That sounds like a marvelous Sunday Mom!
It is always a great feeling to be on top of things and have a bit of time to
relax. Probably one of the biggest rewards on the mission is when a little time
is left over to ponder. It feels like its just run from one place to another to
another to another and another! Sunday nights generally stay pretty nice
though. Well I am pretty excited for the Thanksgiving turkey when I get home.
Ha-ha turkey here is really expensive and I only have missionary money
ha-ha. Well mom, the beef jerky always
got here fine and my comps have never had any trouble with it coming in. The
taxes don’t generally happen if the contents of the package are less than 50 dollars
so yeah as long as you did that there shouldn't be a problem mom. I am really
excited for them to come! Dad said you sent two?!!!! yeahhhhhhh!!!
Well I have been saving up to buy a pull
up bar too so I can work out the back and the shoulders and the chest a little
better but ever since we started doing our exercises I have felt so much
happier and energized, its easier to wake up and its just been really nice.
Studies are sacred and I love every minute
that we have set aside to study together. I decided to read the bible because
there are so many good stories and examples in the Old Testament that I can use
in the teaching and it’s just nice to read some new text. Ha-ha its a little
crazy that I have never read it all the way but I am loving it a lot. Its super
hard to understand the Old Testament in Portuguese and I generally end up
rereading the chapters in English. But man, the times in the Old Testament were
pretty crazy and God demanded a lot from the people, now a days it is much
simpler and these people still have such a hard time giving up so so so little
to have salvation and happiness.
Speaking of salvation and happiness, this
Sunday was absolutely incredible with Kaique. It was so great. I had never said
this but we have become such good friends. He reminds me of Levi. He is such a
cool kid, he loves the same chill rock music that Levi does and he is just such
a polite respectable guy. It is so incredible how the Lord has prepared him,
and seeing that he has, I know that he will have some great responsibilities in
the church someday. This Sunday I baptized my brother and it was the
greatest feeling in the world. So Kaique was pretty nervous about it all
and we spent the entire day with him on Saturday. He signed up to help with a
church service project and so we did too so we could be with him, but nobody
else from the church came to help so we ended up leaving and went out to eat
lunch together. That was a lot of fun and it was pretty good food too. After
lunch we went to his Mom's house and talked with him for a while about life and
the gospel and it was just so cool to see how he is truly converted. I never
like when an investigator is nervous about baptism but in this case I did. He
was only nervous because he understood the weight and responsibilities of the
covenants he was going to make. Then our district leader came and interviewed
him and everything went super well, and after we ordered pizza to celebrate.
Lets just say we were stuffed by the end of the night and no we weren’t able to
get our night workout in because I also had to prepare a talk for the next day
on "How to invite others to come unto Christ" it was only a ten
minuter so no biggie.
When we had showed up to church Kaique was
there and ready to learn and I knew right away that he was still pretty nervous
but more ready than ever. Everyone there was quite excited for him.
We passed through the first two hours of
church and then the bishop told me that I wouldn't be able to speak because
something came up. I was a little bummed but then again I would've summed up my
talk in a couple short sentences. "How do we invite others to come unto
Christ?" 1st- convert yourself 2nd- go with Nike and just do it.
But anyway they changed out the bishopric and it was a cool-ish meeting. Kaique
and I were sitting together in sacrament and all of the sudden his dad and his
grandmother came and sat by him. He just started bawling and said that he wasn't nervous anymore. It was so cool to see the support that his family had
for him even though they don’t have any certain religion and his parents are
divorced.
It was even better to bring back feelings
of how much Dad and Mom have always supported me in life and the feeling of
having Dad at the football and baseball games and the church talks and the
school things is just something indescribable and extremely rare these days. I
couldn’t help but tear up as I saw that and as I thought about our wonderful
parents and family. We are just all so blessed.
After Sacrament we changed really quickly
into our whites and took some pictures and started the meeting. It was a simple
baptism, but every time I enter the water with one of God's children and have
to opportunity to recite such sacred words, it is a feeling that I never want
to let go. Just like Elder Holland said the words "Having been commissioned
of Jesus Christ...." These words are words that change lives and the true
understanding of them makes these people who are commissioned change the world.
As soon as Kaique arose from the water he was crying and we both hugged.
It was just the greatest experience.
Well that was the cream of the week, other
than a lot of hot, sweaty hours out in the sun, it was a great week. As for
this week, transfers are tomorrow because of the holiday season and I will be
training a greenie again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so so so so excited, the
other zone leader who will be coming to our zone will be training in another
area also and I literally cannot wait. We will be getting two more sisters in
the zone and opening two areas. We are now the second biggest zone in the
mission and yes, the true work of salvation and the Kingdom of our Savior is
growing here on earth. I am so happy to be part of it!
Family, I hope you have a wonderful week
and maybe take into mind my advice on inviting others to come unto Christ,
convert yourself and then just do it. I love you all! Have such a wonderful
week!
Elder Paynter
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