Howdy Doody
Howdy Doody from Elder
Engle of the Brazil Teresina Mission! I hope all´s well in the Rocky Mountains
in the good ol´ US of A! It´s hard to imagine how fast time´s past for me. It´s
challenging to write this in English, but I figure Brother Wright and Brother
Fox shouldn´t be the only ones to understand this letter.
It´s challenging to
communicate the experience of a mission. I´ll do my best to share a few
scatter-brained thoughts:
We always have room to
progress. Until the day that we become perfect, we´re constantly lacking
something that we need and following something that we shouldn´t. Until we are
perfect like our Savior, Jesus Christ, we always have something to change. I
really felt this when I arrived in Brazil. I stopped speaking English and
devoted everything to learning Portuguêse. It was really challenging, faulting
six months since being in the MTC in Provo. As I devoted so much time to the
work, I made more and more mistakes, most of which were quite hilarious.
Although, bit by bit, I am able to use the language of Portuguêse to fulfill my
purposes here. I really came to learn that the gift of tongues is a gift based
on our willingness to sacrifice; to sacrifice what English I had to learn
Portuguêse. Ever since deciding to do that, the Lord´s given me the capacity to
speak as necessary for our work.
I understand so much
better what God wants from us: our will. When we give our will to be His will,
that´s when we see miracles. That´s the key to happiness in this life. When we
act contrary to the will of God, we hurt our spirits because of the light of
Christ within us, and the gift of the Holy Ghost.
I have a testimony of
the power of prayer, not only in our prayers but in the prayers of others. I´ll
never forget the Jones family in New Mexico. They were praying as a family to
bring God back into their lives after lots of hardships and trials. The next
day, the missionaries showed up! The next week, I showed up in that area. I had
the joy of teaching them and baptizing them. They never had any big doubts and
were really prepared by the Lord. When they moved from where they were
originally baptized, the Lord already had friends waiting for them in Oklahoma,
ensuring that they would stay strong. Teaching experiences aren´t always like
this. Although there are people like the Jones family throughout the world,
really well-prepared to accept the Gospel, often times it´s a gradual process
cultivated by a lot of WORK, FAITH and LOVE in order to bring to pass a miracle
in someone´s life, the miracle of change.
I love to reflect on the
classic Mormon cliché that the mission is the best two years, because it really
is. It´s such an amazing experience. I forget words that would describe how I
feel about my mission. For two very, very short years, we get to focus entirely
on the work of the Lord. Working all day every day, my testimony is simple but
strong. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that God is our Father in
Heaven. I know that They´ve prepared a way that we all can follow, we only have
to accept it. I know that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is real, because I
experience it in my life daily, changing me step by step. I´m thankful for the
Holy Ghost as my constant companion. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ is
restored in these days and that President Thomas S. Monson is our Prophet, Seer
and Revelator, directed by Jesus Christ.
There are many converts
in a mission, but without a doubt, the greatest convert of my mission, is me.
Love,
Elder Engle
Boa sorte em seus
deveres e bom trabalho meus queridos. Até mais!
[Translation: Good luck in your duties and good work my loves ones. Until
later.]
