Well Elder Chapuis was still recovering from dengue for the first half of the week. We spent a lottt of time inside our apartment. I used the extra study time well, marking up my scriptures (my bible is ready to go now should I ever need to "confound any false doctrines", if you know what I mean!) I'm also putting together a good list of all the less actives (all 500 of them!) in our ward that is organized by street. It should help us out a ton. We spent a combined 18 hours in the good old UPA (the free govt health clinic here) this week. Boy do they have the A/C cranked up in that place! I could almost see my breath! There's also an abundance of limping people and screaming babies in the UPA....I was thrilled to find out Thursday night that the dengue has left Elder Chapuis´ system. I'm hoping that will be my last visit to the UPA!
The highlight of the week was our mission tour on Thursday with Elder Carlos A. Godoy of the 70. Boy is he good. We had a meeting with just the leaders of the mission and Elder Godoy before the general meeting. He talked a lot about our responsibility to support and help the mission president to cope with the difficulties here in the mission, and that it is our job to suggest changes and new ideas to help make the mission more efficient and successful. This week we've really seen some interesting changes throughout the mission. Traveling Assistants were called ( two missionaries that visit and work with each companionship throughout the mission), the zones were all realigned and organized to match up with the stakes, and the mission is starting a "mission newspaper" showing the results of each zone in the mission, and the results of the mission in comparisons with all the other missions in Brazil. It's interesting what is happening right now. President Lanius is an inspired man alright.
Elder Godoy talked about what we want to get out of our missions. He showed us a scripture that I liked a lot in Alma 26:22.
Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing...it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance.
He said the formula for success as a missionary is to be spiritually clean, work, pray, and have faith. If we do this, we will return home with honor, baptisms, converts, and miracles. He really has a way with words. He shared with us some experiences about his own conversion that really made me think of the power and miracles that can be brought about through this work. It got me super fired up to go!
We are teaching a lady named Rita, who's daughter moved to Sao Paulo, got baptized, and is now serving a short term mission. She called us and asked us to teach her mom. She is receptive, but she's in a tricky spot. Her Mom has Alzheimer's, and she doesn't really have a way to leave her alone to go to church or even to hear our lessons. We try to teach her, but her mom is always talking (mumbling really) and trying to get up out of her chair to go somewhere....it's rough trying to help her feel the spirit of the things we are teaching here, but we are getting through to her piece by piece.
We helped to reactivate a teenager named John. He lives next to the chapel and no one even knew it. He just needed to be invited to come back to church, and now he is as happy as could be! It's amazing how hard you work to help some people, who end up not accepting, and at times how you literally do almost nothing, and a person's life is changed. You never really know what's going to happen. You adjust have to give your best and leave the rest in the Lord's hands.
Our ward has a ward family home evening every week. This week, a brother who just moved in to the ward from another city offered to have the FHE at his house. He said that his house is more or less far away....we didn't really know what we were getting into. The Bishop paid for 2 kombis (volkswagen busses) to take us up to his house. I thought we had left civilization we got out there. We spent about an hour on what I felt was a safari tour, bouncing up and down inside of this Kombi as we traveled through dirt roads, and occasioanly being surprised by some kind of animal running in front of the car or out in the field to our side. The journey in itself was a good part of the adventure! When we finally got there, about 30 of us, we greeted this brother (his name is Severino) who was about as happy as a kid in a candy shop to see so many of us, members of the church, in his humble home out in the middle of nowhere. He shared a message with all of us, and got pretty emotional. I too was touched by the absolute sincerirty of such a simple, faithful, and honest man of God. Severino shared a message with us from the Book of Mormon. As I felt the spirit fill that humble home..... it all kind of clicked for me. It's not in the city or in the crazy neighborhoods where I ever would have understood this. It was out in the wilderness with a few loyal saints where the Lord saw fit to teach me this lesson. When we read that the Gospel and the Spirit of the Lord will fill even until the four corners the Earth, this is what these prophets were talking about. Small groups of faithful members feasting upon and seeking after the words of Lord.The work of the Lord is filling the earth. Every missionary that goes out, every Book of Mormon that is printed, every testimony that is born.....they are ALL having an impact on this world. The work of the Lord IS going forth. I felt the Spirit so strongly at that Family Home Evening. I am certain that the Lord was among us.
Our ward has a ward family home evening every week. This week, a brother who just moved in to the ward from another city offered to have the FHE at his house. He said that his house is more or less far away....we didn't really know what we were getting into. The Bishop paid for 2 kombis (volkswagen busses) to take us up to his house. I thought we had left civilization we got out there. We spent about an hour on what I felt was a safari tour, bouncing up and down inside of this Kombi as we traveled through dirt roads, and occasioanly being surprised by some kind of animal running in front of the car or out in the field to our side. The journey in itself was a good part of the adventure! When we finally got there, about 30 of us, we greeted this brother (his name is Severino) who was about as happy as a kid in a candy shop to see so many of us, members of the church, in his humble home out in the middle of nowhere. He shared a message with all of us, and got pretty emotional. I too was touched by the absolute sincerirty of such a simple, faithful, and honest man of God. Severino shared a message with us from the Book of Mormon. As I felt the spirit fill that humble home..... it all kind of clicked for me. It's not in the city or in the crazy neighborhoods where I ever would have understood this. It was out in the wilderness with a few loyal saints where the Lord saw fit to teach me this lesson. When we read that the Gospel and the Spirit of the Lord will fill even until the four corners the Earth, this is what these prophets were talking about. Small groups of faithful members feasting upon and seeking after the words of Lord.The work of the Lord is filling the earth. Every missionary that goes out, every Book of Mormon that is printed, every testimony that is born.....they are ALL having an impact on this world. The work of the Lord IS going forth. I felt the Spirit so strongly at that Family Home Evening. I am certain that the Lord was among us.
We had a humbly experience at one our meals with the members this week....something very similar to an experience that Elder Barkdull wrote in his letter. While eating, this brother started telling us about how they had literally ran out of food the night before we were going to have lunch with them. They didn't know what to do. His paycheck had been delayed for some time, and he was out of options. They asked his mother in law for 10 reais so that they could make lunch for us....she gave 50. With this, they literally made a feast for us....I couldn't believe it. They spent every penny they had received to give us the absolute best that they had. They wanted to do everything they could to give their finest to a supposed servant of the Lord....I say supposed, because I realize that it was myself that was receiving this treatment! I don't feel nearly adequate or deserving to be treated as the Lord's emissary. When I found out about their circumstances, I naturally didn't want to eat a lot....this brother insisted that I eat at least 3 plates of food. He understood something many people, including myself at times, don't always understand. He understood what it means to give EVERYTHING.....your best, your all, your finest.....to the Lord. It was a humbling experience. We told them the story of the Widow at Nain, and how the Lord abundantly blesses those who put him, and his servants, above all else. I want to reiterate, that I sincerely felt unworthy to be treated as if I were the Lord himself....it helps me to really understand the gravity and importance of my sacred calling.Often,I only see a missionary when I look into the mirror. Some people see two Mormons. Some see emissaries of Jesus Christ.
I really do feel like Mormon a lot of the time when he said, "and a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people I can not write". The Lord is teaching me and those around me one lesson, one day, one moment at a time. What a great time it is to be a missionary.
Until next time,
Elder McKinley
I really do feel like Mormon a lot of the time when he said, "and a hundredth part of the proceedings of this people I can not write". The Lord is teaching me and those around me one lesson, one day, one moment at a time. What a great time it is to be a missionary.
Until next time,
Elder McKinley
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