WEEK 13: Three Month Mark! (feels like it's been a year)
I got to see my old companion from the MTC, Elder Warnick! It was so great to see him. Sounds like he's enjoying his mission. (I attached a pic below)
We also chowed down at McDonalds'. It was my first time having McD's outside the country and it tasted just like home. Haven't had a burger in a long time.
TUESDAY
Nothing really exceptional today. Except we did see a bad fender bender just across the road from us. It was super loud. No one was hurt, just a few bent up cars.
WEDNESDAY
Oh wow today was exceptional. We have sooo many interested people to teach. I don't want to leave this area; there's so much to do. Our lessons with Ruy are progressing, I think he's my favorite to visit. I love how curious he is and how much he appreciates learning. He really takes it upon himself to find out if the principles we're teaching are true, which I love to see in investigators. I love it when they don't absent-mindedly nod their heads and agree with everything, but when they have real questions, real interest in the Gospel, and occasionally challenge us. It makes me feel so much more fulfilled as a missionary when I meet people like Ruy.
Today we had one of those days that take a totally different course than what you expected. Seems like every missionary has these like twice a week.
Anyways we were on our way to Edinaldo's house when we realized we forgot to bring along any Palavra de Sabedoria (Word of Wisdom) pamphlets, so we decided to run home and get some extras. On our way we say a lady with about five kids running around her, and gave her an invitation to church. She was super enthusiastic (more than I've ever seen haha) for us to begin teaching her later this week, and she said she'll come to church. Then out of the blue, a guy we met a few weeks ago walked up to us. It turns out the lady we were talking to is his mom's best friend. So we all talked for a bit and the guy (Felipe) was like "hey weren't you guys gonna come talk to us? I have some questions about baptism."so we were like hey why not. So he led us to his house and we had a long discussion about Jesus Christ, and how to discern truth, and baptism. It was pretty enlightening. We're gonna come by again tomorrow to shed light on the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I think they'll find a lot of answers in our message.
And after that we finally went home to get pamphlets and realized one of our neighbors was home, someone who we've tried hard to find a time to teach but is always busy. So we decided it was more important to stop what we're doing and give her the first lesson; it couldn't have gone better. She was really fun to talk to. Oh actually her dog barked literally nonstop for the first 8 minutes so I guess it could've gone a little bit better, but we'll start teaching her and her niece too.
Our days are becoming so full, but of course, that's a good thing.
Our goal is to have 5 new families to teach each week, and a baptism every week. Oh and we're going to run every morning. Elder Rudger and I are ready to work real hard spiritually and physically. Mad grind time
THURSDAY
Today was pretty discouraging. I love rain so much but not as a missionary. It poured all day and a lot of people weren't available. No one was on the streets, a lot of our appointments fell through and it was pretty lonely. It was pretty much just a day of walking in the rain.
But come to think about it I enjoyed that. One of my favorite quotes, which I'm sure you've all heard before, is
"Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain"
So even though today was less than subpar I'll look at the positives.
Today we were able to have lunch with some other elders. One of them was on his third day on the mission haha, it made me not feel as new thank goodness. He knows five languages, and I happened to know a few poems in each so we alternated languages and confused everyone there. He's a pretty chill guy, I hope we're companions later on.
FRIDAY
The missionary work week is odd because our weekend is on Monday (Preparation day). And this makes every week FLY by. Can't believe it's Friday already. Also I hear today is the last day of the seniors at FHS. That's so bizarre to me, it feels like I just graduated. But then again so much has happened in a year, and high school also kinda feels like five years ago.
SATURDAY
Welp we had Gabriele's baptism scheduled for today but when we arrived at her house, her whole family was drunk. So we're rescheduling it for the fourth time.
Alcoholism is a plague here and it really hurts my heart to see what it does to families. The children grow up amongst piles of beer cans and yelling men on the streets. The families are without responsible fathers. The women have to raise a household of five kids on their own. After seeing the horrible effects it has on so many people, I want to stay as far as I can from alchohol. Especially after reading books like Angela's Ashes and Blake's mission journal, where "fathers" spend every last cent their family has on whiskey while their kids have no shoes on their feet and nothing but stale rice and expired beans for one meal each day. It just doesn't seem worth the damage it can do physically and emotionally to yourself and loved ones. I'm grateful for the Word of Wisdom and for people like Edinaldo, who have completely turned over new leaves for the good of their families. Edinaldo's whole family is an example to me.
SUNDAY
Church went well today. It's difficult to get our investigators to come to church, mainly because our church building is in a whole other city... (lol Pedregal doesn't have a building). But today we actually had a good amount of people show up.
The mission's goal is to build up a Pedregal group big enough to open a branch (a small congregation) soon. That's Elder Rudger and I's responsibility.
MONDAY
Today marks three months here in Brazil :0 My sense of time is so skewed out here haha. Home is just a distant memory. But just being here for three months has already changed my outlook on life. Our comfy-cozy lives in the States really seem like an illusion when you're in a second or third world country. I think it's a good wake up call to live in a foreign country for a while. Make sure you're always grateful for the wonderful opportunities and benefits we've been given in America.
PICS:
1) Meeting missionaries at the Rodoviaria
2) Kit Kat McFlurry
3) Meeting up with Elder Warnick again!
4-6 & 8) The sunsets are absolutely breathtaking here. Each afternoon looks like this
7 & 9) I found out my camera has a black & white setting
10) Rudge & I chillin' in the back of a super dark crowded bus
This Google Drive link has some things too big to send over email. I've been having trouble with Drive so if it doesn't open for you I don't really know how to fix it ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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