Luana drove us and the sister missionaries to a cool spot in our area to take photos. I had already been there last transfer but it was fun to return and take different photos. After hanging out and taking pictures for a while we all ate a little ´´dinner´´ (ham and cheese sandwiches) in the back of Luana´s pick-up truck and recorded us singing Happy Birthday in Portuguese to Rozlyn! Happy Late Birthday Roz!!! Then we went to the sister´s area in the centro and met a few of their investigators.
Tuesday:
Elder andrade finally got his in-grown toenail fixed, but we lost a lot of time. A friend of Antonia (that 73 year old investigator of ours) did it for Elder Andrade for free in Antonia´s house. and after he didn't feel like walking very much so we just stayed in her house for a while. that was a pretty big set-back for our day. that afternoon we taught the Restoration to Josenilton, Andreza and their mom. the lesson was good even though it didn't go very smooth and organized as i would have liked it. Then we went to the church and talked to the bishop and also celebrated Luana´s birthday. Before we returned home i found out that Donald Trump was up 51 % and Hilary was sitting at 46%. I was pretty excited to find out who won the next morning
Wednesday:
Trump trumped the elections! i don't really know what to think of it. Honestly i was surprised, but i try not to worry about what he will do as president. besides, i´m in Brazil and wont have to worry about having Trump as president until 2018 when i return home. hahaha. Until then Trump will be reining in the White House, hopefully not wreaking too much havoc.
We had a rough time finding the houses we needed to on Rua Lirio, and we ended up asking two women on the road for directions. they were sitting on the curb, smoking and drinking and Elder Andrade taught them lots of things about our chruch including the Word of Wisdom. They were actually really receptive and we got their addresses and invited them to church.
Thursday:
Today we found quite a few people who have been inactive for a while. We talked to them for a while and invited them to church. Next was Cristina. She hasnt met any of her goals, hasn't gone to church since last transfer, and isn't really progressing. On the way to teach Josenilton and Andreza we stopped a woman to make a contact and invite her to church. it was totally random and unplanned, but thats just what we do. we talk to everyone. She gained our trust and told us her husband died super recently and she was walking to a friends house to talk and have some company to not feel so lonely. We shared the pamphlet ´´the plan of salvation´´ with her and got her address to return another day. her name is Celeste, and she lives on the same road as the church so she said she will definitlely make a visit. We parted and went to teach the Word of wisdom to Josenilton and Andreza.
Friday:
The good news for Friday was that we made 3 new investigators and taught the Plan of Salvation to Josenilton and Andreza ( and their mom, but i forgot her name). We went to the church afterwards in hopes to find the bishop, but he wasnt there. but we did find a seminary party upstairs and ate hamburgers and soda.
Saturday:
in the morning we totally cleaned and re-arranged our kitchen (the fridge, microwave, stove-top, and food cabinet) and it is tons better. We ended up invited a bunch of people and potential investigators to church. When we finally arrived home Elder Andrade was putting his stuff away in the spare bedroom on top of the spare beds (since we still don't have our wardrobes) when he heard a squeaking noise and something run out from his pile of clothes. RAT IN THE HOUSE!!! It ran into my room and hid under a broken wardrobe. We moved it to find the rat, then wacked it to death with a broom (breaking the broom in half in the process). then Elder Andrade finished him off by kicking him across the room, SMACK!! against the wall! During the frenzy Elder Andrade slammed the door shut so the rat wouldnt escape. this door has never been closed all the way because it doesnt have a door handle and if it gets shut it will not open. So we got locked in and had to enter in and out through the window until we got the door fixed.... fixed as in Elder Andrade kicking it down. Elder andrade is a little crazy.
Sunday:
We passed by a bunch of people´s houses to walk with them to church, but had little success. it was disappointing because we had a minimum of 7 or 8 people that seemed like for sure they would come. they committed and everything but when we arrived a lot of people weren't awake. it was also raining so they probably didn't want to leave the house. Only Andreza (sister of josenilton) ended up walking with us to church.
Family Night at Joaquim and Ramile´s house was special because it was Flora´s birthday! She turned 1 year old!!! there were more friends and family and it was great!!
Today i want to send out a better spiritual thought since these last few weeks i haven't been able to write as much spiritually things as i would like.
I was reading in an old Liahona (church published magazine) and came across an article that talked about our mission in life and i learned how we can ´´be still´´ and experience peace. i reflected on my life and thought a lot about how in life before my mission, I spent a lot of time wondering about my future. Mission, marriage, education, career. all of these were open questions, and I didn’t feel like i had many answers. Two passages in this article i read last night really stood out to me. ´´ During our young adult years, physical and mental energy are at their peak. We can make the most of them by determining to trust in the Lord and act “as for years.”Then these years can become a consecrated period of extraordinary productivity, growth, learning, and service.´´
After reading this I realized that my mission in life isn't waiting for me in the vague and distant future. It is daily and ongoing. Also this isn't just for people living in their ´´young adult years´´ i know this applies to everyone. Later in the article says this,
President Brigham Young explained: “There is neither man nor woman in this Church who is not on a mission. That mission will last as long as they live.”
In other words, our mission in life has already started. We don't so much need to find it as to recognize it. The article goes on to talk about three elements that we can utilize to fulfill our mission in life. i found it to be very powerful and make a lot of sense.
´´one way to recognize it is by understanding three elements that are already parts of our lives:
1.)A unique set of personal gifts.
2.)A unique set of personal challenges.
3.) Specific needs in the world that the Lord wants me to respond to.
Simply put, we fulfill our mission whenever these three elements intersect and we choose to act.
I really liked this simple idea and realized that we need not feel lost or without a purpose or mission in this life. Yes, life is filled with crucial decisions and some inherent uncertainty and stress. But i know greater confidence comes when we learn to rely on the Lord´s ability to bring about his purposes for our lives-day by day. I know with this knowledge we are better able to ´´be still´´ and experience more peace and true satisfaction. I testify that God has a mission for all of us to fulfill and he has given us the tools to do just that. i am grateful for the personal gifts, and challenges that i have in my life and for the specific needs in the world that have been presented to me that the Lord wants me to respond to. It hasn't always been easy, but it will always be worth it. I am grateful for the good examples in my life and especially for my family. I know that God has a plan for families and families have the potential to be forever. Im grateful that my grandparents were blessed to find the restored gospel and let it change their lives. Because of this, i have the family i have today, and the blessings i have. i encourage everyone to continue to learn more about this wonderful gospel and observe the miracles that will occur. Have a great week!
With Love,
Elder Hilton
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