It was kind of hot yesterday, hence the title of this email. This week was a great week for the zone and the remainder of the month should be equally good with regards to baptisms and confirmations. So far, there have been 8 baptisms this month with the potential of 2 more this week and several more the following week. However, our numbers for teaching and finding new people were pretty weak in my opinion.
One of the big goals we established with the zone at conference was to give 100% to find a new family to teach each day. Why every day? Well, those of you who have served missions know of the funnel theory. You start with a ton of potentials, and then after time, the shady people will get a nice spot in the area book and those who progress will continue on to become members of the Church. As a mission, we are using what we call an "escalator." Our goal, in the near future, is to have every duo baptizing a family every week. The reason we are focusing on families is because children aren't the ones who receive the Priesthood. So far, our zone is rockin' with the dates. Every dupla has at least one man or family marked for the next 6 weeks and several have more. Considering the zone only had one baptism last month (a 9 year old), the missionaries have really re-doubled their efforts to establish a balance here in Boa Vista.
This week I had the privilege of doing a division with Elder Seastrand in Canaā. It reminded me of the good, old times in Flores. One thing I noticed during the division is the work nearly becomes perfection when working side by side with certain people...there was no down time and we finished the day teaching 7 people and me interviewing a girl who was baptized the next day. I'm really excited for this month and the month of May. There is going to be a ton of baptisms and zone progress. This will hopefully make for a sweet grand finale.
One of the interesting things about Elder Seastrand's area is that there are a ton of frogs...little frogs, big frogs, green frogs, and brown frogs. As a result, I finally learned last Friday how the game Frogger came about. As we were walking back to the church to do an interview, there was a monstrous frog hopping around on the street. After 5 minutes of watching it evade oncoming traffic, I became very impressed with its skills and decided it was worthy to live and let it work its way back to the sidewalk where it could hop in peace.
Yesterday, the entire mission had to get the immunization for gripe suína (swine flu). It went well although I'm definitely glad I got it here in Boa Vista where everything is clean, organized, and I was able to see her get a new needle and dispose of it once she was done giving me the shot.
We were able to get Skype working with the webcam at the house of a member, so we will be able to see Elder Jeffrey R. Holland ao vivo via Internet. It's not the same as seeing him in person, but it'll be pretty cool. The Mission Counselor, Presidente Souza, said he would take us paintballing to make up for us not being able to attend the conference to see an Apostle.
As my time narrows down to less than 2 months, I feel weird. The mission reminds me of a Nike slogan "There is no finish line." My mind just can't comprehend that one day this is all going to come to a close and I'll begin another chapter in my life. There is a lot I could say about the way I feel, but as Gandhi once said, "It's better to have a heart without words than words without heart." So with that, I'll end this week's e-mail.
Até logo,
Elder Taylor Mackay
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Zona Boa Vista
Taking a Break from Helping a Member Paint Her Food Stand
Elders Murray and Mackay Pass the Torch to the New Financial Secretary, Elder Cottle
Chillin' with a New Friend in Boa Vista
Zona Boa Vista After a Volleyball Game
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| From Taylor Mission Pics |
Taking a Break from Helping a Member Paint Her Food Stand
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| From Taylor Mission Pics |
Elders Murray and Mackay Pass the Torch to the New Financial Secretary, Elder Cottle
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| From Taylor Mission Pics |
Chillin' with a New Friend in Boa Vista
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| From Taylor Mission Pics |
Zona Boa Vista After a Volleyball Game
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| From Taylor Mission Pics |
Planning for Success
Dear Family and Friends,
All the conferences went well this week, starting with the zone conference that took place on Friday. The training we gave the zone should help a lot with the lack of baptisms and whatnot. Also, General Conference on Saturday and Sunday went well. I had some difficulty staying awake during parts, but that's to be expected when you watch 10 hours of it, in addition to being sleep deprived from recent flights back and forth. Fortunately, we were able to watch it in English...not that I wouldn't understand it in Portuguese, but it is nice to hear the words of authorities in your native language. I enjoyed all of the talks but seemed to get the most out of those who listed a number of things we can follow to improve our lives in certain aspects. Once again, Elder Holland had a sweet talk that was right up there in intensity with his talk from last conference on the Book of Mormon. I really feel bad for the guy that has to talk after him because you just can't compete with Elder Holland...he's in a class all of his own.
Our zone is rocking along this week with some pretty awesome possibilities, including a family of seven people and two other women. If we manage, as a zone, to make this week happen and keep searching for new families each day, I have no doubt that Boa Vista will have a strong Stake well before year-end.
We had a nice zone activity today where we played volleyball. It went well, but the weather wasn't as sunny as I would have liked it to be. As for our missionary progress, we had the opportunity to do service projects twice this week. There is a member in the ward who has a little food vending booth on one of the main streets. To visually bring it up to date, together with Elder and Sister Francisco and the assistants: Elder Dodge and Elder Brito, we gave it a quality painting of yellow on the outside and white on the inside.
We are still working with two couples preparing them for their wedding and baptism. I'm most excited about Giselle and João Paulo, who are essentially my age and are really pumped up about their wedding. He is from Guiana Ingles and she's from here. They have been together quite some time and out of nowhere gave us a call wanting our help. They are super receptive. The only downfall is now that Giselle is on vacation from work, they will be traveling a ton. Rather than get frustrated, we have been giving them homework assignments to accomplish during their travels, such as watching films and reading. Alcides and Walquiria went to conference on Saturday and enjoyed the talks. We passed by their place yesterday and the only thing they are now waiting for is money to get the paperwork rolling at the cartório.
Another interesting story is that we are working with a jovem (youth), named Ítalo, who plays basketball. His coach just so happens to be one of the best coaches in Roraima and is a returned missionary. It was funny talking to him yesterday because he didn't go to conference on Sunday. Ídio, the coach, was like, "I hope you have a good excuse because next time you ditch out you're going to pay for it during practice." It might not be the most spiritual way to get people to go to church, but after talking with Ítalo, it was pretty effective. I guess it's one more example of lack of separation between church and state.
To finish this week's letter, I thought I would share an experience we have had with a woman we met through a recent convert. Her name is Geovanna. When we started teaching her, she was lacking a lot of faith and wasn't even sure God existed. After 4-5 visits, she has made a complete 180 and is preparing for her baptism, which should take place on the 23rd. Miracles do happen!
Beijão,
Elder Mackay
All the conferences went well this week, starting with the zone conference that took place on Friday. The training we gave the zone should help a lot with the lack of baptisms and whatnot. Also, General Conference on Saturday and Sunday went well. I had some difficulty staying awake during parts, but that's to be expected when you watch 10 hours of it, in addition to being sleep deprived from recent flights back and forth. Fortunately, we were able to watch it in English...not that I wouldn't understand it in Portuguese, but it is nice to hear the words of authorities in your native language. I enjoyed all of the talks but seemed to get the most out of those who listed a number of things we can follow to improve our lives in certain aspects. Once again, Elder Holland had a sweet talk that was right up there in intensity with his talk from last conference on the Book of Mormon. I really feel bad for the guy that has to talk after him because you just can't compete with Elder Holland...he's in a class all of his own.
Our zone is rocking along this week with some pretty awesome possibilities, including a family of seven people and two other women. If we manage, as a zone, to make this week happen and keep searching for new families each day, I have no doubt that Boa Vista will have a strong Stake well before year-end.
We had a nice zone activity today where we played volleyball. It went well, but the weather wasn't as sunny as I would have liked it to be. As for our missionary progress, we had the opportunity to do service projects twice this week. There is a member in the ward who has a little food vending booth on one of the main streets. To visually bring it up to date, together with Elder and Sister Francisco and the assistants: Elder Dodge and Elder Brito, we gave it a quality painting of yellow on the outside and white on the inside.
We are still working with two couples preparing them for their wedding and baptism. I'm most excited about Giselle and João Paulo, who are essentially my age and are really pumped up about their wedding. He is from Guiana Ingles and she's from here. They have been together quite some time and out of nowhere gave us a call wanting our help. They are super receptive. The only downfall is now that Giselle is on vacation from work, they will be traveling a ton. Rather than get frustrated, we have been giving them homework assignments to accomplish during their travels, such as watching films and reading. Alcides and Walquiria went to conference on Saturday and enjoyed the talks. We passed by their place yesterday and the only thing they are now waiting for is money to get the paperwork rolling at the cartório.
Another interesting story is that we are working with a jovem (youth), named Ítalo, who plays basketball. His coach just so happens to be one of the best coaches in Roraima and is a returned missionary. It was funny talking to him yesterday because he didn't go to conference on Sunday. Ídio, the coach, was like, "I hope you have a good excuse because next time you ditch out you're going to pay for it during practice." It might not be the most spiritual way to get people to go to church, but after talking with Ítalo, it was pretty effective. I guess it's one more example of lack of separation between church and state.
To finish this week's letter, I thought I would share an experience we have had with a woman we met through a recent convert. Her name is Geovanna. When we started teaching her, she was lacking a lot of faith and wasn't even sure God existed. After 4-5 visits, she has made a complete 180 and is preparing for her baptism, which should take place on the 23rd. Miracles do happen!
Beijão,
Elder Mackay
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
MACUXI
Macuxi...that's what you call someone from the Brazilian state of Roraima. It's just like someone from California is called a Californian. I decided to save some time by writing this week's letter while I was on the airplane. I have a busy couple of days ahead of me since I will be doing divisions with the assistants.
The trip to Manaus was a little hectic. We arrived at the airport at 11 p.m., but our flight got delayed until 3:50 a.m. because the airport in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro shut down due to the weather. We finally landed in Manaus at 5:15 in the morning and took a taxi to the Mission Office where we crashed for 30 minutes before getting back up and making ourselves presentable for the Leadership Council. I am now back in Boa Vista, but it has been a crazy 36 hours!
The Leadership Council was very informative. As zone leaders, we established the mission's goals together with the assistants and President Jayme. We were also given the topic of the training that we will be holding on Friday at the zone conference. It will be on how we can correct our fellow missionaries without losing their confidence and at the same time respectfully doing so.
So, my area, Caçarí, is ridiculously spacious. The limits are huge so every once and a while we have to walk quite a distance to talk to our investigators. The Rio Branco passes right by our area, but it currently doesn't have much water since we're in the dry season. The branch meets in a rented house every Sunday, making it the smallest church building I have ever entered. As a way for the branch to get to know me better, the Branch President called me as the first speaker in Sacrament meeting. This sort of thing isn't as nerve-racking as it used to be. My companion, Elder Lima, is from Vitória, Espirito Santo. I ran into him quite a bit while I was in the office since he used to be the zone leader of Zona Central. I'll be sure to send a picture of the two of us next week since I think we'll be playing soccer next P-day.
As for the zone, it consists of 12 missionaries...it used to be larger but has been reduced due to the lack of missionaries serving right now. It consists of: Elder Soares, Elder S. Johnson, Elder Seastrand, Elder Dorneles, Sister Poole, Sister Gabani, Sister Costa, Sister Dos Santos, Elder Francisco and Sister Francisco, Elder Lima, and me (Elder Mackay).
Last month the zone wasn't too successful with baptisms (only 1 baptism). We are working hard with the missionaries, so they can help their investigators progress to the point of becoming a member of the Church. As part of this effort, we had a meeting on Monday with the members of the zone to establish goals and ideas to better the work. The interesting thing about this area is that it is wealthier than any area in which I have served, but the way of life of the Macuxi makes them more interested in our work and more willing to accept a visit from the missionaries. I am really hoping I will be able to finish my mission here in Boa Vista.
We are having a lot of success right now with three families. The first of these families is Alcides and Walquiria, a couple who is around sixty years old. Their son is a returned missionary. Finally after two years, they have prepared for their wedding, which will be in a month followed by their baptism. The next family is Giselle and João Paulo. They are the friend and sister of a member. Giselle called us the other day and said she wanted to get married and João accepted, so we went to the cartório with them and the documents for their wedding will be ready at the end of the month. Finally, Oneto and Sumara have family who are members and are also planning to get married this month. All is perfect for the baptism of Sumara but Oneto needs to stop smoking, which might be more difficult than one thinks. That's about all I have for now. I should have more updates for you next week.
Até mais,
Elder Taylor Mackay
The trip to Manaus was a little hectic. We arrived at the airport at 11 p.m., but our flight got delayed until 3:50 a.m. because the airport in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro shut down due to the weather. We finally landed in Manaus at 5:15 in the morning and took a taxi to the Mission Office where we crashed for 30 minutes before getting back up and making ourselves presentable for the Leadership Council. I am now back in Boa Vista, but it has been a crazy 36 hours!
The Leadership Council was very informative. As zone leaders, we established the mission's goals together with the assistants and President Jayme. We were also given the topic of the training that we will be holding on Friday at the zone conference. It will be on how we can correct our fellow missionaries without losing their confidence and at the same time respectfully doing so.
So, my area, Caçarí, is ridiculously spacious. The limits are huge so every once and a while we have to walk quite a distance to talk to our investigators. The Rio Branco passes right by our area, but it currently doesn't have much water since we're in the dry season. The branch meets in a rented house every Sunday, making it the smallest church building I have ever entered. As a way for the branch to get to know me better, the Branch President called me as the first speaker in Sacrament meeting. This sort of thing isn't as nerve-racking as it used to be. My companion, Elder Lima, is from Vitória, Espirito Santo. I ran into him quite a bit while I was in the office since he used to be the zone leader of Zona Central. I'll be sure to send a picture of the two of us next week since I think we'll be playing soccer next P-day.
As for the zone, it consists of 12 missionaries...it used to be larger but has been reduced due to the lack of missionaries serving right now. It consists of: Elder Soares, Elder S. Johnson, Elder Seastrand, Elder Dorneles, Sister Poole, Sister Gabani, Sister Costa, Sister Dos Santos, Elder Francisco and Sister Francisco, Elder Lima, and me (Elder Mackay).
Last month the zone wasn't too successful with baptisms (only 1 baptism). We are working hard with the missionaries, so they can help their investigators progress to the point of becoming a member of the Church. As part of this effort, we had a meeting on Monday with the members of the zone to establish goals and ideas to better the work. The interesting thing about this area is that it is wealthier than any area in which I have served, but the way of life of the Macuxi makes them more interested in our work and more willing to accept a visit from the missionaries. I am really hoping I will be able to finish my mission here in Boa Vista.
We are having a lot of success right now with three families. The first of these families is Alcides and Walquiria, a couple who is around sixty years old. Their son is a returned missionary. Finally after two years, they have prepared for their wedding, which will be in a month followed by their baptism. The next family is Giselle and João Paulo. They are the friend and sister of a member. Giselle called us the other day and said she wanted to get married and João accepted, so we went to the cartório with them and the documents for their wedding will be ready at the end of the month. Finally, Oneto and Sumara have family who are members and are also planning to get married this month. All is perfect for the baptism of Sumara but Oneto needs to stop smoking, which might be more difficult than one thinks. That's about all I have for now. I should have more updates for you next week.
Até mais,
Elder Taylor Mackay
Spending Time with the Souza Family: Teresa, Jéssica, Dany, and Carlos
Elder Mackay's District in Cidade de Deus (Front-Mackay, Melo, Cainã Back-Soelberg, Keicher, and Bittencourt)
Saying Good-Bye to Dear Friends
João Carlos' Baptism with João Santos, Ana Célia, and Elders Mackay and Soelberg
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| From Taylor Mission Pics |
Elder Mackay's District in Cidade de Deus (Front-Mackay, Melo, Cainã Back-Soelberg, Keicher, and Bittencourt)
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| From Taylor Mission Pics |
Saying Good-Bye to Dear Friends
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| From Taylor Mission Pics |
João Carlos' Baptism with João Santos, Ana Célia, and Elders Mackay and Soelberg
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| From Taylor Mission Pics |
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
It's Not a Good View...IT'S A GREAT VIEW!!!!
Já Fui Já. Well...my time in Jardim Botânico came to an end when my head hit the pillow Monday night. It definitely was a very difficult area for me, but I would like to think those whom I taught now know more than just that the Gospel is true...they know what the Gospel is. Many times as members, for our entire lives, we ride on the faith of others...bearing our testimony that things are true and not really knowing the specifics of what those things are or what they mean.
We were able to baptize João Carlos Caldeira Dos Santos my last week in Jardim Botânico. He is a great kid. We accidentally (to the human eye) knocked on their door to talk to the person who originally lived there. When the door opened, it shut quickly and their son screamed, "Mom, it's the Elders." The door reopened and there stood Ana Célia with a smile on her face as if she had been waiting a long time for our visit. From that day forward, we worked on their reactivation and all quickly made their way back (family of five). The only difficulty that remains is João Santos, the dad and past Elder's Quorum President. He is now a pastor (a profession here in Brazil) for Assembleia de Deus-Nova Vida. Through many visits, they are making great progress and João (the son) was baptized.
I could never have guessed where I would serve next but am very thankful to be here. I'm 40 miles away from Guyana and close to the border of Venezuela in the state of Roraima...a city better known as "Good View" in Portuguese. I'm in BOA VISTA!!!! I was called to be the new zone leader with Elder Lima, who already has one transfer here. I also have the privilege of working side by side with a good friend of mine, Elder Seastrand, who was called to be one of the new district leaders up here. The city is pretty small and the weather reminds me A LOT of Palm Springs. It's really hot, really sunny, and gets a nice dry breeze. It is the only Brazilian capital located entirely above the Equator.
I'm really excited, though, to more than likely finish my mission here in the extreme North of Brazil. There are a lot of people to teach and the culture is a lot different than in Manaus. Our branch is renting out a house for their weekly meetings. I'm excited to work with the missionaries in the zone, which includes a few elders and sisters and a missionary couple. This upcoming Monday will be the first time the entire zone will get together to meet one another, so I'll have a lot more to say next week.
As zone leaders, we fly back once a transfer to Manaus for the zone leader council with the assistants and President Jayme. There we talk about goals and what we can do to better our work. It just so happens that this council will take place next Tuesday! With less than a week here, I'll catch a red-eye flight Monday night to Manaus and then fly back Wednesday evening. It will be a great experience.
It was sad to see my missionary buddies finish their missions and head back home. Now that I am the next American to return home, it's official that I am dying...but like a race, the last stretch can determine if you win or lose - if you slacked or gave it your all. This is the difference that can be applied to every aspect of life...the difference of a fulfilling life or a life of regrets. I DO NOT want that heavy weight of regret on my shoulders, so I'm going to give an extra kick and sprint my butt through the finish-line. Thank you to my friends and family for the e-mails, letters, love, and support.
ABRAÇOOOOOO,
Elder Taylor Mackay
We were able to baptize João Carlos Caldeira Dos Santos my last week in Jardim Botânico. He is a great kid. We accidentally (to the human eye) knocked on their door to talk to the person who originally lived there. When the door opened, it shut quickly and their son screamed, "Mom, it's the Elders." The door reopened and there stood Ana Célia with a smile on her face as if she had been waiting a long time for our visit. From that day forward, we worked on their reactivation and all quickly made their way back (family of five). The only difficulty that remains is João Santos, the dad and past Elder's Quorum President. He is now a pastor (a profession here in Brazil) for Assembleia de Deus-Nova Vida. Through many visits, they are making great progress and João (the son) was baptized.
I could never have guessed where I would serve next but am very thankful to be here. I'm 40 miles away from Guyana and close to the border of Venezuela in the state of Roraima...a city better known as "Good View" in Portuguese. I'm in BOA VISTA!!!! I was called to be the new zone leader with Elder Lima, who already has one transfer here. I also have the privilege of working side by side with a good friend of mine, Elder Seastrand, who was called to be one of the new district leaders up here. The city is pretty small and the weather reminds me A LOT of Palm Springs. It's really hot, really sunny, and gets a nice dry breeze. It is the only Brazilian capital located entirely above the Equator.
I'm really excited, though, to more than likely finish my mission here in the extreme North of Brazil. There are a lot of people to teach and the culture is a lot different than in Manaus. Our branch is renting out a house for their weekly meetings. I'm excited to work with the missionaries in the zone, which includes a few elders and sisters and a missionary couple. This upcoming Monday will be the first time the entire zone will get together to meet one another, so I'll have a lot more to say next week.
As zone leaders, we fly back once a transfer to Manaus for the zone leader council with the assistants and President Jayme. There we talk about goals and what we can do to better our work. It just so happens that this council will take place next Tuesday! With less than a week here, I'll catch a red-eye flight Monday night to Manaus and then fly back Wednesday evening. It will be a great experience.
It was sad to see my missionary buddies finish their missions and head back home. Now that I am the next American to return home, it's official that I am dying...but like a race, the last stretch can determine if you win or lose - if you slacked or gave it your all. This is the difference that can be applied to every aspect of life...the difference of a fulfilling life or a life of regrets. I DO NOT want that heavy weight of regret on my shoulders, so I'm going to give an extra kick and sprint my butt through the finish-line. Thank you to my friends and family for the e-mails, letters, love, and support.
ABRAÇOOOOOO,
Elder Taylor Mackay
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