So this week, we were at one of our lunch appointments, with the familia Dantes, and I realized that they were the first lunch appointment I had here in the field. I remembered how scared and inept I was, not being able to speak, or understand, feeling tired and apprehensive, just following my trainer and trying to pull myself together.
But! This visit, three months later, was such the opposite! I was talking and talking, making jokes, bearing my testimony, eating with gustou, and afterwards giving a spiritual message with confidence and a smile! I was so grateful to see the difference, and to be reminded once again, how much God loves me and all of us, and how He helps our efforts.
Also, it is wonderful to be constantly reminded how much you all support us missionaries. Thank you for your letters: Elders Andrew and Matthew Woodruff, Hermana Bean (so cool my twin is a sister missionary!), Miriam (it’s awesome you are getting Bro Pearce for seminary—great teacher—tell him hi from me!) and family, plus Rachel Arteta...and a package from Rosemary Merrill! Que Alegria!! Thanks so much. The love is real ;)
This next part I might subtitle: a division, a debater, a death and a dream.
A division: We had a division with the zone leaders this week. Elder Nielsen with Elder Groesbeck, and me with Elder Nagueira. It was so great! Elder Nagueira is a Brazilian who has been out 1 year and 7months, and knows that he is a servant of God—and a representative of Jesus Christ. He has such excitement to spread the Gospel message! He talks to everyone (like literally everyone!), and talks about the importance of baptism in the first contact. He said to me (I’m translating from the Portugues), “Don’t ever let fear stop you. Close your eyes and continue.” I had a great day with him, and I already know my mission is going to be different because I learned so much from him during this division.
A debater:
I understand something about my companion, Elder Nielsen.
He was on his school’s debate team, and it rubbed off a little on his personality.
This is why he is so bold and direct when teaching, and why he can help guide our investigator to understand what they’re feeling and thinking, and why he can identify what their concerns are.
He’s a great man.
We are working well together:
He knows Portugues
grammer really well, and this week, a light bulb turned on in my brain about the different tenses (incomplete, present, indicative, imperfect subjunctive, conditional, future subjunctive, past participle, etc., etc.)!
Yahoo!
A death: There is a twelve year old boy here who has a genuine testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel, yet plans to not act on that knowledge because he wants to please his godparents (long story, I won’t go into it). And Aah! It’s killing me. He’s a great kid: really special. And he’s so close! Sometimes I see glimpses of his future as a member of the church: the mission he might serve, being married in the temple, raising his family in the Church, teaching Elders Quorum, etc., etc. AHH! And I just want to die to think that he may miss it because of a desire to please somebody else’s ideas for his life instead of living his future based on his own feelings and choices. So yeah, while I say I could die, I also need to remember: he is young. He has a great understanding and capacity—especially for someone so young. So we continue to work with him, and put our faith in the Lord that it will all work out.
A dream: This whole mission is like a dream, a Matrix—a Truman Show—it’s the “Sao Paulo Dream.” It’s crazy. It can’t be real because it’s so good!
Hey, all—Be good to each other. Keep the commandments...“in this there is safety and peace.” See you. Love you. I mean it. Tchau, tchau.
Love, Elder David Bean
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