016/088 090921 Stray Horses Instead of Dogs

Picture: Stray Horses
Hi all!

So time to talk about my new area some. So the first morning I woke up I went out onto the loft (hehe) and there was just this random horse on the street eating. I thought it was kinda strange. Turns out it was quite normal. There are stray horses here like there are stray dogs. Its rather fascinating.

I swear I´m at least on the other side of Brazil as compared to my last area, even though both my last area and this one are in the city of Rio. They are so different. This area is really flat, with mountains able to be seen in off in the distance, while my last area was filled with mountains. This area has no favelas, the other one all my work was in them. The buildings look different, the people act a little different, and the plantation looks different. The dialect is even different. A lot less of the shhhhh in the talking. Its weird.

But there are awesome benefits to this area. Like one person here makes cakes. So in this past week I have had lemon pie, chocolate cake, scraps of a vanilla cake that were heaven, and some other sweets from her. Oh! the happiness. Really, the happiness that comes from this is hard to even begin to describe. Oh, and I never knew how good avocado (bad spelling I know, sorry!) shakes are. Yum! I wouldn´t mind if I stayed in this area until February 27 (my birthday for those don´t understand), because I´m sure I would have this nice big beautiful cake then. Oh how nice that would be.

And this Saturday is a birthday party of a recent convert. So more cake and fun! Yay!

Oh, I had a wonderful revelation this week. The scriptures do show clearly that woman kind is better then the brutish terrible man kind. I have thought this to be the truth for years, but never could prove it. Now I can. So I´m going to.

Just for fair warning, I came to this proof while trying to figure out more about the doctrine of polygamy (its amazing how much that comes up down here. Its insane!). This describes polygamy at the same time though.

So, after this life, we learn from Paul that, "neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord." (1 Cor 11:11), and from modern revelation that "In the celestial glory there are three heavens or degrees; And in order to obtain the highest, a man must enter into . . . the new and everlasting covenant of marriage" (D&C 131:1-2). So as you all know and as these scriptures show, you must be married in order to enter into the highest order of the celestial kingdom. Well, with this, we know that polygamy is eternal, and that all those already sealed to multiple wives will have those wives in the eternities, and that never will there be multiple husbands to one wife. That is contrary to the will of God and the laws of heaven.

So think through that just a little bit. Just a little. If this new and everlasting covenant of marriage is the entrance into the highest of all glories, and more woman will enter into it through polygamy then men will, as has already happened, is happening (a man can be sealed to multiple women at once, just not married in the flesh to multiple at once), and scriptures show will continue to happen (I can´t remember what chapter of Isiah this is, but remember the 'in that day seven women will cling unto one man' scripture?), just by pure logic shows that more women will reach this highest glory then men. There is no way that this cannot be true, and if there is I would to love someone to show me how.

To summarize, more woman will be saved in the highest glory then men.

Now how do people reach this highest glory? Well, yes, of course through the mercy of the Lord, but also through His justice. So we must do our part to be saved. More women won´t be saved because God has a soft spot for them, but because of their actions. Don´t forget the scripture from when Alma was speaking to his son Corianton, "What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God." So these wonderful women are saved through their own choices, through the desires of their hearts, and the mercy of Christ. But they have to do the same as men, they don´t get spoiled.

So, women as a whole are better then men, because more will be saved, and how will they be saved? through the true character of their hearts.

Why I think this is important is I know so many of you wonderful women out there that believe that you are good, but not truly worth it. You believe yourselves to be second rate and undeserving. But I can testify to you all that you are truly the love and pride of God, because of your purity. I wish I could help all you women understand how precious you are, and how truly good you are. Hopefully this helps some.

Well, have a good week y'all.

Elder Eyring

015/089 090914 I've Been Trained

Picture: City & Baptisims

So guess what everyone, I´ve been trained! Tomorrow the new missionaries will get here to Rio. I am no longer the newest person in the field. That's great. I got transferred. My new area is large, but is flat. So I´m happy. And I have a new companion. Another Brazilian, and he can´t speak much English I think. I´ll see better as I get to know him. We´ve only been companions for like 5 hours, so yeah, we´ll see how things turn out.

Another thing for y´all to guess what about! I can speak Portuguese! I am not fluent, but I can say I can speak Portuguese. This past week to an investigator I taught a lesson without really any help, and it wasn´t a Preach my Gospel lesson, it was a lesson that was fitted to the needs of the investigator. And the Spirit touched her! It was awesome! And I taught a gospel essentials class. That was difficult. But yeah, I wouldn´t be lieing if I said I could speak Portuguese, only if I said I was fluent. That is awesome.

So one thing I find kinda funny is that with my companion, he´s shorter than me. So for whatever reason I kinda feel more mature. Stupid, I know. But before, my trainer was fat, and I was new, and I felt really young. With this elder, I don´t feel like a useless inferior that doesn´t even know how to speak. Its kinda nice. He knows the area really well and he knows how to speak better, so I´ll still be needing a lot of help from him, but its a lot different then feeling like I am some crazy American lost in the Brazilian nation that is really just a confused, sad little man. Its nice.

So God really provides a lot of miracles. This past week we baptized someone that everyone that knew her was amazed that she was baptized. And then she after the baptism and confirmation showed a difference. She was happier. She was calmer. God performed such a miracle for her. I love it. (Nathan's lesson that he taught made the difference in her.)

Lol, so for this lan house, I came in and Love Story by Taylor Swift was playing, and now The Climb by Miley Cyrus is playing. Its rather sad that I love this kind of music so much, but that's the kind of guy I am I guess. Lol. And no, I´m not allowed to listen to it. But I can´t help but hear it, and its a losing struggle to not listen some. Oh the happiness.

I miss music so! Really, when I get home I think that its very well possible that the first thing I do when I get home is pull out my pad and a pair of sticks and go at it! Well, yes, say hi to people and such. But eventually get back to my true love ;) I really will be so sad to leave Brasil though . . . So many people here that I already love, and that might be leaving and never seeing them again. That isn´t something I would be excited about, but I guess that´ll be ok.

Lol, now one song by . . . . oh whats her name . . . . can´t remember. Its the girl from Camp Rock, and her song from Camp Rock.

Oh, yes, the music here in Rio seems to be like 6 months old from the US music. Don´t know why, but that's what happens.

Well, I´m needing to leave. Everyone have a good week!

Oh, one last thing. Everyone, thanks for being my friend (family included). I´ve learned very clearly that my strength I have within me is learning from my friends, from my family, and from my heritage. But its amazing how much more effective my teaching is when I talk of one of you. So yes, thank you. And yes, by the time I leave, you´ll all be famous in Rio. (Lol, no, not really. Brazilians won´t be able to say half of your names. Lol. But we can pretend.)

Bom Dia

Elder Eyring

013/091 090831 God Really Answers Prayers

Picture: First Baptism

Hi all!

I want to give you all a list of food I´ve eaten here that I never would have eaten before my mission:

-Beans and Rice (lol)
-A mixture of chicken that included chicken feet
-Cow feet
-my companion had pig snout, I couldn´t quite do that one . . . .
-Really questionable soup. I don´t like soup at all! Questionable soup though! Scary.
-This dish of a mixture of rice, peas, octopus, squid, shrimp, and hard boiled eggs. (this actually tasted SO good. It was at this nice restaurant that members took me to when I was on a division in a different area then mine.)
-who knows what else . . . (I sadly don´t)

I just wanted to share that. Those that knew how picky of an eater I was, well, now, I am a lot better. A LOT better! When I get home I won´t only be able to eat food normal people eat, but even the odd and the bizarre, because that's what I have to feast on everyday less I offend the members.

So any funny stories for you . . . hmmmmm . . . .. . I can´t remember. Days blend together here in a big huge mess because of tiredness. I have one question for everyone, a riddle in fact that I still haven´t found an answer that makes enough sense. Why would someone build their house on the peak of a mountain, especially when they don´t have a car? At least the majority of these mountains I climb aren´t true mountains, just really really big hills, but still! I will have a lesson on one mountain, get done, have 40 min to get to another lesson, that is on the other corner of my area on another mountain. So we are running down and out of the favela, down into the kinda city area, across up into another favela, and up a mountain. It really is insane!

But the Lord blesses me for it! I am going to come home with such muscles! Oh yes! Its winter and I have lost some weight, while gaining muscle! And don´t think I´m starving, really, I wish I could eat less at lunch! Lol, when summer comes, I will get so skinny. I´ll need to fatten up when I get home, lol. I´m so excited for this mission! (and stuff now too, of course, but really, it´ll be different when I actually have a clue of whats going on.)

So whats up with every 6 weeks for letters since I´ve had some questions. Well, my area is right by the mission headquarters area, so I tend to get my mail every 2 weeks about. But why that is is because my address isn´t where I live, but to the mission headquarters. Mail can be unreliable, and if I get emergency transferred out of my apartment, then I won´t ever receive that bit of mail. But through the office I always receive it. So every time I see one of my leaders that has gone to the headquarters, I get mail. Which is about every 2 weeks for now. But occasionally its 3 or 4. If I go to a far out area in the boondocks, it´ll be every 6. yeah.

So spiritual thought time, since I´m a missionary. God really answers prayers. I have never been on my knees so much. And because of my prayers, and the mercy of God of course, I am always finding people to help. I actually had a person come up to me and say I want to talk with you and set up a time with us for a lesson. Of course God is already preparing people, and has already prepared many, but through my prayers I have been able to be a tool for God. Prayers are answered. There are a lot of other stories I have with this .. . . . but not time, and I don´t feel right sharing them. Suffice it to say that I know that God answers prayers. In this I think its now more than faith, it has become knowledge (to see that saying something can become more than faith, look at Alma 32.)

So yeah, again, I don´t have much time. So, Bom Dia, good week to y´all!

Elder Eyring