Bro Cleiton and the joy of serving

Dude, food in the US is so stinking awesome. Everybody on the mission looks forward to the Wal*Mart stores here (called Bom Preço), because although it's more expensive than the street vendors it's generally of good quality. I think it's kind of funny, because all of the normal US-standard fact charts and stuff have stickers over them with the Brazilian-standard ones. They even have Sam's Club here (see photo!), but I don't see most normal people going into it. P-Day was pretty good after we left, though I really want to visit a Catholic church sometime during the next transfer. 

 

I've learned a lot this week about completing my purpose through something I call the demand cycle, which God probably uses up to even the Prophet. It's used in many parts of the church as I understand it, and I plan on using it as long as I live (provided I don't develop something better!):

 

1) Make goals

 

2) Execute your work!

 

3) Evaluate your results honestly. What was good, what can get better?

 

4) Make new goals, and try your darndest to apply your new resolutions!

 

Unfortunately, not everybody (in fact, hardly anybody!) uses goals or personal organization of any sort with the people I work with. It's frustrating sometimes to have a lot of people flop out of going to church and giving up just because it's early, but alas...it happens a lot. We've made over 60 new investigators here this transfer, and only one of them went to church once. Welcome to Northeastern Brazil! ç_ç I do a lot of demanding, burning, and correcting with the evangelical influence here, especially to the less-active members. I have a good relationship with them, thank goodness - they trust me when I tell them that certain discrepancies in their belief they want to maintain are wrong, or when they're just needing to repent and DO things differently. That doesn't mean they'll do it, but I think fellowshipping the less active is importantly as a missionary. I'm actually going to be doing splits with the less-actives who have (relatively) strong testimonies, but have something else stopping them from getting to church (i.e., work). It'll be good for them, because right now they're excited.

 

I more worried about a super activity I came up with that I call CTMM (Centro de Treinamento para os Membros Missionários). It'll be a big training with rotating classes that will give hints and do brief practices with the members on doing "member missionary" tasks, like inviting friends, participating in lessons, helping out less-actives, and so forth. It'll be roughly an hour and a half, and right now the clock's ticking. I feel confident, though, that with delegation it'll be a delight to execute. Right now...I'm just enjoying P-Day. :P

 

The man who hosts the missionaries, who reminds me of Uncle Steve, passed by Itabaiana the other day when he dropped off a missionary couple that had just arrived on the mission. He told me about Cleiton, the one firm person (man!) I baptized there. He's currently on the amtrak to getting the Melchezidek priesthood, and will be doing baptisms for the dead in November. Dude! A convert of mine's going to be going to the temple while I'm still on my mission!

 

I'm...just so happy. I literally cry with tears of joy when I think about that. My mission's already worth it. As Elder Holland said: "You bring me that one convert, and then the rest is icing on the cake." I just...wow. I feel light and ready to just workworkwork. I just wanna help other people like I helped that one guy - though really, it was he who helped himself the most! He was the guy who decided to just stop smoking after we taught about it, after going a pack a day for 12 years. He was the guy who almost literally told us "Look, you guys are messengers of God, right? So what you're telling me are His commandments, and I'm gonna do my part." He even accepted being a home teacher before being baptized, without being informed of the system of callings we have in the church.

 

Wow. I think he had more faith than I did at that time. :P

 

Now I just...I dunno. I love being a missionary. I love everything that my friends have family have done to help me get to the point I'm at, and I'm really looking forward to...well, the rest of my life! One step at a time, though, right?

 

My final lesson for this last week is not to even tempt people to Bible Bash. We taught this one lady this last week who was so determined to tell us about her beautiful thoughts of Jesus that she almost forbid us from making a closing prayer, and this went on for roughly an hour and forty minutes. I had to finally stand up and tell her we were leaving, because I could have been out searching for people who God had prepared for me at that moment. She went quiet and finally let us out. I was pretty stressed by the time we got out. But it was certainly a noteworthy lesson she inadvertently taught me. Did you ever have a lesson like that, Mom and Dad?

 

Anyway. Thanks for the letters, Mom! I got a letter with photos of Shawn and...Mitt Romney?! Big surprise, I guess. But Shawn's getting an afro! Dad, is it possible Shawn has more of your genes than Mom's? I'm not sure how I'd feel if I had an afro right now. It's be kind of cool, though. Hey, maybe this means I'm less likely to go bald? :D

 

So...I've gone and blabbed a lot. But I love you guys so much. Thanks for all your sacrifices to get me here and keep me here, and giving me the opportunity to meet really neat people like Irmã Borges! I hope you liked her, because I don't know many people who're currently planning visits like that to Utah! I hope everything's going well at home, and that everybody's happy and healthy. I pray for you guys every day, and hope that Shawn will have at least as many opportunities as I've had to grow and become a vessel of God's light that he gives freely. Don't forget to write, everyone! I love emails and snail mail! I also love peanut butter. 

 

Até a próxima, gente! Amo-os!

 

42 - Sam's Club. Squeee!

45 - Big ol' Evangelical church that's close to the Bom Preço. The people didn't like me and Elder Gage visiting, though we were very polite.

58 - My comp bought (16 rolls of!) this toilet paper because he "liked it". He's probably going to be transferred next week, and he already knew that. o_0 Whee, companionship.

 

Love,

Erich