Elder Landgren: Symar is baptized

Okay dokay how do I begin this week well let’s start with some more funny stories.

NUDITY AGAIN!!!!!

We went on splits this last week so I went into English work for a day down by the tower( the tower of babel) by the way when I mean English work I mean every language you can imagine work cause everybody here speaks a different language.Well we started tracting a building cause our lesson there bombed and I go and knock on a door, this man opens the door and he was wearing a nice red shirt and what I thought was some really tight tan pants. Nope he was butt nude and he walked right out of the hallway, yelled at me, said he was Catholic, and swore at me a bit in all his glory and then closed the door. Well while I was still in shock I went and knocked on another door this time a girl opens up the door at least she had the sense to grab a small little towel. She just opens the door and starts to say “sorry, sorry, I don’t live here,” while she was struggling to keep the towel covering herself. Ya we left that apartment after that.

And now the big event.

SYMAR WAS BAPTIZED!!!!!!!!!!!!

This week we were working really hard with him helping him get over some concerns about being baptized and finally during one of our lessons he just looked at us and said LETS GO! The only words he knows in English. The baptism was just super nice and simple but crazy stressful because the people we had asked to gives talks just decided to leave after church instead of giving their talks. So 5 minutes before the baptism I was running around trying to find a Portuguese member that would give a 3 minute talk. But in the end it was just a simple nice baptism! We have been teaching Symar for about 6 weeks now and he has become one of my best friends. I will always remember right after his baptism he grabbed me and said Irmao me ambraco in English it means “hug me brother.”

It’s just about been 8 months since I left. Time really does go fast but at least I was able to find and teach Symar it took 8 months to find someone but I’m glad. Even through all the hard things and all the times I told myself I was going to quit and all the times I literally had the towel in my hand ready to give up. I kept going. I know it was only because Christ was helping me pick up my cross. There are a lot of nights I stare out the window and wish I was back in my home but I know there is still more I need to learn here and other people that need my help.

Oh, I finally learned what the gift of tongues really means. It’s not the ability to speak a different language. It’s the ability to touch the heart of someone in another language by using the power of the Holy Ghost. I may never be able to speak fluent Portuguese but I will be able to touch people’s hearts with the Holy Ghost. That’s how it really works. I have been praying to become fluent in this language when I should have been praying to have the language of the spirit.

Love you all

AMOR

Elder Landgren