Hello everybody! (incluindo você Isabele, por que sei que
você esta lendo a restante deste email no google tradutor)
So this week flew by REALLY fast. I hardly remember what I
did exactly, but for sure it was work!
Tuesday, Elder Landskrun (soon to ´die´) and Elder Schmidt
(yes, of German descent) came and did splits with us which was really good. We
got about 13 lessons between all of us in, starting at 4:30 even! I went with
Elder Schmidt and we went to the east side of town (Putiú and Centro). We
visited Luciano and his wife, and a few less actives. It was a good busy day.
Wednesday, we were going to visit the Monastery in the
morning for exercise, but Elder Landskrun and Schmidt had to go back to
Fortaleza way early. So Wednesday... Wednesday. I forgot what we did on Wednesday,
and I don´t have my brain with me at the moment (I knew I forgot something this
morning!)
Thursday we headed out early to lunch out in the boonies
with Irmã Paula. Lunch there is always awesome! We got back at about 1, and
then we headed out to Putiu. We taught a less active family that, until now the
mother of the family didn´t seem too interested in coming back to church. But
we have already passed by a couple times and they always receive us well. What
she didn´t know was that her husband told us she has been warming up more and
more to going to church again. So we stopped by and asked how everything was
doing, and she said she was having a little fight with her son. I was trying to
think of something I could leave with her from the Book of Mormon (to help her
with two problems). As Elder Leal was saying the prayer, the thought popped into
my head of the Alma´s (Elder and Younger). One was a high priest, the other, an
enemy of the church. What worse kind of fight is there between parent/child? So
we read parts of the chapter in Mosiah with her and asked her to think and
apply what Alma the Elder did to help Alma the younger in her life. She told us
that that was just what she needed (for both problems). It was a really
edifying moment for me and my calling as a missionary. Sometimes you work and
work and work, but you don´t have results and you begin to get down on
yourself. But when the people you visit comment things like this, it reminds
you that as long as you have the spirit and are working with him, you are the
best missionary you can be.
Friday... the only thing that stands out is our group of
buddies that work at an auto parts store haha. A friend of Herlany works at an
auto parts store that we always pass by, so we always stop by and say hi. She
works with two other guys (one turns out to be less active and the other knows
nothing of the church). This other guy, Isaías is a neat dude. We left a
pamphlet of the restoration with him a few days ago and he had read it that
morning. Since he read it, we gave him another present (BoM!) and Andrea (our
other friend) told us that he was already reading in it. While we were waiting
to give English lessons, he stopped by the church to see how it was. What a
shame he didn´t end up going to the actual meeting on Sunday!
Saturday was more busy stuff, passing by everybody, but I
had a really good hour of study. I can´t remember what chapter I read in the
Book of Mormon, but I ended up studying a little bit about foreordination and
whatnot. I ended up studying about the priesthood and I came to the realization
that the priesthood is the power Christ will use to raise us up to God´s
throne. When Adam and Eve fell, God was separated from mortal man because the
flesh was impure, but it can´t be him that gives us as salvation because that
would be unjust. For this reason, he foreordained Christ to be the son of god,
and the only one in himself capable of returning to God´s presence. Christ has
this power given to him by God, and therefore, only through Christ can this
power be exercised. The problem is, our savior can´t be here to administer the
saving ordinances for all mankind, so he gave his authority to man. This is why
we have the priesthood... to perform all the ordinances of salvation through
Christ´s name. I read Elder Bednar´s talk in the priesthood session in which he
said that the priesthood is active. It doesn´t make us active, but it only
works when the holder is doing something, so us priesthood holders always have
to be doing something (home teaching is a start). Any ordinance or act we do
using the priesthood is helping the salvation of that person. That is why it is
the DUTY of all worthy priesthood holders to serve a mission, to help these
people return to God´s Presence. Whew. Don´t blame me if there is any false doctrine
here... that is the best I can do with one hour of study, the missionary
library and my study journal in the house.
Sunday was normal. We went to church and then passed by João
and Valdir after lunch, then headed home, planned and crashed.
Oh and Dad, to answer your question, I haven´t tried many
yet, but I can play Íf you could hie to Kolob´ so there´s a start.
Welp, that was my week! I can´t think of anything else to
say, so I´ll sign off with that.
Love, Elder Cornwell
P.S. the next time you will hear from me, I will be 20!
No comments:
Post a Comment