Week 58: The last week of the transfer and a Party at President's house!

This week started on a high note. We threw a surprise party for President Bangerter. My companion and I planned with Sister Bangerter to have a special surprise on Monday the17th for President´s birthday. His birthday was actually on Friday the 14th, but he was traveling for zone conferences so he wasnt in the city for his birthday. He got back on Saturday and we had the surprise on Monday. We coordinated with Sister Bangerter to make a big breakfast and we invited the assistants and their companions, and the couple senior missionaries (the Briggs). Another companionship arrived in Salvador early that same morning because I would be renewing their visas so they came along too. We also brought the elders that live with us. We all arrived around 7:30 am. on the 6th floor and quietly entered. So there we all were; me, Elder Costa e Silva, Elder High, Elder Jenkins, Elder Prado, Elder Da Silva, Elder Espirito Santo, Elder Opfar, Elder Nascimento, Elder Davis, Elder Cantuário, Elder and Sister Briggs, and President´s son Steven, waiting on the couches and chairs in the living room for President Bangerter to come out of his room at the other end of the house. Sister Bangerter had woken him up and had him put on normal exercising clothes as if they were going to go out to walk or run for exercise. Then she kept delaying him until we were ready for him to come out. Finally he walked out. When he came around the corner and saw all 15 of us stand up and sing, he was so embarrassed because he was in shorts, t-shirt and no shoes. He played it off well and we had a great time. We sang played a few games, then ate a huge breakfast that consisted of american pancakes, strawberry and whipcream, juice and other foods and fruits. It was DELICIOUS!  He shared with us some history and stories of his birth, how he got his name of Glenn Paulo Bangerter, and a few other interesting things about his family. Then we sang his favorite hymn O Ye Mountains High. He thanked us for the surprise and he took a selfie with us before we all left to work.

    The rest of Monday was spent renewing Elder Davis´s VISA and getting his RG ( a brazilian identity card). It´s easy to do, but it is a long tedious task that takes up most of the day. The rest of the week, while in the office, I worked on things that President has been asking us to do. In our area we are finding new people to teach and following up on the references that we got from last week´s exhibition. We are still teaching Manoela and her sister Fernanda. They both accepted the invitation to be baptized. Now we only need to teach them the commandments to see if they need to make any adjustments to prepare for their baptisms. They also need to go to church.  We are very happy with their receptiveness and progress.
 
    Well transfers have already arrived. Sunday afternoon we will know the transfer and Monday we will be buying all the bus passes for the whole mission for those who are transferred. I am very anxious to know what will happen. I know for sure that we are losing Elder High. He will be leaving the office to finish off his last 2 transfers in a different area. Maybe one of the assistants will be changed too. I am feeling mixed emotions about it. It will all turn out fine, but it won´t always be easy. There are lots of things that i feel unsure about.  I shouldn´t be nervous. I should just trust that I will be able to figure out all that needs to be done. Elder Costa e Silva told be that a 70 said that besides president of a mission, being the secretary is the hardest calling in a mission. That didn´t comfort me very much, but after thinking about it, it made me feel happy and confident that President Bangerter and the Lord trusts me in this calling. Elder Costa e Silva has been the financial secretary since May. I will probably stay with him for three or four months. It will be great.
On Friday the Senior Couple Missionaries , Elder and Sister Briggs, made us a pancake and egg breakfast, to commemorate because Elder High will be leaving. We found a cool selfie stick in the office that had been left there, so now we use it all the time.

  Our p-day today wasn´t anything really impressive. We went to our ward´s building around 12:00 to help out at a ´´mini MTC´´ activity. We ate lunch there too. We had our first lesson of the day marked for 4 pm so that didn´t give us time to do anything after the mini MTC.

 In our area we walk up a huge hill that has an incredible view almost everyday. In the 6 weeks that
 i´ve been here, it has been killing me that i still hadn´t taken a picture of this place. Finally i got one!

On Sunday, we left early to go to Manoela´s house to take her to church, but we never arrived there because the certain bus that we needed never passed by. So we didn't get to bring her to church. Diego and his wife (and their baby Diogo) came to church and the talks were on marriage, which is exactly what they needed to hear. To be baptized, Diego only needs to get married.

The first picture is a funny story. In that first picture in the favella, if you look closely on the right side of the picture, you will see two people standing inside of a white gate. We did a contact with that couple and taught them. We entered into their gate (´´patio´´) and we began teaching the the Restoration. The lessons was going incredibly well. They were paying close attention and answering the questions correctly. They had ´´the right´´ doubts too. We were just getting to the part in the lesson about the restoration / Joseph Smith, when a car rolled up, just outside of their house and began to blast REALLY LOUD music with all doors and trunk open, (not to mention it was inappropriate music too). It was so loud that we had to shout to hear each other, and it made it impossible to finish the lesson or even to pray. So we just scheduled another day to come back and finish the lesson, then we left. We didn't even pray. I turned around and snapped a quick picture as we were leaving because i thought it was funny how it turned out like this. I was also amazed at how loud of music that car was able to blast out. My companion was frustrated that it ended like this because the lesson was going so well. haha

The next picture is of our good friend Diego who is investigating the church. This Sunday was his 5th or 6th time going to church. He is liking it a lot, and we are helping him learn more about the commandments and about marriage.They are so awesome. Every single time we visit to teach Diego, his wife (girlfriend), who is a member, makes us food! We set a goal for him to be married on August 25th so he can be baptized soon after. He was a little shocked about how soon, but he accepted to think and pray about it. We have lots of faith in him. We also love his son named Diogo. Yes Diogo is the baby. He is 1 year and 2 months. Twice in a row when we left after visiting their family, baby Diogo tried to run out the door with us. He didn´t want us to leave. Then when his mom grabs him and we leave, he cries. We walk out of the apartment complex hearing him cry. Then we round the corner and look up to their apartment and he is there looking out the window at us. It is very funny and cute. 

week 57: The office (5th week of transfer)

  What a week! My family seems to be running all over the place. Every week is something new.  This week I heard that my younger siblings went to Helaman´s camp and girl´s camp, and the next thing i know i get emails and pictures of my dad in China!   All my younger siblings went to their church camps and reported to me that they loved it. They said it was a great spiritual experience and they learned a lot. I love my siblings. The more and more i´m out on my mission, the more i love my own family. It´s a wonderful concept.  When I am serving other families and individuals here in Bahia, its makes me very grateful for the family that i have and all the families in my home ward in Idaho.

  All the interesting things happened at the end of the week so i´ll start on Friday.
I went to the hospital early Friday morning after vomiting all Thursday night. I must´ve eaten something bad, but the IVs they put through me helped and I am feeling lots better.

On Saturday we taught Manoela about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and she accepted a baptismal date for the 29th of August. She just needs to go to church. Also we are teaching her older sister and their mom. We would like to see them all get baptized together. Saturday night we were walking to the church to watch the other Elders´ baptisms when we were were stopped by a man on the road. He is traffic guider and helps people park in a popular part of Rio Vermelho by the ocean that we walk by everyday returning home at night. He shouted at us, ´´hey Elders!´´ and motioned for us to come over. We ended up talking with him for a while. He recounted his whole life story about how he grew up in church, how prayer plays a role in his life, how he is less-active now, etc.  His name is Vinicius, but he goes by his nickname Capenga. He is in his mid-twenties.   He told us a story of when he was accidentally shot by a bandit while on a motorcycle taxi. It happened in the interior city of Bahia in a rural arera. The bandit was chasing the motorcycle driver and wanted the driver, and not Capenga. First the bandit accidentally shot Capenga and the driver crashed. While Capenga crawled away to hide in a field he looked back and saw the bandit shoot the driver. He then went on to tell how he almost died while hiding in that field because he was bleeding out, and how he was rescued and went through therapy to regain use of his right arm.  All the details of his story and him acting it all out was funny and crazy.
 
   On Sunday Diego came to church! He didn´t come the last 2 Sundays so we were happy to see him. After church and lunch we did an exposição in our area with the Santa Cruz elders and some members of our ward.  It turned out to be great! Elder Nascimento did an incredible contact and began teaching two people. By the end they both had baptismal dates marked!  I have never received such a great reference! haha. I plan on quickly returning to them to follow up well on that date that he left with them. I have quickly noticed how many less-actives are in our area. It seems as though a large percentage of the people here are less-active members. We find them all the time and they even find us.  Everyone knows the Elders. We have some very golden investigators in our area that sadly won´t be baptized this transfer, but I intend to do all I can with Elder Costa e Silva to assist them in their progression to baptism and conversion in the next transfer.
 
   Elder Costa e Silva is a great man. I absolutely love his attitude about the missionary work as well as his work  ethic. It motivates me. He shows that he really cares for me and is excited to work together as companions. He teaches very well and i can tell that he has the spirit. Not only does he have the spirit, but he LISTENS to it. We shared with each other our goals for this next transfer and we are feeling good about them.

    I am enjoying learning how to balance my time wisely, and use it efficiently while here in the office. There are always things to get done and tasks to accomplish. President Bangerter has lots of things for us to do!  There also seems to be a mental division in the calling of a secretary . My mental state feels different when we come into the office, than when we leave to our area ; but not in a negative way. It´s all work, work, work, but it´s a different type of work and a different stress.  About Elder High.  I love him too. I will be honest that I am not 100% comfortable with the fact that he will be leaving soon. He still hasn´t showed me all the things i need to know. I don´t feel like i´ve learned everything concerning all my responsibilities as Executive Secretary. I also know that it is normal to feel like this. No one is 100% prepared for anything. We just do our best and learn as we go. I believe i still have lots to learn and I will give my best effort to be the secretary and the missionary I need to be to help this mission and serve the Lord in my callings.
 
   These last few weeks our mission has received quite a few trainings on teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  I am grateful for the simplicity of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We all have stains, but they can be washed white. I know that there really only exists three basic qualifications for someone to enter the Church of Jesus Christ. First, you need to have stains. Well that qualification is easy! Second, you need the desire to be cleansed from those stains, and thirdly you need to be willing to make some small adjustments.

   I know that God can purify us through ordinances. An ordinance is a sacred act made by the power of God. He gives us the privilege to follow his Son by participating in an ordinance called baptism, then receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. Of course after we makes these ordinances with God we won´t be perfect. Everyone messes up. No one is perfect. That is why I am very grateful that God gave us another purifying ordinance called the sacrament. For me taking the sacrament is an opportunity for me to remember Christ´s sacrifice as well as a reminder that he lives. I am grateful that through this ordinance I can become clean again and prepare myself to live with him again.  I know that all these blessings are available to everyone, independent of who you are, or where you have gone in your life. The atonement of Christ reaches out to everyone who lives, who has lived, and who will live. His love and sacrifice is infinite. I gives thanks to God for his love for us. I know this is Christ´s church, restored on the Earth.

 Its seems as though serving in the office we hardly ever take pictures, so i went ahead and took some. We work work hard and play hard. Hopefully soon I will have more pictures of my area.

Week 56: Life is good!!

 This week was awesome! We worked a lot in the office and helped out President Bangerter on a few projects. I made some material orders and ordered lots of mission scripture cases and mission bags. We also prepared some missionaries flight plans that were going home.  On Friday we took them to the airport. President told us to take them to some places to take pictures on the way to the airport so we stopped at the Itapuã lighthouse! I attempted a frontflip off a rock on the beach. It went pretty well. Let´s just say my parkour skills are a little rusty.

  

 Really this week we weren't able to get a whole lot done in our area. We taught some lessons but the majority of our lessons fell through. We are trying to find more people to teach.
   This p-day we went to the Brigg´s apartment and played ping-pong and Pool! It was super fun. I beat everyone in ping-pong, but they gave me good competition. I don't feel unprepared for when i come home and play my family in a game of ping pong. haha. Then we went to lunch at a members house and ate a big yummy chicken lasagna.

  

   This week I heard some good news about my last area i served in, Itabuna.
   So we were promised that for every baptism, a minimum of two more will happen as a result of that baptism. So remember when i baptized Lorena? She has been sharing the gospel and bringing people/friends to church and two were already baptized! She shared with me his story. This guy named Kallison is 18 or 19 and was dating a girl. I asked Lorena if he married his girlfriend to get baptized and she told me this:
´´They will not marry anymore. Because of what happened. They had an ugly fight. Very ugly. He hit her and other things that will happen. He mutilated himself and cut his wrist. But I asked him to go to church. And pray a lot among other non-church councils He went and left from there smiling happy decided to be baptized. He went to lunch at the house of Samuel and Tita (members) And he left a different person.  Now he has the priesthood and will baptize someone today His first baptism. ´´
  She said the whole bishopric was there (which rarely happens) as well as the elder from the other area. She said the baptism went really well.
   I am happy for them. Below is a photo of some people that watched Kallison. In the photo there are 3 people that I baptized and Kallison in white before his baptism. Later tonight he will baptize a friend of his. I think that is the coolest thing.

   So this was pretty much my week. We are constantly working in the office and trying to find new people to teach. I´m grateful for this opportunity I have to be a full-time missionary in Brazil. The field is white. All ready to harvest!

Have an awesome week!

-Elder Hilton