WEEK 67: The True Southern Experience

Hey everyone! I hope you all had an excellent week! We had a great week out here in the great state of Georgia. As the days have gotten (slightly) colder and shorter, we have picked up our efforts, and have continued to find success. 

Our huge breakthrough this week was that we were able to help our good friend, Maria, accept a baptismal date. We are so happy about that steps she is taking in her life, and the desire she has to change. We set her date for the first of January. We are excited to help her prepare to make these necessary changes at the turn of the new year. We were able to meet with a lot of our other investigator friends this week and have been enjoying every moment with them. 

Now, for the true southern experience of this week. On Saturday, we were raking leaves at a member's house. He and his wife are both members of the local English ward. It was all going very smoothly - until we heard some shouting and noises down in the backyard. The member's friend had shot a deer with a crossbow, and it had started running away. We found the deer not too far off, and watched the cleaning and preparation process. I won't go into the details, but it was a very southern experience. And the meat tasted great. 

Another strange event happened when we were doing service for a Brazilian neighbor who messaged us on Facebook. We were raking large amounts of leaves and putting them in bags. About halfway through raking the yard, we uncovered a footlong snake. It was pretty small, but really aggressive - and kept striking out at the rakes. We dispatched him and were able to identify him as a brown snake. With the little information we found, we decided it was quite possible that one bite from it would put one of us in the hospital, so we were forced to postpone picking up the rest of the leaves. 

Not a lot more to report this week! We are still working hard through Facebook finding and doing service for people. I love being a missionary. Love you all!

Elder Perry

A Different Kind of MTC

WEEK 66: Film Production

Hey everyone! I hope you all had an amazing week! We were able to do some good hard work out here in Georgia this week, and we have been seeing the miracles of this wonderful work. 

As the title of this weekend's entry entails, we were hard in the "studio" (chapel's clerk office) making some videos. We've found that creating these small videos has been really effective in reaching out touching a large amount of people. We were able to make 3 different ones this week and we are beginning to see the fruits of these labors. I have found that the more you try to spread goodness, the more God will bless your efforts, and allow your light to shine bright. 

We were able to do quite a bit of service and teach lots of lessons this week, which was super fun. That definitely helps us to feel productive and makes time out here pass very quickly. We had one miracle in the form of a new family we will start teaching! We have an investigator named Luciene who we hadn't talked to in a really long time, and she reached out to us on WhatsApp and invited us to a Brazilian BBQ at her house. We got to meet her family and a couple of her Brazilian friends. We left them with a Book of Mormon, and are hoping to return to teach them more sometime. The blessings are real! 

We had several responses to our Facebook post advertising free service. We helped move some furniture for a nice Brazilian neighbor and we helped a member of the Paper Mill Ward move his greenhouse. We also had soccer night again at the park. A bunch of new people came this week but we were rained out at the end. We've had a lot of interest in the Facebook ad that we created and posted for our English classes. Those will begin again this week!

We also had stake conference this weekend! It was really cool to listen to everyone speak, and see how the stakes out here in Georgia work. My companion, Elder Galvão actually helped to translate the session on Saturday night. So that was a pretty fun event. 

Other than that, we are just still grinding, and trying to have fun where we can. I have loved my time here in Georgia. Love you all!

Elder Perry

WEEK 65: Week 65 and Also Week 1

Elder Galvão and Elder Perry

Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing amazing! To those of you reading this in Utah, I must say that the perpetual heat and humidity here in Georgia makes me miss the snow. 

This concludes week 65 of my mission, as well as the first week of Elder Galvão's mission. We were able to get a lot done this week, and I hope he is already learning the important skills necessary for the rest of his mission. Both of us got some flu-like symptoms halfway through the week, but a COVID test confirmed to us that it was just a cold. So after a couple of days quarantined, we are happy to get back to work as usual.

We had lots of success finding people on Facebook this week! That is actually the first time I've actually seen it working. We posted service ads into many local Brazilian groups, and received many responses. There were several responses from people who needed service, which was great, but also a large amount simply congratulating us on our willingness to serve. Either way, we have been able to see the importance of planting seeds and letting our lights shine forth. We have been working hard with many investigators, members, and on some more videos for Facebook.

And a spiritual thought as well: In Sunday school we discussed the value of the Book of Mormon. As we discussed the value of the truths, and personal meaning of the Book of Mormon, this scripture in Doctrine and Covenants was also brought up, and made me reflect a little more on the true cost of the Book of Mormon - D&C 135:6....

Hyrum Smith was forty-four years old in February, 1844, and Joseph Smith was thirty-eight in December, 1843; and henceforward their names will be classed among the martyrs of religion; and the reader in every nation will be reminded that the Book of Mormon, and this book of Doctrine and Covenants of the church, cost the best blood of the nineteenth century to bring them forth for the salvation of a ruined world; and that if the fire can scathe a green tree for the glory of God, how easy it will burn up the dry trees to purify the vineyard of corruption. They lived for glory; they died for glory; and glory is their eternal reward. From age to age shall their names go down to posterity as gems for the sanctified.

The Book of Mormon cost the best blood of the nineteenth century, as Joseph and Hyrum Smith died doing what they knew to be right. Always remember what this book means to you, and what its true value is. 

Love,

Elder Perry

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WEEK 64: Hurricane Zeta and Training a New Companion

Wow! We have had a lot of things happen here this last week! The craziness of the mission out here in Georgia never seems to disappoint.

Tropical storm Zeta passed through last Tuesday, taking out a ton of trees and power lines, along with all electricity in our house for 24 hours. It didn't affect us too much other than the power outage, but we used the storm as an opportunity to go help and pick up debris in front of people's houses. Most all of the power lines are up and functional once again, so you could say we're back in business. 

Another crazy thing is that Elder Stearman got an emergency transfer! He is off to be a zone leader out in Calhoun and I will be here training Elder Galvão! He is a brand new missionary who just finished up at the home MTC. He was born and raised in Manaus, Brazil, but moved to Rexburg Idaho 2 years ago, making him fluent in both Portuguese and English. I feel so blessed to have him as my new companion, and look forward to the life lessons he will teach me. And, we're here in the best district in the United States. "A district full of giant slayers" one might say ;) 

And other than those two major events we have continued working hard and getting things done in this area. I have grown a very deep love for the people here in Georgia. A love that motivates me every day to get up and do my best, no matter the circumstances. 

I love you all, I love this work, and I love my savior Jesus Christ. Have a fantastic week! 

Love,
Elder Perry 

VOTING!