Letter #60

Dear Family,

You should now that you're stupendous. I've had quite the week. Topsy turvey might describe it, or the idea of a roller coaster heading full on at knee-knocking speeds with only the vague guarantee that someone did the math to make sure you come out alive. Yup. We're just going to go day by day because it's easier.

Monday: We had a Family Home Evening with the Bishop and his family teaching a family he had invited from his neighborhood the restoration. Possibly the most normal lesson I've ever taught. It was almost weird it was so normal and I felt almost at home. We're going to talk to the family again on Friday and see if they've read the Book of Mormon. I was just proud of the effort made by the bishop. More on that later, but also worth mentioning is that the bishop's wife made pancakes and torta de frango, both, well, homemade and Monday ended happily : )

Tuesday: We had zone meeting and it was alright. I had written a special hymn but no one knew the music and so it was, well, alright. Next time I'll preview which hymns they know. We also sang a special version of the mission hymn written by me, of which there is a video that Elder Peterson has. I don't know if he'll send it in his email or if it's too big. We lunched and then worked a little but got wind that the missionaries in Leonor might have an interview so we headed there. And we baptized 3! Fantastic. When I arrived there was a bunch of people playing socer, and I asked the only member I knew who was a member there, and he said no one. . . Next question, who has already been to church twice? I had a great time interviewing everyone, a very spiritual experience, and thankfully all three were baptized. We even had popcorn as a treat : )

Wednesday: After lunch we headed to the chapel to fill the font, while the other missionaries in our ward went to round up the investigators to be baptized. I did two more interviews, everyone passed, we even had a showing of members turn out and a cake, and two more baptisms : )

Thursday: This day was the only day we had this week to work normally in our area and what a day it was! We had a really boring morning, but after lunch we headed to accompany our investigators at light speed. We finally found a family that had been impossible to find the whole week, taught them, marked interviews, threw away coffee, and then on to another house. There, with what can only be called spiritual intervention, a mom that has been impeding her son's baptism for 3 months, signed her permission. Miracles.

Friday: We had a triple division to help cover all our appointments and other jobs. We taught 90 lessons with a member before 5 o'clock and it was hot. We taught in the street, in the bus, on the curb, wherever we could, and then at 5 I headed with E. Wheeler to Aula 2, to do 3 more interviews. Two passed and were baptized Sunday. We also hung out a little with E. Peterson, Chambers, and Silva, while the ward put together a very enjoyable ward talent show. E. Alves, when he came to pick us up, ran into his uncle and aunt and cousins who are memebrs in Aula 2.  But his uncle saved the day and gave us a ride home, with E. Zioli, the other assistant to the president who crashed at our house.

Saturday: Lunched and headed to do 3 more interviews, and E. Zioli did our interview. All were baptized afterwards. Finished my journal! : )

Sunday: We had few people go to church, but we headed early to the executive counsel meeting. We had 9 confirmations in our ward meeting and I gave a short talk as one speaker didn't show. I spoke about drawing down the blessings of heaven through obedience and sacrifice. And buillding up Zion. Then after lunch we received a call from Pr. Genaro that we would have a meeting with the stake president and bishop in half an hour all the way across the city. We ran, and got lucky that the bishop was passing by and picked us up.

 

We were actually excluded from the meeting but from what I can tell it went well on the side of the members, the president making lots of concessions. I thought worthy to mention was the Oscar Wilde like scene of comedic confusion afterwards as the stake president and 2 bishops and mission president fought, yes, scrabbled over ME! I felt pretty well loved and that my efforts to support both sides of the issue had produced not only peace but amiability.

I´m now at the beck and call of the stake president and two wards and president, trying to improve member/missionary efforts in the work. We are trying to turn this steam engine lugging perambulously in one direction around and get it going smoothly in the other. Out with the old, in with the new. Efficiency people! And conversion!

Well that's the grainy facts. There's some unfinished thoughts in here, but it's all the news that's fit to print, in fits of print.

The wave is coming. I'm so glad you are doing such a marvelous work at home. Keep it going! I love you so much,

Tanner

p.s. Got a package right now!!!!
p.p.s. We won the mission competition again! Our zone baptized 16, the mission record and 9 in my district. I did 11 interviews this week. Whew!