So this week was great.
We have a baptisms this Saturday for Carol. A 16 year girl we found
clapping doors. She is super cute and has a quite strong conviction
about what we are teaching her. And she goes to chruch by herself. You
know investigators are golden when they come to church without you
having to drag them by their heels to church. We are teaching her and a
bunch of her neighborhood friends. A few of them have potential, but
most of them, give their excuses and whatever. But carol always answers
with a firm yes, and she listens way super intensely. I love teaching
elect investigators. They listen, understand, and do! It is almost way
too easy. That is when you know they are elect, because everything seems
way too easy. I wish their were more people like that in this world,
that listen, learn, and then do.
This week we are starting to work more with the
members more because are branch is really pretty weak. We are starting
to do trainings for the members to teach them what it means to be a
member and how to speak in chruch, how to do a family night, how to to
do ward counsel, how to conduct a meeting, and how to integrate the new
members. The people we have been baptizing and that were baptized before
I came are becoming less active and so we have felt like we are almost
wasting time bringing people to the chruch if they wont stay. So we are
trying to fix that problem. The members need to learn how to do things
themselves, instead of relying on the sisters to do everything for them.
So this week and this transfer is the focus. I hope everything goes
well.
Spiritual thought of the week. There are a lot of
times when I compare myself to other missionaries and get down on myself
because I don't teach as well as they do - and I have been praying and
thinking about this a lot and I opened up the BOM one night and read 3 Ne
18:24 about letting your light so shine to the world. And I realized
that each one of us has a unique light that is different compared to
everyone else, but it still illuminates. It still does the exact same
function be it a candle, flashlight, match, light bulb whatever. they all
have the same function but are very different. I was also thinking
about the apostles and comparing some of them. For example elder Holland
and Elder Anderson are sooo different,they teach different, speak
different, and are just super different. But when I read their talks I
still learn and am motivated spiritually by these men that are so
different. And it is the same with each one of us. We each have our own
spiritual gifts and talents different to everyone else. All that really
matters is how you use those gifts and talents to the best of your
ability. reminds of this little song "I´ve got a little light in me. I´m
gonna let it shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiin
But now for the story you have all been waiting for
in reference to my subject line. We had our first experience with an
evil spirit. Just a quick background of the churches in Brazil, it is
super natural to walk down a street in Brazil and pass 5 or 6 churches
with people moaning, jumping, screaming, writhing around on the floor
and speaking in languages. That is just how church is. And the pastors
come around and whack everyone on the head and cast out the evil
spirits. It is super intense and really quite entertaining to watch.
So we were contacting a reference from the other
sisters, and we went to the house but he wasn't there. But his mom and
dad were, so we asked if we could leave a quick message. So we sat down
and were talking about them and their lives and getting to know them,
and all seemed hunky dory. I explained that we start our messages with
prayers and asked if I could give the opening prayer. So I started and
the woman, starts moaning, and groaning, and beating her forehead, and
her arms. I looked up during at first thinking that something was really
wrong and that she was having a seizure or something. I finished the
prayer real quick and then we all just sat and watched her. It was me
and Sis C and one of our recent converts David. And this woman was
screaming, moaning, and shaking, her head and her body and writhing all
around, she would stop for a little bit and then start again. And I was
trying soooo hard not to laugh. And then she screwed up her face all
wrinkling and gave me the most evilest scowl I have ever seen. Her head
was all twisted weird and her body too. So Imagine this, she has this
horrible looking face with the evilest looking eyes staring right at me,
but her head is a little twisted to the side and her body was all
twisted and her hands were twisted and tense like claws and they were
stretched out straight at me, and she stopped and just sat there and
stared at me and then she started swaying and moving closer to me. That
is when I got scared. I thought - this is it, she is going to kill me.
But she started writhing around again, and
eventually stopped after about 3 or 4 minutes of this bogus. Her husband
explained that she this happened to her every time someone came to the
house to say a prayer. But they usually cast out the evil spirit. But we
just sat there until it passed. We gave the lesson and left. David the
recent convert was talking to us after how he was tempted to stand up
and use his newly ordained priesthood and cast out the devil in the
typical Brazilian manner. (whacking them on the forehead). So it was a
great teaching opportunity after with him and we explained a little more
about priesthood and how to use the priesthood authority etc. Haha, the
stories of the mission... We are going back this week to teach them
again. We will see what else they have got in store for us.
Sure love you all sooo much and thanks for your thoughts, prayers,
and emails.
love,
ky
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