Wonderful bright new week to all out there reading this. I sure hope all is well with everyone.
First transfers happened! Of course I knew that I'd have a new comp, his name is Elder Porter, since Elder Miner went home, and I knew I'd be leaving Ocidental since I was told at least that, but I didn't know where to. The Big Reveal happened at our mission Christmas Conference where everyone got their transfer news. It was a sight to see all 170-180 of us missionaries all in one place, and even more so excited about transfers. ANNNNNNNNDDDDDDDDD I'm in an area called Asa Sul. If you ever find yourself looking at a map of the City of Brasilia, you'll see there's an airplane lookin part of the city: I'm in the south wing and adjacent part of Brasilia. It's a really nice part, which makes sense of course since its the Capital. The best way to describe it would be it's kind of like America: there's even a Samsclub. And our apartment even has air conditioning in the rooms. Some about my new comp: Elder Porter is from Virginia, and has about a year and three months on the mission already. He knows the language pretty well, and is a very obedient missionary, so I'm thankful for that. It'll be an absolutely fire transfer for sure.
News:
First item of business: Brasil is not real, I'm now convinced of it. It's all straight out of a movie, in most of the best ways. People here are just straight up living the life they want to, more or less. One time we were on a bus going to a different part of the city and saw this little band with like trumpets, trombones, clarinets, saxophones, etc. all playing in the middle of the highway just like between cars. Like what? And some people live a little to free... We saw this old, probably 60 year old guy, wearing nothing but underwear and a pair of rainbow wings... I don't want to know. We have also taught a Buddhist drug trafficker, too. Life is never short of suprises, but I love Brasil and the people here without a doubt. More about the apartment: it used to be a sister area and there's still lots of remnants of them here in the apartment. Flower drawings on the whiteboard, a lot of pink, nail polish (someone was probably sad to loose that), and lots of fancy Tupperware. I certainly won't complain about this apartment, though. It's pretty nice, bigger than Ocidental, and we have couches.
People:
Here in Asa Sul we get a looot of references whether from social media or from other missionaries, and so we have to track them down or try to contact them. We also of course make a lot of street contacts, but people here are a bit more closed off, but only by like 30 or so percent more I'd say so the majority are just fine and dandy. We alsoooo take a lot of buses here since our area is so big and the bus is cheap, and so we always try to talk to people on the bus, too. As far as people we're teaching goes, we've got some pretty cool people. There's this guy, Paulo, who's a recent convert, and he is awesome. His testimony is so incredibly strong and any conversation with him is just incredible. I've never seen a 65 year old man get as excited about something as he does, let alone getting to talk about the gospel of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. And then we have this one guy on baptismal date who doesn't have legs, but still absolutely loves Jesus Christ and the church, it's awesome. A lot of the people in the ward know a bit about the United States and so when I say I'm from Kansas they all say something about Kansas City or the chiefs, so that's pretty neat.
Menu:
As far as food goes, nothing terribly new, but definitely pretty good. We've gotten pizza a couple times this week, and it was good but a lot. One time we got a pizza that was half chicken and cheese and half chocolate and strawberry, crazy, but good. And then also apparently there's a member here who takes the missionaries for sushi every Tuesday, and that's tomorrow yall. So updates on that next week 👀.
The Hotel:
Since Asa Sul is so close to the temple and the mission office, a lot of the elders either passing through or leaving for home soon, get the privilege of staying in the apartment here. For example: having three extra elders in the house here with us this last week, it was crazy. Two elders were going home for medical reasons, and the other was traveling through to Missao Teresina (shoutout to Teresina Elders, se voces conhecem um Elder L. Santos, falam oi para mim). Elder Miranda, who has 16 months in the mission, has to go back home for a few months for medical stuff, but will be able to return. He isn't dishearted at all, and has been a wonderful missionary, and will be again once he returns. This leads me into my spiritual thought for the week.
Spiritual thought:
“Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down.” (Elder Hugh B. Brown January 1973 New Era.) Elder Hugh B. Brown recounts the story of when he was a young adult and had purchased a run-down farm. He went about repairing, restoring, and working as best he could. When he then came across a currant bush that had grown far over six feet high and growing in every direction it possibly could. Now currant bushes aren't supposed supposed to do that if you want them to be of any worth other than wood. So, he took to much cutting and pruning, and, after a time, had cut it all back to stumps so that it could bush out and produce fruit. As the sap ran from the stumps, he imagined it sayin, "How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. I was almost as big as the shade tree and the fruit tree that are inside the fence, and now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me because I didn’t make what I should have made. How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.” His reply was as follows, "Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down. Thank you, Mr. Gardener.’” He was the gardener, of course he knew what was best for the bush, even if the bush didn't agree. He then went on to explain how he was in line to be a general in the army, but because of his membership in the church, he was not promoted. He was wroth, and upset with God for this. He had every qualification, done everything he needed to, and yet was not promoted. Then those same words came back to him from those many years ago looking at a cut-back currant bush, "I'm the Gardener here, and I know what I want you to be." God had cut him back, not to make the other plants look down on him, not to stunt his growth, but to allow him to realize his eternal potential that God knew he had, even if Elder Brown knew not at that time what he could become. God truly knows our Divine Potential yall. He knows what we can become. At times it may feel like He cuts us down, but with a quick turn of perspective, we can become laden with fruit from the pruning we receive from God. He does not cut us back without reason. He knows the reason, we just have to put our trust in Him: His reasons, His timing, and His love. Just as is described in Ether 12:27 God "gives unto men weakness that they may be humble; and [His] grace is sufficient for all men," and when men "humble themselves before [Him]; for if they humble themselves before [Him], and have faith in [Him], then will [He] make weak things become strong unto them." God prunes us, gives us weakness, not to run from Him or to be wroth with Him, but to come closer to Him, and to realize our eternal, divine potential. God, our Loving Heavenly Father, has a perfect plan for us, we just have to do our part. That's the only caveat. We have to have faith in Him, and to have faith is to believe and to ACT. That is faith. We have to put our faith in Him and His gardening. When we do this, we can become laden with fruit becauseeeee HE LOVES US! He loves me and you and every member of the human family. And I love you all too! And I sure love to hear from you guys, too!
Until next time, with much love from Brasil,
-Elder Hyatt
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