You're Never Too Far Gone (Week 58) — Called to Serve in Cuiaba

What is good my young friends and friendesses. I hope this week didn't pass as fast for you as it passed for me. I don't really know how time passes so fast, or how old I am anymore. Every time I write in my journal it still seems more natural to write 2018. You think that I am kidding, but I am far from it kids. Time is passing faster than I spend Brasilian currency hahaha.

This week we met this dude named Cristain. He is hands down the nuttiest man I've ever met in my life. We were walking home from lunch, passed in front of his house, I yell good afternoon bro, and he just goes YOOOOOOOOO DO YOU GUYS WANT SOME WATER. Yes, it was a strange offer, but I was thirsty so I said yea. We start talking to him and he was just going nuts and for some reason I felt like I should give him a Book of Mormon. I did so, invited him to read it and pray about it, and we went on our jolly way. We get like 4 blocks from his house and I just had the most impressively large feeling to return and read some of the Book of Mormon with him. We go back, and sit down to start reading with him. He goes yo do you guys want a beer: I was like were chillin thanks tho man. Then he was like well I can roll a nice Blunt for you guys really quick if you guys want, do you guys smoke: and I was like no man we don't but thanks for the offer. Truly a charitable man. Then he goes man I'm all nervous now I gotta smoke, and starts smoking a nice cigarette. No big deal, everyone smokes here. Then he goes yea I'm a little special, I have to take this black tea medicine to help me out, you guys wanna see it: hahah he goes and gets his black tea medicine and shows us, and I was like dang that's cool hahah. I'm not kidding you tho, my companion was just terrified this whole time hahah, and for some reason I felt so safe and just felt God's love for this dude. We read the introduction with him and then we was like yo please come back tomorrow! We were like alright no worries. We leave and my companion was like no way in Davy Jones' locker am I going back there hahah. I was like okay no worries we don't have to, and progressively throughout the day I felt more and more strongly that I needed to go back there the next day. It got to the point where I was in the shower and this feeling was so real that I knelt down and prayed in the shower and was like God, do you really want me to go back there: I just got so overwhelmed by the Spirit and it brought me to tears, and I was like okay, I'll go back there. We go back the next day and this time I went back with Elder Rios. We get there and Cristain hadn't read, told us he doesn't really want to change his life, but thanked us for being his friends. The whole time we were there I was just thinking how am I supposed to help this dude, what do you need me to do God. We left and that kind of just sat with me for the rest of the day. “What am I suppossed to do with this, dude!” I get home, (it was a little late, and start reading the Book of Mormon. I was looking through the cross references of some things on the page I was reading and I started flipping through Doctrine and Covenants to find a scripture. For some reason my hands stopped a random page, and my eyes caught perfectly an unmarked verse (D&C 132:50) that reads "Behold, I have seen your sacrifices, and will forgive all your sins; I have seen your sacrifices in obedience to that which I have told you. Go, therefore, and I make a way for your escape, as I accepted the offering of Abraham of his son Isaac.” I just gotta say that I have no clue why I had to meet this guy, but God does. I have the strongest testimony that He loves freaking everyone. It doesn't matter how lost you are or how many times you think your mistakes have left you from His reach, He loves you. I feel the love that He has for you guys and I beg those of you who aren't feeling of His love to kneel down and ask Him to help you. You're never too far gone.

Just a final thought. I was super hungry on Saturday night, and believe it or not my mom sent me Apple Jacks haha so I sit down to enjoy a nice bowl of Apple Jacks. To my surprise we had no more milk. I decided to get cold water, mix it with Nesquik chocolate powder, and give it a try. The liquid was horrible, but the cereal still remained quite tasty.

My companion getting a nice Pday nap in.