Letter 3/5/12

Well, I'll try and give some more details about my area here. It's quite hot here.....When we have wind, there's not really a problem, but when we go into someones' house, and the wind stops, I start to look like I just hopped out of the shower.....it's not the most annoying thing in the world (that would be the mosquitoes), but it's definitely given me an added appreciation for air conditioning! Abreu e Lima different than any of my other previous areas....it's more or less large, and not really poor nor rich. There's a ton of Assembleia  (or Assembly of God, a very, very popular church here in Brazil) churches here. In fact, we live across the street from what is more or less the "conference center" of their church. We are about an hour north of Recife, so we don't have too much of a problem keeping in touch with the mission president, assistants, etc.

So on Tuesday, we had a zone meeting. We had all 18 of the missionaries in our zone there plus the two assistants to the presidents. Elder Bochio and I gave a training about miracles, and how often times we don't even recognize when or where the Lord has been blessing us. We used the story of Alma 8-15....when Alma was preaching in the City of Ammoniah and having some tough times converting people. He left the city rejected, but an angel appeared to him and told him to return, when he found Amulek, converted Zeezrom and a few other people, and were liberated from prison by the Lord. We asked in the end, where was the miracle here? It is in Alma 8:20....when Amulek said that he was prepared by the Lord to receive Alma....We told our zone that the miracles in our lives happen everyday...every time we talk with someone. I shared a story about another conversion, about a lady (this isn't my story,but a story that I heard) who was blind but was give sight so that she could read the book of Mormon, and then was baptized. It was a very spiritual meeting....we could see the impact that the spirit had on the faces of the missionaries there. I've always felt that this is one of my favorite parts about leading in the church.....Preparing and planning to share spiritual experiences so that people can feel the presence and influence of the spirit. There's few things that bring me greater happiness and joy than this.

Some of the missionaries in our zone are getting a bit depressed/tired/burnt out. Elder Bochio and I sat down with a few them and motivated the heck out of them. Even I was feeling more motivated after that. One thing that I told him was the importance of personal prayer. I challenged them to say at least 10 personal prayers throughout the day. Missionaries pray quite a bit in group, but personal prayers are usually much fewer (I'm sensing that some of my English here is coming out with a taste of Portuguese....hopefully you are all understanding me!), One of the reasons I feel that I am enjoying and succeeding on my mission is because of how often I converse with the Lord. I can try and work all day and all night, but I need to talk with the Boss if I want to get anything done here.

After the zone meeting, we did a companion exchange....the assistants spent 3 days in our zone. One of them went to Paulista, where he told the Elders there to clean their apartment (the day after he left, the 4 of them spent the ENTIRE day cleaning the apartment.....I thought it was a little excessive, but I guess you gotta have a home where the spirit can dwell! The other assistant spent 3 days in one of his former areas....Elder Bochio and I spent a day together with Elder Siles, from Bolivia....it was a pretty funny sight.....a Brazilian, American, and Bolivian walking together on the street. We had some good times. The three of us went to eat lunch with a member here....she made a TON of food....we were telling her how hungry the other was. "Irma, Elder Bochio loves Rice.....he can eat it all day!" or "Irma, put some more food on Elder Siles plate....he's been saying how much he misses his native Bolivian dish of beans and spaghetti"....we left that house very, very, full. It was hilarious.

After that I spent 2 more days with just myself and Elder Siles. Bochio went back to spend some time in the area of the assistants. Elder Siles has 3 months on his mission....and he speaks a lot of Spanish still....I was surprised how much Spanish I remember, but boy did it mess up my Portuguese.

Ah, we had a baptism this week! His name is Willian (yes, that's an "n" on the end), and he's 17. Both his parents died, and he inherited a house and a good chunk of money. Elder Bochio has been teaching him for quite some time, but he was afraid to be baptized because his girlfriend's dad is a pastor of the Assembleia....we were needing a bit of a miracle.....and the Lord delivered! She broke up with him, and he was baptized 4 days later! Elder Bochio has been saying how much of a miracle it was....it was a fun moment.

I think this time is gold right now....I want to accomplish as much as I can while I'm with an excellent companion, a good area, and a fantastic ward. I know the Lord has things planned for me, and I all I want to do is to fulfill those plans, whatever they may be!! Full steam ahead here in Abreu e Lima! I pray for the well being of my friends and family every night, but faith without works is rather useless, so get up and do something extra this week! Take the initiative....forget what other people will "think" about you..,..worry instead what your Father in Heaven will think....and everything else will fall into it's place! That is true doctrine! I can  testify from my personal experience that it is!

Until next time,

-Elder McKinley