Curitiba weather is even crazier that Oregon weather. One minute it´s 80 degrees and sunny, and 10 minutes later, you can´t see the sun with all the rain that is falling. We were teaching Rute the other day and the rain starting hammering down on the favela. In 20 minutes the large waste canal (about the size of Johnson Creek) that runs by her house filled to the brim and ran over to fill in the patio that we needed to cross to escape. In a true act of charity, one of her adult sons took off his shoes, sloshed through the water and put some planks for us to run across to get out of the house. He has a Christlike heart, and we are trying to help him overcome the strong chemical addictions that he has and help him get over the shame that he feels entering the chapel.
This week we came up with a nifty way to teach about gospel dispensations and priesthood authority. We asked for a pitcher of water and a few cups. We explained about how Christ is the font of living water and how he gave his authority to one prophet to be the leader in his church, who then passed it on to the next and so on. So we pour water from the pitcher in the first cup and say that it is Moses, who then passes it to Joshua etc. But when the people don´t want to accept the water any more, Christ takes it back to him (back to the pitcher). Then when everyone is thirsty again, and ready to receive the water, he puts it back on the earth. After the crucifixion of Christ and his Apostles, the water was taken back to heaven and the people of the earth were left without the fullness of the gospel of Christ. Amos saw these days when he wrote in Amos 8:11-12:
11 ¶Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a afamine of bread, nor a bthirst for water, but of hearing the cwords of the Lord:
12 And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall arun to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it.
The family that we taught using this object lesson understood very clearly that the thing they were looking for, going to all of the churches in the city they wouldn´t find in an empty cup. The fullness of the gospel will only be found where there is priesthood authority to direct the church.
They are excited to hear the Prophet and Apostles during General Conference.
President has asked us to lengthen our stride and start talking to even more people each week. Our new goal is to find 15 new people to teach every week... That´ll be a great challenge that will help our area to grow bastante!
Everyone wants to be baptized during General Conference on the 5th... and by everyone, I mean, Leandro, Ademir, Norma, Arlete (and perhaps a few of her relatives). So we are working to have everyone ready! Prayers for these people would be appreciated.
Love,
Elder House
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