I can't think of any witty titles for my email today, so this is what y'all get this week. My brain really hurts. I blame the fact that I'm still trying to learn how to speak another language all while actually speaking said language. Yeah, my brain hurts. #cantEnglish #cantPortuguese #cantWords
Anyway, on to the part I'm sure you're all waiting for.
Monday:
We literally cleaned our apartment for 5 hours. I about died. I guess it's nice to not be living in a house of dust bunnies anymore though.
Tuesday:
We didn't have any appointments, so we spent all day doing street contacts. Good thing I like to talk! #praticandoportuguês
Wednesday:
Zone Conference! Zone Conference was great! Presidente Cabral is an inspired man and the Spirit is so strong when he speaks. He's great! We were talking about our role and responsibility as missionaries. Our call letters all say that we are here to baptize those who are prepared. We aren't here to convince people the gospel is true, we are here to convert them to the gospel they already know is true. My call as a missionary, as a representative of Jesus Christ, is so much more than to find, teach, and baptize; my call is also to strengthen my relationship with our Savior, Jesus Christ. How can I represent someone I don't know or have a relationship with? It made me think of our families, too. We bear the names of our families. Our surnames are the names that our families have borne for years. What are we doing with that name? Do we know our ancestors? Do we have a relationship with the people who bear our same name?
As a missionary I visibly bear two names every day when I put my name tag on. I am Sister McEldowney, my name tag says that right up top, but the only thing that is bigger print then my name is the name of Jesus Christ. I pray every day that I am acting in a way that would make my Savior proud of me.
Thursday:
We had a huge storm! The power was out for 8 hours! Talk about a difficult wekly planning session! When I say huge, I really do mean huge. The winds were blowing at 80 km/h at one point. How insane is that?! On top of that, it was pouring rain. Welcome to winter in Brazil I suppose. Tuda bem, I'm alive and see sunny days in my future.
Even with a crazy morning (and afternoon) we had a major miracle happen! We were walking down the street after weekly planning and we saw one of the young men (boys age 12-18) in our ward. Well, he was sitting with someone we didn't recognize. Guess what! Turns out he was an investigator the elders were working with who fell off the face of the planet for a bit! His name is Yurgi. We had a super solid lesson with him about the Book of Mormon, the importance of reading it, and prayer. We also committed him to go to church on Sunday! #milagre
Friday:
We went to go visit a man we had been teaching who accepted baptism last week. I was so stoked to see him again! We planned everything to have daily contact with him in the week leading up to his baptism, and he dropped us when we got there. I wanted to cry! What's comforting, though, is knowing that he has all the resources he needs when he is prepared for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Some day, hopefully soon, his heart will be softened and he will have a desire to follow Christ.
Saturday:
Lots of tracting and street contacts. We need to find new people to teach. That's literally what we spent all day telling ourselves.
Sunday:
Yurgi went to church! I screamed a lot inside! So much joy! HE ALSO ACCEPTED BAPTISM!!! #September12 I'm so stinking excited! He's so solid and I'm dying! September 12th needs to get here quick!
We're also teaching a 9-year-old who's getting baptized the same day! Apparently my entire mission I will be teaching children. Tuda bem! I can do it! They're fun to teach.
Book of Mormon!
I was reading my favorite book this week, also known as The Book of Mormon, and I fall more and more in love with it every day! This week I was reading in Helaman and I got to one of my favorite chapters, chapter 5. The verses that seriously stood out this week were 10-12. Take a look, read it, and let me know what you got out of it! I'll report next week!
10 And remember also the words which Amulek spake unto Zeezrom, in the city of Ammonihah; for he said unto him that the Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but that he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins.
11 And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath sent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls.
12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.
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