Called to Serve

January 13, 2010 - January 13, 2012

Monday, March 1, 2010

Sorry Brad and Jess, I got your letters this week lol, I sent one back to you so in 20 days check the mail. I'll be in Curitiba i think... So this last Friday was the day we went proselyting for the first time. We had been talking about it for a while but we didn't practice at all until the day before! That had me worried but I will tell you of the power of fasting and prayer. We wanted to be able to understand people and we wanted to find people that would listen to us, so we decided we would fast the Sunday before we went. The morning we were supposed to go proselyting I was way nervous. Our teacher took us out around Casa verde and we each had 2 BOMs and a couple pamphlets. We went up to this little park area and he told us we had 3 hours and told us that our first contact will be the hardest and that we just had to do it. Before we went we made little weird goals just to make sure we would talk to people. I put that I wanted to talk to a Dad with two kids, two teenagers, and an older woman on the street. Me and my companion said a prayer and we went out. We walked around the block before we decided to talk to a Lady with her granddaughter out in front of her house, she rejected us. At least I think that's what she did. Couldn't really tell. So we went back to the park to talk with Irmão Diniz and ask him how to say rejection in Portuguese. He told us to go talk to a group of teenagers because they would most likely laugh at us but they would listen, so we went. There were 4 guys and 1 girl. We were talking with them and I was just laughing and joking with them because I knew they probably wouldn't understand me so I just told them that we were missionaries and asked them if they had talked to missionaries before, they hadn't so I was like sweet! And just kinda told them we would teach them about the church. They laughed. So we started talking about God and found out none of them went to church, we were teaching about the book of Mormon and I noticed one kid that was really listening to me so I started directing the lesson towards him. I told him what a prophet was and bore my testimony to him about how the book of Mormon is true, and told them that it was the reason I was here, it was the reason I was trying to learn Portuguese because I found the truth and that they could find it too. I told them how happy I was because of the words of the Prophets and how they showed me a better way to live and that the joy I have now is because of and through this church. I gave the one kid (Clayton only with a Portuguese twist on the name) a BOM and showed him Moroni 10:4 and committed him to read, and he said he would. While I was talking with him and showing him the scripture another kid asked where I got the book from, so I told him it was translated through the prophet Joseph Smith and that it was an ancient record of the people in America. Then he got really quiet and I should have noticed then but I didn't, I was to focused on the other kid. So we left them and were walking across the street at the north end of the park when my companion was like, we should go back down that other street. (the one we just crossed) and I was like, yea, lets go. So we went back and when we were next to the park one of the teenagers came running up behind us. It was the one who asked the question about the book. His name is Julian. Julian said he had a question about that book I was holding, and so I started to explain again where it came from but then I stopped. I felt like I should ask him how he was feeling. I didn't expect that he would open up to me or anything but this is what he said. "I feel really bad. There are some things in my life that I just don't know what to do about and I want to know about that book." I can help you with that I said. I opened up to Mosiah 24:14 and had him read it aloud, I bore my testimony to him that in the BOM is another way, and that his heavenly father loves him and I just told him that I knew for sure that he could have peace and happiness in his life because I could see it in my own life, I gave him Moroni 10:4 and told him that if he would ask God if what I told him was true and what he was reading was true that he would get an answer. I gave him the missionaries number and told him to call them, that I know their message will help. That was just awesome. I did it all in Portuguese and he understood me and I understood him and I could tell he could feel something I could just see it in his face. I've been praying that he calls the missionaries and I feel good about it. We also, right after that, talked with a young guy on a bench and found out that he had taken 3 discussions but the missionaries finished their missions and nobody had talked to him again. He still had his BOM and he said that it was really interesting to him, we sat and talked with him for about 35 minutes, he was trying to learn English. He was a family counselor and worked with kids and helped them workout their problems with their family and other things like that. He said he used stuff the missionaries taught him in his work because it worked and he found it really interesting. How gold is that. We gave him a plan of Salvation pamphlet and gave him 2 nephi 2. He wanted us to come to his house later but we told him we were noobs and told him he could call the other missionaries and he said he definitely would. That was so amazing. Then we talked with a catholic lady whom we couldn't understand for squat so we gave her a plan of salvation pamphlet and said goodbye, then we talked with a guy and two kids who was a lawyer and who had lots of member friends and loved to talk about Joseph Smith, he had a BOM so we gave him a Restoration pamphlet and he gave us his card and told us that if we need anything in Brazil he would help us out for free. Basically I am all jacked and ready for the field like you wouldn't believe. I've been hitting the books super hard lately and I have come up with an idea. I am going to assign u guys to look up some stuff so I can see what you all find just for fun. That way I can see if you can help me and I'll teach you what I learn about it too. Everyone study faith this week. Not primary answers lol, get into it, I've done a little bit and its really really sweet. Okay I gotta go but I love you guys and I'll see you later =]

No comments:

Post a Comment