Eclipse

"And everything under the sun is in tune, and the sun is eclipsed by the moon"

Everything just seems to be in tune here, so Pink Floyd's words to end their album Dark Side of the Moon ring well to me today. I'll cut to the chase about what's happening here, though.

Rui is going incredibly right now! This past week while talking to him, he told us a lot about how he's getting really excited for marriage, and he just feels good about the decision. The sad thing is, he has to wait until his money comes in at the end of the month so he can pay for the marriage license, so he probably won't be married while I'm still here. I'll have my comp send in pictures of the marriage and the baptism when it does happen, though. The greatest thing to me was that when we talked about the Sabbath Day and how he shouldn't work on Sunday, he was so willing that he said he'd stop yesterday, and he did. It's so special to see his willingness and readiness to accept the gospel and it's principles immediately. He's a boss.

Emily is going solid for the 8th of next month, though, so that means she'll be our baptism for this transfer! She really seemed to feel bad about going to the beach instead of church this last Sunday, and now we're just working hard to get her to meet Irmã Neusa, the Young Women's President. Things are really looking up for her, and we're getting stoked for the baptism to happen!

As I've studied about the power and authority of my calling, I've come to appreciate the Spirit that I personally feel as I testify, and the reaction that I see in people when it happens. Our investigator Sulamita is a great example, because we can literally see when the Spirit touches her, but there's just one little thing holding her back. I hope we can take care of it soon, I want to see her and her husband come to the gospel.

For some reason, we had a lot of lessons with investigators who refused to say a word as we talked to them. We were like, why would you let us into your house in the first place if you weren't planning on accepting anything we taught? It reminds me that people still have their agency, but we can make sure our teaching is powerful and full of the Spirit. Sometimes it feels like nothing can stop us, even when weird moments like that happen.

Life just seems like it's in order, right now. It's starting to get real that it's not going to last for much longer, but I'm focused on making it the best time for myself and for those that I'm teaching.

That's all I have for today, hoping you all are well in the meantime! Shoutout to my friend Bryant, who's going home in 9 days, as well as my brother Cameron, who's never going home ;) Love you all!

Abraço,

Elder Penner

PICS

​​1. Me overpowering the city of Espargos with my good looks

2. Good Real Estate

3. Terra Boa, meaning "good dirt." Not really understanding the name.

4. 70 mph selfie with Elder Thorsen, my ZL

​