It's been interesting this week to see a fun contrast in our area.
It's
been a week since Obona's baptism, and he's doing awesome! We visited a
little bit with him almost every day, mostly because we see him all
over the place. Everybody in that part of our area, Fronteira, knows him
really well, so everybody is really impressed with him. Obona also has
lots of buddies that tell him they want to change too, and we're beyond
down to help them out. We found 5 new investigators this week because of
him alone, as well as other references along the way. The fun contrast
is, while so many of these people profess interest and want change,
there's only one way to do it, which is through action. While so many of
these people realize they are stuck in a well, they don't start
climbing or looking to that lighthouse that's constantly beaming. Obona
told us he'd bring some of his buddies, our investigators, to
conference, and when he came with one of our investigators, told us
sadly, 'sorry guys, but I guess the others don't really wanna change'. I
thought it was interesting how somebody of only a week in the church
was able to recognize that necessity of action in someone having to
change.
Our investigator, Zezinho, is looking
really good for baptism this week. He showed up to conference without us
having to call him or go by his house, making it the 4th time he's come
to church with us. We also had a sweet family night this week at a
member's house, this young married couple named Brandao and Nidia, both
return missionaries. Zezinho showed up on his own, and it was sweet to
get some member integration going. Our other baptism for the 8th,
Junior, told us on Monday he was moving to the other side of Praia, but
would keep coming to church. We saw him yesterday and he told us he's
moved back, buuuut he's looking like he's gotten back into some of his
old ways. We're gunna keep working with him, buuut he's gunna need a
little more time. Still stuck in the well for now.
We
found a really cool new investigator this week, named Jay. He's 18,
graduated but not really working or going to school, just doing stuff
here and there. I played his guitar on the street with him for a bit a
week or so back, and this week, when all of our appointments fell and we
were walking with a member, we saw him and asked if he wanted to talk.
He was more than down, and after teaching the first lesson, he was very
pumped and got all of it. On our return visit, he topld us almost
perfectly the first two chapters of Nephi by memory. He accepted a
baptismal date for the 29th and came with Obona to conference this
weekend. One funny thing, he has a big sorta afro with almost frosted
tips going on, and his mom one day, while we were walking, called us
over, adn told us to get him to cut his hair :P it was classic.
Conference
was awesome, I especially loved Elder Christofferson's talk. His
translation into Portguese is his own voice, just recorded. It was rad. I
loved how he taught that the Savior didn't just suffer til it was good
enough, he suffered til it was complete, so that when he looks to each
of us, he can call for more than just 'good enough'. So often we think
where we're at is enough, but Christ always asks for more, because he
knows it's the only way for us to become like him. We always fall short
somehow. I had prayed going into conference for the gift of tongues
(for the first time in a while) so I could understand the translation, and it worked! #tendermercies
Love y'all!
Elder Massey
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