Show me a gray sky, a rainy cab ride

 (Elder Mackrory)

Hey guys, boa tarde!

Essa semana eu vi 4 fuscas, totalizando 1307. Muita chuva essa semana e o clima tava muito bom esses dias. Quase deu pra usar jaqueta.

Unfortunately we had a busy pday today and so I don’t have enough time as I would like to write this, and also I got carried away explaining how two engines of the same displacement can have very different levels of horsepower and torque. It was fun but in hindsight I probably should have spent the time writing.

Last pday we switched for Monday to have district pday. We decided to go to a really famous market in the center of the city called Uruguaianas. Not sure why it’s called that way, but it’s got some good cheap stuff. Just that we were dumb and decided to go on a rainy day and a national holiday, and so almost everything was closed. There were a few shops open and I got what I wanted, expecting to be transferred.

On Tuesday we had district council and Elder and Sister butters made French toast for everyone and brought real syrup. It was marvelous. Then we went to lunch at some recent converts house, and on the way there, we passed by an abandoned church building. Same old style you would expect, but really run down. This area had been taken over by gangs like 8 years ago and so the church just kinda abandoned it and the members have been going to another chapel since then. Super weird.

On Wednesday I had a bunch of meetings, one of which was cancelled because I was the only one to show up. Then we worked in the office and went home and had a super cool lesson about how church works.

On Thursday I taught English class again and then we rushed to a lesson with Nathalia with Jade participating. We talked about the plan of salvation and some other doubts of hers. It was a super cool lesson.

On Friday we went to get an ultrasound because my comp has a really big 2 centimetre cyst on his wrist that needs to be removed. So we went to do that and worked in the office and then went home to work. We found a super cool guy named Kauan that had been taught by the missionaries before, but then he wasn’t allowed to be baptized because he was a minor and his mom didn’t let him. Now he’s 18, living on his own and wanting to be baptized. So year miracles are real. Oh and also my flight plans arrived. I now know exactly when ill be home. So yeah, I'm an old missionary.

Anyway that’s it for this week, tender mercy is from the lesson with Jade and Nathalia. Nathalia had a really tough and common question, “Why does God let people suffer if He is just?” and as I tried to answer, a scripture came to mind, we read the story and I explained a little about the context, and I just saw her eyes go wide. I had barely even begun to “answer” her question when she understood the answer. It was a cool manifestation of the power of the scriptures in teaching doctrine.

Spiritual thought: Oftentimes we want specific “steps” for perfect living. We want it easy. And it is. One needs not look further than in the scriptures. No better example for a perfect life exists than that of Jesus Christ. You want a list of things that you need you develop in order to be more Christlike? You need look no further than the beatitudes. I find great peace in studying the scriptures. I know that they are the path to eternal life. Study them, apply them. Do not let one day pass that you don’t pick up your Bible and Book of Mormon and intentionally read and ponder. Your mind will open and you will begin to raise your thoughts to a higher level.

Sorry for the lack of photos, it was kinda busy and I forgot to take photos

This love is alive back from the dead oh, oh, oh

 (Elder Mackrory)

Feliz Páscoa! Ele vive!

Vi 2 fuscas essa semana, totalizando 1303.

This week was good, although a little long. As you are aware, we switched our pday to Monday so we could be with the district today. Last Sunday was super cool because it was Jade’s baptism. The water heater wasn’t working (it was completely removed due to some Rio bylaws about where you can and can’t put a water heater), and so the water was a little cold. While I was pulling the drain out, I mentioned that I didn’t think the water was that cold, and so she told me it was because I didn’t go under. So, I dunked myself, and sure enough the water was pretty cold. That night we had a stake music presentation in which I sang with the ward choir. One of our soloists was helping set up audio stuff so I jumped in on the solo just for rehearsal. Later, the soloist tells me that he would travel the next Sunday and so when the ward choir sings for the ward Easter presentation, I would sing the solo.

On Monday we had our normal meeting, except all the sisters in the mission were doing a pday together, and so It was just us guys there. We got tapioca and it was super good. I also had a meeting with our representatives at the MTC who gave me some good tips on how to help the mission improve our work with social media.

On Tuesday we left for lunch (it was confirmed for 12:30) and we got there on the dot. No one answered the door, so we called her and she was at the gym. She said that dinner was confirmed for 6:30. So we’re just sitting there at the waiting room of the apartment complex awkwardly, really confused at what happened. So we got McDonalds real quick and headed back to the office. Then we went to dinner.

On Wednesday we had a really cool family night again at Copacabana beach. We ate dinner and had some good talks about what one can do to study the gospel. He's super interested in learning more and wants to apply what he learns.

Thursday I finished reading the teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith and started on Harold B. Lee. We also had English class which went well.

Friday we had a super relaxing day because it was the first day that we didn't have an urgent reason to get to the office before 10. So we finally got to do personal study at home and in the morning which was amazing. That night we had a lesson with Erick about Easter and it really strengthened my testimony.

Saturday we also had a super relaxing morning with good studies. At the office I completely remodeled the way our mission does social media posts and this next week I'll put it into full swing. That night we had a lesson with Jade at her house instead of at the mall because she broke her foot working out. She called her cousin over to be there with us and we had a great time talking with the two of them about the Restoration of the Gospel and daily habits of conversion. When the lesson ended we ran home because it was raining and we didn't have umbrellas.

On Sunday we had a special presentation, and it all went very well. My solo went well and I was able to sing without gringo accent, so that's a win. Later we had the baptism of the man himself, Rafael. He has been investigating the church for about seven months, and was originally taught by Elder Kjar and Elder De Los Angeles. Rafael is seriously the coolest dude. That afternoon while we planned the day, we got a call from president informing us that Elder Patterson and Elder Dodge were robbed and were in need of new phones. So we quickly headed back to the office and prepared their new (old) phones and sim card. With all that taken care of, we contacted our referrals, studied, and had the mission Easter devotional, which was really good. I bore testimony of what Easter means to me and how it makes me who I am and who I will be.

Tender mercy: I feel like I speak pretty good Portuguese. However, it kinda messes me up sometimes because I know more grammar than I can apply. So sometimes I stutter. But I had a realization that whenever I intentionally bear testimony of what I am teaching, my Portuguese flows really nicely and I can express exactly what the person needs to hear. I've found recently that as I make a conscious effort to testify more in the lessons that they flow much better and the Spirit is much more present.

Spiritual Thought: Happy Easter! Yesterday was a special day that brings meaning into the lives of all who understand its significance. President Nelson taught: “It is the most important religious observance for followers of Jesus Christ”. The resurrection of the Lord promises hope, peace and joy to those who have none, new life to all, and higher meaning to the things He taught. There is true joy in pronouncing that He lives! And I testify that He does live! I invite all who read this to ponder in their hearts what the phrase “He lives” means to them. For me, it means the words of “I know that my Redeemer lives” in Portuguese.

1. I know that my Lord lives!

My sublime Savior!

Who lives and reigns over us

His voice calls to all

Who always prays before God

Watching over his children;

Who lives to support me

And to comfort my soul.

2. I know that my Lord lives!

And that he has great love for me!

While he lives I will sing:

“O Redeemer, Lord and King!”

For him I will give my life

I will conquer death;

I will prepare my place,

In heaven, which is my eternal home.

3. Who lives, oh, give praise!

And always exalt Christ!

Let us cry out, today, with fervor:

“I know that my Lord lives!”

Who lives to encourage me

To calm my anguish;

 My troubled heart, calm it

And inspire new breath

4. Who has counsel for me

And sends his peace without end;

Who lives to console

And guide me with tenderness!

Who lives, oh, give praise!

And always exalt Christ;

He is the Redeemer of the world.

I know that my Lord lives.

We were both young when I first saw you

 (Elder Mackrory)

Boa tarde meus queridos!

Bom, essa semana eu finalmente alcancei 1300. Como total essa semana, vi 2; o total sendo 1301.

Alright lets get right into it. This week went really well. On pday last, we got together as a zone to do nothing specific. It was good times though. Good stroganoff, good volei and good guitar. We jammed out to “Love Story ” and it has been stuck in my companion’s head all week. As a result, he constantly tells me how good the song is and asks questions like “What album is this from?”, “Are there any other songs from this album that are good?” and other things like that. He’s a budding Swiftie and I’m so happy for him.

On Tuesday we had a pretty rushed day at the office since we were catching up on stuff from the weekend. We had district council too, which tightened up the schedule. We had a district pizza party, Elder Butter’s treat. I annoyed one of the assistants because I was on a roll with dad jokes. That night we had a goated lesson with Jade, and helped her prepare for the baptismal interview. She’s basically a member already with the level of testimony she has.

On Wednesday we went early to the office for my meetings. EnglishConnect 1 and 2, followed immediately by Media specialists. We are debating the idea of getting professional mics to record better videos. During personal study, I started reading the teachings of Joseph Fielding Smith, which I’m realizing is a concentrated version of Doctrines of Salvation, also a really good, but long, series of books. So I’m liking it a lot. We had a cool lesson with Erick about prophets and then got ready to leave, when a couple visiting from Salt Lake wanted to see the chapel and wanted to practice the piano. He is from Salt Lake, and served in Spain, and she is from Peru, so we spoke Spanish the whole time with bits and pieces of English. It was cool.

On Thursday as we left the house, our doorman gave me a box! This isn’t outside of the ordinary as parents usually send their kids packaged to our apartment. This time however, it was mine. Last week when I did the division at Jardim Botânico, Elder Cayris was there doing a Division with the other companionship. He had some super sick cowboy boots, the kind they use on Brazilian farms. They’re not the high top American boots, and they had a cool design on the front. So I bought some online and they arrived! they’re super nice and I think they look sick.

Yesterday I had a crazy productive day in the office and pretty much got everything done that I had. So naturally right when I left, a bunch of messages came in asking me to do things. So it was nice to not have anything to do for 10 minutes. The mission is preparing me for parenting, I think. We also had a training for the Brasil area, where they introduced an AI assistant that has studied all the secretary manuals and the president’s manual. So they asked us to ask the AI before entering in contact with the area office. Super cool stuff, and apparently Brasil is the first area in the church that is trying this out. That evening we had the baptismal interview of Jade, and we had dinner with the young single adult crowd to celebrate. On the way home Elder Vieira still had Love Story stuck in his head. I don’t blame him.

Welp that’s all folks, it was a super short week.

Tender Mercy:

This week I focused more on reading the Book of Mormon. What I found is that I’m sleeping better, my other studies are more spiritual and more productive. I feel more immune to temptation. It was just a really relaxing week despite all that happened.

Spiritual thought:

God is a god of chances. He is forgiving. He gave Israel at least 1000 chances in the wilderness to go to the promised land before they softened their hearts enough to be led there. From Cairo to Jerusalem is a two week journey. 40 years divided by two weeks comes in just over 1000. So let us notice the chances that God is giving us on a daily and even hourly basis. Let us take the first chance and thank Him for all He has done.

Twenty stitches in a hospital room

 (Elder Mackrory)

Boa tarde. I was trying to think of a good funny/slang greeting in Portuguese this week, but I realized that the best hook is this: “Gancho”. Stay tuned for Friday's loucura.

Vi 4 fuscas essa semana, totalizando 1299. Também, eu esqueci de dizer na última carta, mas semana passada eu completei 600 dias na missão. O tempo tá voando. Hoje eu faço 20 meses.

Last pday was super cool, we started out the day with house cleaning and email responding. Promise I will get to everyone. We had our office meeting with president and we had a super cool spiritual thought by Elder Butters, speaking of our divine origin and God’s special love for us as not only His creations but as His children. Then we went to eat lunch at the mall, and crashed the next door district’s district pday (I’m pretty sure we were invited, if not, I’m sorry Elder Owen) and then we went to go get some overpriced ice cream and chatted about grammar with Elder Owen and Hayes. My ZL’s are lit. We parted ways after that, and they went back home to grab stuff for the sleepover in preparation for the division they planned to do after district council. Elder Hayes is also like a professional barber, and so he clutched up and gave me a nice fade. Half-way through the cut we realized we forgot the scissors at the office (again) and so I said screw it and I buzzed my head instead of letting my hair get more out of control. A few nights before I had prayed for the Lord to send me something to humble me, and so came the buzz cut. It’s ok, Elder Hayes did a good job. A buzz is a buzz.

On Tuesday we had district council, and half the people showed up late, which stressed me out. We got a lot of work done in the office and had a cool lesson with Jade in which we taught the Word of Wisdom. The Spirit was really strong and she agreed to live the Word of Wisdom faithfully.

Wednesday was a pretty normal day. Well actually it was pretty unusual since nothing strange happened. Usually something goes really wrong or really right.

Thursday I had a division with Elder Skidmore in the area that has the other 90% of Copacabana that isn't my area. It was super cool to spend the whole day finding teaching and serving people. At night we got Açaí and I went to bed early (on time).

Friday was quite eventful. And the events started at 6:45. I woke up, prayed, and got to my work out. Elder Sperry was with me getting absolutely shredded with some resistance bands. I then took form to do some tricep pull-downs on a band attached to a hook in the ceiling. When I went to pull down, the hook came out of the roof, and went flying into the back of my head. I guess I'm too strong. Anyway, there I am with my ears ringing thinking that resistance bands hurt more than I thought. Then I saw the hook on the ground. I put my hand on my head to feel it and just a second later when I looked at it, it was drenched in blood. That's when Elder Sperry goes “uhhhhhhh I'll go get some paper towels”. He comes back with some toilet paper and we put some pressure on the wound. After we got the bleeding came under control, the question then was what to do. So we decided to take some photos. We cleaned up the puddle of blood on the floor and got ready for the day normally. Back at the office we googled the nearest hospital and had our meeting to end the division. Afterwards we went to the bank and paid some bills. Then we went to the hospital where I got 4 stitches. The nurse said I was so bwave. Then the day went on normally. I made a bunch of jokes, purposefully misinterpreting the doctors advice, and saying that I wasn't allowed to shower for two weeks.

Saturday was general conference, and it was great, except I kinda had a headache. The stitches in themselves didn't hurt, but that night we concluded that I had gained a minor concussion from the hook as well. So I went to go lay down in the dark to listen to the evening session. Anyway an hour later I woke up in the middle of the last talk, acknowledged that laying down in the dark at 9pm is not exactly the most effective strategy to stay awake, and went to bed.

In the morning I was super fatigued and didn't have much energy to do anything, so we stayed home in the morning. I listened (staying off of screens) to the session I slept through, and ate a nice salad, since it was the only thing I wanted to eat. We watched the first session at the office, and then during it, some members from Mato Grosso knocked on the door asking if this was the temple. We talked to them for a bit and explained where the temple is and that it's closed on Sundays. So we missed some talks there because this couple would not stop talking. It wasn't even good conversation, just the weather and an unsuccessful “do you know so-and-so?” back and forth conversation. That evening we watched the last session with some of our investigators and some members at the chapel and shared our thoughts afterwards. It was super uplifting to hear the counsel of the living prophet. 

Tender Mercy: When I took the hook to the head, my head bled a lot. Except it didn't. It was bleeding quite fast, but as soon as we put pressure, the bleeding stopped. The photo of me holding the toilet paper to my head has a good amount of blood in it. But the toilet paper was still white. I don't think it's because I'm really good at putting pressure, or anything that I did. The Lord stopped the bleeding. No question about it. Heads bleed a lot and fast. Mine stopped bleeding almost immediately. The Lord protects His servants and those who are obedient to His commandments.

Spiritual Thought: Prayer… and charity…

Found this from the Bible dictionary on prayer:

“The object of prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them.” This conference, I felt a specific emphasis on charity, the pure love of Christ. Perhaps you noticed that too, perhaps that's what the Lord highlighted in my mind. One thing that I have learned about charity is that it is not something that simply appears inside of us, even after trying to develop it. Prayer is the way we can achieve the highest blessings. Charity is one of the highest blessings there are. Charity therefore must be asked for. Yes, we must still put in our own effort to develop it, but we must ask. Since then I've asked for charity in my prayers I have felt the Lord fill me with faith and hope and love and all good things, and I invite all of you to pray for charity as well, in all of your prayers. It will bless you as it has blessed me.

And the camera flashes make it look like a dream

 (Elder Mackrory)

Bom dia pessoal! Tudo certinho?

Essa semana se saiu muito bem. Eu vi 9 fuscas, trazendo o total aos 1295.

Last Saturday we went to the stake elders quorum activity to play soccer. There wasn’t enough people on the neighboring wards team, so I played for them. I think it was pretty close. We barely lost, the final score being 5-0. The next game was pretty good, and we lost again 8-0. To be fair, we were a skeleton team and the others were switching players like every minute. Our self-proclaimed team captain also wouldn’t let us attack, thinking that we would win if we just defended. It’s ok though, I didn’t embarrass my home ward. We then had a churrasco and chatted too much at the grill. People hate on dads for doing that, but its actually the life. That night a member dropped off 10 litres of Açaí because she had to buy a certain quantity to get free shipping, but she didn’t need the rest.

On Sunday we had a good time, our friend Jade who is on baptism date went to church, and sang in the ward choir. It wasn’t the most successful day as far as work goes, but my studies were really good, and we had a cool comp study with both companionships. House study is always better.

On Monday we went to buy things for zone conference, and it was so much stuff. Seriously insane quantity. That night we had a super cool lesson with Jade, in which she shared a cool experience she had in relief society. For her it was the confirmation she needed that her decision to be baptized is right.

On Tuesday we did the other half of the purchases, filling presidents car again. We rushed that night to ready all the things for conference the next day. Afterwards we left for a family night with a part member family on their beachfront property. What beach? Copacabanaaaaa. Super cool, and the message was super cool too. That night Brazil got annihilated 4-1 by Argentina. Sure would be embarrassing to lose so horribly. Not that I would know. That night we got a text from the ComeUntoChrist website asking us for 4 missionaries to help record videos for ads that will go all around Brazil. President advised that it would be best if I and my companion went.

On Wednesday we had zone conference and it was super good. We all got vaccinated, and the nurse who was giving the vaccines liked the messages and asked for a Book of Mormon. On the car ride home the uber drivers car broke down at, you guessed it (no you didn’t), Maracana. It’s a super famous soccer stadium that is famous for its super crazy atmosphere and crowd energy. So I took a picture and we got another uber. Now I don’t have to spend a pday there. That night we went to the temple with our recent convert Erick. He’s super cool.

On Thursday we rushed to get stuff done in the office and then headed to the Governor’s Island. Its a part of the city, not a private island for the governor of Rio. There we recorded videos for ComeUntoChrist.org. We taught lessons to member actors and they recorded their story. Super cool. There was a toddler that was super cute. He couldn’t stop looking at the camera. That night we taught Jade again at the mall and there was a flash mob with like 20 guitars and they were singing hymns bringing people to church. Super cool.

On Friday we spent the whole day filming at the park at the base of the Christ the Redeemer hike. Super beautiful park. At lunch I ate 4 lbs. Muito bom. That’s really all that happened.

On Saturday we went to the temple grounds to record. The chapel there is super nice and really picturesque. We went to churrasco for lunch at a place called Frontera. All paid for by ComeUntoChrist. I could get used to movie star life.

Sunday was nice, we didn’t have too many people at church, but we were able to do a good cleaning in our system. We literally couldn't do much more. The 9 day week, probably the busiest week of my mission, left us dead exhausted. But it was so good.

For such, I will combine by Spiritual thought and tender mercy. During the entire week, I was reminded by a scripture I read once in doctrine and covenants. I didn’t remember where it was or even any of the phrases that it had. But I remember the promise the Lord made to His servants. He promised (now I’ll quote the scripture because I found it), “For whoso is faithful unto the obtaining these two priesthoods of which I have spoken, and the magnifying their calling, are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their bodies.” The Lord promised that as I fulfill my calling, meaning do everything in my reach to serve with all my heart might mind and strength, I can be filled with the energy I need to do what is required of me. At the end of each day I felt tired, but during the day I felt not a wink of sleepiness, nor the slightest hint of tired. As I look back on this long week, I see how the Lord has kept His promise. And He keeps all His promises. There is no exception. He loves and cares for each one of His children. This I know because I am one of His children.

On the boats in the water

 (Elder Mackrory)

Bom dia meus conservos!

Vamoix la. Vi 4 fuscas, trazendo o total aos 1266.

Last pday we went to the Museum of Tomorrow. I thought it was kinda mid. It’s got some cool architecture, but it was just kinda either too abstract to understand or disheartening. there was a giant sphere that had things projected on it and we were inside. It was like a 360 movie theater. And I thought it would be a super cool presentation of whatever, but it ended up being a well edited montage of nature and urban scenes and some really majestic sounding voice saying garbage one-liners about humanity. The rest was a bunch of exhibits with cool factoids about culture and nature, ending with an exhibit on how climate change will end everything that we just saw. But instead of showing how we can help with all that like a cool museum would do, it just ended with a question “What are you gonna do about it, tomorrow?”. I thought the whole thing was kinda dumb. Then we went to eat lunch at the mall and went home to clean the house and relax. At night, however, we had one of the most productive nights. We probably sent like 80 messages to people and managed to control all of the people in our system, most of whom do not have interest. It was super satisfying to “clean out” our system so we can focus on what’s most important.

On Sunday we again had a great time. Sundays are kinda like my favorite days. We left home for church after calling a bunch of people. When we got there I helped set up the sacrament and got on reception. We had our usual Marcel and Rafael at church, and we also had our newer friends Geise and Lucia (not to be confused with Vera Lúcia, the recent convert from last week). They were both really nice and well accepted by everyone. We marked another lesson with both of them, and as we were leaving Geise says “in that call can we talk about when I can be baptized?” So life’s going well. We had an amazing lunch and I got the recipe. Then we had an amazing desert and I got the recipe. After church we went up to a very far part of my area to teach Colmar who went to stake conference. It was a really cool lesson, and he understood it well.

On Monday morning we had transfer news. And… even though I wasn’t expecting it, I was indeed transferred. Actually I and Elder Coutinho (another secretary) were transferred. My new area is still within the zone, and I’m glad about that. My comp is super cool, and I’ve lived with him already. But I didn’t have time to think about bags or my new area or anything, because now we need to arrange everybody’s travel. We did that, had our weekly meeting with president and went back to working on transfer stuff. I organized a lot so that on Wednesday when the guy who is taking my place in the area can easily see what’s going on. It was a lot of tying up loose ends. Afterwards I did my personal study and it was super cool. I read the chapter about kindness in the teachings of George Albert Smith. That night we went to teach a few people. During those lessons, I really felt that the Spirit was speaking through me. Instead of planning what I will say and kinda half-listening, I felt that I needed to just listen to the person and then speak. I found that the best words I could have said were put into my mouth and I felt a deeper love for the people. It’s annoying that I haven’t been fully applying this earlier. That night we called an uber with two elders who would sleep over that night due to fact that one of them was returning home on Tuesday and there weren't flight options on Wednesday. We arrived home a little late and I didn’t even have time to pack my bags. See a pattern?

On Tuesday we went straight to the office to finish up some logistics for the transfer and then we had district council, and the zone leaders showed up to give us ice cream because our district won a competition. We had a wonderful time and sang Love One Another for the opening and closing hymns. We had lunch with the assistants and went back to work. After working time we had dinner at the elders quorum president's house and had some of the best fried chicken of all time, followed by strawberry Açaí, my favorite. At night I was really tired and so I didn't have time to pack my bags.

On Wednesday morning I was woken up at 5am by some Elders who missed their bus, so we had to quickly get the computer out to switch their tickets. Then we went back to bed. At about 8am I met up with my new companion and we went to the office. There, I had a big list of things to take back or hand out. By some miracle, by lunch I managed to get all of it done. After lunch however, it wasn't any less busy because we had to get everyone kicked out of the chapel. By another miracle, everyone was gone by 14h45, which is a new record, especially given the fact that we started the meeting about 20 minutes late. Afterwards I did some normal office work for a bit so that I wouldn't get behind. Then we cleaned the chapel. A lot of pizza left over, we will not have to pay for lunch for the next 5 days. But wait, why am I still doing office work if I was transferred? Well, so I was transferred, but only to the next door area that was the area of the other two secretaries. We just switched up the companionships so that Elder Ribeiro could train Elder Coutinho how to be the executive secretary next transfer. So my new comp is Elder Vieira, from São Paulo. He's super fun, and speaks the best English I've heard from a Brazilian. Perhaps it helps that he lived in Utah for a year or two. So the fact that I didn't pack isn't a problem because I'm just switching bedrooms. Our house has four bathrooms so not even that changed. We might switch refrigerators since we have two. But now I have my own room just for my own wardrobe with a balcony. And did I mention that my area has Sugarloaf mountain and a part of Copacabana? Life’s good in the office.

On Thursday we had leadership council, and it was super good. We learned a lot about Christlike leadership, and how councils should be revelatory experiences. I felt the Spirit a lot, and ate well. Then someone asked for a copy of my spreadsheet. I wasn't even talking about it. So now I've got to translate it all into Portuguese, which you'd think would be easy, but a lot of the programs depend on English date input, and so that's a problem.

On Friday I went on a boat. On the other side of the Guanabara Bay is a city called Niterói. The fastest way to get there is by boat. There in Niterói we had to resolve some problems with gas and electric bills, but we didn't get it resolved because some other mission in Brazil (cough cough Vitoria) is giving the Church bad credit by not paying bills on time. That night we had a YSA dinner and had a super dope member lesson about the Plan of Salvation that I thought benefitted me more than it benefitted those we taught.

Tender Mercy: Really that lesson about the Plan of Salvation takes the cake this week. We focused a lot on the atonement and what it means for us. As my companion explained things, I felt a blessed assurance that my efforts were enough. Not that I should stop, but that I didn't need to worry so much about what I worry about. I felt that the Lord was with me in that moment and I felt that He had been with me before then as well.

Spiritual thought: This week I finished the teachings of George Albert Smith, and one of the things that marked me was this:

“We need have no fear if we do what the Lord has asked us to do. This is His world. All men and women are subject to Him. All the powers of evil will be controlled for the sake of His people, if they will honor Him and keep His commandments”

Sometimes we forget Who created this world. Sometimes we feel that we are far from Him. But He has set forth His commandments for those who live in the world. If we but follow these commandments, we have no reason to fear anything that may come.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-george-albert-smith/chapter-24?id=title6&lang=eng#title6

Fotos:

1. Elder Kjar's Rizz

2. Museum of Tomorrow

3. Presidents house (yes all 8 couches are necessary)

4. Lunch at presidents house

5. Me on the water

6. Good açaí makes your tongue black

And the story's got dust on every page

 (Elder Mackrory)

Bom dia meus amigos e familiares! Essa semana foi muito boa, igual falo toda semana kkkk. Eu vi 4 fusacs, trazendo o total aos 1262.

Last pday was really cool, though I did get sunburnt a little bit. Anyway we went to a really famous favela, Vidigal. Vidigal sits right next to Rocinha, one of the most famous favelas in the world. At the top of this favela sits a really cool couple of mountains called Dois Irmãos (Two Brothers). We got in a van to get all the way up there, and then hiked the rest of the way. It was super dusty, and since I decided to do the hike in flip flops, my feet got super dirty. At the top was one of the coolest views of my life. It’s a rather pointy peak, and so there’s a 360 view that can see just the very tip of Barra da Tijuca all the way to my area in Flamengo. I could see Sugarloaf Mountain, Christ the Redeemer, President Dutson’s house, Copacabana, Ipanema, and lots more. After some sick photos, we went down the hill again, which was now even dustier. We then sat at the beach and everyone but my companion and I bought super overpriced underportioned churrasco. Even at the beach it’s impossible to escape ads, because there were planes constantly flying by with big ad banners behind them. Afterwards we got some Coconut water, super cold. This was the first time in my life that I liked coco water. At night we filled the baptismal font and had the baptismal interview, and both worked out great. After nine, Elder Vieira cut my hair, I wanted a zero fade, but he wasn’t feeling confident enough to do it, so I grabbed the machine and took off all of my sideburns so that he had to give me a zero fade. Turned out really well, but since I was sunburnt from the hike, it made for some stark contrast.

On Sunday we had a good time. We had to get things ready for the baptism still, so it was a little hectic, especially since ward council went slightly overtime. There was an American couple there for which I translated the sacrament meeting. I really like translating. At the baptism, everything went well, and Vera was baptized. When I held out my hand to help her up the stairs, she fell backwards, scaring the crap out of me. Turns out she wanted to be dunked again, and fell on purpose. Not sure if it was the heat or her joy that made her do it, but my heart skipped a beat. Afterwards, she bore powerful testimony of how Christ had helped her get to where she was. It was super cool and inspiring. At lunch I made a tiny clay brahma ox that everyone thought was super cool. We had some visits planned, but they all fell through.

On Monday we had a cool lesson with Vinicius about My Covenant Path, and he was super excited. At the office, it was all normal until president called me in with Elder Coutinho to talk about the missions referrals. As we discussed things, we reached a conclusion that makes it a lot easier for missionaries to contact and maintain referrals. That night we visited Tia Vera and then had a few online lessons at home.

On Tuesday we didn’t have district council because the other missionaries were doing a service project. But we got tons done and our couch finally arrived from maintenance. We went home for lunch and I cooked everyone some cuzcuz with tomato, bell peppers, onion, corn, and calabresa. It was super bomb. We went to the office supplies store to pick up some supplies for the office. We went to visit Vera Lucia to finalize her baptism form, and the way she talks and expresses herself is completely different. She is so happy and the stories she shares are all uplifting, whereas before they could be slightly gossipy (you know how old ladies are). We finished out the day doing our personal studies during which it rained for the first time in about a month.

On Wednesday we had district council in the morning. That’s a problem actually, since I didn’t know we were gonna do that until Wednesday morning, so it was too late to cancel English class. So after I gave my training, I quickly jumped over to teaching English. Afterwards, we had a super rushed media specialist meeting, but actually it turned out to be one of the most productive ones. We had to rush the meeting to be able to go to lunch. Afterwards, we got tons done at the office, someone asked me for an upgrade without needing one, and we had an online lesson with Marcel. During the lesson there was some crazy thunder and a 20 minute downpour to cool everything off.

On Thursday we had a kinda wack day. We started out normal with personal study, but then we went to president's house for lunch. It was also the exit event with all the missionaries who are leaving this transfer. I'm not going home any time soon 👀, but president is the goat and invited the rest of the district to lunch. After lunch we went home real quick to switch out the suit and we then had a lesson fall through, but we were able to contact all our referrals. We then left home and met Lúcia (not to be confused with Vera Lúcia who was baptized this Sunday). She's super cool and wants to read the Book of Mormon and invited herself to church. She also lived in Illinois for two years. Then we finished the day doing our office work.

To top up the week we went early to the airport to help some missionaries with visas. We then went to the office and I did my work there, the guy who had been leaving me on read for the last 3 months (the guy who’s not supposed to do that) finally responded and we got some good information about phones. we ended the day with our studies and a lesson with a goat named Paulo, and he’s super interested.

Tender Mercy: This week I have noticed a constant flow of revelation. I feel like the Lord’s hand was in all of what happened. This happened because I had an increased focus on gratitude. I saw more of what the Lord had done for me as I thanked Him for what I did see. Why would the Lord grant something to you if He knows you won’t be thankful for it? Gratitude is the key to revelation.

Spiritual thought: When Nephi went to go get the brass plates from Laban’s house, the Spirit of the Lord taught him many things about how the Lord brings to pass His righteous purposes. On of such revelations reads the following: “Yea, and I also thought that they could not keep the commandments of the Lord according to the law of Moses, save they should have the law.” Of course, in today’s world, the law of Moses has been fulfilled and we keep the higher law now, but the same thing applies. Without constant scripture study, it is impossible to keep the commandments. We must be always reading and studying the word of the Lord in order to keep it.