01 de novembro de 2014

Highlight of the week: 

I decided to make Chinese food.  I got so tired of eating rice and beans everyday, I decided that I would venture out and make my own food.  It ended up being really good.

One of the neat things that happened this week was a lesson we had with L*.  She is a recent convert and we decided that we would talk about temples and family history work.

As I shared some scriptures, a thought came to mind and we talked about it.  The thought was about how we can’t be saved without our ancestors and they can’t be saved without us.  We began talking about the structure of the family.  The family is where we learn most of our valuable life lessons.  I then began to think about the resurrection.  We know that we will continue to learn, grow, and progress after the resurrection.  I thought about the opportunities we will have to learn from our ancestors.  We will learn from their experiences and they will learn from our experiences.  We will continue to work towards perfection together.  It is really hard to describe the insight I gained during this lesson but it was really neat. 

We also had the opportunity to teach B* last night.  He is a recent convert who is 18 and has had some difficulties in coming to church because of family issues.  We were able to contact him and talk with him.  He is one of the most humble individuals I have ever met.  It was really neat to talk with him and I learned a lot.  He is very timid and shy but he was willing to open up with us.  We talked about conversion and how we know that the gospel is true.  I shared my stories of conversion with him and he shared his experiences.  Though it was only about a 5 minute lesson, I think it was one of the most impactful lessons I have experienced.  A simple conversation can go a long way in the life of an individual.

Things are going well.  I am just trying to move forward and learn.  I have a lot to learn.  I have come to the realization that life is super short and that we need to make every day count. 

We need to enjoy all the small things.

25 October 2014

This past week has been very, very busy.  There are so many things to do in the office.  So many little problems to fix and so many things to coordinate.  It is amazing to see how everything must come together to run a mission.  Everyday I am in contact with people from all over South America and Salt Lake City.  I receive countless emails everyday.  However, I am still really enjoying it.  There are a lot of opportunities to serve.

This past week I had a fun little challenge that brought some good memories from my science days.  While serving in Aldeota, I have the opportunity to live in a good house because it is located in the middle of the city.  We have a hot shower (which is plugged into the wall.)  The person who installed it did not do a good job and the machine blew.  And, the person who installed ours had also installed Elder and Sister Evans’ shower.  Therefore, I became the repair man for both.  It took me a while to track down all the parts but I finally did it.  It was one of my favorite service projects in the mission.  It brought back many fun memories.

I’ve come to realize that the Lord truly magnifies people through growth.  This week, I was invited by Elder Evans to give a training for the district meeting. It was on the importance of inviting people to accept commitments.  Nine months ago I would have been petrified.  I was so worried about the language and my social skills.  This week I still had those same feelings, but I asked the Lord for help and I used one of my old outlines.  It is amazing to see how the Spirit works.  Scriptures, thoughts, and passages flooded my mind.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is about small growth: line upon line, precept upon precept.  Trust in the Lord and move forward.

I don’t think I have ever described the food here.  Let me tell you what I ate for lunch yesterday to help describe the culture.  We had a huge mound of rice, black beans, frango frito (fried chicken), frango ao molho (chicken covered in sauce), tomato, raisin, and many, many juices.  There was orange peel juice, grape juice, pineapple skin juice, and pineapple juice.  The pineapple juice here is to die for.  It is so good.  Also, the pineapple skin juice is awesome.  It has a taste that is completely different but really good.  What a lot of people do here is make the juice from the skins of the fruit and then add mint.  It is really delicious.

Have a great week.

Elder Larkin

11 October 2014

Fortaleza

This past week has been an awesome change. Serving in the office is a lot of work but I have 

the best two companions. Elder Z* is awesome and super nice. We get along great. Elder 

T* is absolutely hilarious and an awesome worker. My apartment is in downtown Fortaleza.

This area is different from any other that I’ve seen in Ceará. It reminds me a lot of New York 

City. It is known for its amazing seafood and many, many restaurants. Most of people who live 

here are not from Ceará. They are from other parts of the country, so there are many different

accents. It is awesome.

The work is difficult because this is the richest part of the state, and there are only tall

buildings. However, we have a baptism on the 29th of October of a 22 year-old girl named L*.

It should be awesome. The ward is great. I am going to get so fat here. The lunches are

banquets. Yesterday, for example, was endless shrimp, chicken, and steak.

 Many of the members here have been mission presidents and

love spoiling the missionaries. They know that it is difficult for us so

they always give us food.

Being in the office is a lot of work but I really enjoy it. Let’s just say that my Portuguese is

going to improve a lot out of necessity. All day, every day, I am talking on the phone

with people from all over the country. I have to organize all the visas, passports, medical

appointments, etc. I also have to deal with all the mission problems.

It can be a little stressful but I get to know the entire mission.

My phone is constantly ringing. Please know that I am doing very well and that I 

am very happy.

October 6, 2014

I got transferred!  I will be serving in downtown Fortaleza (near where the temple will be built) and living next door to the mission office so that I can work as the mission secretary.  Elder Z* will train me for the next 6 weeks and then Elder T* (who is Brazilian and awesome) and I will take over the office for the following transfer.  We will work in the office during the day, and then tract or teach in the evenings.

I absolutely loved Conference this week.  First, there was a quote from CS Lewis that says, “Courage is the form of every virtue at the testing point.”  That was from Elder Robbins’ talk, which I really enjoyed.  I also loved Elder Bednar’s talk, which has prompted me to reach out through letter-writing to some non-member friends back home.

Oh, best thing about this new transfer…the apartment has hot water!  Yeh!!!

September 22, 2014

This past week has been difficult. We found some new people to teach but it has been hard. 

C* was progressing great but then fell back into hard-drinking. He was all excited to come 

to church but he then didn't show up. I hope that everything is ok with him and that he will 

continue to make progress. All of our investigators seem to have fallen off the map and don't 

really want to make changes in their lives. I understand where they are coming from (I have 

been there). However, I am going to continue strong with my testimony that it is all about small 

This past week I had the opportunity to do two interviews. The first was for a 9 year-old boy 

named C**. It was great interview. At the end, I asked him if he had any questions or doubts 

about the things the Elders had taught him or anything he had heard in church. He thought for 

a second and then with complete innocence asked me, "Is the church true?" I smiled, and then 

bore my testimony. As I told him, "I know the church is true," a sweet spirit entered the room.

I also had the opportunity to do an interview for a 20 year-old girl named T*. It was a very good 

This week has been difficult because of the stresses of missionary work. However, I am just 

going to try to move forward. I am just going to continue to make small changes...

changes. Maybe I can just plant some seeds in this area.

interview. She is very humble and grateful for meeting the missionaries.

08 de setembro de 2014

This past week has been interesting.  We met a man by the name of J*.  He is from Haiti and speaks very little Portuguese (only French/Creole).  He has been in Fortaleza for 20 days trying to find a new life.  He knows the church very well from Haiti and he was excited to see us.  It was interesting to have him tell us his story.  He spoke in mostly French (who would have thought that French and Portuguese are so similar--I can't speak it but I sure can understand it.)  It is so interesting to see people's reactions when they find the church in a new place.  You can be anywhere in the world and the church will be the same.  The same light of Christ attracts people all over the world.

We have been teaching C* this past week.  He is trying to change his life.  He is starting to give up alcohol.  However, it is really hard for him.  He has diminished his intake by a lot, which has been an awesome feat for him.  A week ago he was drinking four canisters of hard liquor.  Now, he has gotten down to just a beer or two a day.  It is amazing to see the small changes which can occur in peoples' lives.  I can only imagine how happy the Lord is when one of his children recognizes an error and begins to slowly change his life.  I truly believe in small changes.  Of course, C* isn't fully living the Word of Wisdom yet but he is trying.  The Lord has to be so happy to see someone changing his life.  This is really why we are here.  We are all imperfect.  We can, however, get a little bit better every day.  This idea of making small changes has become my theme on my mission.  I tell people that they can make very small changes.  And then, over the course of time, these small changes will accumulate into a grand transformation.

Excerpts from September 1, 2014 Email:

This past week has been a very good week!

“…today was the marriage of M*.  What a day: a marriage, an interview, and a baptism..."

(August 29, 2014)

"I had one of the most spiritual experiences today.  I did the baptismal interview of M*.  He met the missionaries in January and has been working non-stop to prepare for baptism.  We conversed for an hour and a half.  There was such a sweet stillness in the room.  I have never met a more sincere man -- someone who has true humility.  He talked about all the small changes which have happened in his life over the course of the last eight months.  I bore my testimony about how this life is a journey and that we need to simply make small changes everyday.  We can't understand everything in just one moment.”

"The concept of character is what is truly important to the Lord.  He is not going to look at specific events, He is going to look at our development of character.  We have already developed a unique character in the premortal existence.  The process of development will always continue.   We are on this long path to mold our intelligence and stretch our personal existence…"

(August 30, 2014)

Love you all so much!

Elder Mac

Remember, I love letters!