Campos2 - Week Three

This week was okay. I did have one really awesome experience this week.

First of all, the questions. I'm in a different part of the city, and my area has all kinds of places. In one part it's a really rich neighborhood, really big houses, and it really nice. The people who live there are normally married, middle age and have one or two kids.
We also have areas that are really poor, where there are more people who are not married, and there are a lot of kids on the loose in the street. Really different. We are working in all of the places in our area, which is a little difficult, we're trying to change a bit.

As for Drew and the kids, I really, really regret wasting so much time at home doing literally nothing on the computer. So much time to learn how to do something, and it's just wasted. Music, for example, is a great way to spend time. Even if its skating, it's better than sitting on the computer. In my opinion, video games, although fun and entertaining, are not the best way spend time. Learn! D&C says that man cannot be saved in ignorance, and that all knowledge that we gain in this life will put us one step ahead after. A little bit of video games is fine, but we should use more time doing productive things. Learn a new skill. Develop new talents. Gospel Principles says we need to develop our talents! =)

About the Eagle, it's totally worth it. I really think that it was the Eagle that got me my job. For members of the church it's not that impressive. But everyone outside that knows anything about scouting thinks that's super awesome. Really good boost when trying to get a job.

I went to buy glasses today. They were expensive here. I little money help would be nice but whatevs. I'm only going to get a box next transfer, or in 3 weeks. =( lamesauce.

I live with two other elders, both Brazilians. I’m the only American here, but that's fine. I'm still losing a little more weight, which is a good thing.

We had a cool experience this week. On Sunday, we had to go get Valdir, who should be baptized next Sunday. We had to go get him, we took a bus, which was late, he wasn't ready, and then we missed the bus on the way back, and church had already started. WELL great. We sat there a while, and I thought, Heavenly Father, we really need to get to church. If someone could give us or ride, or send the next bus or  something, it'd be really great...My companion was thinking the same thing. WELL, almost the exact moment that I finished that thought, a pickup stopped in front of the bus stop. The window lowered. I couldn't help but think, No flippin way. A guy asked us if we were going to the church, and offered us a ride. He was an inactive member, going in that direction, so he decided to help us out. By small and simple means great things (or miracles) come to pass. Really cool. My comp freaked out. haha it was for sure the coolest thing that happened this week.

We are doing WELL, I'm trying to do my best. I know that this has been the best for me. I've have been thinking about my mission and what I've learned. I don't know if it really has been the BEST two years in terms of having fun, because I've had a lot of struggles and hardships, but I do think that with the amount that I have learned and grown, it has been the best two years of my life without a doubt. I learn new things every day. I'm thankful for all you have done to get me here.

I love you!

Campos2 - Week Two

 My new companion.

So, this week was pretty good. There was one day this week that was just killer. It felt like it was 50 degrees C. It was so hot that in the shade, the wind passing was hot. It was just ridiculous. But other than that, the week was great. We had a lot of lessons, and we are working a lot with the members here.

This Sunday, I had to give a talk in church, and I had to teach the gospel principles lesson, but that wasn't hard. On Saturday, bishop called me asking me to give a talk about having good language. So I didn't even have a day to prepare, but everyone thought that my talk was good. I used what you always say, If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. =)

The end of this week it started to rain. A lot. Brazil has some flooding problems because the drainage systems in the streets don't really work. So the streets just get full of water.

We are going to try and baptize two really awesome people soon, the first is Valdir, who is an older man, lives by himself and is a member's neighbor. He really likes the church, but we have to teach him a little bit slower for him to understand and remember everything. We marked a baptism date with him for the 31st. We are also teaching a guy named Atos. I think he's 18, but he came to church with his friend and this week he came by himself. He really likes the church, but we discovered that he has some family problems. We are going to continue working with him. I know that the gospel will help his life.

That's about it for the week. I'm going to try and see how much glasses are here so that I don't have to worry about that anymore. I already have the prescription. Well, I love you, Good luck with everything.
Keep doing soccer Darcy,
Happy Birthday Drew!! xD you're 17 now right?

Until next week. =)

Back to Campos

 Baptism!  Daniela is awesome.

 One of the members that I really like here in the ward.

 Thierles, the member I helped re-activate.

 In Portuguese, the abbreviation for Book of Mormon (BofM) is LDM!

More LDM!

Hey mom! well, this week was pretty good.

So I was transferred to.....Campos....again. haha But at least I'm in a different ward this time. I'm on the same side of the river, just on the other side of town. Its pretty good. I'm not training like I wanted to. My new companion is Elder Stelzer. He looks like an American, but he's not. haha. Everybody thinks he is though. He's from São Paulo. We're getting along really well, and we are starting to do some really good work here, and he was already here when I got here. He is still pretty new in the mission, but he is great. It's really good here. We baptized this week also. Kind of. Natalia is a daughter of a  member. She wasn't baptized at 8 because of family problems. She turned 9 last week, we taught her and baptized her. I don't really count that as a baptism, but the mission does. haha.

This Sunday was really cool. Some of the investigators we had marked with didn't go to church, but we had others who just showed up there.  Like Danieli. =D She lives near the church, saw the sign that said it was open at 9 on Sunday, and felt like she should go. She liked it a lot! She really liked the gospel principles class where people got a chance to talk and debate. She said that in ALL the churches she has been to, she had never seen that. After gospel principles, we talked a lot because she had a question about the primitive church, because she didn't know that Christ established a church. She was really interested, and we marked with her to teach her more on Tuesday. =D I'm excited for that.

On Sunday, I fell asleep at lunch. We ate a ton and the member left us alone there. haha We slept for like 15 minutes with our heads on the table. It was pretty funny.

Well, I'm still getting used to the whole area again, but I think its gonna be great. I'm sad that I only stayed one transfer with Blackwelder, he has been my favorite companion so far.

That's about it for me, I haven't taken a pic with my new comp yet, but I will. Love you all

Serra - Week Seventeen

Well unfortunately, its not letting me send photos again. =( annoying.

I was transferred. My companion will stay in the area. There are going to be 18 new missionaries, and I want to train again. That's what I'm hoping for.

But anyway, this week was super good. It ended with a baptism!

So, Daniela, who we have been working with for more than a month, was baptized on Sunday. But she had really changed from the start of the week to the end. At the start of the week she was just the same, keeping with commitments, she really likes the church, but didn't want to make the hard commitment to be baptized. We taught her with a member and we ended up talking a lot about baptism and the baptismal covenant. It was really good, and we marked her interview. On the night before the interview, she woke up in the middle of the night, thinking a lot about baptism and the things that we taught. She went and got a notebook and a pen, and started writing things that she like about the church, and why she should be baptized. She said that it was like her hand was being guided and that it wasn't really her that was writing these things. At the end of the list that she had written about why she liked the church, that she knew it was right, and all the things she knows, she wrote, "so what's keeping you from being baptized?" And she decided that she would be baptized. Sunday was stake conference right after, with about the whole ward there, we performed the ordinance. It was awesome. Everything went well, and she said after that she had been really nervous and stuff, but after she knew she had made the right decision. =) I know that she will never fall away from the church. She is already integrated well with the ward, and has really felt the power of conversion in her life. =) Now she just has to keep it up so her husband will get baptized too.

We also had a super awesome experience with a couple that we are teaching, Renan and Silmara. We bought members there, and this lesson was really spiritual. We talked a lot about the restoration, and Renan was asking a lot of questions because he really wanted to understand. He is feeling the lack of God in his life, and really wants to change that because of his new daughter. What was cool is that this member couple taught more than we did, which I thought was great. At the end we wanted him to pray. We suggested that one of us pray, then one of the members, and then him, on our knees. He agreed. When it was his turn to pray, the spirit was really strong. It was probably the first time he had ever prayed out loud, and probably the first that they had prayed together as a family. It was really cool to see him take that step in his life. He has so much potential. =)

I'm just sad that I have to leave the area. There are so many good people here! Speaking of which, at stake conference I saw some people from Linhares, my first area. And they remembered my name! That made me really happy. It was good seeing these friends again, although I did have time to catch up because I had to do a baptism. haha

And, I saw the cops chase some guy down. And WE were in the way. Almost got shot. haha  It was exciting even though for me it was super casual. Some guy was running away on a bike and started to take a gun out and I super casually said to my companion, that guy has a gun...
Soon after, two gun toting cops came around the corner after him, then two pickups full of the BME (which is kinda like SWAT-- they go to GET the guys.) My comp dropped on the ground, I just stood more to the side. Someone shot at someone, but I didn't stop to see. I just kept going back to the house, but it was cool. I've never seen the cops chasing after someone.

That's about it. If I have a package I'll get it tomorrow. Oh, and a member gave me a guitar yesterday. =) that was cool. But yeah, I really liked this area and I'm sad to be leaving. I want to train a new American. haha but we'll see. I'll let you know.

I love you all, I'm safe, (I have yet to be robbed on the mission, the spiritual protection is great =) and I love what I'm doing. Hope you're all well. I'm surprised how fast its gone. I'm almost on the home stretch. =/  Well, until next week. =)

ps, I took a lot of pics this week, but the computer won't let me send them. Better luck next week I guess.