so the music here that i hear almost every day walking on the blisteing hot streets of barren, desert, (but close to the ocean, topical) Maceio brazil! we live about15minutes by taxi.. which is real crazy, probably more like 45 minutes for a normals person driving! but that always makes things exciting when we need to go to the center! im in the Paradise Ward, it recently was grew to a ward! my companion is Elder Cordeiro, he is from Curatiba Paraná, in the southern part of brazil! he is 19, he is my "son" here on the mission, seeing as i am is trainer! i was recently called as the DL here in the area, which leads to lots of excitement and pressure. the people here are great! they are some of the most freindly people i have ever met! i have never met a person here who doesnt believe in God.. but on the other hand, i havent seen a whole lot of people who live like it! haha between all the drinking and smoking, it doesnt suprise me when i see a person without teeth! haha. Preaching about the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ has been one of the most amazing and most rewarding experiences of my entire life. never have i felt that my life has had more purpose than it does right now! never have i felt that what im doing is helping the world become a better place than teaching the "Good word ;)" i Feel that i have learned so many things on my mission! i have seen, that living the gospel can change our lives for the better more than any other thing in the world.. but it isnt just a thing that we do sometimes, its not like getting baptized by someone holding the preisthood is going to magically fix all your problems, but if we really let it become part of the way we live.... its gonna change everything for us.. everything for the better. our lives will not be free of difficulties, or without sadness.. but some how it seems like everything is more possible, we see things with a different perspective. because as members of the church of christ we know that we are part of an eternal plan. there is so much more to our lives than just this time we have on the earth. we have the opportunity to progress much more than we can imagine because of the saving atonement of our Savior.. and if we just suck it up sometimes, do what is tougher than tough, and choose to following with all that we have... All will be Well.
well Mom i hope that responded to your questions that you had! now i will try and give you a little more updated news splash on what is happening here!
Well the world cup is finally over! and that is just soo great, because that means that we can finally get back to work.. like really work again! im real excited about that!
we are having lots os success teaching new people and many people that are teaching are having the wonderful experience to witness that God really does answer there prayers.. but unfortunately the bigger part of them are having a tough time deciding that being baptized is really what they want! its been a process with many investigators that we are having to help them exercise there faith and help them recognize that they wont know everything about the Gospel before they are baptized.. i dont even know everything and i am a member for almost 19 years! but we are continuing onward working and trying to do everything that we can to help them recognize how much better things can be for them if they just follow!
i had my first division with the Zone leader this week as the DL. man the pressure was real! haha but i think he will send a good report of me to the pres ;) but it was really good, Elder Franczak is a really good missionary and he taught me a lot about the things that i can to better! it was a good time!
tuesday and saturday were two days that were impossible to work because of the brazil games, and for the rest of the week, every drunk person and little kid asked me if i was german.. i can honestly say that i have never been so happy to be american! haha
i dont know i dont really have much other news.. i bought a harmonica and ive learned how to play that.. that has been good, the other day i found a Football in a store... not a soccer ball, but a real american football! i about screamed like a little girl in the middle of the store and caved instantly and bought it! so now i have a football!
needless to say, things are going well here for me! not baptizing, but that seems to be like a trend in my mission.. but what do you do?? haha i just keep trying to do my best and the rest is what it is! but im giving it all that ive got!
Hope that everyone is doing well! i love you all and you all are in my prayers!
Elder Ryan
No comments:
Post a Comment