So... this week has been kind of long. Or at least it feels like it. I guess that’s what happens when you walk 30 minutes every day to your area! But it’s been real nice out here... it´s been raining a lot, and it reminds me of Portland and the beach... I just have to go down to Aracatí and we can hit the beach there ;)
Also, before I forget, have Elder Clements´ and Elder Sant´s email´s forwarded to me and Elder Clements asked for mine, so you can add his name to the list if it isn´t already.
SO.
Tuesday, we had District Meeting and we had to leave way early to get to Pedras at 8. Once we got there, we had Tapioca (not the tapioca you would think... it’s like a pancake kinda... but it’s really good. Learn how to make it!). After that a member gave us a message about fighting temptation and satan and how it’s nearly impossible to fight him with strength or intelligence alone. He demonstrated this by putting a bunch of chairs in a semi circle in the corner and in the corner he placed a pear. He had the Zone Leader Elder Landskrum play the part of the preventer, and I had to fight him using my strength. Almost got it too! Some of the missionaries took videos of it, but I´ll have to ask for it. It was a cool little object lesson.
After that, we came back and taught our two possible baptisms this week. They are both really excited about it. One of them already made the changes in his life necessary, and the other has really turned a corner with what she thinks of the church. Its cool to see the progression in them both.
Wednesday, we taught them again, just commandments though. We also taught four that are new investigators. One of them is the woman who took the lessons 4 years ago. The other ones are a family that is friends with the Bishop. They said that they already knew the power that the church had because of the change they have seen in him from before. The true Gospel of Christ really has a power to give us that happiness in our lives.
Thursday, we went with one of the young men to teach some of his friends. We didn´t run into any of them in their house, but we went by later and taught one of them. He had a lesson from other Elder´s but they stopped coming for some reason. He remembered a lot of the message, so we gave him a little referesher and a Book of Mormon. He was really excited about it too. He pulled out the pamphlet we used to mark where he should read to do the prayer, and as soon as he finished he passed them back and asked us to mark it again. I just smiled at that.
Friday. We had lunch with a member whose son (Lucas) is one of my favorites in the ward. He said someone in the other ward had gained passage to the temple and he said he wanted to go and do baptisms here in March. He had a lot of questions about names and things like that. We talked for about 45 minutes with him about his questions and he just loved it! Afterwards, we went out in the street to go teach and our appointment fell through. Then Elder Johnny turned to him and said ´´Alright, we are going to walk down this street until you feel we should stop, then we are going to knock on the door.´´ Normally, this is just like a chore to me, but this really felt different. I felt like there was someone living there AT home who was ready to hear our message. I kept a look out myself too. We almost got to the end of the street and I was getting worried because I thought maybe we had missed it, but the second I thought that, the thought left and I looked a t a gate to our left. I just stared it down, and Lucas pointed and said ´´Let’s stop here!´´. I guess that was a spiritual reference. We taught a married woman and she was really interested in what we had to say. After the message, we invited her to give the prayer and usually the people are timid about it, but she just accepted... then she asked how she was supposed to do it. I was just impressed that day.
Saturday night, we taught a friend of that other young man (Davi) and his Mom. They were really interested in our message and the kid had a lot of ´´philosophies´´ about the true church and all. The thing that was interesting is that everything he said had a gospel principle readily applicable. At the end of the lesson, he had a question about the end of the world, and he was really worried about and his knowledge and whatnot. I just looked at him and said ´´Dude. Pray to the Lord if our message is true, and do everything you can to follow that answer. If you do that, you won´t have a single thing to worry about. You will be happy forever, with your knowledge and in the presence of our Lord.´´ He was just kind of shocked about it like ´´I never knew that before.´´ We gave him pamphlets and a Book of Mormon and left them to do their part.
Sunday, we had lunch with Renato and Tuanny (Tuanny was really excited about it). It was really fun! We just ate and talked for a while. Then we got to the message and Tuanny said I had to do it to practice my Portuguese. So I opened up in D&C 138 (47-48 I think? The verses that talk about Elijah and Sealing) and I told them how important our work in the temple is... not just for us, but everybody waiting for us. I talked about how they don´t have a chance at exaltation without our work on the temples and that the world would probably be corrupted without temples here on the earth. I really surprised myself during that message. They really liked it though. I think it was what they were supposed to hear, because the lesson in priesthood was on covenants, specifically the temple. Renato was paying really close attention. Then in Sunday School, we had a lesson on Prayer. The instructor quoted an apostle saying he only said one prayer a day, but how that prayer was in his heart the whole day. He added the comment, why do you think the prophet and apostles always have a spirit about them? It’s because they are always talking to him. What a concept! After that, we went home and ate part of a Jaca. Its a huge fruit that is like gum on the inside. It is really odd.
Then today, I made German Pancakes. I was proud of myself.
So that was my week. Pretty busy, but pretty fun! I don´t have anything else I can think of to say, so I´ll close with that. Love you all! Have a good week!
Elder Cornwell.
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