29 Nov 2010 - Alvorada Area (Dad)

[Scruffy died Wednesday. The vet says he had a brain tumor. I can't even write this without starting to cry again.] I have to say I cried when I found out Scruffy died too. It's sad but Scruffy lived a good life, lazy but good. We will have animals in heaven too, so maybe Scruffy will find us there :) It's better to learn about it here because I have something to do to take my mind off of it. [I've never lost anyone whom I was very close to, and this gives me some small insight into how much more I would miss a family member or friend.] Come to think of it, nobody that I am close to has died either. [Don't you guys ever leave this life before I do.] I don't think I will leave this world anytime soon, but you and Mom have to live forever too. :)

[Hopefully you had some extra good beans and rice or something delish for your meal, not that Thanksgiving is a Brazilian holiday.] I don't even remember what I had for lunch on that day. I actually forgot about Thanksgiving because nobody says anything about it. I remembered when somebody was talking about it during District Meeting. I had a turkey sandwich and some saltine crackers for my Thanksgiving dinner though :) I have a picture but this computer doesn't want to accpet my SD card. Someday you will see it. I sent my SD card a few days ago, but they aren't too exciting. I'm pretty sure I had rice and beans, and baked chicken on Thanksgiving because that is what we have in 90% of the houses. This place is a chicken killing/baking machine. The typical Brazilian street has at least 2 chicken bakers, 23 bars, barbers, 3 churches, and a homemade clothes store. That is just a small street, the number increases exponentially as the street gets longer. This area has a lot of soccer fields too, it kind of looks like an old west mission sometimes. There is a huge field in the middle with houses all around it, and a huge Catholic church. During the soccer games you have to watch out or you might get pegged in the head by a ball. It's kind of cool actually. I have yet to see anyone score a goal, I think they just aim for the missionary's heads.

[Your comments last week about teaching by the Spirit vs. by memorized lessons is right on target. Preach My Gospel is truly a revelatory change in missionary work. Where you are in your effectiveness as a missionary is far ahead of where I was those many years ago (or where I am now, for that matter). It is the Spirit that teaches, testifies, and changes hearts. We are simply instruments or conduits for the Spirit. But we are still key in the sense that God works through men to accomplish His work and that work won't happen unless we do our part. The people of Limhi would not have been converted if Alma had not repented and taught them. The Lamanites would not have been converted if the sons of Mosiah had not gone amongst them and served, testified to, and taught them. Through His faithful servants God blesses His children. And you are one of those chosen servants and He will bless you eternally for all that you do in His service.] It's not all about the PMG though, like you said Alma baptized a lot of people without it :) Paul baptized a lot of people, you just have to be faithful and work hard, or be personally taught by Jesus. However, PMG helps a lot for sure. It was revealed by God, and therefore should be used with that in mind. It's also a lot nicer to just talk to people and then teach them certain parts of the 1st lesson etc. There is no point teaching a hardcore Baptist that God is our loving Heavenly Father because he already knows that. It's better to go right for the throat and teach about authority and Apostasy. yeah! :) Then the Book of Mormon, then whatever 2134 scriptures he tries to show, you can just smile and nod and tell him to pray to find out.

29 Nov 2010 - Alvorada Area (Mom)

Do you know what Lauren and Michael did for Thanksgiving? I actually forgot all about Thanksgiving until the day of, so I had a turkey sandwich and some saltine crackers :) They don't even have turkey here, I would have had to use chicken or something. They have baked chicken every 3 feet in this place which is good because I like it, especially the skin! [The Hanson's dog had puppies.] Maybe you can get some of their puppies for when scruffy keels over. [Bad timing for that statement.] They will almost remind Dad of Bingo. [That should be Uno.]

[... We went to pick up the exercise equipment that dad won in the work lottery.] Dad is gambling in lotteries now?!?! :) Dad better be ripped by the time I get back. [Think of you multiple times a day, like yesterday when we watched the movie Diary of a wimpy kid. You would like it.] Diary of a Wimpy kid reminded you of me just because I am the exact opposite right? [Since we will be in California we will read your letters from computers there and call you on Christmas day from there.] I think, I'm actually pretty sure, that I will call you and since I don't know numbers of phones that might be a little difficult to call you :) I sent you pictures too but I don't think they have made it yet. Hope you have a fun time in California.

22 Nov 2010 - Alvorada Area (Mom)

If you truly believe that you were guided by the Holy Spirit then you were, and nothing anyone says can take that away. I was talking about this yesterday during the lesson for Relief Society, the teacher asked me to talk about the Gift of Tongues. Anyway I was talking about how we as members have the right and ability to have the spirit. Nobody can take that from us, nobody can take the feelings that we had or the thoughts of when we felt the spirit. They aren't physical, they are spiritual. They are in us forever. The 2 of the 3 witnesses left the Church but nobody could take away the fact that they saw what they saw.

When the spirit guides, just follow. I had an experience in my last area with this. We were teaching an elect of God ( all missionaries say that about every investigator :) ). We were teaching about the Law of Chastity and he was accepting everything but he is separated from his wife. He was truly hurting as he told us about the love for his wife and children etc. He didn't know if he could ever fix whatever happened or if he should just look for another wife. I wanted to say something to help him but we just continued giving him advice etc about it. Then I felt I should tell him to pray and do everything he can to reunite with his wife, because it was God's will. He was meant to be with this woman. I thought "Are you crazy?? This is some serious stuff and I don't know his situation!!" But I felt it again, and me being a doubting Thomas, I thought of what I should say again and thought "This is what I should say?" and a horse kicked me in the chest and I felt more than ever I needed to say it. So I did, I poured out the spirit that was in me and told him what I felt. Needless to say I cried :) as I usually did in his house. I never felt the spirit so strongly before in my life than in his house, every lesson. I don't know what will happen and I was transferred but could I deny that man what I felt? Is it right for me to hold it in and not tell?? No, I felt I had to say it, and after a bit I did. Never deny the Spirit, never think that His revelations are strange or not "cool" enough to say, just say them. If you hold it in, He will stop talking to you! That's the end of my sermon :)

22 Nov 2010 - Alvorada Area (Dad)

[Response to a comment Dad made about Elder Christofferson's conference talk where he mentioned the old film "Man's Search for Happiness," and how it reminded Dad of showing the filmstrip back in the day he was a missionary.] They had film back in your mission? :) The thing that stood out to me when I was reading this is how much the missionary stuff has changed. I haven't heard anyone teach anything like this in the trainings etc. We don't talk about time I guess :) ["Life offers you two precious gifts—one is time, the other freedom of choice, the freedom to buy with your time what you will."] Also, in your day it seems they encouraged carrying as much as possible, projectors, stone-age cameras, flip-charts, filmstrips. I have a backpack but all it has is Bible, Book of Mormon, and 6 pamphlets. Things are a lot different these days, but things are the same too. I'm pretty sure some of these houses here looked exactly the same 600 years ago when you served. I thought it was hard at first to just talk, but now it's a lot easier than memorizing every lesson. Elder Jeffrey R Holland talked about that a little bit during a devotional in the MTC. He told a story about 2 Americans on a Spanish speaking mission and they were in the age of memorized lessons. They found this one lady and they were talking to her, and she found out they spoke English. She wanted to practice her English so she asked them to leave the message in English rather than Spanish. The missionaries just looked at each other and started in Spanish. She stopped them and asked for English once again but the missionaries began in Spanish again. They had memorized it in Spanish after all. The lady stopped them and asked them why they couldn't teach her in English if this message was so important. She was disturbed that the missionaries only knew the memorized Spanish lesson but couldn't testify in their native language the truth of the gospel and she asked them to leave. Just a story, but it doesn't matter if the lesson is memorized or not, a missionary should be able to testify by the Spirit and not what he memorized or what he practiced 100 times in the MTC. In that way missionary work is the same forever and for always. We teach by the Spirit, no matter how smart or how much we know the language, the lesson will mean nothing without the Spirit. Paul taught by the spirit, Dan Jones too, You, Michael, Me all teach by the spirit and that is what missionary work is. That is why we don't need a badge or calling to teach the gospel, just the Spirit.

15 Nov 2010 - Alvorada Area (Dad)

The spirit is always good to teach because people are always excited to hear that they can receive help from the Lord 24/7. It is sometimes hard, like you said, to get someone to commit to being baptized because they think they need to know everything or they think they need to wait at least a year. All they need is the desire and after baptism, if they keep the covenants, they will never regret the decision. I had an investigator in my last area that we worked the whole transfer teaching him lessons etc. He is fully convinced that we are angels of God and his sweet little old mom always called us angels. I have had the most spiritual experiences in my life in his house and at times it felt almost like the temple because my chest was just burning the whole time. Sadly I left, but I feel confident that he will be baptized and I really hope that he does. If only he would just accept baptism. He has waited 6 weeks, he has grown and has felt the spirit, but his joy could be so much more and so much fuller. Sometimes missionaries look past the whole confirmation part. They just count the baptisms but baptism is nothing without confirmation. I am a little worried becasuse this ward baptizes on Sunday instead of the usual Saturday so the people have to wait a whole week to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and who knows what will happen during the week. This week was missionary week in the ward so I got to give a talk about missionary work. I just talked about 4 things that make us better missionaries. 1) Be a missionary forever, not just 2 years, 18 months etc 2) Don't be scared to share the gospel 3) Be an example 4) Don't get discouraged because missionary work will be hard. The 4 things are from Quentin L. Cook fom an Ensign article. The talk was easy, the Portuguese was easy, the spirit guided me and I think I spoke the best Portuguese of my life because of it :) I don't have problems with it, which I am grateful but I have other struggles because we all have problems.

15 Nov 2010 - Alvorada Area (Mom)

We don't have English classes in this ward which is good because it was a pain :) It went well though, but the problem was participation and crazies that thought they knew more english than me. It was good at first to get investigators (which is really the purpose of English Class) but after awhile only the same people came. It was good though teaching, its a lot harder than I thought it would be. I would be teaching a general principle, then they would ask about something that was irregular and didn't follow the principle...stupid English. Oddly it's kind of hard to talk in English now too because I don't speak any English at all, maybe once a week at District Meeting but not really. I speak 100% Portuguese and only hear Portuguese besides the random music here. It was kind of funny when I had my interview with President Batt I was talking like a drunk 5 year old and I gave the prayer of a retarded fat kid. You just start talking the way you would in Portuguese but in English which is totally wrong.

8 Nov 2010 - Alvorada Area (Mom)

[Mom made a comment about "hearkening with exactness" and using agency wisely even during free hours.] I'm not sure what this free hour you are talking about is on the mission...but the President Batt talks a lot about hearkening with exactness. Well not the exact words but that we need to follow all the rules on our mission and we will be better missionaries because of it. We will have the spirit and things will be a lot easier for us.

I don't have much to say this week, it's just the usual working and walking. We did have another baptism this week. It was a son of a family that was baptized last week before I got here. He delayed a week, but the family is strong as far as I can tell with the week here. They have 2 sons, now 1, that haven't been baptized they almost got killed/shot 2 times so far always outside of the church. The mom is good and strong though, and instead of blaming the church she believes they were saved because they were going to church. This area is a quite a bit more ghetto than the other area, but there is nothing to worry about. The Lord protects and if I get shot, for some reason the Lord wanted it to happen barring stupid behavior :) I know that prayer is a personal conversation with God, and I know that without it we are lost. I know that through faithful prayer we can learn anything that we want, and we can receive blessings from the Lord. The Lord has already testified of the truth to me through prayer and I am glad He has given us the means to talk with him.