Elder Cotton Top Contemplates

Elder Cotton Top Contemplates

By: Elder Wilson

(Kidney stones? Or just chutado nas bolas?)

5:00 a.m.

It was a gloomy rainy morning in the missionaries’ home in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil. Elder Wilson was busy finishing his luggage, making a run through the house to make sure he hadn’t missed anything. He was going to the mission office where he thought he would talk to his mission President about being able to do a surgery in Brasil or just wait out the next 7 months with the pain if need be. He had 3 kidney stones. He had had them for about 4 months and it was a daily battle to go out and work. Having to walk countless miles everyday, and with every step it felt like someone was kicking him in the privates. But nevertheless he was loving the work.

11:30 a.m.

Upon arriving at the mission office Elder Wilson waited around for about 1 hr for his President to arrive to talk to him. Then one of the secretaries, franticly working, asked when his plane would be going home. With an extremely shocked look on his face he replied, “What are you talking about? I’m not going home!” But unfortunately to his finding out, he was going home. His flight left in an hour. So in between frantic driving from the mission office to the home of the mission Pres., then to the airport, he missed his flight.

His flight was rescheduled to leave his beloved Brasil on Monday afternoon and he would arrive in his home town of St. George (which really didn’t feel like home anymore) Tuesday afternoon after 15hrs of flying on a plane. Low and behold, amongst all this, he was ruining his family’s vacation to Hawaii, which comforted him a little bit.

Over the next 2 weeks he would go through surgery, pass many kidney stones and be home sick for the mission life, all the awesome Brazilian foods and weather, and the language of Portuguese. Being home brought new obstacles for Elder Wilson. Keeping the mission rules, drinking lots of water, but most of all, speaking English. He came to find out that he couldn’t speak proper English anymore. “It just aint comin out right!” he would exclaim in frustration and then rattle something off in Portuguese. And he would find out that it would be very difficult to return to his same mission in Brasil, and that he would possibly be re assigned. But amongst all the heart ache and pain of being home and not in the mission field, he knew that his Lords will would be done and that he would be sent back out where the Lord most needed him to serve.

So amongst all of my hard trials, passing stones, and speaking English, I know even more in my heart that this is the true church of God. And even though sometimes we don’t know why things happen, our Heavenly Father is watching over us and will take care of us. His will is greater than ours, and he sees the bigger picture. I am grateful for the time I had in Brasil! I love that country and have considered, in a very bug way, moving back to live there! All though my mom hates the idea, we’ll just have to see what happens! I love you all!! And be sure and drink plenty of water so you guys don’t have to go through the same private aching pains of kidney stones! Ate mais! Jesus Cristo e’ nosso Senhor e Redentor!!!

Elder Wilson