More Missionary Experiences

Braden has been in his first area called Rio das Ostras for two weeks now. The chapel they go to is right next to the beach. He performed his first baptism in Brazil on Sunday, March 7. The week before he had experienced his first baptism there, and he was in charge of leading the music for that program. So, he has been very busy already.



He wrote on March 8,
The beach here is so pretty! Our chapel is like right next to it, it´s awesome. So I had my first baptism yesterday!! It was so cool! He was so happy and so excited; It was great! I was a little nervous about saying his name and the prayer right, especially since it´s in Português now. It all turned out well though.

Braden's time is not without some humour. Because he couldn't really understand the language that well he found the first week somewhat difficult as he went out and taught people. He writes what his companion said when they had been at an investigators house a long time,
"I saw you dozing off over there McDonald."
Braden added,
It was pretty funny. He said that was how he was his first week too, just out of it because he didn´t understand anything that was happening.

Braden sounds like he is experiencing the ups and downs of mission life:
He writes,
The people that we taught this week were pretty awesome, but all of them fell through with coming to church and getting baptized this week. It was very disappointing. We worked so hard though and sacrificed so much, so we know that the Lord will bless us. We are just going to keep giving it our all. My companion said that this last week was like the hardest he's worked for a very long time, so I felt good about that. I feel like we gave all we had to the Lord and I know He will bless us. This is such an awesome place and awesome experience for me! I love it.

This week, Braden wrote on March 15,
...the power went out in all of Rio das Ostras last night too right after we got done teaching a lesson and it was pitch black! It was crazy! No lights except for motorcycles or cars. Pretty crazy but pretty dang funny too. Last night teaching was really funny too cause it was like 120 degrees inside this house, no fan, nothing, and I was wet with sweat and red. And then the kids there were yelling and crying and it was just crazy; I look over at my companion and he is like having a nervous breakdown with all of this noise and I was trying not to laugh. Finally he just says very calmly for the kids to stop fighting and he takes the toy away from them that they were fighting over. And then right after, he leans over to me and is all, I couldn´t think! I can´t tell you how much my head hurt!

He writes about how he is learning the language better and that they are being blessed;
We had our first zone conference last Thursday in Cabo Frio and it was really awesome! We took a nice bus up there and it was so pretty on the way. We passed a ton of places that had awesome beaches and stuff. Today, we also had our interviews with the President in our chapel and that was really awesome! I actually understood everything that he said to me today which was really amazing! I still have a ton to learn though. But this last week I made about 54 contacts with people on the streets and I felt really good about that because my companion said that he didn´t even have that many his whole first transfer and it´s only week two for me. The lessons are getting better as well and I am getting less nervous to teach. It takes a ton a patience because I want to just be able to speak and understand, but I know that I will get there eventually if I just keep speaking and trying, even if I make a fool of myself.

Braden had another funny experience this last week. He writes,
We were at a member's house and we were eating lunch and I finished and didn´t really want anymore, so she asks, "Do you like the food?"
And I thought she was saying, "Do you want more food?"
So I say, "no."
And she's like, "What?"
And the other missionaries are just laughing, and I'm like, "What just happened?"
And I didn´t even realize what was going on until we left her house and they told me what I said and what happened, so I felt like a jerk and an idiot. It was bad haha.
I felt awkward when I saw her at church on Sunday.


Elder Braden McDonald concludes his letter of March 15:
This work is so awesome though! It´s so exciting and so cool when you see people's lives change and you're there to witness it. This really cool girl we are teaching has been reading everything we have asked her to and has kept all of her commitments and came to church with us yesterday. It has been really awesome! ... I have faith that she is going to be baptized this Sunday, along with her brother. It has been awesome how it has all worked out. We met her through her brother while we were teaching at one of her brother's friend's houses. ..it´s so awesome how the Lord prepares the way for us. I have already had some amazing experiences with people who are elect and are prepared to hear and accept this message. Conversion really is the most amazing miracle! I love it here and I love the experiences that I am having. I am learning more everyday and time is just flying by!
Love,
Elder McDonald