São Paulo Temple, little Rodrigo and more! (Week 27)

My dear family and friends,

I'm so grateful to be serving a mission for the Lord, every day I am learning something new and coming closer to Christ.

"Faith is the power, obedience is the price, love is the motive, the Spirit is the key and Christ is the reason." - James E. Faust

My sister always said this quote from James E. Faust and how I have learned its truthfulness over these short and very quick 6 months.

Every time we teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to people, we outline the main points; faith, repentance, baptism by immersion, the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end. When we teach about faith we make it clear that faith without works is dead. Most people in Brazil, unlike back in good ol' Europe, have faith in Jesus Christ and God. However most people don't understand that faith alone is not enough. When we put our faith into action and follow His commandments we have power to do many amazing things. Faith is the power.

This past transfer and a bit in the office, I have really seen how obedience is important in order to have success. The other day I went to the Federal Police with some foreign missionaries to renew their Visas and it took absolutely ages! We came back and it was already like 2 o'clock. I had a lot of work to do in the office so I used that as an excuse to stay longer than the set time to leave. We ended up leaving the office around 7pm and that night we didn't have much success. It rained, my umbrella broke, we walked a lot, got lost and were a bit miserable. Yesterday, I had to go to the police, again. Although I lost a lot of work hours in the office, we still left at 5pm and went to work. Because we were obedient with the mission rules we were able to set a lot of baptism dates, find new people and follow up with those we had. I know that although God is merciful, He is also just and won't reward us if we are not obedient. Obedience is the price.

The office staff with Elder Williams who left to a different area!

I have also learned the importance of love in the mission. My dad always talked about this, he continually taught us that we should do everything in the mission with charity, the pure love of Christ. As a missionary, we talk to a LOT of people. At times, we can slip into the "Robot Missionary" mode and teach and find people without truly loving them. I have learned that we have less success when this happens. Last transfer we had come across a group of street kids ranging from 9 to 17 years of age and did a quick contact with them. We assumed they would not progress so we left them. A couple of weeks ago we found one the boys, Rodrigo who is 9 and tried once again. This time, we really cared for him like a little brother. Surrounded by boisterous friends and a not-so-pleasant atmosphere in their little favela, he remained reverent through lessons and every time we met him he had a firm resolve to go to church and be baptised. We met his mother and she allowed him to be baptised with no problem. Last Sunday we had about 6 people who had committed to go to church. Surprise, surprise... when Sunday morning came round only Rodrigo was up and ready when we came to pick him up. We walked to church for about 30 minutes with our only investigator. A 9-year-old boy who we now love as our little brother. He loved church and will be baptised this Sunday. Everyday we pray for him and our investigators, seeking to know how to best help them. Without a doubt, when we teach people with love like Jesus Christ did, they will have stronger desire to come unto Him and be baptised. Love is the motive.

Here is a picture Rodrigo drew for us:

This week we had the privilege to go to the São Paulo Temple, just the office missionaries and President and Sister Farnes. Being in front of a computer screen for so long sometimes can be a bit draining, both for the body and the Spirit. We were all super excited for this much needed opportunity. We got there to the temple grounds and I instantly felt all the office stresses leave and all those worries disappear. I was at the House of the Lord, the spirit was incredible. We took some pictures and then made our way in. It was so amazing to see everyone dressed in white, especially President and Sister Farnes. They were almost angelical! Maybe the fact that they are blond and blue-eyed contributed to that. ;) Anyway, the spirit there was overwhelming. Powerfully calming and peaceful. In the Celestial Room, I prayed in my head and received several ideas and reflected on how to improve my work in the office. Needless to say, it was a spiritual feast! We left feeling spiritually recharged (and physically full after a great lunch) and excited to carry on with the work. Without a doubt, Spirit is the key!

When I first met President Farnes with my MTC group at his house, they asked us the simple question: "Why are you here serving a mission?". My answer was simple and somewhat cliché but still true and valid til today. "Because I love my Saviour". If we lose this focus and let other things slip in the way of our testimony of the Saviour we may become discouraged with the difficulties and many demands of missionary work. I have learned to love Jesus Christ more as my companions and I have taught about repentance and His Atonement. On our missionary name tags the two things that stand out more are our names and His. Elder Torres and Jesus Christ. When we remember that we are His representatives both as members of His church but more importantly as missionaries, we will be more obedient and less prone to do things He wouldn't. President Farnes taught once that if we are disobedient as missionaries, we are quite literally taking the Lord's name in vain. Of course, I have much to improve on and everyday I use the Atonement that Jesus Christ, my brother whose name I carry every day on my chest, so willingly and lovingly gave to me and to all. Despite our mistakes, His sacrifice is infinite and His hand forever outstretched to lift us up. I love Him and the opportunity to serve God's children. Finally, Christ is the reason.

I'm thankful for my parents and for them teaching me since young to walk in the path of righteousness. I'm thankful for the example of my big brother Eddie who is also serving a mission in Brazil, his pure testimony, his desire to be a better person and to love all those who surround him.

I know this is the true church of Jesus Christ and that He lives!

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amén.

---

Elder Torres

Me and my comp, Elder Cardoso!