Letter #14

Beloved Family,

This week wasn't nearly as exciting as last week, but that doesn't mean it wasn't just as wonderful. The mission appears to be like a fine cheddar, only increasing in its perceived value and goodness as time goes on. And time does go on. This week will make one month in the field! It doesn't seem nearly that long. I feel very grateful that I was able to learn the language quickly and that I came to the mission more - than less - prepared to teach people about the gospel. There simply isn't time to prepare here everything that needs doing. Do it before! Out here we are at war. Would you go to war without learning how to fight? Things would get hairy and scary pretty fast. SO prepare now to be a missionary: )

Well, we confirmed dear investigator yesterday and Elder Parker did a wonderful job in Portuguese. She truly is wonderful.

We held a mandatory activity this week with the ward, asssigned by the area presidency of Brasil, called De Coração para coração, where we with the members passed out pass along cards to citizens around the church. It was a wonderful opportunity for the members to learn how to share the gospel comfortably with neighbors and friends, but unfortunately very few showed up. We brought 2 pesquisadores (investigators) and our newly baptized sister and there were 8 missionaries, and 9 members! There was lots of food and I thought for sure that we would have a strong showing. Oh well, the activity went well and the two investigators went to church the next day and we hope to baptize them this next Sunday. They just don´t know it yet; )

We've settled into our new quarters and what a difference that makes. 

When I left you last week we had nothing, but thanks to Sister Tavares and one very diligent montador (assembler, quite literally) we are now hard, hard at work. All of our furnishings, desks, fridge, beds, mattresses, and fans are new. Only the stove and washing machines are used, but working fine. We cut it pretty close with the desperately out of clothes thing, but even that is resolved.

 I am enjoying immensely the ability to study and feast feast feast on the words of the scriptures and prophets. That has been the highlight of this week. The spiritual power that comes from removing yourself from the world AND putting yourself into a richly divine atmosphere (with of course a cup of strawberry juice and maybe a banana) AND listening specifically for the whisperings and promptings and guidance of the spirit is humbling. There are not words for it. Overwhelming perhaps; deeply, deeply joyful; an immensity of gratitude flows into your heart for what we have been given. Especially those of us, who sit in the very church of God, in the fulness of times, in comfortable prosperity. How great is our calling! And how great is our responsibility.

I have reflected often here on the principle reasons that people fall from activity in the church. This week illustrated another sad story of a man who was brought into the church, was doing well, integrated and happy. He began to date another member of the church and to his dismay also began to receive many less than complementary comments on this relationship. When we clapped at his door, after talking with him, he asked us firmly why his name had not been removed from the church, and if we could do it now. We replied we were new, yes we could, but we warned him, with the scriptures and our testimonies that this was a mistake; that in doing so he would lose the very blessings of heaven that he had received upon baptism. A great sadness was evident in his eyes, but he persisted, the signature was given, and our first "anti-baptism" was over. Now I know none of the details and barely any of the facts, but I think it is worthwhile for us to remember that what we say, how we say it, and the actions that follow are testaments of this church in themselves. As Gordon B. Hinckley had shared in one address about one of the men he baptized on his mission and who later fell away, "If that's how the people in this church are, I don´t want anymore of it." On the other side of this example though, is how much good our good and kind examples bring about. There is another man in our branch who helped us teach our investigator and has given her rides several times. He is now helping us teach our other two investigators that we hope to baptize. He is old, a mortician by trade and wonderful, quiet man. The longer that I've been here, the more I learn that it is through his quiet efforts that nearly all if not all of the current members are members at all. He has shared the gospel with every family member and every friend and every neighbor. Most are baptized. And though many are no longer active, many are. He is a wonderful help and example to the missionaries here in Tupã.

As far as the computer, I do not use anything more than my email, our mission site to send numbers and write my letter to the president and lds.org to get talks that we are assigned to read. Soooo, no Facebook and I only look at your blog through the email updates that I get: ) Which, I love love love. The water goes counterclockwise but I´m not entirely convinced as when the sink was draining, it went the other way. . . Please if you haven´t already, save all of my companions letters while they are my companions: ) I don´t know if you know this or not, but packages should not be sent to the mission home, as I willl most likely never get them. Send them to my current address only, and they take about a month to 15 days to get here. I really liked when you put lines after the questions in your letter so I could find them, but I hope I answered then all!

I love you all, and hope you are enjoying a beautiful fall, and pancakes. Oh man, pancakes with real maple syrup. Lots of letter going out this week, not that they´ll get there this week, just be excited for ten days from now; ) Thank you for the prayers,

Love,

Tanner