Dear Family,
Your time in Utah sounds amazing but I imagine now you are quite tired and glad to be home. After a long day in the field returning to our house here is the best.
I feel pretty comfortable teaching the first lesson in Portuguese as it is the one we do the most. Portuguese is getting better and I am understanding more but at times it is still difficult. With time I hope to sound more like a Brazilian. My accent agora is decidedly American.
The work this week was hard. This week almost all of our investigators either dropped us or we had to drop them due to the fact that they were never em casa, sempre gave excuses or lies as to why we could teach right then, or "moved" It was really sad. Some of them we had been teaching for weeks and they were .. I´m not sure exactly how to explain it but it is always hard to watch people turn away from the Gospel and away from the Holy Ghost.
However, this week has been amazing concerning one investigator, Márcio. He can´t read, lives alone, and has issues with drugs. We started teaching him two weeks ago but this week we taught the Word of Wisdom and the Book of Mormon. He has problems with every part of the word of wisdom but when we taught about it the love God has for him was palpable and he has this real desire to change. He has committed to giving up all the drinking and smoking and drugs cold turkey and he is doing it. Then on Sunday he was going to go to church with a member that lives on the same street. Sunday morning he walks up to the church alone saying the member had over slept and he wanted to come but he can´t read so he just asked person after person until he eventually got there. Investigators NEVER come alone so it was so heartwarming to see this man work so hard to come to church. He is amazing. And this week we are commencing teaching him how to read!
While this work is hard and sweaty (we walk alot when all of our appointments fall through), it is beyond worth it when you see one man who has everything going against him beginning to change, to grow, to feel the Holy Ghost. It is beyond worth it when you see someone overcome great challenges to come to know Christ. What are several miles of walking compared to this?
This week we had a reference for some one that lives across the street from the beach. Well since we normally don´t go that way, we got lost... but oh goodness is was beautiful. (I also tried to find an American tourist and do a street contact in English but to no avail)
Remember. Life is beautiful. Enjoy it.
I love you all very much and hope your summer is going amazingly!
Sister Martin
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