Weekly Email

Is anyone else getting sick of my weekly emails?

This week was fantastic, we went to my beloved Passo Fundo to do my last division with one of my favorite missionaries; Elder Barbosa. It was a blasty as usual full of mate doce (sweet chimarrão) and laughter. This time i divided with Elder Erickson from Draper Utah, what a stud, super hard worker, he completely wore me out!! I dont know why but i think the last 4 or 5 divisions i have done have been STRAIGHT knocking doors, I think God thinks I need to work harder... I have come to the conclusion that i dont like leaving my area, I don´t have control over what happens. Its a funny thing though watching younger missionaries, I told my companion after our division that about half the day i just wanted to be like "calm down! your killing me, there´s an easier way to do this!!" I dont know if Im just getting old and tired on the misison or if I´ve gotten used to my comfy chair in my heated office, but I was spent, and. Which is funny because i was watcihng Elder Erickson knock doors relentlessly for hours and seeing myself in Caxias and the start of Gravataí, doing that daily for months. I get frustrated leaving my area becuase i know how much differently i would do things If I could go back and how much easier it would be, and sometimes i think about telling young missionaries that-- but I then end up not doing so with the rational that it is part of the growing process. I am the missionary (and the person) I am today because i had ot learn for myself. I had to pass through just a little bit of hell and frustration to be able to figure out how things are done, and in my mind its a necessary step to become a leader. That is the basic logic behind the suffering of Jesus Christ, we don´t have to be crucified because he did it, but to a certain point we have to understand just  a LITTLE of what he passes, hence the answer to the classic quetsion; "Why does God permit suffering." Answer; Because he loves us and doesnt want us to return unchanged. 

I don´t want to return from my mission unchanged.

We have several good people we are teaching right now. It´s funny how the addictions we deal with here in Lindóia, a wealthier area, are more sophisticated addictions, but nontheless; addictions. Instead of getting people to stop smoking and using crack we have to get them to stop drinking wine and cheating on their spouses.. It´s intense. The world is messed up. 

You Stay classy Orem. You don´t need to change one bit.