Letter 12/5/11

Well this week felt like I died and went to heaven! Its one thing to be a missionary, but its a completely other to actually feel like to a missionary! I don't know that I've felt that since I've gotten to Brazil. It's always been a bit of a struggle to get my companions work here, but Elder Melo is a breath of fresh air for sure. He has been here just about 6 months...this is still his first area. He knows everything there is to know about this area....the people, the streets, the sights. It's great! I have a feeling that he is going to be heading out of here next transfer, leaving me to take over here....I'm doing my best to try and learn as much as I can about the area before then. Elder Melo is a phenomenal teacher....he relates things soo simply to these people. Its almost impossible for them to misunderstand. We also make contacts here! In my last area, my companion would get ticked every time I stopped to talk with someone. Here, Melo and I talk with EVERYONE! I used to feel guilty when we walked past people and didn't talk to them, but here, like I said, I actually feel like a missionary. I also feel like my Portuguese kicked up another level. A bit of it is probably confidence, just because I'm in a new area where no one knows how well I can speak. I feel like I am understanding close to 85% of everything these people are saying here. A blessing for sure.

Transferred!

Our "penthouse" apartment....fourth floor baby! Complete with a view!

Elder Melo!

Melo is a character too. I ha vent laughed this hard on my mission. He loves making impersonations of some the crazy people we meet and teach. He is always pulling pranks on the other missionaries in our apartment too. He made a good one on me this morning, faking receiving a phone call from President Lanius, telling me that I was being transferred. I totally bought it. I was sooo disappointed to think that I was only going to spend 6 days in this paradise of an area. He spent a good 5 minutes last night dangling dental floss on Elder Pinheiro's face while he was sleeping. Its great to have to someone to lighten the mood. Elder Melo's family is interesting. He has one younger brother. His parents are young....very young....they were 18 and 16 when they had him....they found the missionaries about 3 years later and were baptized. Elder Melo has a very strong testimony, and absolutely knows why he's here. Oh yeah, he's also engaged. So is Elder Pinheiro.....try and tell me that that's not a distraction....

The branch here (Caruaru is a district, with 4 branches, our branch being Caruaru as well) (Pronounced "ka-roo-a-roo") is very strong. Great leadership here. A lot of returned missionaries that give the branch good energy. Let me tell you a bit about Christina, the "mae" or mom of the missionaries here. She was baptized less than a year ago, and has a borderline obsession with the missionaries. Of the 6 nights we've had here, she has fed us dinner 5 times (on top of the huge lunches we recieve every day from the members). She is amazing. I don't think Elder Melo realizes that this isn't normal! It's the only area he's ever known on his mission! Going to her house (very close to our apartment) after a long day is wonderful. We go there for our dinner hour, and talk, tell her about our day, and feast! It's wonderful! I feel too lucky here.

Service at a members house....cleaning larvae out of their water tanks!

My desk!

So our investigators....we got some gold ones, we got some good ones, and we got some crazy ones! The crazy ones are the most entertaining, so I'll start with them. His name is Jose Carlos. We met him while we were talking with some other people on the street. He was listening (nodding his head in agreement to everything we were saying) off in the distance. I spoke with him and marked an appointment with him. We spent a 3 hour lesson with him, his wife Kiteria, and his daughter, Raquel. He literally agreed with every single thing that we said. I've never seen anything like that before. When we told him about the 1st vision, he interrupted us half way through and told the people standing outside to "come here, this is truth!". The only problem is that he doesn't understand the need to be re baptized with authority. Sounds pretty good though right? During the lessons, he gave us elaborate "re-enactments" of the crucifixion. I had to pinch myself a few times. The next appointment we had, he spent a good 25 minutes telling (felt more like charades with words) us how he being poor, having wholes in his shoes, driving a scooter with one wheel to church, being hungry, shining the benches and chairs in his church is what God wants, and how those who show up to church in their "Honda Cities" ( I think he meant civic) with stomachs full of lasagna and beef are proud and are of the devil. My goodness. Poor Elder Melo and I were doing our best to hold everything in, but it was to no avail. We were laughing right in front of him. I felt bad, but my word, It was priceless. Elder Melo gave a priceless re-enactment at night. Who says being a missionary can't be entertaining?

Elder Pinheiro and I....not the most flattering picture of him, but he is hilarious!

We have another investigator, Gino. Melo had taught him 1 lesson, and given him a book of Mormon before I got here. When we went back for the 2nd lesson, he didn't hesitate to tell us that he felt an amazing feeling of warmth and love as he was reading from it. We asked him right then and there to follow that prompting from the spirit and be baptized on Christmas Eve, which he accepted! You're probably thinking some of our investigators are looney toons that will accept anything two boys in white shirts will tell them, but this guy was affluent, educated, and what I would have thought to be a bit stubborn. I was amazed that he received such a strong answer. Before we left that night, I warned him that there would be temptation and opposition. I told him that the adversary would do everything in his power to stop him from being baptized. He nodded his head, said he understood, and we left. We made daily contact with him until Friday, when we unfortunately missed him because of a late bus. Sat, we talked to him. He told us that his wife wanted him to go to church with him every Sunday (her church), and that she had convinced him that it's not important what church you attend, as long as you are together in your family. He said that he agreed with her, and that he "would never forget us". Not gonna lie, I was mad. I warned him this would happen. I pointed out to him what was happening. That this was a test of his faith and dedication. He really took that in, but one of his buddies who was with him, started arguing with us (kind of reminded me in the BoM when King Noah is about to let Abinadi go free, but his priests convince him otherwise). We left him with our testimonies. There wasn't much else we could do. We are going to give him some time, and try and follow up with him.

My first baptism!

One last good note. An investigator, Abel, that Melo had been working with for 4 months, decided to get baptized. He goes to church every week, and is a stud. When I meant him for the first time, I asked him how long he had be investigating, and when he wanted to be baptized....he thought about it for a second, and said "How about Friday?".....holy smokes! Friday it is! Melo was understandably more excited than I was, and said that it was a miracle.

I am absolutely loving my mission. Not just because I am in a wonderful area, but because I am recognizing the hand of the Lord in EVERYTHING that happens in this work. It really is his work, and it is such a privilege to be a part of it.

CARUARU! Beautiful!

Until Next time,

-Elder McKinley