Week 20. . . January 7, 2019 — Called to Serve in Cuiaba

Salutations my children. Are you ready for your weekly dose of smooth jazz...
This week was so awesome. There was a ton to be learned this week and I am grateful for every time I got toasted, because it always helped me learn.

Alright first things first, that kid who I said could get baptized this week, his hard A Catholic dad made him move back to his city on Thursday so we weren't quick enough, but he still has the desire to get baptized so were gonna get in contact with the Elders there and hopefully they have the opportunity to dip the tiny man.

But let's get started. So for the last couple weeks I haven't really felt like myself. I found myself just going through the motions, trying to teach a truck load of lessons and not really trying to love people. It wasn't until Sunday I realized what was goin on. So one of the members Irene, has this 17 year old and he's just the worst. He always smacks me on the back of the neck so hard and calls me mean names haha and just has a brick for a head. It drives me up a wall. My mom, and Drake know I'm not too fond of being touched or smacked. But on Sunday we were over at their house getting ready to eat lunch and Gustavo (the smacker) came in the house and he seemed super sad. I started talking to him, and normally we just absolutely toast the sin out of each other until someone ends up getting butthurt (it's always him) but this day was different. I started talking to him about what was wrong, and why he didn't come to church, what he's feeling like and if I could help him with anything. He told me that he has some anger issues and that he ran out of his meds hahah so he's been kind of super bi-polar the last couple days. We just talked for a little bit and I really started to feel for this kid. I was like dang, this kid is only annoying because he's insecure and doesn't know how to communicate with people, and all I was doing was feeding his fire. The moment I calmed down and stopped being a dirtbag in return he was super chill and opened up to me about what he was feeling. I invited him to go do a couple visits with us and he told me "I’ve got plans today but next Sunday after church I'll go visit some fools with you guys” and I was shook. He always talks so bad about the Church and missionaries, but because God helped me show like 3 teaspoons of love for him, he was so willing to return. I was incredibly humbled, and kind of taken back by this whole moment. It reminded me the power that love really has to change people. The tiniest amount can do so much. He started talking to me about what music he likes and he just freaking loves rap. We talked about rap for a sec and I talked to him about how when I went through a phase where I only listened to rap I was always so freaking tacked off hahaha. Literally always mad. I told him there's gotta be some balance in all things. After that I gave him some Rolling Stones, and Eagles songs and he loves the song Wild Horses by the Rolling Stones haha. i promised him that his anger would start to go away as he started listening to more Rolling Stones haha, and of course by coming to church again.

The golden boy, Pedro. Gotta love him. On Wednesday we went to give a lesson to him and we found him and all his tiny people playing soccer in the street. They were like Yo do you fools wanna play and I was like pffffffffft ye. Kev and I played with this one other kid and were out here thrashing these tiny tadpoles. After like an hour and a half we started to get a little pooped haha and then disaster set in. These little kids somehow had so much energy, like they've gotta be hopped up on coffee and Brasilian meat or something hahaah. But this one little kid shattered the sunshine out of my ankles hahaha and I literally fell on my back. Like it wasn't like I was going easy or anything I was trying to earn my keep haha, but no. I got throttled. We're talking like blindfold ninja chopping through cement blocks with their hands throttled. All of the little kids just erupted with laughter hahah. But after we all played the kids loved us and we're gonna visit them all. I suggested something for headmaster Kevin… as we were departing, I said I think it would be cool if we rounded up all the little saplings like a group of sheep or something hahah and got up on wood crates or barrels in front of them and just cried repentance unto them. hahaha.

On Friday the completely unexpected happened. Like the last thing I thought would ever happen on a mission happened. President Granja came and visited us, and it was so good to see the old goob. We were all talking about our house, and he was asking us some questions and we have this one glass sliding door that leads out to this tiny balcony thing, and he asked us if we leave it open at night because it gets really hot and we responded "no because we don't want the bad spirits to enter.” Then he goes "you guys are very smart, it's good very good to keep the bad spirits out, especially the wet ones.” hahahahahah and I literally had to register what he said for like 4 seconds and then I just exploded laughing haahah and then he just started laughing so hard with me and I literally still don't even know what happened hahaha. President Granja hahahaha.

One last story for you. This week we really really sought some inspiration on the people we were teaching. We fasted and prayed and came to the conclusion we needed to ask Joao Batista's kid, Joao Pablo if he wanted to get baptized on Friday we took him to get some creamed ice and then gave him a special little lesson. His mother passed away and we talked about the Plan of Salvation and how the door to eternal life with all of our loved ones is baptism. Then we rolled the baptismal invitation in front of him and his response was super duper mature. He, 14 years old, goes "I really gotta pray about this and think I just don't feel ready right now” so I was like "that's perfect, go pray and then get back to us about what you feel." The next day we went back to his house and were trying to get a hold of him and trying to call him and he wasn't answering, and then all of a sudden he just came out of his house and was like "yo wuddup, my phones dead but if you guys wanna talk I have a lil time rn.” So we were like yew. Then Castro asks "did you talk to your dad about getting baptized, and he goes yea, so yesterday I prayed to him and really asked him what I needed to do.” He interpreted “dad” as Heavenly Father which I thought was way too cool. But after that he got super sad and goes… I had a dream last night, and I was like dang dude what's this dream gonna be... then he goes, and in this dream, i saw myself getting baptized... and then it was quiet for like 20 seconds and he goes "I wanna get baptized” and then I just screamed “YESSSSSS” in English so loud hahaha and picked him up and swung him around and gave him the biggest grandma kiss ever right on the top of his little afro head. Like it had the squeaky kissy sound and everything hahahaha. It was just my first reaction haha I couldn't control it haha. But he told us he wants to get baptized next Saturday and so yea (: it's gonna be so smoothe.
Anyway yea, my ankle still hurts hahaha.
Love you guys.

Elder Porter