Caçado

:D... Today was an adventure. An adventure involving embarrassing incidents, terrible fruit juice, a broken bus, futile hours of travel, and a white Ferrari. Unfortunately, I have only the time to bait y'all and not the time to tell. >:D But, if it means anything, I did leave enough for the imagination.

Baptisms! Booyah! This week we baptized the three kids of one of our strongest investigating families. In fact, I actually performed the ordinance myself for the first time... ever... and in Portuguese. o_o I'm not going to lie, I was shaking like mad. Fortunately, shaking like a mad man doesn't make it any less valid -.- The parents are next in line and have their minds set to follow.

But wait, THERE'S MORE!

Please excuse my annoyingly propaganda-like (note from Breanna...he said Propagandic...that is not a word) transition as we move on to other events of the week. This last week kicked of with the party of Carnival, which means that all the missionaries return home earlier in the day. Probably for the best, as a few extra hours at home really helps one prepare. A little extra reading, a little more sleep, a little more fruit ninja, a litt... wait, fruit ninja? 

...

Anyway, we kicked off the week well rested and ready to go. That, and we're starting to see all the gears turning. Baptisms, birth, miracles. It's all falling into place, if not for a little pushing and shoving. :P But I guess a good story today would be that of a new investigator we found yesterday. In fact, it was more like he found us. As my companion was standing in front of the church before it started, the man passed by and began to converse with him. He spoke of how he'd visited many religions and never found one he felt was right. We visited him later that night expecting water, when we got a waterfall. As the man put it himself, he was prepared of the Lord through his faith and his conversations with God. By his faith, many miracles had already been wrought, including the salvation of other's lives and his own. But most of all, he was so spiritually in tune, he had already been taught many great truths by the holy ghost that are normally the largest barriers for us to overcome. It's only been a day, but just by the power of the spirit I felt there, he'll be one of our strongest investigators.

But, if there's one thing I'd like to share with all of you, it's the principles behind the spirit of this man. Faith and Miracles. As Moroni says in the book of Ether, "God is a God of Miracles, as he has been from the beginning, and will continue to be so as long as Faith still exists upon the face of the earth." When we have faith, especially in things that never faileth (God and Jesus Christ), miracles inevitably follow. The faith of this man served as a conduit that connected him with his heavenly father, and through his faith, he served many people just as Christ did and taught us to do. Likewise, Another family this week just bounced back from an extreme financial crisis after months of prayer and a chance encounter. If we seek miracles in our lives, we must first seek Faith. We must be in a constant struggle against the feelings of impossibility, or the influence of Satan, for therein we find the light and the hope of Christ. Dedicate your time, if even just a little each day, to read the scriptures, study them in your heart, and converse with you Heavenly Father in prayer. Though the things are simple, it is by small and simple things that great things are brought to pass. 

Thanks for the letters and the support. I've been getting a few Christmas and new years letters recently, so I'll be sure to respond to the as soon as I get time. ;) Anyway, stay sweet and feed the sheep.

Elder Angus

Words of the Week:

Portuguese: Caçador (Kah-sah-door) Meaning hunter. As the prophet Jeremias prophesied, "first the lord will send fishers, and the he will send hunters, to seek out the low places, the mountains, and under the rocks." (Sorry, I probably butchered that quote. :l )

Mission: Kill, Dying, Dead - When a missionary is going home, he is dying. When he has left, he has died. And theretofore, the companion with which he died is the killer. R.I.P Elder Bueno (5/6 more days)

Photos!

-My sweatiest shirt yet.

-Wonderful Translation

-The Baptism this week

-Fruit Ninja >:D

P.S. Breanna, send me a list of friend requests I have on Facebook and I'll tell you whom to accept. I don't remember how many people added me. :l Sorry. Oh, and thanks good buddy ol' pal. :P

Failing Flesh

Unfortunately, lifting groceries is not a sufficient enough exercise to prepare one for service in Brazil. I learned that this week as my companion and I did a little service for our Branch President, making a few modifications to his house and fence. To those of you who don't know, every single building constructed here is made of any combination of wooden slates, brick, concrete, and stone. Unfortunately, this particular work involved more of the latter, carrying 88lb stone blocks from the front yard to the back. o.o' Let's just leave it to say that my arms still haven't recovered from the incident. 

But, although I wasn't entirely prepared physically, I like to think I was well prepared spiritually. "Whom the Lord calls, he qualifies." On saturday night, I was awakened by my companion with the frightening news that I, he'd remembered, had a talk to give the next day. ...:l So, after slowly getting out of bed, I went on a frantic search for the topic and material for the talk, only to find I had left it at the chapel the day I received it. X( But, as eager as I was to prepare that talk when I got to church the next day, I still had responsibilities to do. So, in about the last few minutes before sacrament meeting, I quickly skimmed over the material. Subject: missionary work. -.-' What a relief! Fortunately, I've talked so much about the subject in Portuguese before, I was well prepared to give the talk. >:D Does that mean I'd do this again?...No, no I won't. However, this is just another witness that as we are doing what we're supposed to, and fulfilling all of our responsibilities, the Lord will help us conquer anything he asks of us.

Nothing much else happened this week that's worth mentioning (that I remember), but this upcoming Saturday, we'll be having three really powerful baptisms. This family is well prepared, and have really strong testimonies. Two days ago, they even went with us to help teach another family, and during the lesson, they bore their testimonies so powerfully you could just see the light of Christ manifest in their hearts. Unfortunately, the parents have yet to be baptized, so only the kids will be baptized this week. Nevertheless, they will certainly serve as a strength and an anchor to help their parents make the next step.

Thanks everyone for the help and the prayers. Yesterday I ate the last Skittle in remembrance of all the good you guys do for me. But, instead of an emergency re-supply, I ask for something a little different. Instead, I ask just that you all sacrifice a little of your time, or show a little bit of courage to talk with somebody about the Book of Mormon. That's right, I just went there. >:P That means those of you who know, talk to others, and those of you who don't, talk with those who do. There is a lot of truth, power, and happiness that is riding on this one book of scripture, and we should never fear to declare this glad tidings unto the world (or to search for them, for that matter).

Anyway, don't lose your cool. You are children of God, and only you can throw off your groove. ;)

Élder Angus

Wards of the week:

Portugués - Churrasco (shoo-ha-scoo) Meaning barbecue. Here in the south, they have alot of it. Usually they do ribs or sausage rotiserie style over a charcoal flame. Delicious. :P~

Mission - Trunky (this actually might be Portuguese as well) The state of a missionary as he begins thinking a lot of home. For example, my companion is going home in 14 days, so he's gone all kinds of trunky. 

Note from Breanna: No, Trunky is not a Portuguese, it's a term used in all missions. :)

Every Pore is a Waterfall

Interesting fact: It costs about $25,000 to buy and send a shipping container of Skittles here to Rio Grande do Sul. How do I know this? Even though the branch here is extremely small, there just so happens to be one member here that makes a living of importing foreign or different foods and putting them on the market. So, naturally I asked to see if he'd be interested in a little venture. >:P Unfortunately I don't think he'll do it, but it never hurts to try.

Now that the ice has been broken and we're all soaked in this mess of a puddle, it's probably time to talk about my life. It's hot, really hot. Basically I've been nothing but soaked for the last week. If there'd been actual ice here, I'd have been all over it. I'm just going to say this in case it helps out any of my other buddies out in the field. If it's blazing hot outside, and you see two young men dressed in white shirts, ties and sweat, let them into your house, they need it. Besides, maybe they'll help you out as well. ;) 

Anyway, it started to rain here a few days ago, so at least things are improving...ish. But we're starting to find some really good people. Earlier this week, we'd been knocking a few doors in the richer neighborhoods. Some of them said no, some of them let us in and then let us out, and others even ran inside and tried to hide themselves. (these people make me laugh) Then, we came across the only humble house on the street and we didn't even have to knock. They invited us in, we talked, and then we set a baptismal date for them in three weeks! \'o'/ This family was truly prepared to receive the gospel. However, there are always two sides to a war. When we got back there the next day, we felt a spirit there that was absolutely terrible. The wife had gone completely the wrong direction, and by the time we arrived, she was somewhere between madly drunk and possessed. In fact, it could very well have been the two. She began denying God, shouting profanities, then slowly pleading for us to cast a demon out of the shower. Fortunately, as bad as any situation may appear, God always has a means to help as long as you are doing what's right, and in this case, that meant casting out the demon with full out priesthood power. :l The cool thing is it actually worked. We returned the next day, she was still drunk, but the holy spirit was much stronger there, and the father had progressed tremendously. There's still some work to be done, but there's always more help when it's needed.

Anyway, today I'm going to answer a question I got from a certain Brother Dwain because I feel that it's quite a good one. The question is that if we believe and profess that we have a living day prophet, why do others of different religions have so much success while the most of us don't? The question is surely a tough one, but stems from a false principal, being that somehow, riches and fame are guaranteed blessings for obedience to the Lord. Monetary prosperity is never guaranteed by God, and is often the form in which he tests and tries us. The city of Enoch(Zion) and the city of Babylon were greatly prosperous, both built high and strong, but in the end, Zion, being righteous, was brought unto heaven, and Babylon was destroyed. What the Lord has promised is that to those who believe in him and do as he asks, he will carry their burdens that they may become light. Being guided by a prophet in these latter days, we have the privilege to know and obey all of God's commands as he intended, and to receive warnings of dangers to come. In obedience to these, we will never be left without help, for the Lord will always be near. This is greater than all the blessings of the world.

Be obedient, and the Lord will prove his word. Thanks everyone who has done so much for me, and thanks for the letters. I never realized how cool they are until I actually received them. :)

Stay sweet,

Elder Angus

Words of the week:

Português - Gaucho (gah-oo-show) means cowboy. Basically everyone down here is. The lifestyle consists of owning a horse and drinking Chimarron (shim-a-hon, a grass flavored tea passed around like a hookah)  cl:{'

Mission - Snakey, meaning females that are attracted to serving missionaries (men are scorpions) ;P

Yin and Yang

Free Agency. There's no question in my mind about why there was a war in heaven about this single principle. For my whole life, I'd always been grateful to have the freedom to choose my own path, but recently it's been the most frustrating thing of all. The mission is really a battlefield, a conflict between good and evil, and our job is to run out into the crossfire and save as many as we can. The problem is that as much as we desire to help some people, we can't make decisions for them. We can talk to them, testify to them, and do all we can to show them a better road, but they have to make the choice. They have to act, or they will never receive.

I say this because lately we've been losing many great people in this war. As much as we've implored people to read the Book of Mormon, to ask God the truthfulness of it's message, and to visit Church to truly feel the spirit of the Lord, few have even showed efforts to change. Sometimes, I just feel the urge to drag people to church just to feel how true it all is, but as much as people frustrate me, they must make their own decisions. In the end, if people think TV is more important than prayer, sleep than church, or visitors than scriptures, they won't receive a response from God. It's as simple as that.

But for everyone that chooses not to progress, or not to know, there is always one that does, and it is through them that the power of the Lord is truly manifest. As much as this week has been dark and disappointing, I've seen some of the greatest miracles of my life. In particular, one family I've probably mentioned many times before. Starting with the simple inspiration to knock at a door, (one a great distance away from our usual area) we found a mother, daughter and son. We taught them about the Restoration and invited them to church. Despite the father being against it they went to church. Then they went again, and again. Then, miraculously, due to the constant prayers of the mother, the father began to change, began to accompany them to church, and became the spiritual strength of the family. Soon afterward, this family lost everything. They lost their car, most of their appliances, and arrived at the point where they couldn't even stay here in Ivoti. But something happened. We visited them just this week, and invited them to pray, to decide whether to go home, where they had work, but the church was not, or to stay here and take a leap of faith. 

Brethren and sisters, we are truly saved by grace after all that we can do. Having nothing left, and no idea how they would survive, they decided to stay. The very next day, the father was promoted as a boss and the mother received work near the house. A cheap car was located as well, and now, the family is all set to stay and survive. Just as they had no reason to believe the Lord was with them, they trusted in him still, and the light shined through the dark.

There's probably a lot of messages I could pull from here, but the one I want to talk about is that there will always be light within the dark. For as much as people around you are choosing not to follow, there are those that will. As much as your world is crumbling around you, there is always help to be found. As much as your world may be filled with darkness, the Savior is only seconds away. Trust in the Lord, and he will guide you, comfort you, and light up your world. He will be your pillar by day and your fire by night. All they that come unto him shall not suffer, but have eternal life.

Never lose hope.

... Sorry if I sounded more cryptic than usual, my mind does that from time to time. Anyway, thanks to everyone who's done so much for me. 

It's always helpful.

High fives for everyone. 

Elder Angus

A Red Sun Rises

"Blood has been shed last night." ~Legolas (Correction...it's "blood has been SPILLED THIS night" ... this has been a public service announcement from Breanna)

NOTE: This letter belongs before the one below it, it got skipped over due to Danielle's presence in the house. I literally got nothing done while she was here (aside from a very silly letter to Jess) since this was the last I was going to see of her for almost 2 years so...there's my excuse. Here's the letter...enjoy.

No, nobody died. At least, nobody I know. However, over the past few days I've been stuffed with at least twice my weight in Brazilian barbecue.  The more remarkable thing, though, is I'm still nothing but skin and bones. :l  I'll have to work on that.

Hello anonymous reader, please don't hit that Esc button just yet, this letters only just started. There's plenty more space to be wasted with my weekly toils.

I guess I'll start off by saying that gold has rained from the heavens. This week, I received a wonderfully heavy package filled with little red sweets.

Is it... can it be?...It couldn't be, yet it must!... Or should it?...Maybe...I should just open it...Skittles!

The last few days I've felt like Santa Clause, bestowing bountiful sweets upon those that I meet, that with me they can rejoice in its goodness. There's really no stranger way to put it. But really, the branch is moving a little faster down here. With these bountiful drops of fruity sweetness, combined with chocolate chip cookies (another thing they don't have o_o) I've been pushing the work along just fine. Okay, not really, but I like to think I'm doing more than "being the gringo." Oh well.

Well, I guess I should actually say something constructive now. Here in Ivoti, the work is continuing as strong as ever. People are progressing, more people are being found, and each and every day, we are getting closer to baptisms for everyone. The only problem is that no one her is married, and the bureacracy here makes this very difficult to solve. However, this doesn't slow down the change in the hearts of the people we've touched. One family we've been teaching from the very beginning. At first, we only encountered the wife and daughter and began teaching them. Over the first couple of weeks, it continued as such and the father absolutely refused to talk with us. Then, after about five weeks with them receiving our discussions and going to church, we found the father in-house and ready to receive the discussions. The funny thing is that this was the first time my new companion visited them, so he had no idea this was so remarkable. Just the other day, the father was with us, cutting the grass behind the chapel, and happier than ever.

You may wonder what made him change his mind. It wasn't us, it wasn't his family convincing him to do so, but instead it was the example they set, and the good changes he saw in them over the first few weeks that developed a desire in him to do the same. At this point in time, they're probably one of the strongest families I've seen investigating the church, and when they eventually get married and baptised, I have no doubt they will make a powerful addition to the church.

Everyone, if there is one thing that is undoubtably true, it is that when we live and learn the true principles and doctrines of Jesus Christ, we change for the better. As King Benjamin put it in the Book of Mormon, we have a "mighty change in our hearts, and no more desire to do evil." Truly, the blessings of the restored gospel of Christ are unimaginable, and the power can be seen by all in the example of those who live it. Make it a responsibility, to sew all you can, to live what you know, and the blessings and happiness of heaven will be poured out unto you.

Thanks everyone for your love and Skittles, the latter being nearly as good as the first. >:D Sorry if my english is getting worse. If it helps, my sister will probably edit this beforehand. Maybe.

Até mais!

Elder Angus

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