Corrido (koh-hee-doo) Race, or rushed.

photos:

- My companion and I