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.

Serra - Week Sixteen

To answer questions first, transfers will be next week. Our mission will get 20 new missionaries, which is a ton! We have been getting a few more sisters, but not much. From everything that I've heard, its okay to come still, but I think that might be something to talk to the secretary about.

I had an experience this week that changed my mission and the way I see things in the gospel. Me and my comp have talked a lot about some things and I have felt that I have really grown.

To start, what helped me learn was our zone leader talking about how our purpose is only baptize and saying a lot of things that I didn't agree with such as there is no point in teaching lessons and getting new investigators if they don't accept the baptismal invite on the first go, or if they are having trouble quitting smoking or any other change, just stop visiting them and try to find the "elects." I got really frustrated because it's not the Lord's way. We are representatives of Jesus Christ. Our purpose is so much more than baptize. If I can help someone come closer to Christ, helping them have more faith, helping them believe more, helping them feel the Spirit, helping them change, even if they didn't get baptized,  I fulfilled my purpose. My purpose is to invite othesr to come unto Christ, helping them have faith in Jesus Christ and in his Atonement, repent of their sins, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. If I can help someone in any of these steps, I succeeded. A reactivation, a renewal of a covenant is just as good as one made.

Numbers, are not what's important. What is important are the things you can’t measure. Love, charity, faith, kindness, service, obedience, diligence, the Christlike attributes.  That is Christ's way. I thought a lot about Elder Holland's talk from conference about the first and greatest commandment. Lovest thou me? Feed my sheep. We are to emulate the Good Shepherd. We do this by caring for the flock individually, being sensitive to the needs of others and focusing on helping them. Our numbers will be reflective of our diligence, but only in a way. I don't need to teach 10 lessons in a day to have an awesome day, but if I helped just one person feel the spirit and come closer to Christ, my day was a success. Our job as missionaries is to establish the Church, and one way to do that is through reactivating. The church here in Brazil only has a 20% activity rate. I feel like that is because missionaries here focus so much on the number of baptisms, and not the quality of conversion.  That is what I have learned this week. Our work in the church shouldn't be so much, How many? but Who? Christ, the Good Shepherd knows his sheep, each one, and loves them. As servants of Christ in his church, we should do the same. Know those you work with, their needs, and focus on helping others reach salvation, and not just the number of people present, or not.

We have decided after studying Preach My Gospel that we won’t teach lessons without members. We will focus on only teaching lessons with members present, and working much more with less actives and part member family to work with reactivation, and to get more references.

I feel like the things I have learned this week will stay with me for the rest of my life, and I have also seen things that are almost the same in my patriarchal blessing, which helps me know that this was a lesson that I needed to learn. =)

We have a few investigators close to baptism, and a few we are starting to teach that have a lot of potential. We are still working with Daniela. We're trying to get her to read and pray about the Book of Mormon everyday. Because we know that if she does, she will get her witness.

Sometimes we just need to stand up for what we know is right.

The First sign of Love has always been Loyalty.  Loving Christ means being loyal to him and his gospel. It means helping others as he did. It means doing what Christ would do.

Everyday I think about that primary song, "If the Savior stood beside me, would I do the things I do? Would I follow his example and try harder to be true? Would I think of his commandments? Would I live more righteously, if I could see the Savior standing by watching over me?" This song has become something that I can't forget. It helps me look for opportunities to serve, to do good works.

I know that this church is true, even though we have faults. I know that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the only way to be truly happy in this life. I love the mission, even with all of its difficulties, disappointments, and hardships. I love it because never have I felt so much joy, happiness, or Christ-like love towards others. Never at one time have I  grown so much. I know that this is where I am supposed to be, and that the mission is supposed to change me, more that it should change others. I really love Elder Holland's last talk. Especially after learning this lesson.

I love you all. Keep up the good work. =)

Serra - Week Fifteen

Eating pannitone

I found luck! (sorte=luck)

Well, this week went by pretty quick I guess. It was really hot this week and we had to walk a ton. It wasn't all that great. But, there were some good things that happened this week.

So, this week we met a couple, Silmara and Renan. They are really cool. We were Just knocking doors on a street, and we came to the nicest house there. THE nicest. We rang the interphone, and I was expecting no good answer, but as my companion said that we were from the church of Jesus Christ, she said, wait a minute! And came and opened the door. She had really wanted to know more about the church. She had seen tv ads about the church a long time ago, and had seen the church driving by in the neighborhood next to her. She let us in and we gave a quick spiritual lesson about the restoration. It was awesome. Later in the week we came back and met her husband, who was also really cool. They are inactive Catholics, but were interested a bit in our message. The second lesson, (which we also talked about the restoration) was more spiritual than the first. I'm looking forward to bringing a member there.

We are still teaching some of these families that we have been visiting, but some of them have taken a bad turn, not really having the desire to live the Word of Wisdom, or losing some interest in investigating the church.

We didn't know the hour had changed.  We actually got up at
5:30 for church at 7 when it starts at 9. 

Sunday was also a good day this week. Even though we didn't know about the time change, waking up much earlier than needed, we had a good productive meeting with the ward mission leader. Waiting for sacrament meeting to start, Marrone and his aunt came in, but we were sad that Daniela didn't show up. that was the worst. Until she did show up right before the meeting started. That has to be one of the best feelings ever. When your awesome progressing investigator just shows up by themselves, ready for church. The members received her really well also. It made me really happy. I love being a missionary!

Since we were early for church,
my companion tried to sleep and I
played the piano.

We had a really good lesson with Daniela last night also. We taught her about the holy ghost. She believes that it's all true, but she isn't sure that she wants to make the commitment. We had a really spiritual lesson, We challenged her to read the Book of Mormon every day this week, and pray every day to know if the church is really true. And we challenged her to be baptized. She said that if she recognized an answer, that she would. And if she really reads and prays everyday, she will.

I dunno. I guess that's all I really have to say this week. I'm trying to do my best. I'm working on getting better. I guess that you kind of forget about something as you get older on the mission because you know what you are doing and forget to remember that there is no perfect missionary. You grow in some areas, and forget some other things. It's like a constant battle. For example, you sometimes fall into a routine, and it gets harder to follow the spirit. There is just so much to remember to do, no one can really be doing all of it. But I guess it just goes to show that we could all use a little more work.

I know that this is where I'm supposed to be. I'm doing my best to be a good missionary. Thanks for all the support. Love you guys. Until next week.

Oh, and I'm going to the eye doctor again on Wednesday. Just fyi

Serra - Week Fourteen

Oh, and I think that's super cool that I'm on that scouting thing! I was excited!

Well, this week was rather interesting. So I couldn't send email on my normal day because the place was closed. This has been like the biggest holiday weekend ever. It started on Friday, and technically ended yesterday, but today everything still isn't open. It's the recovery day. haha.

Well, so here's some fun stuff that happened. We bought 10 liters of açaí last p-day, and we've been snacking on that for almost every day this week. That's what the photo is. We also got some chocolate "fruitcake" for super cheap that we have been snacking on also.

So, Something interesting, is that this week, we've been starting in a new bairro that the missionaries have almost never worked in. Out of the 5 houses that we've been in so far, All of them are married couples. It's a miracle! I was pretty excited about that.  One of the families that we found there was really cool. We were walking down the street, going to one of our appointments,  and some kids started talking to us, we stopped for a bit and their parents showed up. We started talking about the church and about what we do as missionaries, and then they invited us in. we found out that they were married too, and we marked to go back. It was great. We are also having success finding men to teach. Which isn't all that normal for us, because normally they're out working during the week, but with Carnival, there were a lot of people home so we found some really good men and their families that have a lot of potential.

We are working with a man named Agenor, he says that he wants to be baptized, and he is going to church and quitting smoking, but he can't read. That's one of his difficulties. But, if he has desire, we'll get him baptized.

We had some really great experiences with Marrone and his mom Adilena this week. Marrone watched a baptism at church, but is still saying that he doesn't want to get baptized yet. We are teaching his mom, (his dad is a member) and she is really liking the Book of Mormon. She just thinks it's great. We had kind of a family home evening there. We were there teaching and everyone decided to show up and participate. After we talked about the word of wisdom, we kind of hung out with the family, and they really liked it. They went to church on Sunday, and their other son, who is a member went also. It was the first time that I have ever seen him at church. The best spiritual experiences this week were with them. Last night we were there again, and we passed the 20 minute restoration movie, they liked it so much that we watched it twice. Adilena thought that it was really cool, and wanted it to have more. We are going to challenge her to baptism this week. =)

I guess other than that work was pretty normal. The streets were pretty dead. I think I'm losing weight. haha I look thinner, and I'm gaining muscle. Its amazing what 30 minutes of workout every morning will do to ya.

My comp is newer than I am, he doesn't have a year on the mission yet. But I do want to train again. I think maybe this next transfer because we'll get like 15 new missionaries.

So, I'm having a great time, I love the mission. I'm looking forward to the rest of this transfer. Looks like we'll have success!

I made a goal to take at least one picture a day, because I haven't been taking any. I'm sure you'll like getting the extra pics. =)

I guess that's it. Love you all. I'm doing my best here. =) Darcy should be watching all the soccer games that are happening in preparation for the cup.

See ya later.