Tudo bem! Tudo bem!

Hello Everybody!

So this week was more of the same difficulties. We had a lot of trouble finding people in their houses. There are plenty of people around, but only after 7 on the weekends... so it is very hard for us to have a real FULL day here.

The main highlights of the week were the lessons we gave for two different households.

Anderson is the young man who went to church last week, and so we passed by his house in the mornings Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to teach him more. Our focus with him is to help him understand that there is only one true church, and he needs to follow that church to stay firm following Christ. He is young, and easily influenced, so we have tried to make him do things himself instead of us forcing him. That way, he can truly have a testimony of the church, and not of us Elders! But we did get to be pretty good friends... we even traded soccer jerseys (He wanted a Neymar Santos jersey, so I traded for one of Fortaleza!). His Mother was really touched by that, so there was probably another door opened in that household for us. I´ve gotten used to doing that in my areas... becoming friends with the people I work with and teach. One because they will trust me more and two because my love for them will just increase the feelings of the spirit for them. If I am teaching just to teach, it will not be the same as teaching a dear friend the restored Gospel. What Dad said about having to be the friends of the members is very true here. Missionary work does NOT work well without Member´s help... That is what was faulting in Montese. We ended up making some good connections with certain members that are very capable of increasing the productivity of everything in the ward.

The other visit we did was with a less active young man and his mother. We had passed by the Saturday last week, and this kid´s Dad had paid for him to do some process in the Catholic church. As we were doing visits with Wilker ( a counselor in the YM´s Presidency), we stopped by there and got to know them a little bit, and Wilk invited the young man to an activity at the church. Later we saw the fruits of that visit. The young man had decided to stop the process, and continue to just go to our church, which he knew to be true. We also talked with his mother, who actually has a testimony of everything. I believe her doubt was that she was helping her brother stay firm in another church, and didn´t think it was right to go to two churches at the same time. She knew that the Church was God´s will for her, so I told her to go to the other church to help her brother, and go to ours to do God´s will. There was also a man of 25 years less active there, just hanging around. We talked with him some, and he told us how he was firm in the church until he had to move and lost contact. He said he didn´t want to go over to that house in no way shape or form, but he just felt he should go. He recognized it to be the Spirit after we had come. It is really good to know you are being used as a tool of God in his work.

The rest of the week was kind of slow, but I felt different about it this week than previous weeks. As appointment after appointment fell, I didn´t get tired or disappointed. I got more energy, I walked straighter and faster, and I couldn´t figure out why! It was really strange to me... but then in Church, as we sung the first hymn, I realized what it was that had changed. We were singing Come Come Ye Saints, and the words made more sense to me than ever. It Portuguese, they are this...

Vinde, ó santos, sem medo ou temor; Come, oh saints, without fear or worry
Mas alegres andai, But happily walk
Rude é o caminho ao triste viajor, Rough is the path to the sad voyager
Mas com fé caminhai. But walk with faith.
É bem melhor encorajar It is much better to encourage
E o sofrimento amenizar; and the suffering to ease
Podeis agora em paz cantar You now can in peace sing
Tudo bem! Tudo bem! All is well! All is well!

Por que dizeis: "É dura a provação?" Why do you say, it is hard the trial
Tudo é bom, não temais. All is well, do not fear.
Por que pensais em grande galardão, Why thinkest in great rewards
Se a luta evitais? if thou evaid the fight?
Mas não deveis desanimar But shouldst not discourage
Se tendes Deus para vos amar; if thou hast God to love thee
Podeis agora proclamar: Thou canst now proclaim

Tudo bem! Tudo bem! All is well! All is well!

Sem aflição, em paz e sem temor, Without affliction, in peace without worry
Encontramos um lar. We find a place
Hoje, libertos do pesar e dor, Today, freed from weight and pain
Vamos todos cantar. We will all sing
Partindo de nosso coração Leaving from our heart
Bem alto e com resolução, Loud and with resolution
O nosso glorioso refrão: Our glorious refrain
Tudo bem! Tudo bem! All is well! All is well!

It looks like "thumbs up" is big in Brazil.

Chegando a morte, tudo irá bem, Coming to death, all will go well
Vamos paz todos ter. Peace we all will have
Livres das lutas e dores também, Free of the fights and pains as well
Com os justos viver With the just to live
Mas se a vida Deus nos poupar but if life God us saves
Bem alto poderemos cantar, Loud we will be able to sing
A uma só voz entoar: with one voice in unison
Tudo bem! Tudo bem! All is well! All is well!

I realized that I had learned how to support trials... and not just support them, but to love them. I think that is the key to our happiness in this life. If we love even the worst times of our life, our life will only be full of joy. I can now see that I will be able to look back on my mission and see all the hard times, all the fallen appointments and miss those things.

That was the important parts of my week! I hope you all enjoyed.

Elder Cornwell