From: Jacob Thatcher <elderthatcher@gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Jan 27, 2009 at 12:49 PM
Subject: Carta de Elder Thatcher 1-27-08
To: suzy summers <suzysumm@gmail.com>, Sam Hansen <cliffhucker@gmail.com>, shansummers@gmail.com, Suzy <suzy@ida.net>, summercofarms@hotmail.com, Micah Thatcher <skiaton@gmail.com>, Rhett Summers <summercofarms@gmail.com>, skylaw@ida.net, shaleesummers@hotmail.com, suzy@rexburgeyes.com, Hannah Thatcher <isavethewhales@gmail.com>, "Knight, Leanna" <kni07001@byui.edu>, LaRee Winn <gramlaree@gmail.com>, annalisesummers@msn.com, Jacob Thatcher <runmts@gmail.com>, wes07006@byui.edu, dmhansen@ida.net, gordon@beardstclair.com, bethatch@cableone.net, Bryce Thatcher <runmts@ida.net>
Dear Family,
Well, it sounds like it went from 60 degrees to -10. What the heck, sounds like global warming.
This week has been fairly normal, well, not really, but I am lazy today, and don't want to write very much, on top of that this keyboard isn't up to much, and I have hardly anytime.
But I want all of you to know that I LOVE YOU, and pray for you every night. The work is moving forward here in Torres, and I can feel all of your prayers back at home.
WHAT HAPPENED THIS WEEK>>>
· Zone Conference, Division
· Lost my wallet
· Church Lessons, scriptures
· Elder Simôes almost died
· Word of Wisdom
· Snowboarding!!!
Well, every 6 weeks we have a division with our zone leaders, I have gone to Gravataí once and stayed here in Torres once. This time, I went to Gravataí to the zone leader's house. We left Torres for Gravati at noon Wednesday, and rode the bus for 3 hours, me and another American from California, Elder Eller. He doesn't speak very good Portuguese, but compared to me, he is flawless in his language, because of this, it was HORRIBLE. When it is me and other Brazilians, I am almost like an idol, people are way impressed, but when the see another American that speaks better then me, even if he has 3 times as much time as me in the mission, they still are harsh… So, two houses consecutively I was battered and rammed, they laughed and said I don't understand. It's WAY frustrating by the end of the second house I felt like I was about the size of Waldo. We taught 3 young teenage girls, and they commenced flirting/ persecuting me… now I know how Joseph Smith felt J
After the division I went with Elder Eller to Zone Conference, there I met up with my Companion again. Conference was extremely good, and I had a good interview with the president. We learned how to use more examples in our lessons. Afterwards we stuffed ourselves at a buffet restaurant. Restaurants like a chuck a rama are very popular here, and really cheap (4 or 5 American dollars)
So, everyone I am writing to knows that sometimes I can be a scatter brain; one could argue that the following story was an act of "scatterbrainess" but I would argue differently, it was an event that could not have been prevented.
So after the Zone Conference I, with my companion Elder Simoes loaded the bus for the 3 ½ hour ride for Torres. Of course we were tired out, so immediately we slept. Halfway through the ride, I decided to study. I rummaged through my backpack, which had materials for the zone conference, as well as my 3 day division; needless to say, it was stuffed to the brim. But I rummaged around and found my dictionary and scriptures. I commenced reading, and studying, and when we arrived in Torres, put everything away and tiredly headed for home.
Once we arrived, I unpacked everything, and got ready for bed. My head was on the pillow when I suddenly thought "Where the heck is my wallet?" Were the heck is my wallet with 150 reals (75 American dollars) 3 debit cards, temple recommend, drivers license, and prosylitng card? Immediately I knew, in the bus, on the floor. It had fallen out when I got my scriptures and dictionary. That, or in someone else's pocket. My head left the pillow, and me knees hit the floor, I started praying that if God was going to help me, now was the time.
The next morning, we called the bus depot, and miraculously, the bus was still there. The guy on the phone said that he would go look for it, but who knows what happened to it. 10 minutes latter we called back, and, wouldn't you know! He found it!!! And he was honest at that! He didn't pocket any of the money, didn't lie, etc. I went and picked it up….again, a giant Blessing, and a little bit of luck!
4:30 a.m, Sunday morning, I was woken up by a loud gagging sound. My companion was on the side of his bed, 10 feet away from the toilet, vomiting his guts out. There wasn't anything I could do, and I wanted my 2 more precious hours of sleep, so I tiredly got up, mopped up his mess, and climbed back in bed. 5:30, again, but this time he made it to the toilet, thank goodness.
The next morning I talked to the president's wife, and of course, she said, lots of liquids, and the normal. We went to church, partially because he was feeling better, but more because I needed to give my lesson. I gave it, on scriptures, it was actually a very good lesson, and I asked everyone to write on a piece of paper their last words that they would say. I collected them, and crumpled them up. Omni 1:30, Eons 1:27, Moroni 10:34 and the end of 2 Nephi chapter 33. I then illustrated how we do the same thing with the scriptures as I did with their words that they wrote from the bottom of their heart, when we reject the scriptures, and not read them. The scriptures are our map to return to our heavenly father, we are here, but He didn't leave us alone, he gave us textbooks, so that while we take the test of life we can pass. At church, Elder Simoes met a member, Darwin, that was from Novo Hamburgo, that he was good friends with--- read on to learn more about him.
Anyway, he pucked up his guts in the bathroom while I was giving this spiritual lesson. We went home, barely…. It was slow, every 100 feet he would stop and rest. We met some investigators on the way. They said take him to the hospital!!! But we didn't, went home and slept.
Monday he was miraculously better, and I wasn't sick as well. So we went about our day, found 2 new investigators, a young couple, that have a little bit of money, and are really classy, will return Friday. But we taught a lesson to Gabriel, a long time investigator, that has a testimony, but is coming along a little slow. We talked about the word of wisdom. I usually don't like to teach this lesson, because it seems to scare away investigators, but we taught it nonetheless, and the spirit was there.
Corinthians 3: 16-17 talk about how our body is a temple, how we have to treat it as such. Imagine going up to a temple of god, the Rexburg Temple for instance and spray painting it, drilling holes in it, taking black paint and dropping it on the white floor in the celestial room. This is how we are. We are the temples of god. We are living in bodies that are rented. It doesn't matter if we just want to get an extra earring, drink one cup of coffee, etc, it is still bad. If I was to put a cockroach in your cake, even though its just one, would you still eat it. A little bit will affect a lot.
I am reminded about the Dr Sues book, the cat in the hat, about the rainy day when the kids let the cat in. How one little stain ends up covering the entire house? This is how it is for us. One little smudges on our inside. One commandment that is DISOBEYED by the prophet is one small smudge that will grow, spread, and overtake, or body, or rented body, or temple.
I am trying to send some pictures, hope it works, but I am happy to report that I got one day of skiing in this year so far!!!! Actually snow boarding, well actually sand boarding. Some missionary left a sand board in our apartment, so we went out onto some of the dunes, and went down them. IT FELT SOOOO GOOD!!!! Never had 1 smooth, round turn entered into my body like the ones I made today did---even if they were on sand…
Love you ALL!!! Jacob
