Week 31: Chicken Pecking

Status Update: While shaking up homemade whipped cream in a Tupperware container, the lid opened and the not-yet-whipped cream got all over me, our couch, and my pocket keyboard. So I am now typing this email with only my two thumbs.

Anyway, I got a new companion this transfer! He's Elder Hymas, he's from Utah (the factory), and he only has a little more time than me on the mission. He's also DEDICATED. We made some pretty big goals to work a lot this transfer and hopefully baptize some people! He's also super big into working out so I'm finally gonna get shredded this transfer.

And right off the bat, we had a few weird encounters. We had a woman stick her tongue out at us on the street with full force while trying to lean in at us, then ask, "what are you afraid of?" 😜 

Then later that same day, the 18 y.o. granddaughter of a couple we're teaching casually looked up her Instagram account on the tv as we arrived and as we were leaving. This was the in fact second time that she's tried to give it to us.

Our Two Baptism Dates (for now) -- First is Isaque. I already talked about him, but he's super interested in being baptized, only his family likes to put doubts in his head about the church. Everytime we talk with a member of his family other than him, they ask the wildest questions. "Vocês são uma ceita?" (ceita = cult)

Second is Valdirene. Yet again, I talk about people prepared for us, and she so was! She's incrediblely spiritual and was asking God for the true church of Jesus Christ when she found an ad online for our church! We talked with her, and within two visits, she was convinced: "this is the true church and I want to be baptized in it." She has a really nice friend who's an inactive member who's helped her learn a lot more about the church as well which has helped her testimony a ton. She went to church this past week, and apparently she bore a super strong testimony of Joseph Smith as a prophet in Sunday School. Only, she has a pretty bad smoking problem, so please pray for her to be able to quit!!

Though Not Everyone Is Elect -- We marked a baptism date with Dilma, who we've been meeting for a bit and who even went to church with us, then the next visit she said she can't meet with us anymore because the church she's going to won't let her be in the choir while attending our church too. 😭 Despite this, Renan, our member friend, was able to bear enough of a testimony about eternal families to convince her to pray about it, but she still said she has a 0% chance of going to church the next morning because she'd be watching her 7 y.o. grandson who won't wake up before noon..

Favorite Hymn -- Love Is Spoken Here

I was only reminded this primary song exists because my companion was humming it one day and now it's been stuck in my head all week. 

To study more, I read Mosiah 4, which was listed under the lyrics and which my friend also recently talked about it his email! Mostly, it talks about love, and I was especially struck by it's description of repentance. We discussed this week with Valdirene in fact about the repentance process. We described that yes, sometimes it is necessary to speak with your bishop about serious transgressions, but only talking with him will not make you forgiven, nor will he give you penance, a specific list of things to do to be forgiven.

But instead, 

Love! Repentance is a form of God's love, and it love seen most those who humble themselves and are willing to do all things that God asks of them. I know that this love is real because I have felt it myself. While it can be hard, incredibly hard, to humble ourselves and come to God, His embrace is much warmer than anything outside of it.

And, very importantly, we have to be able to share this love with others. We are God's instruments on this earth, and I believe that many times God shows His love simply through other people. I try my best, even if that's lacking, to be one of those people.

That's it for this week,

Till next time,

Elder Haroldsen

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