Love you so much!!!!!!
I had a really great week. I did an awesome split with an Elder from Chile. I would be super keen on visiting him after the mish. We were able to baptize four of our investigators this week as well. But we are now back to the drawing board in terms of investigators. I had an uplifting experience in finding investigators by the spirit in the which we had no rational hope of finding an address. But the spirit indicated that we press forward and against all odds, we found the person! I don't know why, but I feel a whole lot better when I feel like I am working side by side with the spirit as well as God's angels on the other side of the veil. I'll try to write more next week!!! See y'all on Sunday!!!!
Love you so much!!!!!!
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Hello to all!
I had a very barbecue-filled week. I am very happy. I love the wonderful plan of salvation. I feel good about my mission even though I've made countless mistakes. In footnote b of Words of Mormon 1:7, we learn that God had Mormon include both the records of Lehi and of Nephi (even though they count the same story) because God was preparing a way for us to have these stories even though Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery's sin would cause the loss of the record of Lehi. While God does not tolerate sins, we can take comfort in the fact that he really does have an incredible knack for fixing things perfectly. If we are faithful, we will be testimonies of a perfect resolution for all of our worries. Even if that be on the last day, I testify that it will come. Sorry for the short email. Next week I'll try to make more time! LOVE YOU ALL!!! Elder George Hello all -
I really am so happy here in the mission. And by happy, I don't mean without troubles and trials. Actually, for me, I am coming to a more clear realization these days that troubles and trials are necessary for and give birth to true happiness. God created a perfect plan for our happiness. We might look around us, watch the news, and find no easily acceptable reason to believe such a claim--There are so many troubles and trials! But that's the reason why the claim is true. Someone who has tried their hand at cooking has surely experienced an immense pleasure in eating his/her culinary creation that no restaurant could bring. Parents will too understand the very different joy of authorship. Holding your own newborn, is a very different satisfaction than holding the newborn of a stranger. To bring happiness, the victory has to be, at least partially, of our creation. Through the atonement, the price of the paint has been paid and we are left with the easel and the paint brushes (and a million new pages if we mess up a bit). And the best part, we are blessed with a lack of painting ability! Or in other words, we as a human race are given everything we need for our victory, but not the immediate skill to have it without some form of struggle. So the crap is gonna hit fan every once in a while. It might be by our doing or the doing of another. But it's normal and even necessary. Surely we can learn this lesson by the simple fact that those who have earned something, appreciate that something a whole lot more than those are given it, especially if he/she has never had something else. How could a win in the championship game be truly satisfactory if the other team didn't even show up? Luckily, in our sporting event of life, we already know which team will win. We don't have to get stressed out with turnovers, injuries, or unfair calls in the fourth quarter. They are a testimony that we are on the winning team. God's plan is perfect because it combines a guaranteed victory with a personal struggle. There is no need for stress in the midst of trials. Trials are what bring the victory to life. We have all the paint supplies we need and a lifetime to practice, mess up, and try again. With Christ's help we can become the perfect painter. The paintings will be ours. The fight will have been fought. And thus, the joy will be full. I love my savior Jesus Christ. He is the author of the victory. I pray that we can all be a part of it. Christ is the reason that a temple will be built here in Brasília, but I almost jumped through the roof of happiness at its announcement because I was able to be a part of it. Through hard work and trials, we become a part of an eternal victory of our own creative rights. Never to forget that Christ made it possible. https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2017/04/our-fathers-glorious-plan?lang=eng Love, Elder George What a great Easter week!
Transfers rolled around once again, but I will stay in the area along with my companion, Elder Sanches, for another five weeks. Life is great. We had two baptisms this week. It was the most spiritual baptism ever! You may not see a specific symbol associated with the LDS church, a cross, for example. But that's because the focus of our faith is the living Christ. Not His death, or something else, but the fact the He lives. I really believe this. I even believe that I know it, never having actually met said Jesus. The evidences are abundant but by divine design are only perceivable if our desire to see them manifests itself through certain actions. Perception can be done with more than just the eyes. A deaf man's desire to hear manifests itself in the investment of surgeries before ever starting to hear a sound. Invest your desire to believe. Read and pray about the Book of Mormon. Go to church. You'll start feeling it too. It's the best feeling ever. Nothing compares to it. Love, Elder George Okay so my week had maybe the biggest two milestones of mission so far...
1 - Meeting an apostle (D Todd Christofferson)!!! 2 - barbecuing a whole rack of cow ribs! The bad news is I forgot my sd card at the apartment so there won't be pics in today’s email. Fred from Lago Sul said he stood for 5 and half hours as a volunteer in the organization crew of the event with Elder Christofferson, but he also said that he loved it! I am still getting used to the new area, but I feel really blessed for being here. The members are great and help us a whole lot. And they make the best food ever... They are trying to send me home fat... We take a lot of buses that make me pretty dang car sick. And everything is far away. Meeting new investigators is a bit of challenge here because the majority of the area is gated condominiums. We made plans this week to organize a luau-hawaiian night in which the relief society and the elders quorum will compete in helping out the missionary work, and the losers will have to do a hula dance in front of everyone. Anyway, life is great! We have another barbecue to go to tonight woohooo!!!!!! Our training with Elder Christofferson was pretty surreal. I stood up and asked him a question. Everyone afterward said that I looked very nervous to ask it hahaha... He explained to us that when doctrine and covenants (D&C 6:9) says that we should say nothing except repentance, this means that everything we do and say should have the intent to declare that "there is a savior" and help people receive the joy of naturally repenting and coming unto Christ. I have to admit however, that my favorite talk from the conference was from his wife, Sister Christofferson. In II Kings chapter 4, we read the story of a widow whose debt, by law, was to be paid giving her son as a slave to her creditor. She asked the prophet Elisha for help. He told her to go with her sons and seek empty oil vessels from neighbors and friends. Afterwards, she would take the only vessel of oil that she had and fill the vessels she was able to retrieve. And thus she did, miraculously filling all of the vessels retrieved, and paying her debt with the many vessels of oil. Sister Christofferson called our attention to verse six, in which we read, 6 And it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said unto her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the oil stayed. The last word "stayed," we can understand by the annotations as meaning, "stopped." Here's the interesting part. The oil in her vessel only ran out when her vessels or in other words, the room she provided to receive the blessings, ran out. Oh, how we limit ourselves as partakers of the blessings that God is willing and eager to give us! Does anybody remember that one Mormon Message, "Your Potential, Your Privilege?" Sister Christofferson then took this to the topic of receiving answers to our prayers. God, without fail, always answers our faithful and just prayers. In D&C 6:14, God reminds Joseph Smith of this, saying, 14 ...as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit. The challenge really isn't getting our answer. It's hearing, understanding, and accepting the answers He so often is giving us. It has less to do with the amount of oil that he'll give us and more to do with number of vessels we put at his disposition. I know that Christ lives and has effectuated Heavenly Father's plan of redemption with His infinite atonement. This is His church restored on the earth today. Love, Elder George For news about Elder Christofferson's visit to Brazil and a picture of Sonny go to https://www.lds.org/church/news/elder-christofferson-assures-members-in-brazil-that-better-days-await?lang=eng&_r=1&cid=HP_MO_17-4-2017_dCN_fCNWS_xLIDyC_ I had another really just miraculous week. I feel so dang good about the good news of the gospel. It's really so fulfilling wearing this stinking nametag. It's hard to describe it the why the what or the details of this feeling. But this scripture does a pretty good job - Alma 33:23
Anywho, Luciano's family got called to be responsible for prelude music of the sacrament meeting which will make all the difference in them really staying strong in the church attendance until they resolve the legal issues of their marriage. I performed the ordinance of conferring and ordaining Ricardo to the priesthood yesterday which was cool. Another highlight of the week was another ridiculously delicious Brasilian barbecue. It was raining and we missionaries were out of lunch ideas. So my comp and I ran to the butcher and bought a Brasilian cut called, "little diaper" and grabbed some branches to "sew it on the kebab" and it came out so dang succulent. I will try to send pics later. Love y’all! Share the gospel with everyone! Elder George Hello all,
I'm am really inexpressibly well and grateful for my Savior. The blessings are so many for those who serve him. We went to the chapel in Gama for interviews with president this week as a zone. It was fun. We learned also that we are going to be receiving a visit from an apostle on the 16th of March! Yesterday was my year and 6 months mark. Crazy. It goes by so fast Luciano, our soon to be married investigator bore his testimony about how the church is true, and how his life has changed "100 percent." That was awesome. He was Elder Silva's (my mission son) first street contact on the mission! Love you all. Sorry it's short. Life is great. God is great. Brazilian barbecue is up there as well. Elder George I am going quite swimmingly.
Last night we had a big birthday feast at our investigator's house and tried to make homemade chips and salsa to bring to the event but chilis here are whack. I am enjoying quite a bit the weather here. It's sunny but not too hot. I think I've liked things on the hot because everyone here is complaining haha. We had transfers last week, and I will have one more transfer with my mission son Elder Silva. Did I ever tell you guys that he was born only a couple of hours after me on June 20th 1997? Elder Aliser from Argentina was transferred and Elder Tavares came in his place. He has about six less months in the mission and was also trained by Elder Johnston, so he is my mission brother! He was a professional Muay Thai fighter and does exercises at home and eats really fitness-ly. It's been fun following his diet with him hahaha. Today Elder Simoes and I went to a soccer field, brought one of the 10kg weights that Elder Tavares carries around in his suitcase, and did ten sets of sprints, db snatches and pushups. It was nice to do exercises outdoors for once. I will send pics later of the feast and of the new district if the internet so permits. I have only been to Balneário das Lajes in terms of touristic sites. Remember those pics of that waterfall? Oh and also they changed our schedule completely. We watched a broadcast from the missionary department in Salt Lake that made some worldwide changes and suggestions and our time to wake up is 7:30 now and bed is still 10:30. It’s been hard fitting in 16 hours in 15 hours. I’ve been pretty thrown off and haven't really been able to have that really good scripture study for example. But I’ll get used to it I hope. I’ll complete 6 months here in Cristalina and should be transferred in five weeks from now. I will have technically had 1 more week than I had in Lago Sul. Love y'all! Talk to you more later! I hope you all had a great 2016! 2016 was the best year of my life!!!
Here's the update. Three weeks ago we had had transfers, and we all went to Brasilia to get our new companions as well as have some Christmas fun! I got a new greenie companion. Elder Silva is his name. He lives in São Paulo but is from the Bahia. He is the perfect companion but is super shy in the street! I am confident the mission will make all the difference with that hahaha! On my first day, my trainer made me teach in the front of bus full of people. Luckily I am not that cruel. Those six missionaries who look a little bit too happy are the Cristalina District. They are great. The branch had a Christmas dinner. It was fun and we missionaries put on a skit about Samuel the Lamanite it was fun! I got a herva matte cup as my secret santa gift. There were many big mangos. We had an investigator family come to the dinner and they liked it a lot. They invited us over for Xmas lunch (barbecue of course) and they decorated the table with pass a-long cards hahaha! Santa doesn't come at night here. He rides through the city giving out presents during the day on a fire truck. I can now say as well that I have taken Brazilian Barbecue lessons at every restaurant in the city. Love you all so much!!!! Elder George Hey guys!
Right now the overall feeling is exhaustion. I just want to lie down... But it was a great week. Cleiton and Maria were baptized and it was awesome! Here is me doing Brasilian barbecue earlier today with that Hawaiian shirt I mentioned last week. If you look closely, there is paint on my teeth (We hand made t-shirts with water balloons filled with paint). This week I saw a few miracles that showed me just how willing God is to help us. No, popsicles didn't fall from the sky while we were walking in the hot sun, but I really did see and feel His hand alongside me. This is His work. There's nothing we can do to stop it. Our privilege is to simply be a part of it. This week is the last week of the transfer. It's probable that I will stay in the area and Elder Goveia will be transferred given that he has 6 months in the area. We'll know soon enough! Thank you for your prayers :) Love, Elder George |
Elder Sonny GeorgeBrazil Brasilia Mission Blogs
July 2017
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