Wow, this week has just flown by.  The work here is going...slowly.  All of our investigators are being duds right now but hopefully that will change this week.  The only investigator that went to church this week was the investigator that we thought would for sure not go.  When we invited her to church, she was drunk out of her mind.  However, Sunday morning came around and we past by her house.  She was all dressed and ready to go.  

I learned a powerful lesson--never judge anyone.

I have done a lot of pondering these past few days about the Atonement.  There is a scripture that has really gotten my attention.  It is the last few verses of the Book of Mormon.  It reads:  

"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

And again, if ye by the grace of God are perfect in Christ, and deny not his power, then are ye sanctified in Christ by the grace of God, through the shedding of the blood of Christ, which is in the covenant of the Father unto the remission of your sins, that ye become holy, without spot.

And now I bid unto all, farewell. I soon go to rest in the paradise of God, until my spirit and body shall again reunite, and I am brought forth triumphant through the air, to meet you before the pleasing bar of the great Jehovah, the Eternal Judge of both quick and dead. Amen."

Wow, what an invitation by Moroni.  He invites us to cast off all ungodliness.  This is something I hope to make a goal in my life: every day seek to create a conscience void of offence--knowing that I repented of everything for that day.  It is going to try to take a lot of work.  But one of the greatest lessons I have learned in the mission is that happiness only comes from hard work.

Everything here is gearing up for the World Cup.  The people are going crazy.  The first game will be here in Fortaleza.  Brazil will be playing Mexico.  If some miracle happens and the U.S. wins the World Cup, I think all the American missionaries will be transferred to Argentina (haha!).

Love,

Elder Larkin