Letter #72

Dear Family,

My first week with Elder Souza was super good.  We got a lot of good things done and are ready to work our butts off.  Or our feet, because we walk a ton, but we getting to work!

So here's the scuttlebutt.  In the mission we have a standard of excellence, which is basically a mission-wide goal for the number of people we talk to, teach, bring to church, and baptize.  The standard is pretty high, and up to this point on my mission I've only been able to reach the standard a few times in a few of the areas.  But my companion and I started a new project in our zone.  Every week we are going to focus on a few of the key indicators and the entire zone is going to do their best to reach the standard for those indicators.  We're starting off on the indicators that we can control, like contacts and other lessons taught, and by the end of the transfer we hope that we can all be hitting the standard for baptisms and confirmations.  After one transfer here in Araraquara, we haven't baptized anybody yet, but pretty soon here we are going to be having some serious baptsimizyzing.  Be ready.

This week we focused on contacts on the street, and we were able to hit the standard.  It was the first time in my mission that I had reached the mission goal, and it was super sick.  I got super pumped.  Every day I get a bit more excited to do missionary work.

We had a seventy visit our mission a few months back, and something that he said really marked me.  He said that every day of our mission should be an adventure, and I'm starting to understand why.  The mission is just like a secret agent film:  you've been trainded, you wear nice clothes, you carry your weapon (scriptures), you know the deets of the organization (the ward), sometimes you have to be discreet, you have to investigate, follow trails, sound people out.  And the best part of all, there's the Chief Boss Man in charge that sends you hints and extra help when you get stuck.

It may be sacrilege, but I'm starting to visualize the mission this way.  And I like it.  You have to be super focused and attentive so that you don't get caught in a bad spot.  And it helps me remember that you can't ever give up.  At the moment when it looks like the world is going to end, the bomb is going to go off, the world is going to explode and the bad guy is going to win is when the story really gets interesting.  That's when the thrill factor comes into play, and you have to be ready for it.  On your toes, listening to the Spirit, ready to respond any question or comment that your rival might throw at you.  Stressful yet fulfilling

Elder Cavalcante, that goon over in Franca, sent me another picture this week.  He baptized another person!  That goofball is on fire!

(to the tune of Barbara Ann)

Fa fa fa, fa famalams

fa fa fa, fa fa fafala-a-ams

Tchau-zinho,

Elder Jacko