July 29, 2009
hey everyone!
Well, time is flying by! It's going to be August soon! Today my district and I went to drink Açai, the Brazilain fruit that grows here. It was fun. My new companion is a great kid! I have learned so much about football this week. We probably shouldn't be companions, we talk so much. We always lay down to sleep and end up talking until way late. He has become a really good friend of mine. Hmmm, I really don't know what to say, the work is a lot slower. Not because we are slow but because the way the new mission works. They don't like the idea of baptizing fast, so we are working with lots of people for next Sunday. We have a mom and daughter that are preparing for next week. They really felt the spirit so strong during church. The talks were about eternal marriage. Oh my heck . . . the talks were seriously the best . . . like conference worthy. One was by a returned sister who came home after one year because she has stomach problems... she was super skinny. She couldn't eat without getting sick. Her little sister died while she was in the feild and she talked about how families can be together forever. Then another sister talked about temple marriages. So powerful! Edilson is also preparing to be baptized on the 9th. He visited the church for 2 years but wasn't baptized because he wasn't married. He got married and now he is preparing to be baptized. We also found an amazing family yesterday to teach. He understood the first lesson and was really excited about the Book of Mormon. His wife was doubting a little bit. We also taught a members cousin. He was one of those people who tried to out smart us! But it didn't work, we showed him we knew what we were talking about and he accepted everything we taught him. We told him the Bible was written by prophets and he tried to telll us it was just a man who wrote it. I don't know where the Brazilians get this kind of info. But he later accepted our message. Other things the Brazilians say are : "We are the church!" or "There is only one God" I don't know what they are trying to say when they say these things. I think they are trying to tell me all churches are true because there is only one God. And then you try to teach them about priesthood authority or ordinances and they get confused. The thing about this area of Brazil is that the people aren't very well educated. We teach the lessons as basic as possible. Like basic!!!! The family we taught yesterday understood everything and I felt I could really teach him. I taught about temples and how baptism was changed and the priesthood was lost. After the lesson he actually looked at us and said "you´re right, the ordinances were changed and temples don't exist anymore." I am excited to teach him. Well not much else has happened.
I still can't believe how fast everything has past. I learn more and more each day and I can't believe how much I have changed. I think I am going to come home completly different. Maybe not completly . . . but really different.
Love, lots of hugs, and lots of kisses
Elder Jared Perry