January
31
This week
has been filled with Brazilian bureaucracy and lots of stress. This is really an interesting mission, but I
am trying my best to just work hard, do my part, and not get in anyone’s way.
Later today
is the collective marriage at the Aguanambi chapel. I have spent the week chasing marriage
documents, making programs, and organizing everything. I just hope everything goes smoothly.
Yesterday,
we cleaned the chapel (all the cleaning supplies were under lock and key, so we
had to improvise with an old broom and dust pan.) The best part was afterwards… I took my
companion to lunch with my birthday money from home. We celebrated at Subway, which incidentally,
is one of the nicest restaurants here.
It was so good!
January
24
I have been
super sick this week. I’m dealing with
headaches,
nausea and extreme fatigue.
Even after sleeping 13 hours on Thursday,
I am still wiped out.
Despite
being sick, we did have some neat experiences this week. We are teaching a guy in English! His name is C*. He is from Nigeria and has been living in
Brazil for 8 months. He doesn't speak
Portuguese and got really excited to meet someone who speaks English. We taught him the Restoration on Monday and
then had a return appointment on Thursday. C* had read 2 Nephi 31 and decided that he
wants to be baptized. He has problems
with smoking and drinking but he said that he is going to try to do everything
possible to stop in order that he can be baptized. He is a really cool guy. It is nice to be able to speak and teach in
English.
January 17
I think the
highlight of this week was doing an interview for a young couple and his mother
who were getting baptized. They come
from a very rough background of poverty and he has lived a tough life in the
drug world.
A few months
ago, the Sisters found them and began teaching them. They began going to church and changing their
lives. In the beginning, the wife was
the one interested and he didn't have any desires. However, over time his interest grew until
now he is the one who is a hundred percent committed to the gospel of Jesus
Christ. As I did his interview, I
marveled at his pure humility. He
literally told me everything that has happened in his life and I have never
seen a person so willing to give up everything in one shot to follow the Lord. The Spirit was so strong in the
interview. I learned more about humility
in that interview than in any other experience of my entire mission.
I now
understand what is meant in Mosiah 3:19, "unless he becometh as a
child..." This man has inspired me
to try to become better, repent more fully, follow more obediently, and simply
try to do my best to help other people.
January
10
I had an experience this week which was very interesting.
We were searching for a less active member in the favela and it turned out that
she wasn't home. On the other side of the alleyway there was this older
gentleman working with wood. His actions caught my attention and I became
very interested. We went over to ask him what he was doing. It
turns out that he sculpts wood for a hobby. I found it a very interesting
hobby, especially for where he lives. Most of the individuals in this
area are not motivated to have hobbies, other than drinking. He had
started molding a blank piece of wood. His hands were moving a million
miles an hour with two simple tools, a hammer and a wood chisel. We began
asking him about how he learned to do this and we had a really good
conversation with him. We discovered that his father taught him this
craft and that he is trying to change his life. He sculpts wood in order
to take his mind off other heavy aspects of the world around him.
As we continued to talk with him about his life, I became focused
on his hands moving up and down the wood. Every blow of hammer upon the
chisel took off another piece of the wood. Slowly, over time, a form
began to take shape. I mentioned to him that what he was doing made me
think of how God works in our lives. He takes a basic entity, for example
a wood block, and begins to chisel. Something I found extremely interesting
was that in the beginning, the man would chip away extremely large pieces of
wood in order to get a basic shape. And then, with closer attention, he
would take just the chisel in hand and would begin creating small indentations,
as if he were breathing life into the very object. As I said, we had a
good conversation. We continued to talk and then went our way.
However, I continued to think about this
process of molding a simple piece of wood into a marvelous figurine. The
final object which the man made was an intricate owl perched upon stacked
stones. Something the man said to me really made me think. He told
us, "I sculpt the owl because it represents wisdom." I
continued to think about the process which Heavenly Father uses to sculpt our
lives. In the beginning of our mortal existence, it may seem that the
Lord is chipping away large, significant pieces of our basic form. This
may hurt a lot because something we may think is so dear to us simply falls
away as if it were nothing. However, He is the Craftsmen and knows what
shape we must take upon ourselves. Once he creates a general form, He
begins to mold in intrinsic value. He provides small details.
Instead of chipping large blocks, He takes a single tool in His hand, and
begins to shave away the small imperfections until finally a very clear and
distinct image has emerged. He molds us step by step.
As I have further thought of this experience, I realize
that I am now only beginning to understand what is meant in the scriptures when
God states that He has made us in His own image. When He organized our
spirits we had the basic characteristics which He has; the same with our mortal
lives. These characteristics are essential, even though they may be
basic. However, over time and experience, He begins to mold these
characteristics in order that our image, just as the block of wood, can be
transformed into something which is a perfect personification of His
image. The major tool He uses is the Atonement of Christ. He
provides a way for large and small details to be worked out.
Fortaleza Office
View of Fortaleza
Elder "L" and Elder "E"
Elder "T" and Elder "L"
