Week #29
Yes, I'm at the beach. It's hot, but it's always windy.
Last week we had transfers. I left the wonderful Guajuviras and came to the city of Osorio. I'll spend the next six weeks here. Yes, the address is the same. In fact, I'll have the same address for my entire mission.
Osorio is about 20 km away from the beach and is a much wealthier area than Guajuviras. The food is a little bit more varied and they eat beef instead of chicken. Some of the houses here makes me feel poor. In some ways it's not surprising that there is only one branch here. They don't even have a chapel.
My companion is Elder Angus. He's an American from Berthoud, Colorado which happens to be in the Colorado Fort Collins Mission, and has been on his mission a little bit more than a year. He's awesome to work with and we just about equal each other on the nerd scale. We compare principles of the Gospel to Calculus and talk about the different experiences we've had with computers. Possibly the nerdiest companionship in Brazil right now.
I don't know if I've told anybody this yet, but Rio Grande do Sul is a state in Brazil with some very big religious problems. Here people do voodoo and a lot of other strange things that are intended to harm people with the supernatural. The scary thing is that much of it is real. There are curses and other things of the devil on every street corner and just two days ago we had to command a spirit to leave a man. The comforting thing is that the power of God is greater than the power of the devil and with only a command, they leave immediately. Evidences of the power of God come after faith, but they do happen. Miracles and angels are here to assist the work of saving souls. The Lord does not abandon us.
Now that I've scared my mother, don't forget to study the scriptures every day. Pray, go to church, pay your tithing. Sacrifice brings forth the blessings of Heaven. The only thing that is truly ours is our ability to choose. All else can be taken. Thus I believe it makes a great deal of sense that the greatest sacrifice brings forth the greatest blessings. Isn't that what Christmas is about? The birth of the one person who submitted His will to that of the Father and paid for us.
I'm excited for Christmas in Brazil. Tchau para voces!
Elder Dickson
After reading his letters & talking to Michael quite a bit while he was home, it sounds like Elder Dickson is still in the "culture shock" stage (especially with the voodoo stuff, Mike told us about it when he got home but brushed off). He will adjust! Michael had a harder time for his first transfer in Cali & first transfers in Brazil but finished off strong :) Elder Dickson has much more time in Brazil after he gets used to it, he's going to do great! Michael always wanted to see that area he's serving in!
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