Queridos,
This was a week jam-packed with action. Serra-Sede is quite an interesting area.
An 18 year old --Alan-- from the Serra Ward worked with us from 1:30 pm until 9:00 pm on both Tuesday and Wednesday. It was funny to think that it has been over a year since I opened my mission call envelope and read that I was going to Vitória Brazil. Working with him reminded me of the many days I spent in trios in Georgia.
I had my first Sunday with the Group of Serra-Sede. You won´t believe it, but we had 15 investigators at the church. And there were only 24 members that came to church! It was quite interesting. One of our investigators showed up 45 minutes early, before any members. In fact, because of tardiness, only six members were in the church when the meetings commenced. The rest arrived only a little late, but it still was strange to have almost three times as many non-members as members at the start of the meetings.I played the keyboard that was sitting on a small table (the table had been serving ten minutes before the meeting as the Relief Society table complete with flowery centerpiece) in the middle of the seated members because the only outlet in the chapel room is on a pillar in the middle of the room. It was almost hilarious. I didn´t know what hymns I would be playing accompaniment for until they were announced over the pulpit (which still lacks a microphone) For all you piano players, the first hymn was Christ the Lord is Risen Today. On a keyboard. I made it work. We had excellent lessons in Sunday School about the Priesthood, and I think that it helped the people we are teaching really understand and get a taste for the significance of the Restored Gospel, that we are not just one more church.
I read a talk from Boyd K. Packer that came from the April 2010 General Conference of the Church called The Power of the Priesthood. It made me remember that though the true followers of the true Church of Jesus Christ will be few, that we have the Priesthood. He quoted the following verses in 1 Nephi 14.
This was a week jam-packed with action. Serra-Sede is quite an interesting area.
An 18 year old --Alan-- from the Serra Ward worked with us from 1:30 pm until 9:00 pm on both Tuesday and Wednesday. It was funny to think that it has been over a year since I opened my mission call envelope and read that I was going to Vitória Brazil. Working with him reminded me of the many days I spent in trios in Georgia.
I had my first Sunday with the Group of Serra-Sede. You won´t believe it, but we had 15 investigators at the church. And there were only 24 members that came to church! It was quite interesting. One of our investigators showed up 45 minutes early, before any members. In fact, because of tardiness, only six members were in the church when the meetings commenced. The rest arrived only a little late, but it still was strange to have almost three times as many non-members as members at the start of the meetings.I played the keyboard that was sitting on a small table (the table had been serving ten minutes before the meeting as the Relief Society table complete with flowery centerpiece) in the middle of the seated members because the only outlet in the chapel room is on a pillar in the middle of the room. It was almost hilarious. I didn´t know what hymns I would be playing accompaniment for until they were announced over the pulpit (which still lacks a microphone) For all you piano players, the first hymn was Christ the Lord is Risen Today. On a keyboard. I made it work. We had excellent lessons in Sunday School about the Priesthood, and I think that it helped the people we are teaching really understand and get a taste for the significance of the Restored Gospel, that we are not just one more church.
I read a talk from Boyd K. Packer that came from the April 2010 General Conference of the Church called The Power of the Priesthood. It made me remember that though the true followers of the true Church of Jesus Christ will be few, that we have the Priesthood. He quoted the following verses in 1 Nephi 14.
12And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few (...); nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw.
14And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.
This became even more evident to me yesterday as we went on splits with members. I was with a member named Marcelo who drove us both out to the other side of our area where I had never been and we made visits with less active members of the church and members of the church needing assistance and visits. As we drove around children playing soccer barefoot on the streets with crudely constructed goals made of old plywood (and one group of children playing cricket), small and humble homes on both sides of us I realized that the Church really does have a worldwide presence. In its grand and elegant presence in downtown Salt Lake City all the way to the few and far between members in tiny houses in a large and sweeping, yet very poor neighborhood of Planalto Serrano in the Serra-Sede.
On a lighter and more random note:
I saw a dog throw up yellow stuff all over the road on a really hot day this week. I gagged.
Elder Wilson bought a hammock made of coconut fiber from a street vendor who basically sold it to him and ran in 45 seconds, even though Elder Wilson didn´t even have a desire to buy one. The man was a very polished salesman. Poor Elder Wilson broke his budget just because he wanted to show me a genuine Brazilian hand-made coconut hammock.
Someone we taught said that Elder Wilson looks like a Southern Brazilian, but I look like I have a French face. They asked if I have ancestors from France. This made me happy.
We passed through the weekly farmers market downtown on Saturday. There was a vast array of fruits and vegetables I have never seen, live crabs, men selling ducks who looked excited to be carried around by their wings, not knowing that they would probably be eaten within 24 hours. There were also clothes vendors, people barbecuing meat, selling ice cream, and everything from wallets to umbrellas. It was really exciting to be swallowed up in the hustle, bustle, and culture.
A member gave me a Bible that has tabs! This is great because the ones we got in the MTC don´t have tabs, so it is really hard to find the really tiny books of the Bible quickly in a teaching setting.
Life is good, Serra is beautiful, and I am happy.
There are more rainy days on a mission than there are sunny ones, but the rainbows that you experience are more vivid than any you´ve ever seen before. This is true.
I took some better pictures from the house out over the area and will have to send them next week.
Have a wonderful week,
Elder JOSHUA BODILY
I took some better pictures from the house out over the area and will have to send them next week.
Have a wonderful week,
Elder JOSHUA BODILY
No comments:
Post a Comment