I'm serving in São Laurenço da Mata. It's huge! And it is amost ready to split into two wards. All we have to do is fully activate the "I go to church 1 Sunday of 3" people!
I've been reading the Old Testament with a lot of help from the bible dictionary and the intensity of the symbolism in the sacrifices in Leviticus is amazing! Last time I read this book, I wasn't paying attention and I didn't quite understand that different parts of the animals were used in different parts of the sacrifice. The blood, as a symbol of life's power, was spilt, sprinkled, or placed (pay attention to when each action is done). The fat a symbol of richness was offered to the lord along with the kidneys and the caul above the liver (what is a caul? please e-mail me if you know!). The shoulder or breast (the best meat) was sometimes burned, sometimes eaten by the high priest (D&C 1:38 anyone? It is "by the mouth of [his] servants"!) I still get confused by some parts of Genesis, so if anyone has insights, help me: Angels having babies with women? Giants? Noah got drunk? The whole 'trick' with the birthright of Jacob? And did Joseph really not harbor anything (his brothers traveled like 4 times from Canaan to Egypt and back!).
In the Book of Mormon, I've been studying the attributes of Captain Moroni (for my Armor of God book!). Really cool! Take each thing that is said about him and use the Topical Guide and Index to find more!
Elder Page
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
8 February 2011 - email
Hey Family! Oh, and friends who are reading this. And people who I don't really know that well but know my family members and for some reason feel thus obligated to read the scrambled ramblings of a scattered 19-year-old teaching Brazilians the truth. Hmmm...I think that's everyone.
So there's some weird Brazilian traditions and superstitions that I don't think I've written about, and since it's been really slow this week, I'll catch up some lost time.
WATER:
So here it's a superstition that cold water makes you sick. Drink it. Bathe in it. Touch it. Look at it. Any of these things can cause you to get the flu or "pass bad" (Brazilian for really bad diarrhea. Sorry, I decided to be frank). I'm not sure how many times I've drunk warm water here, but I've realized that its worse than hot water. No wonder God spews lukewarm people from out of his mouth!
On the other hand I had a comp (Trindade) who told me that drinking warm water or hot water was bad for your intestines. Hmmm, so all of the studies saying that it helps are wrong. And can you explain why you drink chimarrão (a very bitter, very hot tea)...
BODY AND FOOD:
"I was really active and did a lot of sports when I was younger and that cleans out your pores, so I think that's why I don't have body hair!" ... ... WAIT! Hair comes from clogged pores! Does that mean that zits are genetic?
The 'gum stays in your stomach for 20 years and gives you cancer' thing is also pretty big here. Makes no sense, but sure. You'd die of clogged colon long before dying of cancer, but sure, it's true.
So almost everyone here loves farofa. They like to put it in their beans and rice, on their meat, salad, etc. What exactly is farofa? FLOUR. DEEP. FRIED. FLOUR! Sometimes it's mixed with vegetables and little bits of meat so I can see it being used. But sometimes they just put flour. Just flour!
Well, that's all for now!
Elder Page
Monday, February 14, 2011
14 February 2011 - email
Várzea closed! It was frustrating because we we're receiving referrals and we had two families to teach and baptize!
Now I'm in São Laurenço da Mata (where I went on division my first transfer) with Elder Santos. He's also from Rio Grande do Sul, but he's a lot more friendly and interactive than Trindade. He said that we already have baptisms marked for this weekend! I'm really excited because this is the area that about ten weeks ago baptized 15 people in one week!
Now I'm in São Laurenço da Mata (where I went on division my first transfer) with Elder Santos. He's also from Rio Grande do Sul, but he's a lot more friendly and interactive than Trindade. He said that we already have baptisms marked for this weekend! I'm really excited because this is the area that about ten weeks ago baptized 15 people in one week!
Wow. I think someday I'll laugh at this story, but right now it's horrible for me:
Our last day in Várzea we had nothing to do after church. My comp served in the area that's situated on the tops of several hills and valleys close to our area (UR-7) and he wanted to say good bye to some people and explain more about the investigators that we have to the elders there (they'll be helping out in Várzea every once in a while).
When we finished that it was about 8:30ish so we went to a member's house that is in front of the bus terminal and talked to them while we waited. Before we realized it, it was 9:50 and my comp had to talk with the LZ's. A member came running up to us and told us that the buses were stopped because there was a pre-carnival party in the streets; they were only going to a different stop and turning around. We walked to the stop and right after we got there it started pouring like none other. We waited forever, but the buses were only going up, not down and our phone stops working after 10:30. Finally we picked up a bus and went to a member's house to get dry and wait for the buses to start again at four am. I couldn't sleep, trying to figure out if there was something I could have done differently and stood at the window staring at the rain for hours. At 4 I woke up my comp and, after a lot of convincing, we left and got the bus. When we got home (4:25ish) we were drenched (the bus doesn't stop very close to our house and the streets were flooding) and none of our things were packed and the house was a mess. I took a shower (cold, because the hot water scalds in this house), packed my things and packed up a load of garbage. The only things left unpacked were my bed sheets. Then when we went to leave a member came up to us and said, "I paid for this taxi for you!" which was really cool, but ended up that the buses were running fast now and normal traffic was slow. So we showed up late for the transfer...again...
When we finished that it was about 8:30ish so we went to a member's house that is in front of the bus terminal and talked to them while we waited. Before we realized it, it was 9:50 and my comp had to talk with the LZ's. A member came running up to us and told us that the buses were stopped because there was a pre-carnival party in the streets; they were only going to a different stop and turning around. We walked to the stop and right after we got there it started pouring like none other. We waited forever, but the buses were only going up, not down and our phone stops working after 10:30. Finally we picked up a bus and went to a member's house to get dry and wait for the buses to start again at four am. I couldn't sleep, trying to figure out if there was something I could have done differently and stood at the window staring at the rain for hours. At 4 I woke up my comp and, after a lot of convincing, we left and got the bus. When we got home (4:25ish) we were drenched (the bus doesn't stop very close to our house and the streets were flooding) and none of our things were packed and the house was a mess. I took a shower (cold, because the hot water scalds in this house), packed my things and packed up a load of garbage. The only things left unpacked were my bed sheets. Then when we went to leave a member came up to us and said, "I paid for this taxi for you!" which was really cool, but ended up that the buses were running fast now and normal traffic was slow. So we showed up late for the transfer...again...
Now I'm here and I'm really tired, so tchau!
Elder Page
Monday, January 31, 2011
31 January 2011 - email
Things are really starting to look up here; we've got a heap of new investigators, the bishop talked about home teaching for fifth Sunday, and the interview with President was awesome!
First the investigators: We received a ton of references (referrals) from the same family, and they are some cool people. A family! A FAMILY! They seem pretty cool, but I think it could be a little slow at first with them, but it'll pick up speed.
We're also teaching an inactive member's girlfriend; she went to church, but she's scared to receive an answer that will change her life. We're trying to help her understand that answers from God aren't anything to fear.
In the interview with President he said that he's worried about the number of children getting baptized and the low number of men and families. He offered to help us teach Jane (JAW-nee, not JAYN) Hélio's wife, so that she'll get married and he can get baptized. He also warned us to not baptize anyone under the age of 12 before calling him.
In the personal interview he told me that he's been thinking about making me financial secretary. I don't know if I told you this, but just about every missionary since the CTM has told me that I'll be the financial secretary. I couldn't help it; I started laughing when he asked me if that would be alright with me. I then had to explain why I was laughing. It was good. He told me that maybe I'd return to Boa Vista (Apparently Elder Lima, my ZL (Zone Leader) from there wants to return and end his mission there with me!) and then I'd get put as the secretary.
He's not sure if it'll happen while he's still President or with the new one, so it's not certain whether it'll happen or not. It was weird; I thought we'd talk more about how I was doing in my study or something, but it was just "This is my plan for you. What do you think..."
In the personal interview he told me that he's been thinking about making me financial secretary. I don't know if I told you this, but just about every missionary since the CTM has told me that I'll be the financial secretary. I couldn't help it; I started laughing when he asked me if that would be alright with me. I then had to explain why I was laughing. It was good. He told me that maybe I'd return to Boa Vista (Apparently Elder Lima, my ZL (Zone Leader) from there wants to return and end his mission there with me!) and then I'd get put as the secretary.
He's not sure if it'll happen while he's still President or with the new one, so it's not certain whether it'll happen or not. It was weird; I thought we'd talk more about how I was doing in my study or something, but it was just "This is my plan for you. What do you think..."
I've been thinking that if people put the same effort into understanding the rest of the New Testament that they put into Revelation, they'd see exactly where the truth is. Revelation isn't meant to be understood perfectly until it happens (at least that's the way it looks to me). But the doctrine is very clear in the rest of the New Testament. I wish every investigator would read 1 Corinthians and Hebrews. They are both clear and powerful: We are children of God, we are born to learn the gospel and live it, we die, we are resurrected, we inherit a kingdom of glory, and the authority of God is given (not earned). I have come to love a scripture in Jarom that explains the purpose of scripture (Jar 1:2). Also reading about the conversion of King Lamoni and his father thinking, "What did the missionaries teach knowing that if they taught the wrong thing they'd be cast out or killed¿" (Sorry this computer doesn't have a question mark, but I found out how to make the upside down one...)
I hope all is well there. Here it's great!
Elder Page
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
24 January 2011 - email
So this week was cool. We baptized Lúcio. He's the son of some inactive members we helped activate. The only sad thing was that his dad didn't feel totally ready to baptize his son (he feels that he has some real repenting to do). But Lúcio said that he'd rather be baptized now than wait for his dad to prepare. His dad was a little sad I guess but it looked like he took it well. Elder Marcos Jr baptized him and Lúcio started to cry. He said that he felt something strong when he entered the water. Later we went to his grandma's house (she's not a member) and she started to sob uncontrollably. She just kept saying over and over, "É as coisas que eles trazem. As coisas que eles têm" (It's the things they bring. The things they have.) I felt my testimony grow, because she's blind; she couldn't even see us but she felt the spirit so strongly that she couldn't help but cry. The only thing impeding her baptism is that she's incapable of deciding because she has some mental deficiency and falls under the 'innocent as a little child' category.
Also four people showed up in the church and they just appeared out of thin air! An inactive man brought his non member girlfriend and one of the young men preparing for his mission brought two friends to church.
We met with the girlfriend after church and the spirit was very strong. In her prayer she asked God to give her curiosity and the answers to continue investigating this church that is "so different than hers". Then she said that the church was much more explained than hers; I think that means that it makes more sense to her. All four of us were trying not to cry by the end of the prayer and she said, "Well, I tried". TRIED! It was one of the most beautiful prayers I've ever heard!
Life is good here. I'm studying the New testament right now and the more that I read the more I understand that the whole conflict of grace v. works only arose because people stopped reading all of the Epistles together. When you read them like this, it's easy to see how the instruction changes depending on the problems of the person. Problems arise when we try to just read one epistle over and over or even just one verse. Grace is attained, in some degree, without any effort at all. To gain it's full effect, we need to have our hearts turned completely to Christ. It is impossible to do this without following his commandments, including baptism by someone who has authority. God does not just fill in the gaps; he builds the entire bridge, but we need to cross it. Read 2 Corinthians and Galatians together (they're both fairly short) and you'll already see the difference in tone that I'm talking about.
Thank you for all of your support and prayers!
Elder Page
Friday, January 21, 2011
17 January 2011 - email
Hey family!
So, I found out that this ward has more that 800 inactive members! Do your home and visiting teaching people! That's almost 90% inactivity! It's really hard to be motivated as a missionary to find and baptize people when the ward is cold (not open and friendly or helpful). Please, don't let your wards turn into this. So much power of missionary work is in the hands of members; don't slacken! Look for referrals to give. Go on divisions with the missionaries. Be warm in church to anyone you don't recognize. And most of all: DO YOUR HOME AND VISIT TEACHING!!!
We met an inactive family this week. They are inactive because of the three things a new member needs (if you don't know what they are, feel bad and look it up!) 1 and 2 are lacking. She is returning to church just because she wants her family to have 3. It looks like the dad will baptize the son this week.
I don't have much time to write.
I love you,
Elder Page
PWoL: Tartaruga - Turtle
So, I found out that this ward has more that 800 inactive members! Do your home and visiting teaching people! That's almost 90% inactivity! It's really hard to be motivated as a missionary to find and baptize people when the ward is cold (not open and friendly or helpful). Please, don't let your wards turn into this. So much power of missionary work is in the hands of members; don't slacken! Look for referrals to give. Go on divisions with the missionaries. Be warm in church to anyone you don't recognize. And most of all: DO YOUR HOME AND VISIT TEACHING!!!
We met an inactive family this week. They are inactive because of the three things a new member needs (if you don't know what they are, feel bad and look it up!) 1 and 2 are lacking. She is returning to church just because she wants her family to have 3. It looks like the dad will baptize the son this week.
I don't have much time to write.
I love you,
Elder Page
PWoL: Tartaruga - Turtle
Monday, January 3, 2011
3 January 2011 - email
Hey family!
So, I got transferred again. I'm with Elder Marcos Jr. (who just changed which name is on his name tag, so everyone calls him Santos Jr.) in Várzea. I don't know any details yet, so that'll have to wait. It's really hot here. I really got used to the interior and the cold nights. At least there's only about a transfer left of High Summer.
So last week was a week of miracles.
1. I decided not to buy food on P-Day. I'm not totally sure why, but I didn't buy any. Then the energy in the house went out (because the person in charge of emailing a photo of the bills to the office forgot) and hadn't come back by the time that I left the apartment.
2. On Thursday we were looking for a teenage boy that we taught on the street. The directions to find his house were really vague but I thought that I knew where the house was. A house across the street from the gas station with the second floor under construction. We went there and the only person at home was a man of 20 named Eliton. He invited us in and told us that he didn't know the young man we were looking for, but that he wanted to hear more. We taught him the Restoration and when we left him with the invitation to read and pray, he asked about baptism before we could! He said that he had prayed and asked God for guidance an then we had showed up at his door! He did a lot of things wrong in his life, but he has truly repented. The only thing missing is baptism! He will be baptized on Saturday, but I'm not there.
3. Aurora (will write more next time) decided to be baptized!
4. I got a new comp!
I love you all so much!
Elder Page