Monday, March 31, 1969

Several American families are members of the Jardim Botânico Branch here in the south part of Rio. A week ago Sunday Elder Stewart and I ate dinner in the Burton home, an apartment overlook­ing Copacabana Beach. Brother Burton works in the legal department of the U.S. embassy and serves as counselor in the mission presi­dency. Yesterday Elders McFarland, Walters, Stewart, and I were in Brother Dennis's home. He served a mission in Brazil in the first part of this decade and has returned to complete a doctorate in Portuguese before returning to BYU to become a member of the faculty there.

Today our plans included a visit to the statue of Christ on Corco­vado but clouds were hanging around the point, and so most of the day we spent in the mission office listening to records, writing letters, catching up delinquent journals, and such details as that.

A few days ago a letter arrived form Jeff Boswell. I was thrilled to read of his growth and progress in the Samoan Mission. My wonder­ful family writes regularly. No further word from Karen since her letter I mentioned on March 17.

Yesterday I saw a few firsts. In Sunday School I blessed the sac­ra­ment for the very first time in Portuguese and for the first time since being ordained an elder. In sacrament meeting an investigator with whom we are working, an Irmâo Victor, attended. That is a first in my labors to this point here in Brazil.

Last week two nights in a row we saw some violent rainstorms. The first night, Wednesday, was by far the worst storm but the effects from the second evening were far more dramatic. The street on which we live, Rua das Laranjeiras, was virtually a river. The busses were still chugging forward, and a few Volkswagens, but traffic was vir­tually stopped. Water was running as high as the headlights on cars in the street. It required some 20 minutes to travel the few blocks from the square Largo do Machado (Lago do Machado) to our place on Rua das Laranjeiras (Rio das Laranjeiras). When we were out of the bus, we had to wade in muddy water up to just above our knees as we crossed to the other side of the street where we lived. It was more water than I have seen at one single time in all my life from a storm.

One of the letters I wrote today was to Jerry:

Once again I am glad to be hearing from you. I do not under­stand exactly why your letters have not been coming through, but I am glad to know you have been writing every week. Cer­tainly you are always welcome to ramble to me (that is what brothers are for), but I wish sometimes you would ramble in a little more detail. Just as an example, who is Lareen?

You spent most of your last letter speaking about your problem—a moral problem as you termed it—and the complications that was creating. You said that after three days of fasting, prayer, the Lord's help, Lareen's help, you made the choice and the change. Would it be out of place to ask what were the choice and the change? I do not need to know of the past if you do not care to relate it (especially if repentance has been involved), but I really am interested in more information about whatever is going on.

Although you suggested I did not know what was going on, I think that I am aware of more than you ever would have realized. As a person tries to serve the Lord and tries to live by the Spirit (which you remember I spoke of often last summer), he has greater abilities given him to discern between light and darkness, between good and evil. I was aware of some problem that was not of the Lord that was blocking further progress in your life—that must have been what you were referring to. I even think I know the sort of problem it may have been, but I need not go into that here. I will rely on reticence here also.

Enough of such rambling—I guess I do a lot of rambling too. Since this conference season I will not be able to partici­pate, please write following the sessions to give a detailed report of the pro­ceedings. It will be July or even later before we will have the June Improvement Era with the messages from the Brethren and the Prophet. And so please fill me in on every exciting detail concerned with the conference.

Are you saving your pennies? You always used to say you would come to meet me at the end of my mission. Brazil is a super exciting place that you would like to visit. I have no idea how much it would cost (probably $600 or $800 round trip), but it is interesting to think about.

Unfortunately my time is running short today and this will have to end now. I was saddened to hear of President Eisen­hower's death. What were the details of that? Know of my prayers and love in your behalf.

 Another letter was to my family:

Well, here it is the end of another month and time pushes relent­lessly onward. Within the next week will be realized some of the greatest—if not the greatest—anniversaries ever commemorated by man. This is an exciting time of year. April 6 we recognize as the date of the Savior's birth and as the foundation date of the Church in this dispensation. Appropri­ately enough, the Church will be as­sem­bled in another annual general conference—declaring to the world the glorious mes­sage of the gospel and its restoration.

This year Easter happens to fall on April 6 (probably the date of the first Easter), and we pause in profound remembrance of the tri­umphant victory over death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As with Job we can confidently exclaim: “I know that my Redeemer lives” (see Job 19:25).

Presi­dent McKay lists a testimony of the divinity of Christ and of this latter-day work as among our greatest pos­sessions. And so it is. My knowledge that God lives, that Jesus Christ is my Savior, that the gospel has been restored, that we can behold the Savior even in this life—which knowledge is but revelation from God Himself—all these lend to life pur­pose, dignity, and peace.

Last Monday I prepared and sent you a tape instead of a letter. I hope you have already received it. When you borrow a tape recorder to play it—if you haven't yet—find one that plays 1f speed because that was what it was recorded on. You might dig out my little tape recorder (without messing up the box of stuff that it is in) if you want to buy new batteries. How­ever, I do not know what speed it plays. To return the tape, send it airmail first-class. If the cost is not too pro­hibitive, you could even send it registered just to make sure (although this is just an added precaution and not really essential). On the outside write: tape without value / fita sem valor.

Thanks for the letters. Mom and Jerry are the most faithful in that department. Since you realize I keep pretty busy here, I hope you share all these letters with Ray and Sheryl and with Gene and Cheryl. I cannot write them each as often as I would like.

To answer a few questions from Mom’s letter: No, we do not live in the mission home now, although we eat our noon meal there every day. We are living with a nonmember Brazilian family a few blocks away. The dona (landlady) cer­tainly is nice to us—like last night she happened to find the Tabernacle Choir program on the radio and came and told us and had us listen and fixed us some hot chocolate and cake. She is always doing things like that.

Prices are still running about the same. The cruzeiro is in­flating pretty fast. When I came in December a US dollar equaled 3.02 new cruzeiros (NCR$). Already it is at NCR$3.97 (or a cruzeiro novo equals about 25 cents). The bill I am in­cluding is worth about ¼ cent. The Americans here call it 10 beans because that is probably about all it is worth. The largest denomination printed (10,000 cruzeiros or 10 cruzeiros novos) is about $2.50 in US value.

The stamp on the outside of some of my letters—Leia o Livro de Mormon, o livro mais interessante no mundo—simply means, “Read the Book of Mormon, the most interesting book in the world.” There you just learned a little bit of Portuguese.

The name of the Church in Portuguese is A Igreja de Jesus Cristo dos Santos dos Últimos Dias, this differing from the name in Spanish, La Iglesia de Jesuscristo do Los Santos de Los Últimos Dias. Brazilians can both read and listen to Spanish and understand over 80 percent of it, but Spanish-speaking people cannot understand Portuguese. The grammar of the two lan­guages is similar, although Portuguese is some­what more complex. In reality the Portuguese language is probably closer to Italian. I can understand a person speaking Spanish—yet it sounds like Portuguese being spoken with a serious speech impediment because of the dif­fering pronunciation.

As in the United States, German was nearly the national language in Brazil. In the U.S. the Continental Congress decided by only one vote to remain with English rather than change to German. That was how close we were to being German-speaking. German would have been the language now of half the people of South America had not it been banned by the Brazilian government during World War II be­cause of anti-Kraut sentiments.

Well, both time and space are gone again. And so until next week, may the Lord be with and bless you.

Saturday, March 29, 1969

Unfortunately, a great amount of time has passed by so quickly that I have been unable to record any of my activities and thoughts here for nearly two weeks. Just a few highlights:

A week ago yesterday, March 21, was a zone conference of the Rio I Zone, conducted by Elder Joseph Smoot, zone leader, and pre­sided over by President Johnson. Both the President and Sister John­son spoke in the afternoon session. Elder Stewart and I had the music. As always, the afternoon testimony meeting highlighted the day's activities.

Lately Elder Stewart and I have been spending all day in the mis­sion office training into our new jobs (rather than just the after­noons). Elders McFarland and Walters will be leaving in a few days, and the responsibilities will be fully upon our shoulders.

About a week and a half ago we met some members of the MIA and Deseret Sunday School Union general boards that were here visit­ing: One of them was G. Carlos Smith of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association. He serves as general superinten­dent of that organization. A Brother Vernon Sharp, of the Sunday School, was one of the first missionaries in South America some 40 years ago. He came down with Apostle Melvin J. Ballard when the mission was opened.

Monday, March 17, 1969

Today when I heard from Karen, the first letter in three weeks, I was reading things I did not want to read and expected never to have to read. She is dating some other young man quite frequently and is mixed up, torn between differing loyalties, not knowing how it all will turn out. She is taking the problem before the Lord because, as we decided initially, we are only for each other if that is what the Lord thought best. Perhaps this other young man is the lucky one for Karen. I prayed, alone and with together with Elder Stewart after reading him her letter, before answering so that I might be found say­ing the right things in the right way. I told her I would continue writing until I shouldn't, if that time ever came. I asked her to know if whatever she did was the Lord's will and then I would know of her happiness and that would be important to me.

Is this irony, some sort of sign, or what? A letter today from Jerry related that both John Bosworth and Dave Garner, elders out from the ward, had received their dear johns.

This morning Elders McFarland and Walters went with us up to Pão de Açucar. That was a fun outing. The view from the old rock is pretty marvelous. Unfortunate­ly, my camera has no film in it these days. I bought six post­cards of different sites in Rio and sent home to the family so they could see a little what things here look like.

Elder McFarland and I spent much of the day yester­day working together, visiting secretaries of the district, mis­sion, and branches of Tijuca and Meier, trying to straighten out various problems with each of them. We saw every­body we had been plan­ning to see in the Tijuca chapel (where Meier meets for their meetings now and where the Rio district offices are). We did accomplish some things.

Saturday Elder Stewart baptized a 12-year-old boy whose father is already a member. Elder Stewart is close to him and taught him a first lesson before he became my companion. I was asked to confirm him a member of the Church and give him the gift of the Holy Ghost. His name is Washington Luiz Saurbronn.

Following the baptismal service we taught a lesson to a Protestant man, some sort of Pente­costal, who was so very close to the truth and yet so far away. He would concord with every point except that his church had the Holy Ghost, lending it its authority. He promised to study, to pray con­cerning the message of the Restoration, and to be at sacrament meeting. He did not come to the meeting last night.

Wednesday, March 12, 1969

Yesterday we spent the entire day in the mission office because I was learning (and learned) how to compile all the necessary statistics re­quired on the monthly mission report to the First Presidency. I left the office feeling like I had finally accomplished something. The mission had 27 baptisms in February (January saw 26 baptized), a number that needs to start climbing fast if the year’s goal of 1,000 baptisms is to be realized. Just over 4,000 members now live in the mission.

Late Monday evening we struggled through a first lesson with a wonderful family. They were not seeing a need for a restoration be­cause they did not accept an apostasy. We repeated and bore frequent testimony, which is what will have to convert them anyway. This was the hardest lesson I have helped give since being here, but never have I wanted a family to understand as much as I did that night. It will not be easy.

Monday, March 10, 1969

Last evening following sacrament meeting the film Portrait of a Prophet was shown. It is the story of the life of David O. McKay, pro­duced on his 95th birthday. The film was great and reinforced my convictions that President McKay is a giant among men and in every sense a prophet of the living God. Tears came to my eyes as I heard again the prophet's voice bearing testimony that Jesus Christ lives and stands as the head of the Church. Seeing the story of his life un­folded helped me to know and to appreciate him just a little more.

Saturday evening Elder Stewart and I had a special experience to­gether. We just started speaking of many things—generally of a spiritual nature–and moved into a communion on a deep personal level. He is a great person, and I am grateful for the opportunity of working with him now.

Today we were going to visit Pão de Açucar [Sugar Loaf], but rainy weather altered those plans. We went shopping downtown, visited H. Sterns, ate lunch at a Chinese restaurant, got wet, and such things during the morning with Elders Henderson and Richins. The afternoon we spent in the mission office typing letters home and little chores like that.

A few days ago I received a letter from my friend Mark Smith. I was joyed to read of his recent progress. He has been accepted into the Honors Program at BYU, has decided to go on a mission and is eagerly awaiting a call after this semester, and has started studying the scriptures with a specific schedule. Such things and more thrilled me as I eagerly read his letter.

During the past week we have been dedicating our proselyting hours to finding a sharp family. At this point we have three that look good, one of which received a first lesson yesterday afternoon. Unless the man values his own opinions too much, he will otherwise probably accept baptism. There is a necessity upon us not only to teach him and to testify to him but also to love him into the Church.

This classic statement comes from Time magazine: "Brazil is os­tensibly a Catholic nation, but not really Catholic." A person has to live here among the people to be able to appreciate that one.

Elder Stewart suggested an interesting idea one day last week: Since the restoration of the gospel there has not really been any Christian nations, except the United States and any nation which to any degree has accepted the gospel. Europe has no Christian nations really. England, now in her post-empire senility and decadency, is no longer a Christian nation. More and more a division is being made between the forces lining up behind Satan and those on the Lord's side. The western world at large is losing its knowledge of the divinity of Christ. Why? Because, as explains the Book of Mormon, those rejecting new truths will lose that which they had, those accepting gain. Well, the world has largely rejected the new witness of Christ, the Book of Mormon, and since the time of its first publica­tion has been losing its testimony of the living God. The process will undoubtedly continue.

A week ago Sunday Elder Stewart and I were out pounding the streets in an area near a Catholic church. The building was filled with people attending a mass. We stepped into the rear of the huge building to watch for several moments. That was my first real experi­ence with a mass (I have seen certain ones on television at other times). I am just glad I am not a Catholic.

Thursday, March 6, 1969

President Johnson has called me to be the new mission recorder–historian. Talking to my new companion and me a week ago today as we were starting, he said we were called to work in the mission office because he had confidence in our abilities. He expects us to continue with the same standards as any regular proselyting elder, except it must be stuffed into three evening working hours. The President said he was instructed to bring only the best elders into the mission office because out of the mission office goes the spirit of the mission. He told us all this, he said, not to make us proud but to make us grateful for the Lord's blessings to us. We accepted the President's challenge.

For the first 30 days we come into the mission office only during the afternoons (from 1:00 to 5:00 o'clock) to be trained into our new positions. After that month we take over by ourselves, working the entire day (from 9:30 to 5:00 o'clock). Our responsibilities look great with much to be learned.

Elder Monte Stewart is my companion now. He will take Elder Walters's place as mission accountant. Elder Stewart has been here in Brazil since January. He comes from Las Vegas. A few evenings ago we were speaking of school last year at BYU, where he also was a member of the Honors Program. We learned we had been together in Brother Monte Nyman’s religion class, honors Book of Mor­mon, the first semester. The world continues to be a small place.

Working with Elder Stewart is going to be a priceless privilege because he is a great man. He radiates a love for the work and a love for our Father in Heaven. I think together we will be good because there seems to be a tendency to bring out our best selves and our best efforts when we are working together.

At this point I am more excited about my mission, more eager to do the work than I have been before. I have been closer to the Lord in recent days than during most of the rest of my mission (which soon will be six months). Here I am not able to recount the Lord's good­ness to me, but it is truly endless.