Pleasant Field

Where in the world is Jess Robert Angus?

Brazil!!!! :P Just kidding. Read ahead.

Are you writing to other people each week?

Just you and the mission president. Just that I don't read, nor do I type very fast. What's worse is that the little time I have on the computer isn't enough to practice. :P

What happened to the woman who you wrote about last week?

Don't know. I'll ask my last companion next time I see him, but the last thing I heard is she would be going to church this last Sunday. We shall see.

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Campo Bom. Beyond a phrase meaning literally "good field," it also happens to be where our hero has found himself in the continuation of his grand adventure. In video games, large fields normally hint at the use of horses or transport, but for me, it's still all on foot. But there's no use complaining, because the walking will help me when I get home, seeing as I no longer have a means of transport... :P (I still can't believe someone bought my van)

Anyway, new area, new people, new companion. Elder Caetano is from a small town in Pará, Brasil, and has just about as much time as I do in the mission. He's been having troubles with a few "dead" (homesick) missionaries and hasn't been able to get a lot done in the last few transfers, so when I arrived, we got straight to work. Now, when I say work, I mean we went crazy with contacts and looking for new investigators. The best part is, we got more than we expected, with time to spare.

The best part about having so many people to teach is that each one has his own story. One was a young man in his twenties who had passed through a lot of difficulties. A few day's before we arrived, his life plunged into a downward spin, losing job, friends, health, and hope. Finally, he decided that he needed to return to God and ask for his help, knowing he couldn't get through without it. Then, a few hours later, two young men in formal wear knocked at his door. When we taught him, I could feel the spirit really strongly, and I knew not only that he had accepted our message, but felt he would do all that he could to follow it.

Him, like many others, is one of those whose prayers God has answered, and in whose answer I've had the pleasure to take part. However, there are also many others who may not have asked in a time of need, but have been prepared to receive our message for a long time. Such is the case of a young woman whose door we knocked on. When we had first arrived, she immediately called us in, after which she informed us she was about to leave, so we conversed a little and marked to return. When we returned, we discovered that she'd actually been really nervous the first time because we were the first visitors she'd ever received, and not knowing what to say, the first thing that came to mind was "come in!" Nevertheless she let us sit down and we shared our message. By the end, she was teaching herself more than we were teaching her. We invited her to be baptized and she readily accepted. :D

Through the mission I've come to see many great works and wonders among mankind, but I'm glad to say that the great majority of them have been the changing minds and hearts of those I've had the pleasure to help and to teach.

Thanks to everyone for your prayers and support. I'll be needing them as I need to do my best in the time that I have left. So, until next time!

Elder Angus

Phrase of the week:

vai te catar (vaee chee kah-tar) Slang meaning "scram" or "beat it." In fact, it literally means "go pick-off ticks from yourself." Hopefully the ticks aren't as abundant on humans as they are on the dogs. 

Higher Motives

You mentioned Carnival in your last letter.  What is that?

It's a holiday where people fill the streets with sin. Partying all night long wearing practically nothing, drinking, shouting, etc. Luckily, this only gets completely unbearable in Rio de Janeiro and in New Orleans (yes, that's in the USA)

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Hey everyone.

This week was pretty interesting, especially when nothing goes as planned. If you could take a look at my planner, you'll see that almost everything was crossed out, including our alternative ideas. We walked a lot, we achieved very little, but never the less, we found some very special people just when they needed it.

One of them I must tell you about. We had received a reference the other day from a member in another ward. We called the man, marked to go there on Thursday, and arrived for the appointment to find the house completely empty. Ready to move on to our second plan, we felt that we should knock on the neighbor's door, where a young woman responded. She told us that she "already congregated in another church" but would be interested in receiving our message. She asked us to be quick about it because she had another commitment. So, we sat out front, and we tried to teach a quick message of the restoration. Instead, we ended up teaching two hours and answering the best questions I'd ever heard from any investigator. At the end of the lesson, she went to her room and grabbed her diary, where she showed us the goals that she'd made and asked God to help fulfill. Among them was one that said simply "find the true church and attend every week." Then, with tears in her eyes, she thanked us for helping her find an answer to her prayers. She told us that she'd knowingly let her commitment pass by because this was more important, and she needed to know.

This among many other experiences helped me remember that even when the world seems to darken around us, God is still beside us and continues to guide us in his work. When I left that house, I felt the spirit stronger than I ever had before, and I know that everything we teach is true, through and through.

Sorry, my time just ran out. Thanks for everything! I just got informed I'll be transferred again tomorrow, so we'll see where I end up. Until next time!

Elder Angus

Word:

aeroporto de mosquito (air-oh-por-toh gee moh-skee-toh) Meaning bald head ;P (airport for mosquitoes)

References from God

What is the main reason for the inactivity of the members there?

Normally it's from something another member did or said, or simply because the only friendship they had at church was the missionaries, and after they left, they didn't have any more support.

Did your baptism for Vera go through?

Yes!!!!!!!!! Photo!!!!!

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Normally, people to teach comes from your own efforts. 1) References from Members 2)References from Investigators 3)Street Contacts and Tracting. However, there are those rare moments where your future investigator in fact goes out looking for you. These we call references from God, and they're probably the best you'll ever get. This week, we got a really special one, but I will tell more in a little bit.

We are finally getting into fall weather.  The temperatures are always rapidly changing and people all over are catching colds. This includes the missionaries as well. :/ However, luckily we haven't gotten anything more than a runny nose. :) On top of that, Carnival happened and ended this week, which means the slack has finally stopped and everyone returns to work and to school. (Luckily Nothing really happens here during carnival, but I've heard it gets really bad in some places) So, finally the endless frustrations of vacationing investigators has ended, and now we just have to catch them when they're actually at home. :P 

But this week brought some pretty great experiences. One of these was the baptism of Vera. Over the last week, we were helping her make the last minute preparations for the baptism, and she accepted each challenge that we gave to her. Until now, she's only gone twice to church, but already understands everything we taught,  made new friends at church, and even offered to give us lunch each month! Of all the people I've helped teach and baptize, she is one who was open and willing to accept the gospel of Christ and live it. The baptism was really spiritual and turned out excellent, including the guitar number done by my companion. 

Another special experience was that reference from God I mentioned. Saturday night, the other two Elders were at the chapel, waiting to teach their investigators, when a young couple and their daughter approached the building. "Hi," they said, "We're new here and we're looking for a new church to attend." Of course, I can only imagine how many beats the Elders' hearts skipped when they heard that, so they chated and got their number. That next morning, we called them and invited them to church that same day, and lo and behold, they came! They payed perfect attention, participated in all the classes, and enjoyed every minute of it! The family is so excellent, my companion and I almost invited them to be baptized together with Vera, but we all knew it'll have to wait. (Let's see about next week ;P ) With them, and a few others, our group of investigators is growing with some really excellent people. Like those packets of Hawaiian punch, we just need to add water.

Oh, good. Since I have time to write a little more, I'll leave a short message. In my studies, I've been recognizing how truly everything that exists and was created by God testifies of God and of Christ. Even the sun, the moon, and the stars in their regular motions testify that there is a God. The more we learn, as much about the plan of our Heavenly Father, we come to see even more purpose in Christ's sacrifice, our relationship to him and our Father, and the great potential we have yet to achieve. Since I could spend a long time on this subject, I guess I'll just leave it at that.

  

Thanks, and until next time,

Elder Angus

Word of the week:

cuscu (koos-koo) Meaning dog. This is a word they only use in the south, as the usual word is cachorro (kah-show-hoo) I guess strong southern accents aren't something found only in the states. :P

Photo:

-Baptism of Vera

Dividing Time

Where do most of the missionaries from there go on their mission?

Most serve missions in Brazil, but here are a few that go foreign.

Are you in a very big ward?More or less. here are 600 members, but only 150 are active. :/ But that will change.

Do they have more then one ward in the city of Porto Alegre?Yes. I don't know about the south, but the northern part has about five or more. Porto Alegre is really big, like Denver.

note: sorry for spelling errors. the keyboard here is broken :(

ox

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Our area is strangely divided. Basically, it looks like a pair of sunglasses, because there are two huge land-masses connected by a very thin straight. So, this week we've been splitting our time up between the two of them. In the last few weeks, we passed most of our time on the land closest to us. After a lot of work with little success, we finally decided to pass some time on the unknown side. Fortunately, we saw very great rewards.

Among the people we found, there were some very special ones. Some expressed they had been waiting for some time, others that they had never thought about it but felt they'd been needing this for quite some time. One of them, however, was truly special. When passing by a house of a return missionary (returned four weeks ago) he gave us a name and address of his godfather, and then simply stated, "It's time." So, feeling ready to go, we passed by the house. The man at the door greeted us and invited us in, beginning a very long conversation about his life and the happiness he searched for. He said that he has traveled about the world several times, looking for something to change him, or fill the emptiness inside. But, every time he returns home, he realizes that nothing has changed.

So, when he paused in thought, we were moved by the spirit and declared to him, "John, the hole in your life is something that can only be filled through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Such a gospel that we carry, and we testify that our message will not only make you change, it will make you complete." After that, we began to teach, reading scriptures and testifying without end, and left that powerful lesson with a baptismal commitment, a few references, and a really powerful peace. This man has a lot of potential, and all he needed was someone to send us his way.

The scriptures always remind us that as long as our brothers and sisters are outside of the church, they will always be missing something, whether they've recognized it or not. Whatever the case, we have been greatly blessed and therefore have the great responsibility to invite others to receive the same.

Thanks for everything, and until Next time.

Elder Angus

wotw:

tempo (tehm-poo) Meaning both time and weather, being also the two elements we cannot control... yet. ;P