Not So Good Week

Well well well.

We had a very difficult week here. Basically, we only have one person we are teaching. Andressa. She went to a concert Saturday night that started at 8pm. She left at 6am to pass by her house, get ready for church, and catch the bus to meet us in the terminal. That is dedication. And she is not even baptized yet. Faith, when it is really really FAITH, when it isn´t just words, when it isn´t just a feeling, when it isn´t something wishy-washy that comes and goes, when it isn´t just something good, MOVES PEOPLE TO ACTION, TO SACRIFICE, AND TO DO WHAT GOD WANTS US TO DO--REGARDLESS OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES. NO EXCUSES.

When we really love God, we will do anything He wants. Read John 14 if you doubt it.

I have an enormous and profound respect for those who have that type of faith. We work with a lot of people who do NOT have that type of faith, nor are they interested in cultivating it.

We went to Cachoeiro again this week. I worked with Elder D. Oliveira there again. It was a neat day. We taught a pastor from another church. We taught a family that hasn´t been to church in a few months. I love it when the missionary work happens the way it is supposed to happen. When we have people to visit, when we find people we can help that want help.

A new American arrived in our zone. His name is Elder Powell. He speaks practically nothing of Portuguese. And his companion does not speak any English. My companion did a division with him and stretched his English abilities to the limit to be able to communicate with him. I am praciticing English with Elder Rocha all the time. He has background knowledge because he actually wants to learn and learned something in school about English. He wants me to speak more English with him. Funny, that that is being a difficult favor. Sometimes I am just telling stories about my life in English and then he tells me what he understood.

There are little mini-libraries in the bus terminals. We donated O Livro de Mórmon to the library in our terminal.

Elder Anderson is the assistant to the president. He is in charge of accompanying and caring for our zone. So... I talk with him frequently now. Neat.

We are reading the Book of Mormon every Tuesday and Thursday night with a family of recent-converts. It has been really rewarding and really neat. Everyone reads and then has to talk about something they learned. Meaningful study of the scriptures keeps our lives on the right track.

I don´t believe that we are in the year 2012.

Be grateful for cars. The bus system here is in upheaval because of the protestors breaking and blocking the roads. We pass a lot of time waiting for buses in terminals, at bus stops, and in traffic. What would take 5 minutes in a car becomes a 55 minute ordeal of walking to the terminal, waiting 30 minutes for the right bus to pass, then entering with 70 other people into the bus like sardines in the heat, then the bus goes, in traffic stopping and going, people loosing their balance, falling, complaining, yelling at the bus driver, etc. just to get off at a stop close to where you want to go, and then walk for 5 minutes to get to where you want. It is an adventure.

Have a good week.

Elder Bodily