8/3/16

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Yep portuguese is hard.  My companion got his VISA, and without notification he got sent off at 6am on Tuesday.  So I no longer have a companion at the MTC, and I am the only one on my level in Portuguese.  Some might find this difficult, and a challenge, but IT'S A BLESSING TRUST ME.  As a missionary, I was already getting slightly annoyed with having to be attached at the hip to another guy.  Let me tell you, when you're the only one who has to use the restroom, and your companion has to wait outside the door, that will never not be awkward.  So I'm liking this power as a solo Elder.  Also, being one-on-one with my teachers is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me.  I've more than tripled my vocabulary since Tuesday, and I can say any sentence I want with the proper conjugations.  I'm still lacking vocab, and I need to memorize the conjugating better, but by the time I leave the MTC I really might be close to fluent.  I already consider myself conversational.  We have 5 or 6 teachers who are natives to Brazil, and I can understand everything they say.  I can reply, but it takes me a while cause I'm trying super hard to make sure I say it perfectly. Cause that's what the MTC is for right?  If I take my time and get it exactly right now, then when I get to Brazil, it'll be natural, and normal pace.

Spiritual part of my week:
I got to teach a real person this week!  Their background:  They served a mission about 8 years ago in Brazil (hence the portuguese), and then went inactive.  They wanted to find their testimony again but also thought "heck, why not make a brand new missionary's life a little harder too?!" So they came to the MTC to volunteer to be taught, but they were actually looking to be brought back into the fold.  So that's what I did this week.  I got to share with this person all of these cool things and I found out today that they took the step and went back to church this week. We only talked for like half an hour, but yeah that was awesome. So kudos for that person for putting their possible salvation in the hands of someone who can barely say "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" in portuguese haha.  Also, I have progressed so much in portuguese in only 4 WEEKS, that it is undeniably the Gift of Tongues.  I can't fathom trying to do this without the Power of God.  

So, if anyone is feeling so inclined as to make a missionary's life better, (because missionaries have hard lives.  I'll be honest.  I never knew it was this rough before I became one of them.  So mad respect to everyone who's been on a mission), shoot them a letter!  A Dear Elder, put something in the mail, send them an email!  It makes them smile, and they can feel your love, and support.  And I know for sure that your love is one of the ways Christ lets His servants know that He loves them too.  So reach out to them!  They need it.  Heck, I need it!  (p.s. Dear Elder's are still free while i'm in the MTC, hint hint)  So that would definitely make my day.  It's the little things!

Speaking of little things,  I had a profound thought this week.  I'm sure that a ton of people have had this thought before, so I might not be dropping any knew knowledge this week.  But I've been checking myself super hard on making sure i'm doing the little things.  Of course, I have the missionary stereotype around me right now.  I only like to talk about and do spiritual things....yeah yeah yeah shush up, totally true.  I don't know what it is, but I feel like a straight-up sinner if I don't kneel when I say my prayers in the morning and before bed!  It's the little things.  What's the best way to start your day?  I find one thing in the scriptures that I'm gonna apply that day.  I'll usually read one of the miracles of Jesus, or one of His parables, and take the lesson applied, or the character He shows, and I try to apply it extra hard that day.  So by the end of the week, I have 7 characteristics of Christ that I've been pounding into my attitude.  Maybe after doing that for 2 years, I'll actually MAYBE start to feel like I'm becoming as He was.  It's the little things.  A guy in my zone got his VISA and left for the Sao Paulo MTC today, so I went and bought him an irregular verb card for portuguese (chill, it was .50$) so yeah, super little thing,  but he was so grateful it was awesome.  So I'm gonna keep doing the little things, and maybe possibly i'll start to feel like i'm a true disciple of Christ.  Cause when you do the little things, the big things just kinda happen.  I've never heard of someone forsaking God who was reading their scriptures and saying their prayers every day.  So as long as we do those tiny things, we can become like Him....eventually.  


Okay last thing:  the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormon Church for my buds who aren't Mormon) is super impressive.  (I'm about to sound like i'm in ultimate missionary-mode right now, don't judge)  I know 100% that the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Gospel He taught while He walked the Earth, has been RESTORED.  If you wanna shoot me an email and learn a little more about what I'm talking about, do it!  I can show you some super cool things about the Bible I bet you didn't know existed.  That's just what happens when that's all i do every day. for 10+ hours.  So, You wanna know why I decided to give up 2 years of my life? You wanna know why I left school, Track, money, family, friends, comfort, and tons of other things?  Send me an email, and I'll show you why.  It's so cool, lemme tell you about it!  So email me and let me know that you want to know why.  


Aight, catch ya next week.  The Church is True!

Elder Pier Dick



P.S. Matthew 15:17 (Jesus talks about pooping hehehe.  He's got a sense of humor.  Take that Peter, you get a lesson on poop when you don't have enough faith to believe Jesus.)

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