Hello,
It is so wonderful to hear from you people every week, and to get the letters of my other missionary friends!
Life here in Brazil is crazy. I love it so much, and I love so much the work! Getting to talk to people everyday about this wonderful Gospel is truly a blessing in my life. I am so grateful to be here, and for this opportunity! It truly is a dream come true, I have waited so long for this, and I still can´t believe its finally here sometimes!
This past week has been both absolutely fantastic, and well as really hard. Convienently the days seem to alternate. Loving that.
I'll start out with why its been hard, and then move on to how legit the life of a missionary is. I'm surrounded by Brazilians, who are the most amazing people ever, and I can´t really communicate with them. I can have basic conversations, but I can't really get to know them like I want, and like I need to be an effective missionary. I feel like its hard to be myself even especially with the other missionaries, because no one speaks English, and I don't speak Portuguese well enough yet. Luckily for Brasil, they don´t yet know the real Elder Jake. They don´t know whats coming! I am learning an immense amount of patience haha and really trusting the Lord, and that is good. I am grateful for it, because it has caused me really to turn to the scriptures. I read the Book of Mormon literally whenever I have free time. I am trying to finish it in Portuguese, and its taken a while. Just started last week, switched over from English. It takes along time as I try to understand each word, but my goal is to finish 1st nephi this week. Which will be hard, but it is super rewarding. I always feel such a strong spirit when I read, and I have learned so much from those first few chapters of 1 Nefí. Its such a wonderful book, and is my way to relax and feel the love of my Savior.
I often get frustrated when my companion reteaches everything I teach, or when we spend two hours walkin around Walmart, and then 4 today in the Brazilin equivilent of Target. But I have learned a lot from my companion, and its amazing what the Lord can teach you when you have so much time to think! I have been super blessed by the Lord, my thoughts have been directed to things I need, things to uplift, and the teach.
One issue I struggled with for a long time is thinking about my family and friends. I felt guilty thinking about you all, but at the same time I can´t help it! My family is the coolest! One day during our down time, The Spirit directed my thoughts to a song Ive only sung once before in my memory, "Each life that touches ours for good." 263 or something. When I thought about the lyrics to this song, I came to wonderful conclusion. I know my Saviors loves me so much more because I can feel it through the love of my friends and family. I am the person I am, as strange and pathetic as that may be ;) because of the people I love! It makes no sense to pretend they don't exist.
So that day I changed, and for the first time taught with those I love, and it made all the difference. You are all such a wonderful motivation to me, and I am very grateful for that! I was able to relax and talk to people more personally, as I would my mother or anyone else from my friends or family. If I have trouble making a contact, I think of my family, or I also like to think of my friends from college, or the McAllister family, people who I've known a relatively short period of time in my life and think of how I would act if I had the chance to meet them for the first time again, knowing how fly they were going to be. This has truly made contacts a joy. Although it is strange when my "mother" rejects the contact because she is in a hurry to go smoke some mary jane. . .
Well, the work. The work here is amazing! These people are super super humble and responsive. Right now we have six or seven people to be baptized in the next two Sundays! They are all set! All excited! Gustava is next, he will be baptized on Sunday. He is super legit. He has been coming to church for awhile, and when we asked him to be baptized, he was just like sure! We haven't actually taught him any lessons yet, except the first one on my first Sunday. We'll do them all tomorrow.
Francisco and his wife came to church and they came with our Ward missionary who is the coolest man alive. He gives us like 10 references a week. Nuts. He just talks to EVERYONE. Great example for sure. But Francisco and Helena loved church, and are super pumped as well. Just set.
Davi´s mom still hasn't let us take him to church, but this week his health is pickin up like crazy! he is able to set in a chair for the first time in a very long time. Every other lesson we have had he has laid in bed. I was wondering if dad could try and find some talks/devos from NFL players that he could watch on line, obviously theyd have to be in Portuguese. He has got a ton of free time, and he can read, so i thought that might help.
No real time to tell you about the other baptisms coming up but next week I will! My companion and I are doing well although I can still tell he gets shocked when I invite people to be baptized way earlier than he would, I think. haha But I am really loving it here, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else! It's not easy, but it is definitely rewarding and just freaking fun.
Side note - I really need some way to work out more. Maybe that door thing R was talking about. Also I think I might actually kill someone if I thought I would get a pull up bar out of it. I have been working out well, and really stepped it up and been runnin a bunch, but I need more. Haha - I'm down to 225. Haven't weighed that much since my sophomore year! haha My clothes are getting pretty lose!
PS - How much money is on my card? Need to know! I love you all and am very grateful for all of you!
ate mais!Elder Jake!
