Time is starting to go faster! Tomorrow is transfers! I´m staying in my area, but my companion is being transferred. I´m excited, but also nervous. We won't find out who our new companions are until we all meet at the church and are introduced to them. I hope my companion and I get along well! I am kind of hoping he is American, even though I know my Portuguese is getting so much better because I have a Brazilian companion right now... I also spoke in Sacrament Meeting yesterday. I pretty much read a chapter of scripture (D&C 122--I recommend you read it; it's great) and bore my testimony about it. Yes, I did it all in Portuguese!
So, I think I've told you all about our investigator Marvens from Haiti who speaks English. He was baptized last week, and yesterday was the day we had scheduled for his confirmation. That didn't happen. Here's why: During the week, while we were teaching another person from Haiti, Marvens found us! We though it was a miracle because he could help us translate! The problem was, Marvens was very intoxicated. My companion and I took him home. The next day we went to go check on him but he was gone. No one knew where he was, not even his cousins, whom he lived with. He was gone for about 3 days. Then, while my companion and I were at lunch, some members called us and said they found Marvens! He was practically passed out drunk on the road. They took him to their house and took care of him.
Eventually, my companion and I walked him home. While we were walking him home, we turned around for literally 5 seconds, and when we looked again, Marvens was gone. We ran to find him, and we did. He was like half a block away walking in the direction we just came from. I honestly have no idea how he got so far so fast and so quietly. We just followed him and watched what he was doing. He walked into a bar. We signaled to the bartender not to give him a drink, and we began to walk Marvens home again. When we got there and showed his cousin that we had him, she just yelled at him, because when he left, he took the bike and he took money, and he lost the bike. When my companion and I left, we turned around and saw Marvens leave the house and walk away again. We haven't been back there since. So that was a hard day, but there was more...
Also on that same day, our bishop told us we weren't going to be permitted to do the baptism we had planned, because there was a dance later that night at the church. We called our mission president, and he gave us permission to do the baptism at 5:00 so that we wouldn't interfere with the dance. The Bishop sill refused and said we would do it on Sunday morning. My companion tried to talk to him about his unwillingness to let us do our baptism that evening and the reason he gave us was, "Because I´m the bishop." He has never liked missionaries. The baptism didn't happen on Sunday either. Needless to say, last Saturday was very hard for me and for my companion. We both cried at some point in the day.
The reason I tell you all these stories is because I want you all to know that the difficulties we have in this life are for our experience (as stated in D&C 122) and will help us learn and grow. I know this to be true. I know we are never alone when we face difficult times. I know Heavenly Father hears our prayers. I know that Jesus Christ felt everything we have felt, we feel, and ever will feel. I know if we turn to Him, He will help us.
I love you all and I hope you all have a great week! Trust in God!
Com Amor,
Elder Tolen
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