Hello Family and Friends
So, here’s the deal. We tried a new place for the computers, and
they don’t have adaptors for SD cards. So, no pictures or letter for you guys!!
Sorry!!!!! Next week you’ll have twice as much!!
Anyways, I wasn’t transferred!!! But, they will reopen the other
area, and I will stay in the other area. So, I can’t visit Albertinha, Sandra
and Carlinhos, Mirian and Rafa. Or any of the other people I’m used
to and good friends with. And, the other area, when it closed, a lot of the
investigators got cut to give priority to the ones progressing. So, we have no
one to teach. So, this week will be a week of searching and using the area
book. :) I’m so excited!!! I got 3 letters today and one package. The baptism
didn’t go through because he smoked one cigarette last Sunday, and asked to
wait a little bit longer so he’ll feel more ready. But, this Saturday maybe.
His interview needs to be with President Parrela maybe, because he
was in a car accident that was his fault and someone died.
How are you doing
on the memorizing the scripture mastery?
Do you have to pass all 100 off at the same time? I pass the
scripture masteries off 25 at a time to the zone leaders. I’m still going
strong!! And family search works perfect. Thanks!
In the elders quorum this week they were talking about how they have
a ton of people that don’t come. I was about to say something, then Eliandro, a
5 month investigator that’s waiting for papers of divorce from the
government so he can marry the girl he’s now living with so he can get baptized,
rose his hand and said “maybe I’m totally wrong, I don’t know, I’m just an
investigator, but the first time I came here you had 3 times as many men. I
think if you visit these people in their house it would help a lot.” It was cool to see an investigator correcting
these men who served missions. Then they talked about it, and I told them
about how strong our priests were because we were always doing stuff together,
and how we as a quorum talked about helping the people that didn’t come.
Tell us about your
new companion, and the new elders in your house.
Elder Santos Melo will be a zone leader. I haven’t met my new comp
yet. Tomorrow. I’m still with Elder Santos Melo for today. My new comp is
Brazilian, speaks less English than Santos Melo, has 6 months in the mission,
so only one transfer more than me. The other elders…there’s one from Chile,
Elder Donoso, who has one year and 2 months I think. He will be district
leader. Then there’s Elder Jawwd, an American with 2 weeks more than me,
because he came to the field the same day that I entered the MTC, but he only
was in the MTC for 12 days, because he’s lived in Sao Paulo for a long time,
and speaks Portuguese like a Brazilian, perfectly. So, that’s cool.
Anything you need? A package of sweets that is very American.
Skittles, M&M’s, Pop Rocks (everyone LOVED Pop Rocks), Pixi Sticks, Kit
Kats, and anything else you can think of. :) The kids, and adults, love them. All
the kids here love me because I have sweets from America. Adults are fighting over skittles. Ha-ha Nutella!!!
Really, that’s all. :) Any other
things you can think of that are American, or that you think I would like, I’ll
welcome. :) Thanks!
So, here’s one spiritual experience I had:
In my personal study today I was reading in the bible about when the
rich young man asks Jesus what he needs to do to enter his kingdom. Jesus lists
off the commandments. The young man says, “I’ve done those my whole life!”
Jesus says, “If you want to be perfect, give all you have to the poor and
follow me.” (Mathew 19, this story is) The young man then became sad, and left.
I was thinking about this. What happened to the other men? Jesus said, “leave
everything and follow me?” Peter, James, John. They became apostles!! They
became personal witnesses of Jesus Christ. I think it’s safe to assume, that
this young man would have become the same. A personal witness of Christ. Sometimes
with this story we judge the young man. But, if the prophet called you, and
said, “except for the clothes you’re wearing, leave everything and come serve Christ.”
How many of us really would, in that instant, run to him? Or would we be like
uh, right now? Really? I think some would go, yes, but really the type of
person that would in that instant leave their things without question, is a
very rare type of person. That’s something a lot of us can work on. Then, I
thought about the blessings the young man missed out on. Jesus promised
him perfection and treasures in heaven. The young man didn’t understand the
extent of this, I think, or he wouldn’t have let the opportunity pass. How
often do we miss out of blessings without number, because we only see the
treasures of the world that we have right now and not the treasures in heaven God
is building for us? Just some thoughts that I had that I wanted to share. I’m learning so much here, and not just about
the gospel or Portuguese. Lessons far more valuable than anything you can learn
in a classroom or from slide shows and videos. Actual real poverty. One man
bore testimony of the blessings of the gospel,
“when I first met the missionaries, I had nothing. Now, look
at me! I have two tables here, and a fridge!!”
I know that Christ lives, and that if we chose to leave all things
of the world behind, not necessarily our possessions, but our attitude of the
natural man, I know that we will have treasures unnumbered in the Kingdom of God,
which we will enjoy with our King.
I love you all. :)
Elder McKee
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