Another two weeks have passed so I'm now going to explain what all has happened.
Two weeks ago we were working a ton in our area and have been working with the Rogalski Family. They are a family of 5 where the Dad is in a wheelchair. They are such an awesome family. They make food and tea and we have played some futebol with them. It's just been a blast. We had the amazing opportunity to help them get baptized that same Saturday. It was kind of a funny mess because I ended up forgetting to tell them the time of the baptism and when we showed up they were ready and had plans to go to a park. While I was beating myself up about that and praying that everything could somehow turn out alright, Elder Cutler with his broken Portuguese was talking with the family about going. I guess a mixture of the two must have worked because they changed their minds and got all excited to be baptized. The entire family went and brought one of their cousins Elias and the dad's caretaker Daniel. It was a very spiritual day and an amazing opportunity. Elder Cutler baptized the whole family by himself and it was his first time doing it all in Portuguese so I was very proud of him. I had to help carry the dad into the water and then help him so that he could also get back out. It was just a testimony of their faith that they went through all the trials and difficulties and they all were able to be baptized together. Since then we have been teaching their cousins who live across the street and it's going very well. Elias and Daniel both want to be baptized as well and so we are helping them gain that understanding and strengthening their testimonies.
I also had the opportunity to do a division with one of the Assistants to the Mission President, Elder Child. Let me just start off by saying he is pretty darn cool. He is from Chicago and probably one of the most intelligent missionaries I have ever met on the mission. We had the opportunity to work in my first area 31 de Março e Jardim Florença again. I seem to keep returning to that area to help all the time. We had an awesome lunch with Irmã Glaurys e Irmão Luiz, went and visited people with America, Elias, e Douglas, and then to finish off the day Irma Cris made us an amazing chocolate cake before we had to Uber home. It was a great day to return and talk with a bunch of people and check on Mateus, Ariane, e Yan. It was just a good day of hard work and a lot of fun plus food.
That week we also had an opportunity to serve some people whose roofs got destroyed because of the hail that passed through. One of the days we helped get food, water, clothes, cleaning supplies, blankets, etc.. for many people who were in need. On Sunday after lunch we went to another area and we were changing the roofing with some of the members. It was an amazing experience that I will not forget.
This past week has been good as well. We have this awesome 18 year old young man name Luiz Thiago who stopped going to church a few years back and was big into drinking and smoking. Since we got here in Dalcol we have been visiting him every week. I remember the last time we were there, about 2ish weeks ago, he told us that he didn't think he'd be good in church or even as a missionary, and I remember talking to him about another missionary that I met here who already went home, who may not have been the greatest missionary, but he made a difference in the lives of the people he taught and in the lives of other missionaries. He had his faults and a rocky past, but he still served until the end and had many great experiences. I remember telling him some advice that was given to me by one of my greatest scout masters and mentors, Jim Caldwell. After a long conversation I invited him to pray about and ask to see what God would have him do. Let me tell you, when we went back there was a different light to him. He went to church alone that past Sunday and then told us that he prayed. He said that he asked God to tell him what he should do and that he will do whatever it takes to follow that advice. He then told us that he received a response to return to church and to serve a mission. Within a week he stopped partying, drinking, and smoking and is studying the scriptures to prepare himself to serve a full-time mission. On Thursday he went out with us and we visited a ton of people with him, and in each lesson I could feel the power of the spirit and I saw his large potential to make a difference in the lives of many. It truly made my whole week. He is bringing all his family, who also stopped going to church, back to Church and he walks around with his greater hope and joy like I've never seen before. It was truly a change of heart and mind for him.
We got to go to the temple this week, my companion and I left a little late and for the first time ever the bus actually left on time. The one time that we leave just slightly late is when the bus leaves on time. We were walking to the church with the bus insight, maybe 1-2 minutes away, and it just leaves. We call the LZs and luckily they didn't go far at all and we were still able to get on the bus and go to the Temple. It was almost a close call, but guaranteed will never happen again.
We also had Stake Conference and it went pretty well. Afterwards we had great food with a bunch of members and they just kept feeling us cake. Might gain back some pounds in this area.
Now I'd like to turn the attention to the title. I've been counseling a lot with my companion this past week and a few of the things he said made me stop and ponder about me and what I could be doing better. I ended up doing a study into an amazing talk by Elder David A. Bednar called "The Meek and Lowly of Heart". I'll link it later on, but it is amazing when you stop and ponder on what it actually entails. I'll only highlight a few parts. Firstly, what does it mean to be meek? Isn't it the same as humility? It's not the same. I love this quote from Elder Bednar's talk, "Whereas humility generally denotes dependence upon God and the constant need for His guidance and support, a distinguishing characteristic of meekness is a particular spiritual receptivity to learning both from the Holy Ghost and from people who may seem less capable, experienced, or educated, who may not hold important positions, or who otherwise may not appear to have much to contribute." You can be humble and still not be meek or lowly of heart. Meekness is a defining attribute of the Redeemer and is distinguished by righteous responsiveness, willing submissiveness, and strong self-restraint. In the talk, Elder Bednar uses great examples to illustrate the three. I was pondering on how I could do those same three things. Righteous responsiveness, what that entails is doing what you are asked to do. Pretty simple right? How about doing it as soon as possible and not pushing it off until way later. How often do we know we have something that we should do and we think it doesn't apply to us or we procrastinate until a later time. How often does that happen? The Meek will adhere to what others say and work immediately to do what was asked. I realized I was pretty bad at that. I would wait and push things off out of disinterest, laziness, or whatever reason I'd make up. In reality we should be more willing to listen and apply what people tell us to do. It's an attribute of meekness. You also need to be willing to submit. Now I'm not saying to always do what others say, but just like in the gospel if we want pure happiness we should submit and follow the commandments of the Lord at every moment. It's why it's called the Plan of Happiness because when we submit to the will of our Heavenly Father and do all that we can we will have more happiness in our lives. The most important aspect is self-restraint. I've been focusing more on that. It can be restraint on being angry, but also on judging others. Self-restraint also means to actually accept when you are wrong and not try to justify yourself. We all make mistakes and we all aren't the same, but that doesn't mean we always have to be right or be better than someone else. If you can't have a normal conversation with someone even in a disagreement then you have need to be more meek. "Meekness is strong, not weak; active, not passive; courageous, not timid; restrained, not excessive; modest, not self-aggrandizing; and gracious, not brash. A meek person is not easily provoked, pretentious, or overbearing and readily acknowledges the accomplishments of others." I could go on and on, but I invite all people to become more like the Savior Jesus Christ and be Meek and Lowly of Heart. I promise you that you will see differences. You will be happier. You will feel the spirit more than you do now and it's amazing. I would recommend focusing on the attributes of Christ and actually strive to apply them. I have felt more love of the Savior and have gained a greater understanding of myself. Trust in the Lord with all thy Heart! Love you all! Talk next week!
Elder Hyatt
