A Bittersweet Goodbye
Boa tarde meus queridos,
How are you all doing!?!
Sorry for not getting an email out last week! As you can probably imagine I the new designations and new missionary, things were pretty, as we say down here, "corrido" these past few weeks.
Unfortunately, I had to say goodbye to both of my companions today.
The first: Elder de Souza.
We had been companions in two different areas and three companionships since February. If I said it once I've said it one million times: the man is just a beast. He knows how to work, he knows how to teach, he loves the people, and he loves the missionary purpose. He will be flying back to his home in the state of São Paulo tomorrow and while I know he's fought the good fight and fulfilled his purpose (at least on the "full-time" side of things, it was very sad to see him go. That there was a friendship that will not be going anywhere anytime soon. I just hope I can take what I've learned from him and continue applying it in my own mission life.
As for my other companion - Elder França - he unfortunately also returned home, but after only one month as a missionary. When a two-hour bus delay left us in São Luis for a day doing work remotely through our cell phone (his first full day out of the MTC and in the mission field), we sat and had several long conversations after he expressed his desire to return home. I gave him a blessing, we read scriptures together, and talked and talked and talked, but at the end of the day he said he made the call to Presidente Lindsey and is currently flying back home.
I wonder what I could or should have done differently, but when all is said and done it comes down to a principle that I had learned through leadership positions before the mission: if someone wants to achieve something, I can help him achieve it, but if there is no want, I can't do anything. I cannot make somebody want to be a missionary anymore than I can make somebody want to be a better sprinter. I can critique technique, show examples, and give training routines, but the desire to improve must com from the athlete himself.
While that was a bit dissapounting, I am excited for the opportunity I will now have to serve with my old Zone Leader, Elder S. Portela, a missionary whom I have worked with on several occasions and who also has an incredible work ethic.
The problem I really want to work on with him is helping the folks in Tutóia understand the importance of church attendance. Not because of the numbers, but really and truly because of the ordinance of the sacrament.
Really, Christ said it best in the Book of Mórmon Mórmon he was teaching the people of the American continent this principle:
"He that eateth this bread eateth of my body to his soul; and he that drinketh of this wine drinketh of my blood to his soul; and his soul shall never hunger nor thirst, but shall be filled."
3 Nephi 20:8
It's interesting to me; in Portuguese, the word used instead of "filled" is "satisfeito" (satisfied).
What does satisfaction mean to you?
How important is it to you to have it?
If you really truly want it, then I promise you that this is an incredible way to get it.
Just one more thing to wrap up my thoughts:
Thank you, each one of you, for all of your support. Thank you truly.
I hope you all have a great week and I look forward to hearing what is happening in your life!
Tchau tchau
Até a próxima semana,
Èlder Lindsay
Random points I included in the photos and/or forgot to metion:
1. Found a lizard buddy that wouldn't leave me alone
2. Played nurse for three days while comps decided to be sick
3. Took a picture of what might be the nicest house I've seen in the mission
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