Missionary Monday - Week 9 in Embu
Not too much to say this week.
Last P-Day Elder Leavitt told me that in the south they have boiled peanuts, so we thought we'd try and make some. The first time all the water evaporated and we forgot about it so it was a giant burned smokey mess. The second time it went alright and they were pretty good.
Speaking of companions from the south... I got a new one. Elder Leavitt volunteered to go be the companion of a problem elder and so now my companion is Elder Michealsen from South Carolina. Smith - Florida, Leavitt - Georgia, Michealsen - South Carolina. I should be able to work up a pretty good southern roadtrip after the mission. The elder that was struggling got to the mission the same time as Elder Leavitt and they lived in the same house so he felt he was in a position to help. I have a lot of respect for that. Especially because everything was going so well and he still threw himself on the grenade.
Keila and Victor informed us that they would like to get married now instead of next year so that was a big win. Now we just have to go the cartório to mark the date. The only thing is that Victor doesn't know the next time he'll have a morning off from work to go.
Thats about it... so I guess I have time to tell the drug lord story. Two Sundays ago me and Elder Leavitt were in a giant favela trying to get someone to go to church. While we were talking with our investigator a drunk dude kept yelling at us wanting us to speak English with him. Thats not too uncommon so we just ignored him. Then he persisted and I was about to tell him to zip it, but didn't have the energy to start something with him. Then he came over to us and started to tell us how awesome we are and that we are the only people he knows that walk around the favela without fear. He asked for us to give him a card and told us that he realy respects that we are trying to help his people and told us that if we ever get into trouble we can mention his name and we will be left alone. His name was Vegro Reio (name has been changed to protect the innocent). We didn't give him too much credit writing him off as just another drunk. Then as we were walking to church with our investigator we asked her if she knew him and if he was a person of influence. She told us that up until that day she had only heard of him and that he is pretty well known. We asked her what he was doing there and she said that he usually only comes to kill people. Even at this point we weren't 100% sure that we believed the story, but later that night we were with a less active and a cop car went wizzing by with sirens blazing and the less active commented that there had been a murder. Elder Leavitt and I gave each other a look and then I asked him if it was up in the favela and he said, "Ya, how did you know?"... So there ya go.
Have a good week!
Élder Beck
