(Elder Mackrory)
Boa tarde a todos! Como vai?
Pday finally arrived! This week actually felt long. Since
last week we switched pday to Friday, it was 10 days straight of doing work. I
love the work, but 10 days is a lot.
On Monday we did work. It was hot, but we did it. For those
of you who don't know, Brasil just went through A record heat, hitting Rio very
hard. Last Sunday it got up to 144 degrees. Very hot.
Tuesday was the beginning of the rain. We were just doing
our rounds, visiting people and teaching them. Then it started to rain. So we
started to speed walk to the chapel for some shelter. Then the rain let up on
the way and we decided to visit another friend instead of go to the chapel. It
ended up being a really powerful lesson on the Book of Mormon and they
committed to reading together. during the lesson, it started to pour. When we
ended the lesson, they offered to let us stay and wait out the rain. We kindly
declined saying the chapel was close. Big mistake. We started running from
pavilion to pavilion trying to be less soaked. Under one pavilion, a car pulls
up and opens the back door for us. We thought “great! Someone's giving us a
ride!” It happens more often than you would think. Random people. So we get in,
and he goes, “Fernanda?”. Nope. We just got in Fernanda's Uber. So we quickly
got out and started running again. Within seconds we arrive in eyeshot of a
very drunk/high/whatever lady. She's got a big bottle of liquor in on hand and
she's trying to stop us with her other hand. Waving her finger and stumbling
around trying to block the entire road. So we just keep running. We run past
her and she starts after us. Pretty fast. So we pick up the pace, Elder Kjar
almost eats pavement, and we arrive at the chapel looking like we just came
from a swim. We chilled at the chapel drying off and when the rain stopped and
the road drained, we went to go get açaí. Pretty good day.
Wednesday was pretty normal, a little rainy.
Thursday was pretty cool. We met Bernardo a few days ago
while he was on a run. He was not moving remotely fast, and so I felt kind bad
passing him walking. But then he picked up the speed a but later and passed us
again and stopped to talk. In English. He's got a Colombian accent, but pretty
good English. He speaks Spanish, Portuguese, English, and Hindi. He asked about
what we do and all and it was pretty cool. We said by and that was it. Then on
Wednesday he stopped us again, this time in his car, and invited us over to
teach his family. We asked him if he had any gospel questions so that we could
choose principles to teach and make it meaningful to him. He said “teach the
creation for the kids”. We thought, oh that's cool he has young kids. So we
prepare. When we show up, it's a school. And we're teaching 40 kids. It was
pretty cool. But definitely not what I was expecting. They asked questions
about America and our missions and all that, but they paid attention during the
lesson. Bernardo's wife was there and did a formal “thank you”. She said “Elder
Mackrory, thank you so much for this, you have only been here 7 months and
already understand how to speak, and we can understand you. Elder Kjar, thank
you so much as well, you are trying”. It was pretty funny for the two of us.
Elder Kjar speaks well, people just get inside their own heads because of his
blonde hair and such. Afterwards we had cake and coke and I got to talk to Bernardo's
actual kids, who are 17 and 21. They were raised in India, and have English as
their first language. They sound like Americans. It was pretty cool. Can't wait
to teach them in English.
On Friday the rain made it pretty impossible to work, so we
ended up having to stay at lunch for 4 hours. We watched a movie that I really
liked. It taught that belief comes before seeing, and that seeing is not
believing. pretty cool.
On Saturday, we had a pretty cool lesson with Igor. We
taught him the plan of salvation. It was a telephone lesson, and so I couldn't
draw it out like I like to. So later, after the lesson, I drew up a design and
sent it to him. He loved it. But the design was not very esthetic. So I decided
to redo it.
On Sunday, the rain kept us inside again, and so I had time
to draw up a really nice plan of salvation. Ill attach it below.
We saw 12 fuscas this week, bringing us to 549.
SummarRio:
It been a long week
It was very hot.
Then it was very rainy and we got in someone else's uber and
escaped from a drunk lady while the streets became rivers.
On Thursday we taught about 40 kids at a school. We were
under the impression that we would be teaching a family.
We taught the plan of salvation over the phone and I drew up
a design to send to our friend
I redrew it on Sunday to make it really nice.
Spiritual thought:
Matthew 13
45 Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man,
seeking goodly pearls:
46 Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and
sold all that he had, and bought it.
Jesus Christ taught that the kingdom of heaven is worth more
than everything we have. Obtaining it is our whole objective here on earth. But
how do we obtain such a pearl of great price? The answer is simple. Follow
Christ's example and teachings. Faith, repentance, Baptism, receiving the gift
of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Be kind, serviceable, and humble.
In these things, we not only have the promise that the next life will be in
eternal Joy, but also that this life here can be full of that same eternal joy.
Christ wants you as part of His sheep. He cares for you and pleads for your
well-being with The Father.
Tender mercy: on Tuesday, we were cold and wet after
returning To the chapel. While there, we met with the building maintenance guy,
who said that he bought pizza and coke for us and it was in the fridge. Warm
pizza and fresh coke was just the thing to raise our wet spirits. The Lord
surely sends angels Here on earth, even to deliver pizza.
Tchau Tchau! Boa semana pra vocês! (I promise I'll get back
to all of your emails soon)
Fotos:
O Plano de Salvação
Random Door (leads to nowhere)
Not the Washington monument
Gym view
Spider
.jpg)
