YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 

We got Deriel in the water, and I'm excited to keep things up this week. We'll have plenty more time this week to find references and train our new converts to do the Lord's work. It's gonna involve careful planning, a little plotting, and some scheming. Just with how I've mapped it out for now. But as I've learned on the mission...there's no guarantees. This last week EVERYTHING FELL, it was quite disappointing...but the results were fulfilling, because we worked out butts off. We just need to plan a bit better our route for now...everybody we're working with is super close to home or WAY out in the sticks, and we've got a bunch of references for the sticks too. So......yeah. That'll be a little difficult until and unless we plan stuff out. It's interesting how that works, huh? The people that have to walk the most are the ones who with whom the missionary work is currently having the most success...it's a pioneer story!

 

I'm amazed by the faith of many people outside of the Church, actually. The converts we've brought in have had to live through some hard situations, and it's been a good reminder that there IS such a thing as good people outside of the church. One of the investigators of the missionaries living with us actually brought to me the Spirit as I was talking to her, and she was very concerned with what I suppose to be a relative or close friend of hers. She expressed a doubt that's made me think for a good long while after I tried to help her answer the question:

 

"Como você ajuda alguém afastado mesmo de Deus?"

Translation: "How do you help someone that's really turned away from God?"

 

Those are some real Christian sentimentos right there. I wonder how many normal people think about that, how many ARE depending on God in the way they know. I wonder just how different it is between here and my hometown, where religion is even less discussed than it is here. I hope that every missionary knows that there ARE people waiting out there, but they just are lacking the right conversation, still waiting for the truth to find them. And that's OUR job, called directly from God! I'm glad to have the privilege to be a part of it all. 

 

Alright, let me think here. Timecrunching doesn't let me exactly write the way I like.

 

asdfasdfasdfaaaanyway this last week had several interesting points. The first is that the ward we're working with split! I've never been part of one before...so I'm a little wary of how everybody's gonna feel when we're in divided timeshares this next week. Our responsability has become greater, and we're looking forward to the new ideas that the ward leadership in its entirety will have (the only calling that DIDN'T change was the bishop for our part!). The first baptism in the ward will be Matheus this week - I'll write more about him next week.

 

Man, time is going quicker than greased lightning...gotta run! Just know that I love you guys, and that the correspondence every week is priceless for me. Don't forget to keep it up! Yeaaah!

 

-Erich