Boa noite everyone!
I have officially begun my mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints!
This past week I took part in online MTC (or CTM, as Brazil calls it) and it was a blast! Day one was intimidating at first joining a Zoom and only hearing Portuguese speakers for the first 5 minutes. I soon learned that I could change the translation to English, making everything easier to understand.😅
This week we focused on learning both the standards and fundamentals of missionary work. A big takeaway for me was the idea that Missionaries don't just preach a lesson to an individual, but rather they preach to the individual based upon their needs. Everyone is different and needs different help and that's what makes each lesson so unique. God communicates to us each in a way that we will understand and will benefit us the most.
Another thing I learned this week that I feel everyone could take away from is knowing that through Christ, everything is possible. I felt very nervous about learning Portuguese at first but I have come to know for myself that through God, I will be able to communicate what is in my heart to those I need to. When we ask the Lord to assist us and we meet him halfway by putting what we can forward, He will make up all the difference. I know He will.
For those who may wonder why it is I am serving a 2-year mission, I would like to share with you a scripture. Alma 26:30 which reads...
"And we have suffered all manner of afflictions, and all this, that perhaps we might be the means of saving some soul; and we supposed that our joy would be full if perhaps we could be the means of saving some."
I absolutely love this scripture! This scripture shows the goal of my mission. I wish to be a light to not only my Heavenly Father, but His children and be able to save "some soul". That is my purpose. To find joy in helping those of God's children by sharing with them the love I have for this Gospel and the love God has for them!
Come Monday, I will be traveling to Sao Paulo to begin my in-person MTC experience. WOOHOO!!!! I'm super excited to be going to Brazil and being able to meet my district and all the wonderful people there. If you want to view my adventures more, feel free to check out this blog my mother put together for me:
'Fisher of Men' in Brazil (fisherofmeninbrazil.blogspot.com)
If there are any missionaries out there whose email list I didn't get on, please add me! (devin.fisher@missionary.org)
I wish you all the best and I will try my best to write each week!
From a 'Fisher of Men',
Elder Fisher
1st pic: A lesson about Oranges and the Restoration
2nd pic: My BYU roommates and friends as Twinkies. (Thank you @ Allie Doss!)
