Hello,

     ´´Estou na boca do Jacaré``. That is our catch phrase here. The city where we work is called Jacaré, which is alligator. So we always say that we are in the mouth of the alligator. 

    We are getting to know the members and they are great. Our Bishop looked us in the eyes and told us straight up ´´Elders, you will baptize a lot here, because here, we do the work.`` That got me excited.

   I went on exchanges with an Elder Smith. We are good friends and he was expressing some of his challenges in the field and lots of things that were on his mind. He is a dedicated missionary who has a ton of desire, it is so fun to help people that want to learn.

   We work all day in a part of the area about 20 minutes walking from the chapel. At the end of everyday we have to up a fifteen minute hill walking, we call it the faith tester. You think you are finished with it and then you look around the corner and there is still more hill waiting for you.

   We are teaching a man right now named Sílvio. His wife has been a member for about 8 years, but he never wanted to accept the gospel. This was due to the fact that he was an ahlcoholic. Well things got so bad that his wife, who is the relief society president kicked him out of the house. He felt miserable and sought professional help. He cleaned up his act and has gone to church three Sundays now. He wants his family back and he wants his wife back, so he wants to be baptized and change. 

   He still has a big problem with smoking. We are trying our best to help him, but the addiction is strong, he has smoked since we was 17, he is currently 40something, so yeah, it´s been a while. We always give him tips on how to stop and things he can do but he pulls the ´´you´ve never had this addiction. you don´t know what it is like´´ card on us.

   He is right, I have never had that addiction, but I have been tempted, billions and bilions of times, by the same tempter and he uses the same tricks. But I told him, I have a firm testimony of when we pray with faith in the midst of temptation, the Lord gives us strength. I have seen it in my life.

   I like to imagine it this way. Let us imagine that you have a swimming pool in your back yard and you have a small child. You are inside the house and he falls into the water. If you hear your beloved child screaming surely you rush to his rescue in a heartbeat. But what if you were in the house and he fell in, but this time he didn´t scream for your help, he just struggled alone silently. You would not save him, not because you don´t desire it or because you don´t love him, but you can´´t hear him.

   When we are a in he midst of temptation we must called upon the Father, we will always rescue us. But if we don´t call upon him, we only have ourselves to blame.

   I think that example helped Sílvio understand prayer a little better and I hope he applies that.

I love you all and hope that things are going well.

 

Love,

     Elder Nothum