One more week that passed by....I think this one lasted about 6 seconds? Sheesh. More about my companion....he likes to talk alot, but like I said, not to strangers. We have a bit of a problem leaving our appointments on time so that we can get to the next one on time. He loves talking about his 20 brothers and sisters (now I know how my other companions felt when I was talking about my four sisters.) He could talk an hour straight about them. I feel like I practically know them already! Elder Ribeiro also has a bit of a fear of using other people's bathrooms. He refuses to use any other bathroom than the one in our apartment. He is a good worker....he talks very fast and kinda loud and I think leaves people thinking, "why is this boy shouting at me and my family?". Every companion comes with unique challenges, laughs, and stories.
We found a few families to teach this week. We found Leila and her two kids while walking to another appointment. She was standing in front of her house when I felt prompted to turn back around and go talk to her. She was real friendly and accepted us in her house. We taught her about the 1st vision and the restoration of the church of Jesus Christ here on the Earth. I am getting pretty good at teaching the restoration. I learned alot from everyone of previous companions, and all that knowledge has snowballed up into a quite a chunk of analogies, comparisons, and questions that really help the investigators to understand. Mix that in with the companionship of the Spirit, and you have a recipe for success. We taught her a few times, and then found out (through a phone call) that she moved to another neighborhood outside of our area. Kind of frustrating, but we will pass her off to the other missionaries, who I hope will keep accompanying her family.
We have been teaching a family of three, Jaciara, Antonio, and Felipe, the son. Felipe is deaf and mute, so naturally he likes to read. We taught all of them and gave them a Book of Mormon. I am simply amazed at the power that that book has. You just need to connect the good feelings and spirit that accompany that book with the message of the Restoration, and you have a convert baptism right there.
We had a zone conference in Recife this week. It's a 2 hour trip into Recife, and we usually take a Taxi (6 of us paying together). Elder Soares, an area 70, was there. He shared a story that I really liked. It was about the New England mission, which is headquartered in Cambridge, Canada (the same place as Cambridge university). The mission president there received 8 new missionaries. 7 were big, strong, educated, and good looking. The last was more or less the runt of the litter. Very poor, very humble, very small. His clothes were about 2 sizes too big and his haricut looked like it had an encounter with a wind turbine. The mission president preferred to put the larger, better looking missionaries in Cambridge, where there was more a less a "good image" of the missionaries there. He had a dream in which he saw that 8th missionary walking on the streets of Cambridge, so he decided to keep him there. 3 days letter, he got a phone call from the Head of the Theology department at Cambridge asking to be baptized. When the mission president asked why, he said that that little missionary had visited him (he and his companion had prayed to know who they could visit, and felt inspired to visit to him). They waited in his office about 7 hours to talk to him. When he finally sat down with him, that missionary asked the Cambridge professor if they could start with a prayer. He agreed, and the missionary prayed.....the professor said that he opened his eyes 3 times to see if the Savior was actually there with them in that room. He said that he had never felt the spirit so strong as when he heard that humble missionary talk with the Lord. I really liked that story....it touched me. It really is all about humility, and leaning on the Lord. It's something that I really having been working on, is being more humble, and truly becoming a servant of the Lord. It's hard at times, but I know the Lord is helping me.
I don't know how I have so much to write about here.....I feel like nothing happens during the weeks here! I went to do a baptismal interview in the area of Sister G. Nunes and Sister Harris. The name of their investigator is Amaro. One of the baptismal interview questions asks about felonies, abortions, and homosexual relationships. If they had any problem with one of those, the Mission President has to interview them before they can be baptized. Well he had a problem with one of them. I won't say which, b/c one, it really doesn't matter, and two, it's not my sin to share. I explained to him that we would have to call the mission president the next day and that he would ask him a few questions. I told him that we didn't need to tell the other missionaries what had happened, and that this was something between him and the Lord. We went out to the other room where the other missionaries were waiting. I told him to act normal while we were there in front of his family, and that afterwards I would talk with the Sisters. Well when I told Sister G. Nunes that he didn't pass the interview, she was ticked. She wanted to know why, and I told her that I needed to talk with President Lanius first before I shared with her what it was. She did not like that. Nor did my Zone Leaders. They wanted me to tell them first, even threatening me that "President is going to be angry if this is something that we could have resolved". Luckily for me, I knew what the protocol was for this. Preach My Gospel says that a situation like this goes directly to the Mission President, and that it is under his direction from there. I did what I knew was right, despite all the flak I was getting (kind of sounds like a theme of mission huh?). Pres Lanius sided with me, telling me that I was not to tell them what the nature of problem was, but only that it was a problem with question 4 of the interview. I called Sister G. Nunes back, and she STILL wanted me to tell her what it was. I told her that it wasn't my business to share with her, regardless of the relationship she has with her investigator. I'm amazed at how often I'm tempted and asked to intentionally defy the mission rules, the counsel of the mission president, and the commandments of the Lord. Even as a missionary. I definitely am learning how to, in the words of Thomas Jefferson, "stand firm like a rock" when it comes to matters of principle. I went back there the next day, President Lanius talked with him, and he got the all clear to be baptized. He really had a broken heart, and was almost in tears after he got the news that he could be baptized. Let's just say that Sister Nunes was happy as could be with that news.
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Well we did have a baptism this week! Nothing beats a baptism as a missionary. Dalila is about as elect as they come. She was the first person that I saw from to start to finish with her progress to baptism. She asked me to baptize and confirm her, which was great. It was a pay day for us....we've been working hard, and I know that the Lord blessed us with her.
I'm running out of time unfortunately (I always am!). A mission is the best. That's all I'm gonna say. I hope it's a good week for everyone....I know it will be here!
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Until next time,
-Elder McKinley
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