Elder Michael Bryan Youd
Missão Brasil São Paulo Norte
Avenida Nova Cantareira, 1146 fundos
Tucuruvi
São Paulo - SP - 02330-001
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Week 32: Do you believe in miracles? Batismo!
Oi everybody!
Thats right...we had a baptism this week! Helison, after a miracle lesson, was baptised this week! Hes doing incredibly well, and we are all very happy here. But Ill give the details, along with the rest of our investigators:
Helison- So yeah, we went to visit Helison during a division (we had a Zone leader with me.) Helison wasnt thinking of baptism at the beginning, but by the end of the lesson (where we cleared up the doubts that he had about the Book of Mormon), he agreed to be baptized on Saturday! It was a stressful next 3 days, because we couldnt get ahold of him because of his busy work schedule and his lack of credits on his cell phone, but he showed up on Saturday night, and all went well. I got to baptize him, and he said that he felt something incredibly special when he was baptized. Its great to see the joy that comes into people when they decide to follow Christ. Baptism 8!
Joelson- He has plans to be baptized this Saturday, but hes still super nervous. In particular, hes having a harder time stopping coffee and beer than he thought that hed have. So were working with him. Pray for Joelson!
Hilda and Placido (new!)- An older couple that we found knocking on doors. Weve already taught them 3 lessons. Hilda had a dream that confirmed that the church is true, and Placido at least believes that the book of mormon is true. But they both have giant fears to be baptized, so weve got our work set out for us.
Other notes:
I received a note from my old companion, Elder Palhares. From Vila Medeiros, my old investigators, Fransisco and Darci, were in fact baptized, although it apparently took a long time. Yay!
Training is very interesting. Elder Taveira is super anxious to do things, although he also makes a lot of mistakes, which is funny because I remember that, when I was little and made a ton of mistakes, nobody understood my Portuguese, so they didnt have any impact. But, for example, were going to have to teach a JW differently, because he decided to say that if anything isnt written in the Bible, it has no foundation. So itll be interesting.
And Ill write a testimony, basically translating what I tell investigators every day.
I know that I am here on the Lords errand. I know that the church that I am representing right now is the Church of Jesus Christ, built on the firm foundation of prophets, apostles, and authority of God, and that through the ordinances performed in the church, with the authority of God, that we can receive the greatest gift of all, the right to live in the presence of God, with our families for eternity. I know that these things are true, because I prayed to God, the same prayer that we invite people to do, and I received a confirmation that these things are true. I know that this is true.
Strange cultural thing of the week: corn flavored ice cream. Some things, such as the avocado milk shake, are really good. Others are just as disgusting as they sound. Dont try corn flavored ice cream, kids.
Alright, thats it for this week! Até mais! Love you all!
Week 31: I'm a Daddy!
Hey everybody!
For those of you who dont already understand the meaning of the subject, transfers were this week, and...Im training! Im the first companion of a brand spanking new missionary, Elder Taveira, from Recife. So I get to help him get accustomed to the mission, learn how to teach. Its actually a pretty big responsibility, and I am quite excited to help him out. Hes already learning super quickly, and its gonna be a super fun 6-12 weeks.
Theres not a whole lot this week to tell in respect to investigators. Just quickly:
Joelson- We remarked a date for Joelson, for the 29th of March. But weve basically gotta get him confident for baptism, and get him to stop freaking out about every little detail. But he wants to get more comfortable, so we still have potential.
Helison- He didnt come to church this week (we dont know why), but hes still receptive to our lessons. He opened up to us last wednesday about where he really is, and where is faith is. Weve got some roadblocks in the future, but for now were getting closer to helping him recognize his confirmation.
Other notes:
Some people have asked me about the world cup, and how Brazil is preparing for it. There are a lot of details that I cant go into here (we are not permitted to talk about things about the government), but i can say that the schools started a month early this year, so that they can take a month off during the world cup. Ive heard that 90% of the stores will shut down, only the giant warehouses and the supermarkets will stay open. And so I expect that we wont be teaching a whole lot for those 6 weeks.
For those of you that have asked me about different Brazilian foods, heres something unexpected: using avocados as a sweet. If you put an avocado, milk, sugar, and some ice (if you want it to be colder) into a blender, you get a type of milk shake-ish thing that is actually super duper good. I dont know the exact amounts, so dont ask me.
But thats my week! If my camera has battery, Ill send photos! Love you all!
Elder Youd
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