October 15, 2012

Hey Family and friends,

Things are going well in ******.  Sort of.  Our investigator, *******, who was marked for a baptism, didn't come to church and told us that she didn't think that the Mormon thing was for her.  So we went over there and talked to her and we explained that our church is different than any other church and that this gospel is for everyone.  We asked her again to read the Book of Mormon and pray for an answer.  We felt impressed to leave Alma 32 for her to read.  Hopefully she receives an answer.  It is all in the Lord's hands as of now.

We have been having some ups and downs with some of the investigators.  Some who receive our message with joy and vigor and then after a few days or weeks, they lose it.  Kind of like the parable of the seeds in the four different places.  Also there are the people who are much slower at accepting the gospel, or growing in it.  I have much more patience with my investigators and I also feel that it is very difficult to cut any of them (take them off our teaching list).  As for me, I don't remove any of my investigators until they remove themselves.  I don't want to give up on them, but if they don't want to listen, then there is nothing that we can do.

We are though, working with a young man, who is in his twenties, to come back to church.  His name is *****, he smokes a bit, but he knows that the church is true.  We felt impressed to ask him to work with us, and come with us as we teach our investigators.  He did and I feel that it was really good for him.  We had some guy talk about some anti-Mormon stuff and giving evidences how the Book of Mormon was false. (obviously he got this from the Internet.)  Our investigator said, "that guy is crazy."  Didn't faze him.  And ******* actually came to church yesterday for the first time in a year, saying he wants to stop smoking.  So we are going to work with him quite a bit these upcoming weeks and help him out.  Maybe ask him to go proselyting with us.

I've been praying recently on how we can help this area grow with the potential that it has.  Did you know that this area had 8 elders or so at the same time once?  So it has a lot of potential.  So as I was asking and praying, I received an impression that we needed to do a service project.  I pondered for a bit last night on what kind of project we should do.  I felt an answer this morning during personal study that it needs to be a project that will get the Church's name in the paper.  So it has to be big.  We are going to talk to one of the members who is good friends with the mayor, if there is something we can do.  I feel that it will be really good for the area to get our name out there, and to show that we are not just another church's missionaries but that we are here to serve the people, as Ammon did with the Lamonites.

I know that this church is true and that it can bless the lives of individuals and families.  The fact that we can perform sealing ordinances in the temple so that families can be together forever is amazing and I am very grateful to teach the atonement of Jesus Christ to the people here in Brazil.  I love you guys.  Stay strong.

Love,

Elder Kevin Brady