Monday, November 28, 2016

You always remember your first!! 11.28.2016

Hi everyone!

So this week went by really fast. First off I am now the senior companion for the last two weeks of my training. This means that I plan the day, call all of the people, plan what we are going to teach, and decide where we go. I literally have the responsibility to do everything. It is way more stressful being senior companion than I thought it would be. Elder Choi is pushing me way more than I would like and it is annoying, but helpful. This week as well I finally got that baptism. I baptized Neuza on Sunday right before church. It was a cool experience and a long time in the waiting. 


 Neuza on her baptism day!



      As for other investigators right now we kinda just made a round of cuts and are starting it up again.  We began working in Boa Vista and encountered some older investigators of other missionaries who just need a little help with a desire to go to church. Really that is what all the investigators need. To feel the importance of going to church.

     Wednesday we had a mission tour. This meant that the entire mission went to Juiz de Fora to hear a member of the Seventy,  Elder Aidukaitus, speak. There were 4 different sessions so I didn't get so see my MTC district. However, in between sessions I was able to meet with Elder Nichols again so that was sweet. We didn't get that long to talk, but I really needed that. I miss my district so much, they were the best. 


 Elder Aidukaitus was really firm in the things he said. He didn't dance around anything and he didn't sugarcoat anything either. He really drilled us hard on learning how to plan for the week, and about obedience. He posed a really good question about why is obedience the first law of the heavens? It is because all other laws are subject unto it. If we don't need to be obedient to a law it really has no prevalence. If obedience was the second law the first wouldn't have to be obeyed. He talked about how when we are 100% obedient we are showing our love. He also said that faith is a gift that is given to us after we are obedient. He said a lot of other things, but that was kinda the main point. Everything that he said I thought we needed. He also talked about how to plan better, and that is what I needed more than anything. There is just so much that I want to improve on and so little time to work on everything. I just need some patience.  I know leaving the comfort zone is good for me, but it is still leaving the comfort zone. I just want to work and worry about learning the language and only this. The most stressful thing is trying to coordinate with members through the phone because the quality of the call is so bad. It is all a building experience.

 So the path less traveled photo was us thinking that we could just go over the hill and down faster, but after some cross countrying and realizing that it wouldnt work we just had to hop a few fences and we were home free.


     Sunday I had a baptism and then that night we had a Christmas devotional. In the devotional everyone had to sing with their respective quorum. We watched some good videos about Christ and people bore testimony. The missionaries had to sing a song too and so we sang Silent Night. Right before we went to sing Elder Lemes talked with me and said "by the way you are singing the second verse in English alone, good luck". What the heck is this?!? It was nerve racking but it ended up alright. I got compliments about it so I guess it was good. People like my signing voice. 

Anyway, just another week out here in Brazil. The language is moving on, we are talking with everyone, and the sun is out and we found milkshakes.


 Until next week.

-Elder Smith

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