E aí, família! Como vai?
Hey guys. I'm writing you after one more week in beautiful São Carlos! That's in Brazil, which is also where I happen to be! Who knew that some city in Brazil that no one's ever heard of and I would be in the same place at the same time, huh? Que coincidência!
Anyway, this week went really well, but it also kind of sucked a little bit. My comp and I are both pretty much dead now because of all the walking and teaching we've been doing. Unlike the first few weeks that I spent in this area, we have been teaching like crazy. I don't even know how many times we taught the first lesson this week, but I do know that I feel completely drained mentally and physically. It was really great that we were able to mark so many appointments and get into so many people's houses to teach them, especially considering the lack of success that we had been experiencing in the past.
But then nobody went to church, even though we went to their houses before the meetings started. In all my ten months (!) in the Holy Land, I have never been able to get very many people to church. For some reason people just don't want to get up in time for a nine o'clock sacrament meeting on Sunday mornings. And yet all the crazy garage churches that just have "pastors" yelling into microphones with bad PA systems are always full to bursting. I guess people just like taking the easier path.
It was probably just as well that they didn't go yesterday because there was a ton of noise going on outside the chapel during the first forty minutes or so of church. I still don't know exactly why, but it sounded like every single car that drove by the church was blasting its horn nonstop. It was impossible to maintain any kind of reverence during the meeting. Coincidentally, I gave a talk yesterday about patience. It turned out to be an appropriate topic. I just sort of blabbered on until I was told to stop and the noise was really distracting, so who knows if anyone actually took anything from what I said. I'm all like wotevah about it, though.
I'm starting the Book of Mormon over again this week and I'm going to read it before this transfer is over in five weeks. I'm reading it in English this time because I want to fly through it, but I'll probably do a speed reading thing like this in Portuguese at some point in my mission. I've only read the first twenty-ish pages so far, but I've already learned some new things and felt my testimony grow!
Mas pois é, gente.
I'm doing well and I love my companion and I love the people and I'm doing my best to be obedient. We're still not BAPTIZING THE WORLD like our leaders want us to (that's not to say that I don't want to, though), but I'm learning every day and having important experiences, I think. I'm learning about compromise and patience and things of that nature. Still working on trying not to be shy or too self-critical.
Anyway. I love you guys! The Church is true! Sorry I can't write back to all of your individual emails every week! I hope we can still be friends, guys!
luv
booooooga
Hey guys. I'm writing you after one more week in beautiful São Carlos! That's in Brazil, which is also where I happen to be! Who knew that some city in Brazil that no one's ever heard of and I would be in the same place at the same time, huh? Que coincidência!
Anyway, this week went really well, but it also kind of sucked a little bit. My comp and I are both pretty much dead now because of all the walking and teaching we've been doing. Unlike the first few weeks that I spent in this area, we have been teaching like crazy. I don't even know how many times we taught the first lesson this week, but I do know that I feel completely drained mentally and physically. It was really great that we were able to mark so many appointments and get into so many people's houses to teach them, especially considering the lack of success that we had been experiencing in the past.
But then nobody went to church, even though we went to their houses before the meetings started. In all my ten months (!) in the Holy Land, I have never been able to get very many people to church. For some reason people just don't want to get up in time for a nine o'clock sacrament meeting on Sunday mornings. And yet all the crazy garage churches that just have "pastors" yelling into microphones with bad PA systems are always full to bursting. I guess people just like taking the easier path.
It was probably just as well that they didn't go yesterday because there was a ton of noise going on outside the chapel during the first forty minutes or so of church. I still don't know exactly why, but it sounded like every single car that drove by the church was blasting its horn nonstop. It was impossible to maintain any kind of reverence during the meeting. Coincidentally, I gave a talk yesterday about patience. It turned out to be an appropriate topic. I just sort of blabbered on until I was told to stop and the noise was really distracting, so who knows if anyone actually took anything from what I said. I'm all like wotevah about it, though.
I'm starting the Book of Mormon over again this week and I'm going to read it before this transfer is over in five weeks. I'm reading it in English this time because I want to fly through it, but I'll probably do a speed reading thing like this in Portuguese at some point in my mission. I've only read the first twenty-ish pages so far, but I've already learned some new things and felt my testimony grow!
Mas pois é, gente.
I'm doing well and I love my companion and I love the people and I'm doing my best to be obedient. We're still not BAPTIZING THE WORLD like our leaders want us to (that's not to say that I don't want to, though), but I'm learning every day and having important experiences, I think. I'm learning about compromise and patience and things of that nature. Still working on trying not to be shy or too self-critical.
Anyway. I love you guys! The Church is true! Sorry I can't write back to all of your individual emails every week! I hope we can still be friends, guys!
luv
booooooga
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