4 Oct 2010 - Henrique Jorge Area (Dad)

[General Conference was, of course, very good. As I listened to the messages, I kept thinking how if any sincere and humble individual who is not familiar with the Church were to watch and listen, how could they not see how different it is in key areas and how much substance it offers as compared to the teachings of man? But, of course, it isn't that simple. The Spirit is the key, and listening to the Spirit doesn't necessarily come naturally.] I didn't get to watch much of Conference and it was all in Portuguese so it was a lot harder to understand. We didn't watch the Priesthood session and during the break in between morning and afternoon on Sunday a truck destroyed the telephone pole so we didn't have electricity for the rest of the day. I don't know whats it's like for others who aren't familiar because none of our investigators went....

 

Things didn't go well this week either. They seemed better at first, but they were just as bad by the end of the week. All of our good investigators didn't go to church, and we were sure that's all they needed to start the conversion. I guess we will have to wait until next week. It's hard though knowing that probably nothing will happen this week as we make return visits, knock on doors etc., but that is the work of Satan. We have been thinking of what we can do to be better. I guess that's why we have hard times so we can look at ourselves and change. Hard times aren't just there because everything can't be perfect all the time. They are there so we stop and look around and change so that things can get better. I'm here to change though I guess. It's not just about the lessons and baptisms. It's about the drunk people on the streets, the old ladies that tell me to go home, kicking rocks into the rain gutters shouting Pelé, tripping all the time, being soaking wet with sweat....these are the things of missionary service. I will remember the lessons and the baptisms but all the other things too. I think that Paul didn't just write about all the sermons in his diary. He wrote about that one time he was eating the nastiest thing ever and was [putting?] pieces in his pocket to finish faster...well maybe that was me. But the point is a mission just isn't about teaching, it's about the experiences, feelings, etc.