Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)

The email I just read confirmed it: my friend Bryant, who started the mission about the same time I did (and who funnily enough also went home for a few months to recover from a broken bone) has signed off for the last time as a missionary. I almost put my update as Hello by Adele but I like Green Day better so I hope you have the time of your life, bro. See you on the other side.

Something about this last week has put me into an attitude of immense gratefulness for the things that I've learned since I arrived here on the mission. There are so many lessons that I've experienced, and that I'm honestly still experiencing. I've taken the little free time I have to write down the many things that I've learned, and even I'm surprised at how much I've been able to write about. The mission changes you, man.

Had a couple of lasts this past week: my last Zone Conference and my last interview with my Mission President. It was super short and sweet, actually. I just told him how life is great and I'm still learning so much, and he basically just counseled me to "sprint to the finish." Definitely plan on doing that, for sure.

Emily and Rui are doing awesome, we're going to get Emily's baptismal interview done tomorrow so we can have plenty of time to get people stoked for the baptismal service. Rui also should have been to the Registro today so he could mark an actual date for the marriage! Get stoked!

We also had a great experience with another investigator we have, named Etel. She and Zeka are currently going through some major issues right now. She told us that Zeka is planning on leaving at the end of the month. We don't want that to happen, but we haven't been able to talk to them for a while, and we're not sure what we can do. Etel has felt ignored by the Lord because of the death of her grandmother who raised her, and because she hasn't been able to have the kid that she wants. We started the Plan of Salvation with her, and we haven't finished teaching it yet for lack of time, but it was still a really neat experience. I felt the Spirit strongly.

I met a Born Again Christian Pastor from Nigeria the other day. I didn't even know that was a thing in this country, but that just proves that there's still more than meets the eye here. It was cool to teach the Restoration in English, but we could immediately tell that the guy wasn't interested at all, and he only let us in out of courtesy. We promised him an English Book of Mormon, but didn't mark a return visit. The field is white and ready to harvest, but he just didn't seem to be what we were looking for. Maybe some other time the Spirit will touch him so he can be more receptive.

I'm making the best of this test, and not asking why! Hoping that you all are doing great as well! Have a good week!!

Abraço,

Elder Penner

p.s. I'm lame so I didn't take pics sorry