on tv, hailing, cristielle testimony, grandma package, transferred...
Coming to you from Porto Alegre, and... it's cold! It's the middle of December, which is like the middle of June in the states, and I'm using a sweater.
At this time last year I was drenching white shirt after white shirt cuz it was baking outside. Now, I have a hope of a cold Christmas.
Feelin' jealous yet Brendon? :D
Rio Grande do Sul actually gets pretty hot, contrary to the myths in the rest of Brasil that it's all snow here, but right now the myth is actually coming true and I like it :)
I went straight from the end of summer in the states to the start of summer here when I arrived, so maybe I'm deserving a little cold :)
At the beginning of this week it was hot, and we were having lunch, sweating, when suddenly in 15 minutes clouds came in and winds started up, and started a HUGE thunderstorm which hailed (which is even strange for here) hailstones the size of gumballs! Half and hour later, it all stopped and the clouds and hail and rain left as soon as it had come! I've never seen the weather change so fast.
Rio Grande do Sul is crazy!
So, man, another transfer has really and startingly flown by, and I'm leaving Elizabeth for the second time. I remember feeling beat up leaving Boqueirao, Marau, and Rio Pardo (and Elizabeth the first time) and it's the same feeling again knocking on my door. It's another chapter of my mission closing. I have 6 more transfers in my front, and so that means that, if I'm lucky, I'll have the opportunity to go to 3 new areas. Most probably, I'll be entering my second-to-last area in the mission tomorrow. Wow. That's crazy. Here in 2 weeks I'll hit my 2/3rd point in the mission. What's happening? As much as I'm proud of what I've been able to do until now in my mission and as much as I am excited to get back home, it's pretty hard to see the majority behind me now. Whew.
This week was cool. Elizabeth, a woman we found, is really coming along well, she even fasted, and said to us that she has found faith for the first time in a life full of questions and depression. She will be baptized soon. I'm excited for her.
We are on television! The assistants had given us a reference WAY WAY far from our house, but they said it was really good so we went looking for this unknown neighboorhood where the person lived. We walked for an hour and found the entrance to the neighboorhood, which ended up being a favella. Total slums. Good thing it was day. Even though it was in the middle of the day, we went forward with courage, trying to find this reference. We ended up asking for directions, from people that were actually pretty helpful, but we ended up WAY in the middle of this favella, and after knocking on a couple doors of a dead-end street that people said belonged to this person, but we had a feeling we needed to just get out of there. We went walking calmly but quickly to leave, when suddenly a group of people came running our way, and said that someone was coming. Everybody ducked into houses as they ran by, and we almost ducked into some houses with some people nearby but felt we should just keep on going to leave. So I walk around the corner of this narrow dirt street and suddenly a cop car comes SAILING right in front of me, and I jumped out of the way, and these four cop cars absolutely full of armed and armored policemen come whailing from around the corner and down the street to where we had been knocking doors. Well the whole nieghborhood started coming out after the cop cars to see what was going on, and me and Elder Correia managed to get out of there.
Yesterday, we found out that on the news a big drug bust had gone down on that street, and a video loop of all of it played on the news the whole day. Guess, who appears on the first few seconds of the video? Me, freaking out and dodging out of the way of the cop car that was filming the whole thing! I didnt see the video but many members saw it and called to see if we were okay. It's crazy! I'm famous!
Just to make you more scared, check the news article on the drug bust we were in the middle of. Try to figure out how to translate all of it: http://www.correiodopovo.com.br/Noticias/?Noticia=230075
Man, yesterday was great. First of all, we had a great stake conference here, where I received a lot of answer for my own questions and the things I was going through. Very inspired.
Secondly, and even better, we saw Cristielle and Tanara and they brought their brother, Cristiano, to church, and we had a really good visit with them after church. Man, it's so great to see Cristielle and Tanara, they are part of our family now. They are angels. I have had the opportunity to see a complete transformation in them. Everything has changed. Cristielle is working, and finally got out of the last house she was at which had a bad atmosphere, has stopped smoking completely and is staying dedicated to study and prayer. Tanara has stopped being rebellious and cutting school and is studying and conversing and smiling, which she rarely did when we first saw here. The change seems even physical. There seems to be even a glow about them.
It is the Light of Christ, which has entered into their souls and home. After a really physically and emotionally taxing transfer, it was so great to come back and see Cristielle testify in front of us about Jesus Christ and the Church and the change it made in her life. It really really picked me up. They said that we were the angels who entered into her life and they ended up being the angels in mine. I love them. It'll be hard to say goodbye.
Anyway, we're going to lunch and I'll send personal e-mails afterwards. Man, I love you guys so much. We are going to have a great Christmas together! No matter where we are, we will always be connected. The mission is great and I'm learning alot. I know that Jesus Christ lives and that through him we can solve all of our problems and have peace and good cheer even in the lonely moments. I know that our church is the kingdom of heaven here on earth, and that it's only in this church we will be able to reach our full potential. How great this all is!
Love y'all, and Merry Christmas!
Until next week,
Elder Conman
No comments:
Post a Comment