Clash of Ebony

If one thing hasn't changed about me, I'm still a complete dork. But I like it that way. This past week, I sweated out my wallet, and by sweating out my wallet, I mean that I sweat so much the leather is starting to mold through. So, the obvious choice was to retire the wallet and make a new one. So, viewing the various options, I decided to make one with the materials I had at my disposal. >:D I don't think talking about it does it justice, so you'll have to see the photo.

Something I've determined, though, is that you should always keep a record of what happens in your life. Whether it's a photo, a journal entry, or a random sketch of the things that happen in your strange little life, it's important to keep a record so that you don't forget. Your mind is an open chasm, filled with energy, ideas and memories. However, if these entities are never tied to something solid, they'll be lost forever, hidden among the stuff. Call me crazy, but I've been using all three of my suggestions for everything from daily events to personal revelation to video game ideas. Really, my records are all a complete mess, but nothing is wrong with that as long as it all can be remembered.

Anyway, I'm done discoursing, so I guess you can tune back in now.

This week was pretty interesting. For one, it was filled with a lot of those expected-but-unprepared moments. This tuesday, we had to go to the Poliicia Federal in Porto Alegre so my companion could renew his passport (lucky duck is going to France with his family). So, in order to avoid the several hours of train and bus to get there, we paid one of the members to drive us there. What I didn't know, though, was that he would also bring his children along. So, sitting in the back, with two-year-olds in carseats on both sides, I sat there drifting into madness for the hour drives there and back, with the constant "wake up missionary" and poking fingers with each passing minute. X( Okay, it was terrible then but it's absolutely hilarious now. I'm laughing just thinking about it. Still, next time I get the front seat.

Second, we have a new closet that's been sitting unassembled in a box for a few good months, and being unable to contact those who do so, we decided just to do it ourselves. o_o Wasn't the smartest idea. Just to make a short story even shorter, lots of time, still haven't finished, weakest closet I've ever seen. Really, I'm just ashamed thinking about this one, lets move on. 

Third... well, lets just say recipes are not meant to be mixed.

Now, for the final event I'll discuss. We had a baptisim this week! However, we had almost lost her. We'd been working with this investigator for weeks, helping her understand the doctrines and realize that she's been prepared for baptisim for some time now. She'd left for nearly a month on vacation and returned this week, so we jumped on the opportunity and invited her. Success! But that's not the real story. The day of the baptism, we called her early that morning to remind her about the details, when she told us she'd been sent a messenger who told her not to get baptized. o_o Of course, our feelings sank into our guts, but we set a time to visit her that day. She described to us how she'd been shopping and struck up a conversation with a random stranger about how she was getting baptized. The man then warned her and said more or less that if she got baptized right now, she'd be damned. >_< So, we had a lot to talk about when we arrived there later that day.

In the end, she got baptized that night, but I want to talk about why. The answer, the feelings of God and the power of testimony. One of the most powerful and undeniable things we can bear is a testimony of faith grown through diligence and spiritual witness. When a testimony is given, nobody can deny it, but more important is that when we testify of truth, the Holy Ghost confirms that truth within the hearts of those to whom we testify. The true difference between the missionaries and the stranger on the street was simply this. We need to recognize that when we feel bad, strange, or confused, these feelings will never be sourced from God but from the devil who seeks to lead all men astray. We must learn that all truth, all righteousness, all things from God are witnessed with power and joy in the hearts of those who would recieve it.

I guess this stems into a double challenge for all of you. First, always be aware of the feelings in your heart, the guidance you recieve, and the witnesses you feel. Second, never be afraid to bear testimony of the things you believe and you know, for sometimes they are the source in which souls are changed or comforted.

Thanks everyone for all your love and support. As well, thanks for enduring all the weird letters. ;) Continue to be awesome and all that you are, and I'll do the same.

Elder Angus

Photos!

-Baptisim! \'o'/

-My old wallet

-My new wallet (x2) ;P

Stripes of Glory

I'm really starting to question the need of an opening comment. Really, everyone already knows who this is addressed to, so why is there even that "To whom it may concern" comment. But thats just a rant and a strike to be started some other day... if it's even worth it. :P

Anyway, I bet you'd like me to type something constructive here. First of all, the heat here is really killing me, and when I forget the sunscreen (sorry Mom) it gets even worse. -.-' If it means anything, though, I probably sweat it all off anyway. I guess a more interesting topic, however, would be the wonderful exploits we had this morning. :) The zone I'm working in realized it's goal for this month, so the Pres. gave us a Zone P-Day. Basically, this involved all the missionaries in the zone gathering together at a park this morning, and participating in the various activities. Just for my Mom, I took plenty of pictures too, and will be sending a few of the good ones along with this letter. So, due to the filled day and all the activities, I have yet to recieve sufficient time to catch up on the month of empty journal entries. X( I feelm like they may never be filled. Just stand there and mock me.

During the first few days this week, the town was absolutely empty. I mean it! Litterally every store was closed and nobody was walking in the streets. We Even made long lists of investigators or contacts we'd try to teach, but even there we came up nearly dry. However, like every disney film I've seen, there's always a good ending to this story. About the last two or three days here, theres been a sudden flood of people returning, and we've been finding nearly everybody at home. The best part, though, is that part of that influx was all the members we'd lost, finally having a church meeting with more than just us and God to help the investigators.

The party's reign of terror has ended! Now is the age of Progress!

*said in an epic Roman Voice

One of the better highlights of all this week was one of the families we've begun to teach. My companion and I swear, they're the best investigators we've ever seen. They are friends of one of the members we have here in the Branch, and they are truly golden. When we first visited them, we never gained time to teach anything, so we left a pamphlet with them in case they'd like to study ahead of time (a thing people rarely do). When we returned, to our pleaseant surprise, they had all read it through, and had even written responses to the "additional study" part in the back. D: (Jaw dropper) Not only that, they were actively asking questions about church doctrines and beliefs. In fact, they asked so much that we had to wait until the third visit before we could teach any structured lesson. XD

But this is really the kind of interest and desire we should all have when it comes down to it. I'm not saying you should get up, grab a missionary and ask him everything he knows about the church (although this has crossed my mind). What I'm saying is that we should all take a little more excitement, or at least put a little more importance in the doctrines of God. Too many times I've seen people that "have a religion" that they never visit, or are too stubborn to invest a little time to hear a servant of the Lord. The truth is that we should all be looking for something better, something more complete until we find something that can answer All of our questions. I know I've found that here in the church that I represent, but how can that profit you unless you search it for yourself. Those who believe they've found something, shouldn't just steady in, but actively search and study what they found, ponder it in their hearts, apply it in their lives, and discover through God if these things are really true.

Friends, family, and all other internet folk. Please don't put aside the importance of your soul and your Heavenly Father. I know him well, and I know he will not chastize those who do not obey, but why deny him the ability to bless you in this life and the next. 

Thank you everyone for all your love and support. I received a special Christmas package this week with letters from all the Activity Day girls, and delighted in all their nice little sentiments and cute comments. It seems like a simple thing, but really it's really the simple things that make us stronger!

Until Next Time!

Élder Angus

Photos:

- My attempted panoramic of the waterfall we saw today (could use some touch-up) ;)

- A regular photo of the same, in case the first was terrible

- My lovely silhouette

- Oh, that sweet punchable face! >:D

A New Hope

If you think it's hard coming up with a unique subject for every e-mail, you should see my journal. There I need a unique title for every day. Xl I feel like it's a rising scale of difficulty that can only be contained by cheating and using a different language later. :P

Oh right, now that my side thought is over, I'd like to say hi to all you out there! All you wonderful readers that are sticking with every estranged word that I write. You are truly legit... maybe too legit. o_o I almost think the same of the mission thus far. Although every day down here is filled with miles of walking under the blazing hot sun, there are definitely miracles to be seen down here. But I'll get to those in a bit.

First of all, I got to talk to my family this week! As well (as far as I know of) you all may have been privileged to see my terrible little "speech." If you did, this is probably a good time to apologize for my ignorance of the manual focus on the web cam that I didn't notice until after I hung up. :l Sorry Mom, you'll just have to wait till Mother's day to ridicule my face. :P But fortunately I still had the privilege to talk with my family, discover that they're just fine without me, but as well that they continue to grow and become stronger in the Lord. It kind of reminds me of when, in the Book of Mormon, Alma came across his old friends, the sons of Helaman, and rejoiced that they were still his brethren in the Lord. I didn't cry or anything that cheesy, but I guess it is still a somewhat good representation. The unfortunate part, though, was that while they had a nice fresh coat of snow, I've been sitting in 100 degree temperatures with humidity. -.-'  I guess that's just the way it is.

As for the rest of the week, I will describe it with this emoticon: \'o'/ We did a lot of work this week. One of the more important occurrences however, is that several landmarks were reached: both the first baptism of my mission, and the first for this area! Probably one of the coolest experiences was seeing Jaqualine make these final steps to baptism. After she emerged from the water, I could feel that she was certainly prepared of God to help the small little branch we've been working in. My companion and I have been discussing this and have decided that God has prepared those who are truly strong in the Lord to lay the foundations for his church here in Ivoti. With some of the people we're teaching now, I have no doubt that is the case. 

I'm running out of time, so the spiritual thought will be quick. There is a time and a purpose for all things under heaven. Just as Jaqueline wasn't baptized eight years ago with the first set of missionaries, over these years she received even greater preparation and a spiritual witness of these things, and has entered into an area that truly needs her help. Never doubt  if the Lord is there, or if the things that are in this world are solely that of the devil. Always remember that God loves each and every one of you, and that just as a an evil man can give good gifts to his children, then can God give good gifts unto us, his children.

Thanks everyone for the prayers and the support. Thanks for the recipes too Mom. ;) We now have everything we need to actually cook, so this will be great. 

Stay sweet,

Elder Angus

Merry Christmas from Jess

Since our missionaries get to call home on Christmas and mothers day, we had him record a little message for all of you.

That video has been uploaded to the facebook group: Elder Angus

A late Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Ashes of the Pheonix

And thus did he cry from the wilderness of Ivoti, "Repent thee, repent thee oh though wicked generation! How hast though drawn so far from thy God!" Okay, I have yet to say this, but it is truly what all missionaries are called to do. >:D

Hello world, and thanks for tuning in to the wonderful mission of Elder Angus as he struggles to save the souls of all he can. This week was truly beginning to become testing for me and my companion. First of all, many of the past few days have been really hot, and I mean really hot. Really' it's just hard enough to stay dry sitting down in front of a fan, let alone walking quite a distance from house to house in the sunlight. An interesting thing I've been seeing is that as time goes on, we are walking further and further in this area. I don't know why, but for some reason we never seem to teach people all in one area, and investigator by investigator, we are slowly expanding out to quite some great distances. The weird thing, though, is that we often encounter these people in street contacts on the other side of town! Why? I don't know but that's the way it is. We also had some trouble with the progression of many of our investigators who were unwilling to follow up on commitments, some even that have completely lost their desire. :( I guess that's just the way it is with this kind of missionary work. You bring the truth to all the people you can, but it is truly up to them if they want to follow through and discover the truth of these things for themselves.

The week wasn't all downs though, for some truly inspirational things occurred. For one, I received a wonderful package of cookies and candy from my Mom. (Thanks Mom) But more than that, we had a special Christmas dinner in our small little branch here in Ivoti, where we had the opportunity to teach about Christ to investigators and countless neighbors and friends that outnumbered the number of members. >:D What was really cool, is that one of our investigators invited a friend, who discovered that she had already known the church and the missionaries, but hadn't met with them in eight years, but wants to be baptized. :D It is truly a blessing to see the souls prepared by God making their way towards the right.

I guess I should finish up now. Thanks everyone for all that you do for me, and I'll let you know when the first set of Skittles arrive. ;P Remember that all of you are children of God, that he has a plan for you, and that one day he will place his servants in your path. When this happens, don't push them away, for they truly carry a message of great worth.

Teu amigo,

Elder Angus

Salvation of the Drunken

Friends, Romans, countrymen.

Four score and seven years ago I had a dream. I don't quite recall this dream, but it had something to do with ice cream. Hello everyone, and Bem Vindos for the next episode of Angus in the White Fields! This week was a little different than others because a lot of it was spent outside of our area. This week we had the priviledge to visit the Porto Alegre temple on Tuesday, a mission Leadership Conference on Wednesday, and than a Zone Confrence on Friday, all of which require us grabbing an Onibus to Novo Hamburgo (and for some a train to Porto Alegre). Although extra instruction is great, I feel like this entire week was overloaded and we got very little done with the time we had. However, there were a lot of good experiences we had.

An interesting story of what came to pass two days ago is that of our saving a man who was extremely drunk and nearly died in the backyard of an investigator family. However, after already typing a few details then deleting, I've decided that one is better left for the imagination. After all, the better stories are those of when souls are saved, not only vitality. This week had an especially legit experience with an investigator named Luciani. We had encountered her while knocking at a random door after having lunch with a member in the far reaches of the city. She's only lived here for a few months, but moved here with her daughter, son, and husband (whom I've never met). She's really progressing well and is one of two people (her and Michael) who actually visited church a second time in a row. This week, when we visited her we started by asking if anybody had questions. Luciani's hand shot strait up and she said I have one! Of course, at this time we have all the different scenarios running through our heads, what rumors she heard, what her husband said, etc. Then, to our surprise, she said, "What do I have to do to be baptized in your church?" :l ... :D It took a few seconds for the question finally sunk in and we realized what she had said. After that, me and my companion excitedly explained all she needed to know. We can't set a date yet until she has plans for marriage, but she is certainly ready to receive and has a desire to do so! :D

I could probably relate more, but I'm an extremely slow typer, so I'll just finish with my motivational thought. This week I've been studying the General Conference talks in the Liahona (in Portuguse :l) and encountered a talk by Elder Quentin L. Cook titled "Can you feel so now?" (I think) and the first things he talks about is repentance. Often we see repentance as solely a means to receive forgiveness, but this is not it. Repentance is like the remedy to a sickness. Whenever we take anything into our hearts or our souls, it damages us and makes it difficult for us to move or to act. Repentance is the means by which we can relieve our burdens, open our spiritual sensitivity, and realize more of our grand potential. 

Thanks everyone for your love and support. I gotta run!

Elder Angus

P.S. Thanks to anyone with plans to send Skittles ;)

Skittle Famine

Gazooks!

I figured my letter intros needed to be a little more interesting, so I started to improvise. Todays letter, however, will begin with my lamentations of the long lost product of infinite worth... Skittles. They don't sell them here! DX I don't even think the black market smuggles them in, mostly because they're focused on the Old Spice. The lack of thereof, has inspired a desire within those touched by the rainbow that they will even surrender time in their day and teach with the missionaries just for a bag of skittles. So, I make an official plea to the world that is listening to send me this precious commodity. ;P

Okay, it really isn't that dramatic, but there litterally are no skittles here, and one of the five male members of the branch here will only combine with us for a bag of skittles, a little joke. I am glad to announce, however, that we have finally received a fridge and stove! Now all we need is gas and we'll be ready to eat something other than sandwitches and cereal for breakfeast and dinner. However, we have had some nice treats to snack on from families we've taught. My companion told me that you know a person/family trusts you when they send you home with food, and you know they love you when they make you Churrasco (pronounced shoe-haus-coo, meaning barbecue, sweet sweet barbecue). Luckilly, both of these things happend this week, wich means we have alot of friends and alot of good food. :D

But the food certainly isn't the best part of the mission, nor is it the purpose. The best part is the people. For example, one of our investigators, Michael, is probably one of the best people I know. Unlike every other investigator we have, he actually calls Us to confirm appointments. :D He's also studying the "Principles of the Gospel" book for sundayschool and asking us questions when we stop by. The best part of all is that he will go to the church on his own, and drag his family along too. We're considering calling him a dry member, because all he needs is baptisim. :)

But when it all comes down to it, we all should be this excited about the word of God. It is not some form of fantasy, a good story, or a means by which we justify our actions. No, the word of God is an essential part of all our lives to secure our salvation and the salvation of those we love. It answers all of our questions, and it prepares us for that which matters more than all things, returning to the presence of our Heavenly Father. Please, no one take these things lightly, but don't be afraid either. When we have treasured the word unto our hearts unto action and following the word, we have secured our salvation and in this we may have joy.

Thanks everyone for your love and support. We'll be having a baptisim this Sunday and I hope you all pray to make sure it happens. In the end, this branch is amazingly small and we need more members to help. :) 

High Fives, handed out like party favors!

Elder Angus