This week was once again another pretty solid week. Last Pday we once again just chilled around, groceries, the usual, nothing grand there, sorry.
But, I went on an divisão (I legitamately dont know if its division in english or if its another word, like switch or split, i dunno we only use portuguese here haha) with Elder Turner, from Florida on Tuesday. It was pretty fun, hes a real character, lots of energy and humor in him. I worked with him here in my area. We had a pretty cool day.
I´ll start of with Isaac, he´s actually from Romania but has lived in Portugal most of his life. He´s got 17 years and he was baptized earlier this year, around May I believe. Anyways, hes a really cool kid, but hes also really interesting... sometimes he just calls us and says "Elders, I wanna talk." and just like that we usually plan a time and meet up with him.
A little background for Isaac... hes very... how can I say this, particular or worrysome. He in the last few months has started having a lot of doubts about the church. He also a couple months back started studying with the Jehovahs Witnesses, who are pretty common here in our little town. He has taken to believe some of the things they teach, but still basically believes in the LDS church, but now just has a head full of info and confusion. Much recently, however, he has stopped believing in the BoM, so now there are problems. But, its strange, because he still comes to church every week and loves the ward.
So we meet up with him every once in a while, and he usually brings a scripture and a question and we debate it for our visit... its kinda stupid when I talk about it really. But hes just really confused now because of what hes learned from other sources. Its a shame really, he gets "wrests" so much over the Bible sometimes that his conclusions just stop making sense. I tried many times to just explain to him that one of the BoM´s primary purposes is to clarify that haze of confusion that can emerge, to complete the Gospel...
Anyways, a couple nights ago we talked with him. He was actually a bit fed up with us, at this point he had read some ani-BoM stuff, and really just thought it was fraud. He said he still comes to church because he hopes its the true one, he just still doesnt know. But I know he knows, hes just forgotten. We talked with him in circles for a bit, discussing what faith is, stuff like that. He eventually said "Alright, I will just ask one question... If I were to attack you with a gun right know, and there was a gun on this table, would you defend yourself?"
So, immidiately thought, ugh, one of these questions, obviously a trick one. But I thougth some more, and shared 1 Corinthians 10:13, that explains we cannot be tempted above that which we can bear, in other words, I would never be tempted with such a thing, to take another mans life to preserve my own, because God knows me and knows whether or not I could bear such a thing...
I dont know why I share this story, but afterwards he kinda retreated a bit (so to speak) and said "huh that makes sense". He wanted me to respond yes so he could accuse me of not "turning my cheek" as Christ would. We left that day on a better note of understanding.
I dunno if that made sense, and the way I wrote it makes it seems like we´re enemies, but just to clarify him and I are actually buds, I know him for like 4 months now, we just have deep doctrine discussions from time to time. The take hom message is that the BoM is the bomb, and helps us understand so much. READ it everyday!
This week we also found a young portuguese lady named Hilena. She enjoyed the 1st lesson, understood it very well. She is a youth leader of some sort in the Catholic church, but we´ll get her baptized haha. Anyways, we returned to teach her, and she had read the chapter of the BoM that we left, and explained the gist of the 1st lesson to her coworker Pedro too, who was present. We taught the 1st lesson to review for Hilena, and to Pedro for the first time. They really soaked it up. They enjoyed it, are a bit hesitant to hop religion, they are really catholic, but they will read and pray. Lets see what happens!
Anyways, Im out of time. I have more to share, but our time is mon— the Lord´s haha.
Take care everybody,
Ciao,
Elder Ward
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