Thoughts on why I´m having success with the `seasoned citizens` of Paraná... Mission preparation often takes many forms. I think that in part, the Lord formed me to be a missionary in the time I spent listening to my paternal grandparents relive their childhoods and adolescences and lives as newlyweds and time spent in Peru and so on... I also remember many of the visits I did as a young man in the capacity of taking the sacrament to the old and at times sickly, and as a home teacher. I learned how to listen before the mission, and now I´m putting it all in practice.
This week we got a call from the missionaries in Prudentópolis (the little Ukrainian colony where my trainer was trained, famous for being the largest producer of black beans in the nation, waterfalls, and some really fancy painted eggs) saying that they wanted a follow-up/progress interview for a little old couple they were teaching. The interview is a confidential thing, but I will say that this interview was one of the most spiritual experiences that I´ve had in my life. The result... I found that they were ready for baptism, and we marked the date with only three days to prepare. It had been a long while since that branch has had real convert baptisms, and they were very excited to accept Meron and Amélia! That branch also had a bad taste in its mouth for missionaries who just wanted to call all the youth off the soccer field to fill in the gaps in a baptismal program, or not call anyone to participate, so I decided to stay in the area for another day to plan the baptism. I got a call from the missionaries yesterday saying that it all went well and the branch is exploding with enthusiasm for the missionary work. The Lord does his own work, and this week I didn´t get in the way :)
Our branch is struggling a bit with our leadership, and the only program that is running really strong is the young men. So we decided that we will focus on our young men that we are teaching and hopefully Alan, Giovani, and several others will be ready for baptism this week!
Workin hard and loving Brasíl.
I ask you to doubt your doubts, before doubting your faith.
Elder House
(This is a waterfall that is part of our area! Salto São Francisco)
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