Minor Irritants

Week eight in Santa Margarita

November 25, 2013

Revolutionary Concept!

Dearest family, I love reading your letters. Mom and Dad, thank you for writing so faithfully every week! I laughed and I cried while reading your letters this week. It's so hard to be separate at this time of year – birthdays, holidays, winter, etc. Luckily we are working really really hard so I'm often too tired to think of becoming homesick or anything other than putting one foot in front of the other on these terribly uneven dog poop and trash covered streets.

Dad – I've been thinking a lot about the day of judgment as well. Some days I feel like it will be a happy moment to see all the joyful moments and all of the changes I have made, but other days I feel an immense inadequacy and responsibility to do more and become more. I am thankful that we have the chance to continue to learn and grow after this life.

…I can only imagine the trauma of all those people in the Philippines after the typhoon… How is sister Webster? What a trial those poor missionaries and saints are going through.  It is remarkable that they are all safe!

…There is such a special spirit about apostles! I still remember how I felt when Richard G Scott spoke to us in the MTC such an intense peace and assurance. It makes me wonder what it will be would have been like to be among the original 12 apostles, or to be taught at the saviors feet. There is so much to look forward to in this great plan of salvation.

Mom – I just love you. Thank you for all the details in your letters! I am glad that the Mormon mommy blog stockers get a kick out of my letters. I am not one to hide details about dead birds, cats, and dogs in the middle of the street or how they are honestly very few things about Brazil that I love, and how I don't have the desired to return to this corner of the world… But maybe the more positive and spiritual details are of more importance.

Levi – I haven't heard from you in a while, hint, hint!

Sawyer – I'm sorry to hear the school is rough. Gunawan one is a hard teacher! Just work really really really hard. Your rockets looked awesome.

Weekly update:

Our mission, like most, is really into numbers though I am not sure what they all really mean.  Mine for the week: 12 members present's, 16 other, 23 new investigators, 6 recent converts, 214 contacts, 2 family home evenings.

Monday  - This was a good p-day, we ended up walking a lot in the evening, and as a result we had some good street lessons.

Tuesday – the day started with a 7 AM phone call from our zone leaders to let us know that we would be having a zone wide fast, as well as zone training rather than a district meeting. I groaned and groaned, and then I detailed all the reasons why I didn't think fast was a good idea (i.e. heat, dehydration, heatstroke, migraines, kidney damage, irritability, etc. ) Sister Z just listened, then laughed, and shared how we learn things on the mission, and that sacrificing is one of those things we learn. I thought "Am I not sacrificing enough?" She patiently and lovingly explained how biologically it may not make sense on a very hot work day in Rio, but that the Lord strengthens his servants when they show humility and sacrifice. She told me to forget the education I have received in physiology and to just trust in the Lord. Luckily the spirit helped me to recognize that I have been in the wrong. I said a prayer repentance and decided to fast. We ate lunch at a special restaurant in Campo Grande – think Tucanos but with pizza! It was a really good. I ate way too much. My food baby - Juan Pablo is going pretty rapidly. It was like $10 for an unlimited gourmet pizza and drinks! We had a good zone meeting where I was able to converse with Brazilians. Progress! Even though we return to our area around 5:30 we taught a miraculous six lessons and found four new investigators – a miracle that I attribute in large part to our fast.

Wednesday – We talked T and R again. Sister Z and I were really teaching well. I've been praying very specifically to be able to speak and understand during lessons and Wednesday was a testament of this. We taugh the gospel of Jesus Christ through the Book of Mormon. I invited them to keep some commitments. R is a really noncommittal person and likes to dance around the subject. I get the impression I got the impression to be direct, bold, and firm with him. (Sister Z later commented that I completely surprised her with my invitations and directness.) R accepted my challenges, and then Sister Z played the good cop and invited him to be baptized, which he accepted if/when he gets an answer to his prayers. Hopefully he can recognize the differences he needs to make in his life. It is heartbreaking to see little baby J with a righteous covenant making mom, and a dad who isn't concerned about faith.

Oh man we taught a beautiful man. Beautiful. It didn't help that he was shirtless either. It was a street contact lesson and Sister Z was really confused afterwards because I had been uncharacteristically quiet during the lesson, ha ha. I was trying so hard to remember my missionary purpose and not to admire his perfectly sculpted body, green eyes, and superman hair that I temporarily lost all ability to speak Portuguese!

We also were able to teach some of G's friends – he's turning into such a great missionary! He bore his testimony and explained the Joseph Smith story with remarkable understanding.

So we had an appointment with the family and had set it up for our ward mission leader and his wife to come and teach with us. As we're walking to the appointment, we passed by another recent convert of about 3 to 4 months. He had some difficulties walking and speaking, but he has a sweet testimony and spirit. He hadn't been to church for two weeks, and as we bustled to our appointment we fail to stop and say hello – even though he was sitting in the front of his house. With every step my guilt increased. Sister Z asked, “Do you think we need to visit him?” But still we pressed forward to our carefully planned and coordinated lesson. Upon arrival we knew we had made a mistake and that we failed to heed the promptings of the Spirit. We then quickly explained the situation to our ward mission leader, left him stranded with the family, and literally ran the 1/2 miles back to Antonio to give a quick lesson. We have no idea why it was so important to return, but I know it was the right thing to do even if it was a little bit of a delayed he visits to the spirit.

Thursday – Thursday was such a day for miracles it was so hot the kind of heat that leaves you sweaty and empties your water bottles in about three minutes. We drank probably 3 to 4 L each. Miracles: 1. We found five new investigators.  2. Members offered water and rest in the heat of the day. 3. Members willingly left the relative comfort of their houses to teach with us. 4. A member gave us a ride across town in the air-conditioned car. 5. His wife give us bread and Popsicles. 6. M's mom and sister accepted to be baptized! 7. A man who hasn’t accepted the book of Mormon for six months welcomed us and agreed to read! 8. Portuguese and teaching came easily. 9. I didn't get sunburned! 10. We didn't have pain despite a lot of walking.

Friday – we had a great planning session and companion inventory! Sisters he has gained her testimony of doing companion inventory – we shared strengths and weaknesses and embarked on the date feeling a lot more unified. She shared some beautiful compact compliments with me including that I'm really good at reading people and demonstrating love and connecting quickly. Bishop Carlos and other leaders have commented on this as well I think the Lord is blessing me with no strings in order to cope with the language barrier, because I know that in pre-mission life I wasn't very good at or or I was a very good or compassionate listener

We had a special lesson with R – a woman who lives in a tiny brick house with dirt floors and bedsheets for curtains. She was taught the lessons one year ago and was going to get baptized, but her mom was super anti-Mormon. Her mom died a few months ago, and we visited her for the first time on Friday. We soon discovered that she doesn't know how to read, but she is learning. Sister Z patiently helped her read two paragraphs of the introduction of the Book of Mormon. It was pretty magical to watch pure love flow from SZ and the spirit touch ours heart she excepted to be baptized.

Remember the investigator who Bible bass during gospel principles? Well we returned to  try to teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ using the book of Mormon and the Bible. Rough lesson! All he wanted to do was fight and talk over us, or argue over the doctrine of the Bible. We tried to maintain composure and testify, but my blood pressure skyrocketed during the lesson, and my body was a ball attention afterwards. SZ and I ate some chocolate cookies and did some breathing exercise before next teaching appointment.
 

We taught M’s 17-year-old sister about learning to recognize the spirit. She is really stubborn and quiet, but as I was prompted to share personal stories, her shell was broken down and she really recognized what she needs to do.

Friday night we were walking back into town in the rain when a car rushed past us and soaked Sister Z and I. Sister Z exclaimed "hashtag, fail!" ….haha.  It was really funny!

Saturday – Terrible day!  ….. Our appointment was far away and it went really late, it was pouring rain, when we got a call from the primary president asking if I could play piano to practice for the primary program again. We rushed back to the house in the rain (4 miles plus a bus ride), then rushed to the church – at least a 10 minute walk. The practice went infinitely better than the first time. We arranged to have our coordination meeting at the church, but Carlos was about an hour late. But he brought cake as a peace offering, and paid me the highest complement of,  "you look pretty today, when it's hot out, you look less pretty." (I think direct translation of Portuguese is weird.) I'm glad that when it's not 110 degrees out, and I'm not covered in filth and sunscreen with my hair wadded in a ball, that can still look halfway presentable.

We had a really weird family home evening, it was apparent that this family has a lot of spiritual needs. Namely being the ability to recognize their own spiritual needs. It is so easy to find fault with others, but to humbly accept that we need to be obedient and change, is a completely different story. I thought about my unwillingness to fast, the feelings of anger and the rebellion that I felt as I expressed my rationalization for not heeding counsel, and then the feeling of strength an answer to prayers after submitting my will and being obedient. All the Lord asks for us to do, is to put off the natural man.  So often our pride and knowledge interfere with God's desire to bless us.

Sunday – long rough day. More rain. We left at 7:15 AM to walk 45 miles to help our investigator to get to church, only to arrive and have no one come to the gate. We walked half way back to the church and saw members of the church who gave us a ride and their ancient tiny car. It was a huge blessing even with the lack of a seat belt. We had zero investigators at church, and nine recent converts including G who didn't come. Church attendance was at about an all-time low. It's hard to not feel responsible, though I know that two young women with limited Portuguese skills can't do everything. We had an interesting half of a ward counsel on missionary work. Let's just say that my abilities to understand the language plummet when there is a disagreement or tension, that must mean that my Portuguese abilities are gifts of the spirit.

We visited a returned missionary who takes care of her elderly parents. It was pretty special to see her love and meticulous care even in the hardest of circumstances. I hope I can someday show my gratitude and love to my parents if they are no longer able to care for themselves.

That's one thing I've noticed here – the principles of love pain joy and suffering are universal. Never before has compassion been such an important characteristic for me to develop.  Everyone needs to know of the marvelous promise of the Savior, that we are never alone in this journey. Christ has felt everything, sickness, sadness, pain, and is waiting for us to accept his sacrifice.

I love you all I am learning so much here, and I can feel my spiritual understanding increase through personal revelation each day. I love this opportunity even if I don't love every aspect of serving in Brazil. Work is really good, though EVERY DAY is such a roller coaster. It is incredible how directly your physical well-being can effect your spiritual well-being and thought process. I find myself fighting negative "brain babble" as I strive to have the spirit. It is VERY easy to focus on all of the things that I legitimately HATE about Brazil. HATE.  I am seriously LOATHING the sticky floors and cockroaches/ants/snails/spiders/beetles/knats/mosquitos haha.  Other things that I can´t stand-- dogs mating in the streets, kittens dying on "sidewalks", the uneven streets, garbage everywhere, rivers of sewage, NOISE, etc.....buuuuutttt as I strive to focus on the people, on the work, on bearing my testimony, and uplifting my companion, things go better. Sister Z is great, though we definitely have more of a "coworker" type of relationship. We are having a few really good bonding experiences, and she is starting to open up....I will write more updates in my hand written note this week! 
 
I hope all is well! Be good!  Love, Sister Colvin