One-Sided Relationships and Trust Issues
Hey friends! Quick one this week… maybe… we will see. You never know.
Real Talk
I think I am going to come away from the mission with more trust issues than I thought possible. I knew people wouldn't keep their commitments but I didn't know it was this hard. HOWEVER, when someone does keep their commitments I am beyond ecstatic. Opposition in all things. Another thing, I am basically in an infinitely long one-sided relationship. I (try to) put my heart and soul into every person we contact with no effort in return (*cries*). No texts. No calls. Unanswered doors. You get the idea. The good thing is that I'll be unbothered by these things in a few months, even if it makes me heartless… jk… it won't… I hope (save me).
Having a dying comp hasn't been too bad, I kinda just do things and drag him along. As long as we get to our visits it's a success. It also means I get to stretch my Portuguese to its limits and text our investigators, attempting to do everything I can do. I am grateful that I have been able to get that practice and get more comfortable with it. I have definitely found joy in it.
All that being said, productivity really fell off last week and it's looking like it's going to fall off even more this week (I'm trying to be a good missionary I promise). It's gotten to the point that my comp ignores 80% of our plans for the day and my questions/ promptings. It gets slightly frustrating, but it's not worth fighting over for 7 days so I just pray endlessly for patience. Have I still lost my patience once or twice… maybe… I usually just walk it off, get home, throw in my AirPods and face plant on my bed. Usually works, but, fun fact, those days are the days that I didn't pray for it. Prayers work I promise.
Cookies Round 2
One thing that I HAVE been able to convince my comp to do (probably because it takes up a whole evening) is make cookies for the members. We made 90 cookies on Thursday for the youth after their last day of Seminary. It was fun for us and the cookies were so so good (discovered that my comp didn't know how to properly measure brown sugar so I fixed that). I got to chat and mess around the youth again too. They are always smiling and having fun which is always contagious so no matter how hard the day was I leave there happy.
The next day was “Clean the Chapel Day”. We didn't make cookies but we still went because our appointments fell through. We got there a little early so I got to kick the ball around with some of the youth (notice how I wasn't playing ;)) which was a fantastic stress reliever. Also, soccer is one of the things I can talk pretty well about in Portuguese, so I was able to have some conversations. Somehow we managed to save one of the Young Women's relationships too…? The Elders are W wingmen I promise. We did our service by cleaning the chapel and messing around with the youth. When in doubt, have fun with the youth then have them bring their friends. It works every time.
The Elects Come
As missionaries we have our app that shows us all the people in our area interested or that have been interested in the gospel. In the app we also receive referrals of people that could be interested. On Tuesday we received an ad referral and I stopped my comp in the middle of the road and told him to call him right then and there. And so we did. On the third call he answered and said he wanted us to come over that evening.
We went over to his house and oh my goodness everything was picture perfect. After a not even 30 minute lesson this man, who said he usually tears up Churches’ pamphlets, looked at us and told us he knew that what we were doing and teaching was right. The next day he told us that he was working on stopping smoking. WE HADN'T EVEN MENTIONED THE WORD OF WISDOM YET. We gave him a blessing because he said he's been too stressed to sleep and he said he felt light and was able to sleep well for the first time in many months. This man is one of the most faithful men I have ever met. We are still working with him to be baptism ready but it will come. Prayers would be appreciated!
Random
Got a Peru tie from Ika!
We got to go see the Christmas lights display at the temple on Sunday night. I arrived and was full of peace it was so so nice. Tis the season. Did we get home at midnight… maybe.
Met missionaries from the North, West, and Interlagos missions.
Met the CTM stalker (iykyk)
Got to wear my Christmas ties :))
I ate way too much cookie dough
Vocab
Dying - a missionary who has almost finished his 2 years (or her 18 months) of missionary service and is preparing to go home
Word of Wisdom - the commandment/ Law of Health that we follow as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (See “Word of Wisdom” in Topics and Questions)
Quotes
Flashback: “Emotions prevent you from colonizing.” [Elder Quesne, 9/4/2025]
God's Hand
Rain and a rainbow
Yellow flowers
Peace on the temple grounds
Safe travels past curfew
Spiritual Thought
Do everything with gratitude
I have noticed that I have better days the more that I am thankful for the things that did happen rather than the things that didn't
I have noticed that my prayers feel more meaningful the more I express gratitude than complain or ask
I have noticed that I receive answers and small miracles when I show I am grateful for his hand
When people go out of their way to do something, be thankful, show it. A simple thank you goes a long way and if you've done that, I invite you to show more gratitude. Not only will it make you feel happier but it will lift the spirits of those around you. I promise. We can all be a little more grateful.
“And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more.” (D&C 78:19)
You escape without a challenge this week. If you want you can go back and do one you haven't done ;) (like send me a recipe).
Send me an email! Update me on life, let me know what I can pray for! I miss y'all!
Muito amor,
Elder Urbano
