Something horrible has happened. All of last week we went to Paraopeba (the city that we're opening) and worked there. On Saturday I went with one of the Zone Leaders and he interviewed one of our investigators for her to be baptized on the 19th. On Sunday we showed up at the chapel at 7:30 just like we do every Sunday so that I could go to Paraopeba with the High Counselor and my companion could go get investigators in Sete Lagoas with one of the members. When we got there, we had a quick meeting with the Bishop and then I sent my companion off to get people while I waited for the High Counselor to come pick me up in the chapel. 8:15 rolled around and I decided to call him. When he answered the phone, I asked "are you close to the chapel?" and he said "no, I'm halfway to Paraopeba already. We've received new instructions from the Stake President, we aren't going to be needing you anymore, I'll explain more later when I get back."
I, confused, hung up the phone and sought answers to my questions. The relief society president told me that the Stake President had gone to Paraopeba on Saturday, interviewed all of the members and then made an announcement: No one from the stake is going to come here anymore and support this group. Also, the missionaries will no longer be coming here to proselyte. You all will have to support yourselves, find people to baptize and when you have people to teach here you can call the missionaries to come teach them.
The problem: There is only one family that's firm, the Leader of the Group doesn't know how to read, and when he found out that the stake wouldn't give support anymore he started saying that he was going to fall away.
I called the mission president to seek council. He told me there's not much we can do, because the group is the stake's, not the mission's. He told me to finish teaching all the people that we're teaching there and then to not go back anymore.
Everyone in the stake is in arms. If this really happens, everyone in Paraopeba will fall away and the group will close. Including the family that was sealed. I almost got sick from how angry I was. I'm pleased with the support that the ward has given us, that all the members have given us, about Paraopeba.
So that's what's going on here.
The baptism that we were supposed to have on Sunday fell. He drank on Saturday night and didn't go to church on Sunday. That was sad, but he'll be baptized on this sunday. We'll also be baptizing one of our recent convert's sisters. Her interview is marked for tomorrow night.
Training has been an adventure so far. It seems like with new missionaries all the crazy things happen. Like the Stake President decides to close your area.
We're teaching a girl in our area and we gave her a Book of Mormon and then some JWs went to her house and talked trash about us and told her to give the Book of Mormon back. She doesn't want to receive the visits anymore. This makes me sad.
Love you all,
Elder Sisco