Email 5-12-14

ookay!     This week was good!

This week was a week of finding! We contacted EVERYBODY in the street, and invited all of them to go to church. One thing that I have realized on my mission is that we can´t waste time on people that won´t progress. We are finding the elect! The people ready to enter into the waters of baptism.

 Speaking of that, we had 2 baptisms yesterday. L and N. We´ve been working with them for a long time, they have a lot of friends from other churches that always talk about religion and try to talk bad about our church. But they went and felt and know that this is the true church. They can go to the other churches that are fun, and have yelling and dancing but that´s not what is going to save them. To have salvation we have to go to the true church and be baptized in it by someone that holds the Priesthood Authority of God.

This week we will continue the marriage process of G and K

During my time here I’ve been trying to work with some less active/inactive youth. The youth program in this ward is kind of weak, that´s why. But, I was talking to these two young men in the street the other day, I knew one of them were members but he was with someone else so I went up and contacted them! The one that I knew was a member told me, ‘don´t even try it, he´s a member too’, talking about his friend. We talked a bit and they don't have any interest in coming back to church.

This is what makes me sad; that there exists people in the world that have everything. They CAN go to church but don’t want to.. Then there are the people that CAN´T go to church  but want to.. It´s so stupid. We know how we can have happiness and salvation but some people don’t do it. We know how to do it, and it´s super easy. Go to church, read your scriptures and say your prayers, then everything works out after that.

This church is true, I know that. If you’re not happy in life, you´re doing something wrong, change it! :) And if you ARE happy, go find someone that is sad, and make them happy.

We have some awesome projects going on here. I don’t want to be a normal missionary that passes in areas, but I want to change them, forever! I know it´s possible. We will do all what we possibly can, then our Heavenly Father will do the rest.                -Elder Kyler Blane Farr

PS:   It was amazing to skype with him!   Through the whole rest of the day, it felt like we had 'hung out' with him and he had to go somewhere and he'd be back later.  I kept thinking he was going to walk through the door any minute!  I was worried that I would wake up feeling sad the next morning, when he hadn't come home!!   But I didn't!   It was such a happy time with him and the family that there no was place for sadness!

here are more stories and things he told us:

EVERYONE is on drugs there, literally..   We contacted these two boys, invited them to church on Sunday and they said they would go. We passed by on Sunday and they were getting ready to leave to their dad’s house but they said the mom and sister were going;  that they want a better life than what they have.  So we went with them!  I think we'll be able to get the boys to come to church with us too.

  

He showed us where he used to buckle his belt and then pulled it out in front of him so far!!  He has lost 7 belt loops.   He also showed us how much extra room he has in his shirt by pulling it out in front of his chest.    President Souza told him, ‘Elder, your clothes are so big!  You need to go shopping!”  He’s been waiting to get permission to go out of the area to go shopping – guess he has permission now!!

His companion, Elder B. from Ohio, after meeting us and saying hello, told us, “Your son is really awesome!”   To which Camron quickly said, ‘Thank you!  My parents are really proud of me!”    It was funny and so true - we are proud of all of our awesome children, those through birth and those through marriage!

Aimee reminded Kyler that he couldn’t remember how to say backpack in English last year and we all giggled about that. Then later he was telling us about a food they eat there and couldn’t remember the English word ‘cream’!  He had to ask his companion!  I don’t know why but that makes us all giggle so much!

Stephen commented that Kyler’s English is much better this year than it was last year.  He replied that it’s easier now because he’s so solid in Portuguese.  When he was learning the language, it was hard to switch back and forth.

He told us that the most dangerous area in the city is in his area and close to his house.  There’s a bridge that crosses into this dangerous area.  They are not allowed to be in there after 5 PM.  Once while there, a scantily clad female of dubious business pretty much attacked Kyler in an overly friendly way.  Kyler said they RAN away from there – and it made me think of Joseph running from Potiphar’s wife!  

In this bridge area everyone is so high all the time that they look like zombies walking around, blank faced, drooling….   He said that drug use is a super big problem.  

Everyone across the bridge (and through all of his mission because of the heat) only wears minimal clothing.   A guy they stopped and talked to was dressed in real Nikes (which are very rare there), levis, a nice shirt, gold watch….  Turns out he is a drug lord.  They invited him to church.  He declined but said he likes them and thinks they are cool!  Kyler says it madehim feel a little bit safer over there because it was very obvious that this guy was feared and so maybe that would deter anyone that might want to mess with the missionaries.

So the pit of the mission has changed!!   The area Kyler is in is no longer the pit!!!  The year before Kyler and his comps got in this area, there were 7 Baptisms total.     Since transferring to 'the pit' 14 weeks ago, they have had 13 Baptisms!!  This area now has more Baptisms than any other area in the mission. It is a big testimony of the importance of the Missionary’s attitude, commitment and being worthy and careful of the trust of the members with their loved ones.

As we skyped with Kyler, there were 3 other Missionaries and the home owner members in the house, and we had a house full with our family too.   It was loud and fun and crazy and amazing!   It was so cool to hear Kyler talk in Portuguese to the others.  And I was impressed that even though all 4 Elders were American, they talked in Portuguese to each other out of respect to the homeowners there.  Also, the other companionship had to walk 45 minutes each way to the house where they skyped.

One of my favorite things that happened several times, was when Kyler would be talking to us and someone would need help or ask a question and he would stop talking English mid-sentence, talk Portuguese to them, and then come back in English right where he left off without hesitation and finish his story!  It was amazing!!!

When Kyler called from a member's house on Saturday morning to confirm our Skype time for Sunday, he had to ask the Sister what the number was for us to call him back, so the charge would be on our bill and not hers.   Blane was on the phone with him and said he just started rattling off Portuguese really fast and it really amazed  Blane.  It was really cool!  By the way, that sweet Sister won't let us/him pay her back.

Email 5-4-14

This week was awesome! I just wanted to share an experience of some investigators! 

So, this couple we are teaching, the man went to church with us last week without his ``wife`` and during this last week we left the Book of Mormon with them to read and pray about it. We left 3 ne 11.   She started it and read until Chapter 30!!!   She said, `` I’m not even going to pray about it, because I know for a fact that it´s true. There is no way that a man could have invented this.  This book is TRUE!``   We continued to teach them this week and they BOTH went to church on Sunday. She got home from church all excited about it and wanted to share her feelings with her friend! She called her and started to tell her about the church. Then her friend started to talk bad about the church, and the missionaries, and told her to burn the book. She said,  ``I’m not even going to listen what she said, because she is a human, and God already told me that this book and the church are true!`` 

I was thinking.. what if she had gone to church last week WITHOUT a testimony of the book, and her friend talked bad about it... we probably would have lost them.. But God knows what he´s doing.  He let her go one more week to know of the truthfulness of the book, and now is converted for life!! 

We grabbed their documents yesterday and we´ll go to the...place that does marriages to get them married and baptized!   They´re super elect!   And our Bishop bore his testimony about missionary work and how we need to give our very best to the missionaries, like Food and references and what not.   G and K, (the couple) invited us to lunch at their house on Tuesday!!

K´s mom who was going to go to church too, but got sick was super mad when we got to their house on Sunday.   I asked her if everything was okay and she said, ``NO NOTHING IS OKAY``

I asked what was wrong and she started crying.  She was sad they both had gone to church and loved it while she was at home alone with nothing to do!   THEY ARE SO AWESOME!!

Love every one of you!´

Elder Kyler Blane Farr