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| Not particularly lovely view, but the intersection we go through almost every trip. The white building is a Peruvian restaurant and bar, maybe we could get some more goat.... Many if not most of those cars in the distance will be u-turning |
Lurdinha gave us food again - I realized she feeds the missionaries every so often and decided to include us. Its a little worrying to have food brought warm and kept that way all through church and the class afterwards. I made apple cinnamon bread (whole wheat) for class and someone brought chips and salsa.We've worked on speeding it up and that seems to be working - there is still time for discussion and there are some really good comments, though I can't say I understand a lot of them. One sister who hadn't attended since the first class wrote in the group chat that she had no money and I replied that was a good reason to come to class - and she did! We also had Nildo back at church, hooray!
Antonio and Otacilio both came to church wearing suits and looking quite sharp. A new look for them. We tried another phone lesson with Otacilia but its not the best, especially when your supposed to be helping make sure she has the church apps on her phone and knows how to use them.
One day in the elevator someone looked at Durk in his short-sleeved white shirt and tie and asked if he was a flight attendant. We've had other guesses too, can't remember them all -
It only took three months and we can drive to and from the grocery store without Google Maps!
Silly thing maybe but for the first time we had a whole slew of airplanes coming in for a landing over us instead of taking off, was it an unusual wind direction? A runway change or problem? Close enough over us on the way to the store to see all the different airlines and coming about every minute or two.
Every time we leave the church parking garage, we face a somewhat dingy entrance to Chang Shing Tofu and I've wondered if they actually make it there, so I looked it up! They've moved to bigger premises but used to manufacture here, and apparently Cambridge was once a manufacturing center for lots of things, especially foods it looks like. They claim their "old-school" method still makes much better tofu. If they were still here I think it would be a really interesting youth activity to go see it done, if they let people do that. They provide tofu to many local restaurants and makers of other products, as well as grocery stores in New England. I'm a little curious what a fried tofu puff is like.
Things are so different between missions, Sister Wilcox in New Zealand talks about helping run or plan things for district councils, making breakfast for the whole zone the day after transfers so they can get to know each other, working with missionaries in their companion studies (studying with them). Most of those things wouldn't fit in here though they sound fun. The young missionaries completely run councils and they have so many to teach and so many referrals and goals for finding new friends in their area, they don't even eat at members' homes except once a week, if that. They do have a lot of contact with each other through facetime messenger, like sending photos whenever they spot other missionaries and occasional challenges like send a photo with pigeons, posting their schedules and goals and how they did at the goals, having the weekly zooms, councils, once in awhile zone prayer by zoom, etc. (Sister Risenmay said they had been thinking about having senior missionary council but nothing yet. - some of Sister Wilcox's things they just decided on their own to do but I'm not sure I can just start up a council zoom with all the MLS seniors. I did send the the comp study idea in case it ever is helpful)
Durk might think I'm wimpy but with another heat ning, I asked the elders in our building if they were interested in joining us in food deliveries this once. Elders used to help a lot but now that the mission has a big teaching priority they do less service. I noticed they actually had few appointments right now and I think they were glad to be asked.
They were a big help, turns out Elder Gomez had helped there a couple of times before (and probably just after we arrived) and they'd like to go earlier and help make up the bags. with four more people helping maybe they would be done sooner and we could deliver faster with the four as well. Sending them down the Sumner street route made the other half of the townhouses seem super easy, and at the apartment buildings we could sometimes drop them off on a floor with bags and they'd meet us at the next. I do continue to mess up once every time - miss that 423 hiding under notes or start with the wrong floor's numbers. It was pretty hot and muggy so without the elders I would have needed several cooling breaks. And we found out the "rusty bridge" is also a drawbridge - the traffic was super slow because it was just going back down as we got near on the way home and so things were backed up all around. There was a large ship coming through and it got Elders Bam and Gomes talking about all the barges and tankers they saw in their respective parts of Brasil. We took them to Subway and I learned the one near us has pizza...
color me dumb, we were here a good two months before I realized the mirror on the side wall of the bath is an inset medicine cabinet. Did I already record that? Such important things to remember. I got Durk to help (well, he was the muscle - they were heavier than they look, those little electronic pianos, should have gotten the elders involved) switch out pianos so this Sunday I should have a much easier time playing for Primary.
CPR - Church (attend) Pray Read (scriptures), (the essentials not only for friends but all of us). We're thinking that helping Sandra get back and to the temple probably needs to start there. We still haven't made it to another visit but finally one is scheduled (I send her applicable talks now and then) .....Others this week canceled too. They work hard and late and often have rough commutes. We think Otalicia will have to wait until after the finance class as she is meeting with sisters, taking English class, taking finance class, and working 6 days a week. We think it was pushing too hard to get Covenant Path lessons in right now. She has Soraia taking very good care of her and answering questions in the meantime, as it should be. I'm hoping that the sisters that are back in our district will have some suggestions for helping Nildo. Ithink they are one of the reasons he came back.
I sent some notes from trainings about missionary committee and ministering to some of the leaders, and neglected to start by telling them how great they are doing. Cris answered with apologies so I had to repent and let her know - they really are doing a lot and trying so hard to contact all the sisters and support them! After she was called she went down the list and tried phoning every single sister, as a start.
Pretty amazing miracles reported in this week's zoom, one sister had just begun learning but at 3 a.m. woke up with a personal revelation about the word of wisdom, which she had not been taught yet. She got up and threw out all her wine, coffee, tea, and chocolate. (The missionaries told her chocolate was OK, she had figured she was getting rid of all caffeine). Another person was a media referral and was not particularly happy, "thought we were going to read the bible" she said, and she talked about how gorgeous the catholic church building was - so they took her to (met her at?) the temple which they were near, and the Spirit hit her so hard she immediately was very interested and accepted the Book of Mormon and wanted learn all she could. Many others were mentioned that someone met and lost track of and then they ran right into other missionaries, etc. Before last October the mission average was 30 baptisms a month and since then its gone up and down but never less than 58 and as high as 108. Those that go to church the very first week after meeting missionaries are the most likely to join. Those with members in lessons of course do better as well, sisters spoke of someone who had lots of members in lessons and before baptism was found with one of the members crying over some problems the missionaries didn't know she had, already getting lots of support. Lots of examples of why they talk to EVERYONE - one guy was found by Chinese sisters, he was on the phone at the time and spoke Spanish but they still invited him and gave him info about coming to church. He showed up a week or two later at the Spanish branch and the missionaries are teaching him, said he knew he needed this in his life.
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