November 25, 2014
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| Sister V getting SOAKED! |
Oh, today was such a good day. We had a great zone meeting and Sister V. and
I got to do a practice follow-up with “investigators” that didn’t come to
church. I’ve gotten really good at
showing my disappointment when people don’t come to church, and also trying to
get them to keep their commitments.
Anyways, Sister V and I took out some of our PMS rage on Elder Hobbs and
Elder Trujillo, who were our “investigators”.
It was a good practice, though I think that we scared all of the Elders
a little bit.
In other news, we visited our beloved J. and R. J. is a good
man and he is starting to open up a bit with us. Today he expressed how he is feeling more
peace since we started visiting him. He
said that he had a wonderful time in church on Sunday and that the talks were
answers to prayers for him. He has been reading the Book of Mormon and praying
on his own. We feel his sincerity and
righteous desire to become better. Today
we helped him establish goals to quit smoking.
His goal is to be smoke free by New Years. We told him that we will be fasting, praying,
and reading scriptures with him, and doing everything that we can to help
him. I thank Heavenly Father every day
for allowing me to teach this man at the very end of my mission.
November 26, 2014
It is Thanksgiving tomorrow in the states, so during
personal study today I made a long list of things I am grateful for. I don’t think I have ever been so thankful
for he smallest of things – but a nearly completes mission in a developing
country will do that for you. Santa Cruz
is actually a rather dangerous area to work in.
Poverty level is high, sanitation level is low, an there are MANY
favelas nearby (Antare, Rola I, Rola II).
The favelas have frequent violent incidents – gunshots, grenades, armed
police raids (including armored vehicles).
Where we live and work it seems safe and chill, but it is disconcerting
to hear gunshots or to be riding in a van when the driver mentions how 3
drivers were shot or stabbed the night before.
Sometimes I really wonder if I should be more concerned about my welfare
and safety than I am. We have seen many
mentally and physically ill people, druggies, drunkards, addicts, prostitutes,
and severely malnourished people here in Santa Cruz. SO, this year, I am grateful to be in a safe
mission house and to not have been shot at.
I am also very grateful for America and the fact that I am going home in
three short week.
We had a great fellowshipping activity tonight. Some of the
less active members helped and our investigator J. came! Bishop asked us what we did to help him to
come because they have been trying for 25 years to no avail. We didn’t do much
of anything, just being in the right place at the right time. I made up a fun interactive lesson on the
Spirit and the world’s voices.
THINGS THAT I AM GRATEFUL FOR
· My family· The restored gospel· A healthy body· My mission· My Dad’s cancer that
has allowed me to gain a deep love and perspective about eternal
families and the Plan of Salvation.· My faithful parents who love, write, comfort, and
counsel me even though I am so far away.· My missionary brothers – Garrison for faithfully
writing me letters and sharing so many of the same experiences as I have. Levi
for acting on spiritual promptings and courageously leaving home at a difficult
time.· Great missionary companions.
· AMERICA· The Lord’s protection while I have been in Rio where
it has not been all that safe.· A functioning shower, toilet, sink, and washing
machine. Life is much harder without
these things.· Kind Brazilian people, especially the Brazilian
members who take care of us and worry when we do not have lunch!· Spokane ward members and Pony Club families who have
taken care of my family while I have been away.· Medical technology and my Dad’s doctor for saving my
Dad’s life.· President and Sister Cabral’s love and tenderness
towards me.· Sister Burris and our friendship including her
pick-me-up notes.· My P-day e-chats with Mom – and the fact that we can
email our families every week. I can’t
imagine serving a mission in the olden days.· All the wonderful people that I have been privileged
to teach and the gifts that I have been given that allows me to do it. · The scriptures, especially the book of Alma.
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| What I am NOT grateful for - RATS! |
November 27, 2014
Well, it was Thanksgiving today and I spent the whole day
febrile (101.5), with body aches and a headache. We called Sister Cabral around 4 and she told
us to go to the hospital and I was like, “uh, no thank you, it’s raining hard
and I am positive that I just have the flu and need to rest.” So then we called Irmao Franklin and Irma Daniella
(a wonderful family in our ward that often helps us pep talks), and Irmao
Franklin came and gave me a beautiful blessing – repeating several times that I
would be healed and also that Heavenly Father is pleased with my mission. It was very touching, and once again
reassured me that the power of the priesthood is real and will work through any
worthy priesthood holder. Those divine
words were so calming to my heart, and certainly will help me through these
next few weeks. I can’t imagine my home and future family without these great
blessings. After the blessing, I took some meds and then took a long shower and
a long nap. When I woke up, my fever was
gone and my headache was much better.
November 28, 2014
Today was such a good day!
We got to visit N, who has one of the brightest minds I have taught on
my mission. We left a Book of Mormon with her on our last visit and she has
already read 11 chapters. She has all
sorts of hard questions and has a great thirst to learn, read, and study. She said that she really likes the Book of
Mormon because it helps her to remember the importance of keeping the
commandments. She also expressed that
she is excited to see what will happen to Nephi’s family! We just love her and teaching her is so EASY
because it is really just more of a conversation. I feel so grateful to be able to help her and
teach her.
The other great moment was with J and R. Actually J wasn’t there when we stopped by,
but we followed up with his wife to see how things were going from her
perspective. She said that her husband is reading the Book of Mormon on his own
and that he is trying really hard to quit smoking. We are so grateful that he has decided that
now is his time to change. It makes me
feel so good to be able to help people make positive changes in their
lives. It makes all the sicknesses,
rejection, homesickness, bug bites, sunburn, heatstroke, rain soak, and all the
other missionary challenges, WORTH IT! I
cannot express the great love and joy that I feel. It is the kind of love that leads you to do anything
and everything that you can to help another person.
November 29, 2014
We had a wonderful Spirit-filled lesson with J. He is making progress and finishes all of his
commitments with us. He marked and
shared verses from Enos that he likes most. Today he expressed how happy he feels, and how
he is feeling healthier and more at peace.
We are fasting with him today in order to help him have more spiritual
strength to reach his goals.
Other than that, today was a huge flop. Lot of things fell through, many members
bailed on us, and I am still feeling quite crummy from my fever.
…..I must admit that I am excited to sleep (for a long time)
in my own bed in just a few short weeks J
November 30, 2014
Wow, rough day today.
Our whole day was spent walking and looking for 20 unknown names that
the bishop gave us. These are people who
are REALLY inactive to the point of disappearing. No one really knows what happened to them. We were happy to serve the bishop in some
small way. We ended up finding 5 of the
addresses, which is a good start.
Wow, I haven’t had time to write this week. Yesterday was our Christmas conference with
our entire mission! 188 missionaries
gathered together in one place.
President, as always, went all out, and the decorations/training/food
was just perfect. Aside from the
expected “repent you sinning missionaries!” and “you should be baptizing every
week!” speeches, it was wonderful. About
1.3 of the mission has been working on a Christmas choir presentation and it
actually sounds pretty good! They have
been going around to different cities in the past few weeks and have had great
missionary opportunities. The
presentation talked about the Book of Mormon, Christ, Mary, etc. It is all centered on how the Book of Mormon
testifies of Christ. It is hard to describe, but it is very touching and made
many of us cry. 
