This past week was a rather normal week. It went by really fast.
We are still struggling to baptise here mostly because it is very difficult to get people to church.
President
Mathews has established some standards of Excelence (pretty much goals
for our key indicators that need to become the norm) for us though, and
so we are going to have to make some big changes so we can fulfil what
we need to do.
We will be working to have at the very least 10
people in church every week. I am excited to see these big changes
that will happen to achieve this. I know we will get it though working
more effectively and with the members.
This week we started a
Book of Mormon study night which is great. We do it in the house of an
investigator in one of our areas. There were only three people that
showed up this week, but hopefully this coming week will be better. One
of those three was a new investigator named Já. We were talking, and
got into some inspired questions and backed them up with the scriptures.
A lot of people here are just used to using the same answer that they
learned when they were little about why things are important and what
they mean, but there is less of a understanding of the true and basic
gospel doctrines. So, as we talked I asked them to prove it. They
would say something, and I would say prove it, and then when they
couldn't I would help them learn the truth through the scriptures. Já,
this new investigator, by the end was trying to find answers, and we
left him with a copy of the book of Mormon, and showed him how to use
the foot notes and the GEE (Guia de Estudo das Escrituras=The Scipture
Study Guide) which we don't have in english. It is like a mix of the
index and dictionary. For every word there is a definition, and then
scriptures about it, and related words. It is pretty awesome. We left
him with a question to answer and a fixed deterimination to find the
answer to that question. The question we left him with is What is
required to repent so that you are truely forgiven? That is a question
that you all are invited to respond too. But, if you have an answer,
you'd better be able to PROVE IT.
I hope that we can all study
the scriptures in a way that we study and find, seek and ponder, feast
and savour. Just reading is great but not enough after a bit.
One
of our investigators that Did finally come to chruch is Altidi. He is
about 27 or so. He is a teacher, and will start teaching again next
week when school starts here. Last week he came to church but he got
there late and was afraid to come in, so he stayed outside and helped
out with some people that were carrying stuff instead. He is awesome.
We have been working on and off with him for 3 months or so. We
contacted him on the street like my 3 week here. He is finally
progressing, and I am super excited to work with him every week. He is
working on beating alchool. Pray for him.
So, I don't know if
you remember, but we work in 2 different areas that are about 2 hours
apart, and then the other elders work in the area in the middle. Very
impractical frankly. Anyways, so we used to be working Sunday monday wednesday friday in Ribeirao Manuel, and Tuesday thursday saturday in Achada Lém, but now we have started working in Achada Lém more because the people are more receptive there. We work there tuesday wednesday, friday and saturday. It is a blast every day, and even though we didn't teach tons this week, I had the desire to stay out longer every night.
So, that was this uneventful week.
It was a great week though. I am excited for this week.
Also
Some People asked about EFY. It happens every other year. Usually
there is the north islands session and the south islands. It isn't like
in America where there are a thousand sessions. It is a great thing
though. It is run by the members of the church. Our branch had 2
councelors and 4 youth that went. It was in Fogo this year. The years
that don't have EFY have a young single adult encampment.
Love You All!!!
Elder Sampson
The Spirit Brings Feelings of Love for our Brothers and Sisters
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