Well so I'm not sure how many of you know by now (I'm sure my parents spread the news pretty adequately) but I got my VISA! We were expecting to get my new companion from the MTC monday afternoon. Pres Holzapfel called us and told us that he was on his way in from the Airport. When we showed up at the mission office he told me that there was good news and bad news. I said let's here the bad news first. He said that I got my visa!!! My response was, "well that is news!" (he can be kind of a hard egg to crack sometimes). He was saying that was the bad news because it would be that my I would only be with my companion for a week before there would be another change in the mission. The good news was that my companion was running a little bit late, but that he was almost here (to be honest I think he had his "bad news" and "good news" mixed up!)
Regardless, me getting my visa came with mixed feelings. I truly have come to learn and love the time which I have been able to spend here in Alabama. My attitude at first was one of "how many missionaries will be able to say that the served in not one cool mission, but two!". With time, I came to realize that just as school, sports, leadership, seminary, church, BYU, callings, duty to God, Boy Scouts, and numerous other things have prepared me and built me into the individual that I am today, so has my time in Alabama. I have had experiences here that I sincerely believe that I would not have had if I had gone straight to Brazil. I have seen things in this part of our country that have made me aware of just how many problems and issues there are with our world, even within the greatest nation on the face of the earth! Satan has real power ovet the world! It amazes me how beaten and down-trodden some of the people here are, although they would never realize it. That's just how they believe thats how life is! They have no idea what it really means to have a knowledge of the goodness of God. That "goodness" isn't manifest through worldly riches or status or wisdom, but by being a partaker of the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the only, and I mean literally the only single thing that has power to change these people's lives.
I know that everywhere I go in the world has problems and needs the Gospel, but the South truly is a world of its own. The bible belt may be one of the most religiously active parts of the world. I am amazed at how little effort it takes to start a conversation with someone about Jesus Christ here. Back in Pleasanton or almost anywhere else throughout the nation, people really just don't have the time of day to talk about God. It has given me a huge respect for missionaries who serve state side. Even here, people love to listen, but getting them to accept or to act is a different story. That is something that I don't think will be as much of a challenge in a different society like Brazil. I have also seen opposition to this unstoppable work. I have had people not only question and attack my beliefs, but also attack me personally. I've always had people say that not drinking or smoking is wierd, but no one has ever told me that what I believe is wrong and that I have been misled. Being backed into a corner like that leaves one possible solution: bear testimony of the things that you know are true! I have felt the spirit stronger when I testify in the face of people who mock and deny us than when I usually do testifying to people who are actually receptive to our message. I have grown immeasaurably from these experiences. Coming to Alabama was not just about the people of Alabama....it was for me too. I needed to grow, learn, make mistakes, fall, gain experience and become better becuase of it. A mission truly is a refiner's fire.
Well I'll try and talk a little bit more about this past week versus just my visa. So I did finally get to meet my companion. His name is Elder Duffy, and he was actually my Zone Leader in the MTC! Small world huh? He is also going to Brazil and is waiting on a visa. It's funny, because he was standing in the room watching about 5 weeks ago when I found out I was going to Alabama. Funny that he is now here with me! He's a great guy. He is from Seattle, and was actually at BYU in the dorms the same time I was there! I don't remember him from BYU though. He has been a pleasure to work with. He kind of gave me the update on what's been going on in the MTC the last few weeks. Apparently people have been getting their visas like crazy. People were getting woken up at 5am telling them that their visas had arrived and that their shuttle left for the airport in an hour....sounds hard to believe but pretty crazy if it's true! Elder Duffy is one of the more sincere and heartfelt people I have ever met. He gets down and personal with people all the time, telling them how much he loves them and wants to them find out if this message is true. It kind of makes me feel like Scrooge sometimes with just how sincere he is! We make a good team though. More important than anything else, is that he wants to serve and wants to learn how to serve too. I have been able to offer him my wealth of mission field experience (5 weeks!) and give him a few pointers of things to do and things to avoid. He willingly accepts and follows my counsel, even if it isn't always the best advice! He truly is a pleasure to serve with, and I'd be lucky to have another companion as excited, energetic, or sincere as Elder Duffy has been. So you may be wondering what will happen to him....they are bringing in another visa missionary (actually he was the other Zone Leader in the MTC and was Elder Duffy's old comp) to be his new companion! I feel kind of bad about hitting the road when things were picking up here, but I am on the Lord's time here....he's calling the shots.
So this week we got to WORK. We taught 43 lessons (the mission standard is 20). We were out on the streets, talking to people, knocking doors, handing out cards, making phone calls, doing basically whatever we could. We didn't keep track, but I think we gave out around 25 copies of the BoM this week. As a result, we have 17 new investigators. You probably think that we are just about to baptize the heck out of this place, but in reality we only have 3 progressing investigators....yeah.....
To make a long story short, my adventure is just beginning. The Lord's work moves on, and I am moving along with it. The next time I write my english will probably be a little be dilluted, so bear with me. To leave you with a quote from James E. Faust...
"There are two kinds of missionaries: those who serve in Brazil, and those who wish they served in Brazil."
Ate Mais!!
-Elder McKinley
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