Letter #83

Dearest Family, 

It's good to be with you. The weather has turned here and we have a lovely rainy day p-day. It's perfect to write letters : ) Let me see if I can remember what happened this last week.

Preparation day, Monday, we were treated to a banquet when a member invited to make lunch for us, and not any member actually but the family reactivated last week. She is very active! She is actively attending institute and now is bringing a friend and this Sunday received a calling as a ward missionary!  Excellent. Here her mother is also active, attending the relief society activity, ward activity and paying tithing already (wooh!). But p-day was nice, and it was good to begin the week with full stomachs. At night we delivered two cakes, one to the other family we reactivated who is also going strong (former high councilman returning) and the other to our ward mission leader who is now doing a fantastic job in his calling. His wife is interestingly not a member and so we're working on that. I think it's working as she made us two cakes on Saturday when they returned our container.: )

Tuesday, office day, and we also had a very productive meeting with the bishop who we felt had been avoiding us. Now he has no doubts we're on the same team. We solicited more families that we could reactivate and also laid before him the need for ward missionaries. We made an especial point of praising all that has been going so well in the ward, activities, mutual, classes, ward mission leader, etc.

Wednesday we went hiking to get to lunch. We're talking about the boonies - past the boonies. The sister described how to find her house like this: "Go to the last neighborhood up on the hill, leave the neighborhood and get on the cobblestone roads, keep going until the dirt roads and you START to see the LITTLE houses up in front. Last street on the right at the end of the road." Maybe it wasn't exactly like that but it comes pretty close. Lunch was excellent so it was worth the walk. BUUUT the walk to get back was what was interesting. We had to do a giant loop to get where we were going and on the way passed a grass factory. I didn't know they had these but it makes sense. I though I had come to the Elysian fields of Greek lore, long, stretching, perfectly trim and green lawns. . . took a picture but it's on the phone still.

Wednesday we went after references and more less actives including two individuals, who are part of a large family that is mostly members but also who have many spouses and children who are not. We were well received and the spirit was exceptionally strong, as it was the next two times we passed there. The Lord has a special work there for us to do. How we found them is interesting as well: Of all the family that is a member only two are on the list. The first, an elderly lady, the matriarch, isn't actually baptized!! but her name is on the list. . . and the other, who lives in the same house, has the address listed wrong. His address doesn't exist. That is to say if weren't for this senhora being on the list as an accident, we would never have found them. Coincidence? Certainly not. Now the neighbors are interested too. We go back again today. The man and his family went to church Sunday, his wife is not a member and already looks like a primary teacher. As a bonus they are thankfully legally married, sometimes a rarity. I think I know what we have to do here ;-)

Wednesday we also had a family home evening with a couple in their house with their family and friends. It went well, and her sister and her brother in law were especially touched. They have to marry still so that's our next goal. This couple continue to amaze me with their knowledge and progress. The man who appears 100% redneck is the most diligent student of gospel literature I know in the ward. He comes to us with the most incredible questions. Yesterday he commented that he had noticed reading the Book of Mormon that the prayer used for baptism wasn't exactly the same as in the brochures from the missionary lessons. His question was then which he should use, then commencing to recite from memory the actual baptism prayer.! I tell you I just can't make these things up! Yesterday, in learning about fasting on his own in preparation for next week's fast, he asked how he was to wash his face and anoint his head as the Book of Mormon said in 3rd Nephi; that we ought to do this when we fast. Incredible. I love him like a brother.

 Thursday we had a division with the elders in Semirimis. It was excellent missionary work and I thoroughly enjoyed staying with the new Elder Monk who already speaks excellent Portuguese and is a very diligent worker. I already know and have a special place in my heart for his companion Elder Anderson.

 

Friday I spent the day caring for my companion as he underwent an endoscopy to check for problems in his stomach. It was a good time to attack the Isaiah chapters where I am in the Book of Mormon, and he spent the majority of the day under the effects of anesthesia, up to the night when we went to the ward activity "Float or Sink" : )  It is a popular Brasilian game of seeing if things are going to sink or float. That was a new idea for an activity. . .and it's harder than it looks. It was well attended and we were able to bring some investigators and a family of less actives who hadn't been to the church for some time. Note to all: limes do not float. :)

 Saturday and Sunday I spent the days in division with Elder Christensen in order to take care of interviews and a growing number of appointments. Saturday we just ran all day, marking with people to go to the church. The highlights were our lesson with a couple, accompanied heavily by the spirit, our lesson with a member's brother who sells sugar cane juice (caldo de cana, literally sugarcane broth) and our lesson with a member's cousin.

When we went to the juice seller we were on a secret mission, sent by his brother to test and soften his heart towards the church. He vigorously attacked just about everything he could of who we are, the U.S. etc. but we were docile and cunning and excellent actors. As a missionary once told me, he doesn't know he's going to be baptized. . .yet, but he is going to be baptized : )  He didn't want to tell us his address either but we got that too, and he ended up giving us two cups of sugar cane broth for free : )

We have one very special young man of 19 years. He went to church last week as I had commented and is living in accordance with all the commandments. He is very sincere and we are sure that he also will be baptized this week or soon, which is good news for the elders who take care of the area where he lives because they are about to receive a baptism for free. He commented Saturday that he wants to go on a mission. We taught him again Sunday night and his cousins, and two young member converts from another ward bore sweet testimonies of how they knew for themselves that the gospel was true.

Sunday we had brought 15 or so people to church not including those we had already baptized or reactivated. Attendance was up and the ward's going strong. We went to Cambé for an interview, I had never been to the city center before, and it was interesting to get to know yet another part of the mission. I don't think I mentioned yet that the friend of a young women who she brought to institute went to church as well and the activities during the week and has a date for next week as well. When we asked if we could pass by on Sunday she said she wouldn't be able to as she was going to visit old people at old people homes. Further, her answer to her prayer about the church came in a very special way. She asked Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and all three nights she had the same dream of a man dressed in white who descended in a pillar of light and, holding her hands said, smiling to her, "Yes".  That's all the answer she needed.

My family I love you, I think of you and pray for you. I love the Lord and His work. Be actively engaged in it and He will bless you, He is blessing me.

Love,

Tanner