the happenings‏

09/16/09

Hi,

Some quick requests, if I may: Could you (anyone who feels that this could apply to them or who could contribute in any way) send me some short, children’s stories. I want to get a bunch of stories together that could be used as a sort of “family night parables” thing. I was thinking of things along the lines of “the giving tree” or things like that. Stories that can be easily tied back into the gospel. Since the people here don’t have the same children’s literature we do, people will think I am so creative and awesome. This is a good thing.

Funny story for Isis. There were two missionaries teaching a lesson to a family not too long ago. One was missionary of about a year, I think, and the other was being trained. To make a long story short, the new missionary made a mistake in is Spanish. It was a very warm day and, since he doesn’t know how to say much else, he decided to comment on the temperature. Weather talk, always a winner. Well, except this time. He commented to the father of the family, “¡estoy caliente!” The father, of course, reacted as any good father would by screaming to the kids, “Run, children! To your rooms! Grab the dogs! Hurry, now, go!”

(“estoy caliente” is the equivalent to expressing that one is currently in heat)

Great family.

Now, on to the main event. Elder Teixeira.

Elder Teixeira is a native from Portugal. He speaks perfect Spanish, but is Spanish is a mix between Spanish and Portuguese… Spatuguese? So anyway, he is a member of the first quorum of the seventy and also a member of the Europe area presidency. With this information in mind, you will now understand the following statement which I would like to make:

I was publicly reprimanded by a member of the first quorum of the seventy.

It was awesome.

During the conference, Elder Teixeira left the pulpit and came down to stand in front of us and use the whiteboard. We just happened to be on the second row in the very corner where the whiteboard was situated. He then proceeded to ask how many of the missionaries had progressing investigators (took us a while to understand it because he said it in Spatuguese: inspesquitadoras). We were fortunate enough to be able to raise our hands. He then asked how many of the missionaries had more than two. We were still able to keep our hands up. He then saw us and, due to our phenomenal positioning right in front of his face, asked us to come up so he could make an example out of us, I mean, use us as an example. He asked us for two of our investigators. We told him Isa and Ronnie. We then wrote their names on the board. He then asked us to give some background info on them. We were speaking Spanish at this point, so the majority of the attention slowly shifted to me, as far as the answering the questions spoken in Spatuguese was concerned. We then told about each of them and he was very happy about it. He then asked if they had baptismal dates. I told him that we have invited them, but they are both still not to that point. He asked the same question again. I tried to word it differently, but gave the same answer. Apparently, it was still the wrong answer. This was when it got awesome. He told us that there is no excuse under the sun for a progressing investigator not to have a baptismal date. He then told us that we were going to go in to the lesson with Isa and her husband Miguel Angel and tell him that his wife wants to be baptized and we want to invite him to be baptized with her, otherwise she will have to be baptized without him and progress alone. Miguel Angel is the reason Isa is not baptized yet. He wants nothing to do with us. He is one of those sinners who is comfortable with is lifestyle. Elder Teixeira said that we would alse make sure Ronnie set a date. Worthy of note: Ronnie has been challenged by many missionaries, and always says he will get baptized when he is ready. So after Elder Teixeira man handled me a little bit more, he let me sit down. I talked to him after, mostly because I wanted to shake the hand that so powerfully slapped my pride. He thanked me for being a missionary he knew could handle a teaching opportunity like that (i am not sure why this keeps happening to me). Then he said he wanted me to tell him what ended up happening with Isa and Ronnie.

Well, we did what he said. First with Miguel Angel. He was very much the same in the lesson, but when we went ahead and told him what was up he was silent for like 2 minutes. Then he said that this was serious. He would have to change a lot and told us he would have to think a lot about it, but he thinks he is ready to change. Amazing.

Then we did it with Ronnie. We had an awesome lesson and ended up just asking him when he was going to be baptized. He delayed a little bit and said that when he felt he was ready, he would do it. We then read the requirements for a baptismal candidate in Doctrine and Covenants 20:37 (I think, it is in the second column in the middle in Spanish). I then took off my tag, handed it to him and said that we would change roles for a bit. I then asked him, “Elder Carr, what do I need to do to feel ready?” He paused for a bit and said, “Repent of your sins, pray, read the scriptures, and go to church.” I then asked him, as myself again, “Are you willing to do that?” He accepted and said that the next time he would have an answer for us. Later, as we were walking to the station to catch the train back home, he pulled up next to us in his car. He said that he had been looking all over for us. After the lesson, he felt so amazing inside that he wanted to thank us in some way, so he tracked us down and gave us a ride to the station.

Time is spent, but I will for sure keep the updates coming on them.

Love you bunches,

Elder Sky