My week was good, Things are improving I think. I've been trying just to be a better example and to encourage good things in Elder Cosme and I think he's improving bit by bit. For example he was annoyed that the president doesn't trust him and I suggested to him that maybe he could ask the president what he could do to gain his trust. He said he'd do that after thinking about it for a bit. We'll see. The mission meeting was good. I feel like I've already talked about it with you guys...but I think that was just my journal. The 2 Assistants to the president spoke, one on working and the other spoke well on obedience. But it was easy to discern after that no one had really changed afterwards. President spoke as well. A lot of Brazilians don't like him because he doesn't really speak Portuguese or understand them when they speak Portuguese. But he spoke well. Spoke on the new rules and what not. As for the new rules, there’s nothing really all that new, just reinforced.
What
was the best part of your week?
The best part of my
week was seeing our investigator, Maria Lúcia at church and also a less-active
that we invited that is really cool and actually gave us and Maria a ride to
church and back. That was good to actually have someone at church this week.
Other than that, I took way good advantage of the food of other missionaries
during new years. Elder Cosme loves to spend the night at other missoinaries'
houses and I don't like it too much because everyone stays up later and it
doesn't really work out so well to sleep.
It's also good to
see Americans every now and then. Whether it’s other missionaries or that
family that’s in the other word. I do miss Americans sometimes.
What
is the funniest thing that has happened since you’ve been in Brazil?
Good question. I
don't know...No one ever succeeded in making me say something in Portuguese
that was insulting but funny (like at a lunch) I can't really think of anything
off the top of my head.
Who
in your ward do you look up to and why?
I don't look up to
anyone. The tallest brethren other than me is a head shorter than me.
But as for
respect-wise, I haven't really picked out a brother to whom I look up.
What
is your Bishop/Branch President like?
Our bishop is cool and a hard worker but he's
also new. Only about 3 months and as you know it's a lot of responsibility and
a lot to learn but he's doing a good job. He tries to help us but hasn't been
particularly active in doing so. We also haven't been active in seeking his
help so I don't blame him.
Do
you have a Ward Mission Leader? Do you work pretty closely with him?
No we don't have
one. I talked with the bishop this Sunday and he said this next Sunday we'd
have one and then we'll start to work with him more. It'll be good.
New Year’s Eve was cool. I stayed up until
midnight and I don't think I could've managed to sleep even if I'd wanted to.
Everyone was shooting off fireworks, it was a constant tumult of rumblings and
pops and fizzes coming from all over the town. It was pretty cool.
I seem to have less to say about the day to
day mission work...I think that’s because there's less of it. This last week. 0
lessons with member present. 5 other lessons. And 2 with recent convert, less
active. The numbers are a bit discouraging...but I'm trying. I suggested to Elder
Cosme that we knock doors but he's absolutely opposed to the idea even though
it makes sense and is more effective. This week we'll knock doors anyways and
he'll like it.
In a lesson we taught this morning I was
impressed with the amount of GH that Elder Cosme had. I think all of our
lessons up to this point have been the standard 1st lesson or 3rd lesson or 2nd
but today was more general and trying to help her. She said she wasn't prepared
and that she needed to have more knowledge before making a decision and so I
invited her to pray and ask God about the Book of Mormon, the church, the word
of wisdom, and being baptized this Sunday and she had agreed to pray about all
of that and agreed to do all of that if she received a response. And then Elder
Cosme said that he knew she was prepared and he said that baptism was a
commandment and that we have to be baptized to enter into God's kingdom. He
said some other things and it was all true, but really he wasn't trying to help
convert her, he was trying to convince her to be baptized. Thus GH. His
companion before me was one of the worst GH's of the mission and I know he had
other companions like that and so he's had a lot of GH influence. I was
surprised with the contrast between the way he taught and the way I taught. It
worked okay with Maria for now but I hope this doesn't create problems in the
future...
In Portuguese, there is something called the
subjunctive which isn't used in English at all. I think I've almost mastered
the subjunctive in Portuguese (and it's taken this whole time) and so it's
interesting now. I'm writing in English but I think I should use the
subjunctive but there is none to use.
I'm a bit tired but tired is good. I'm trying
to work to the maximum. I'm not perfect but I'm trying. We go to the temple
tomorrow! In Campinas I think. I'm excited. I think I'll do it in English with
headphones. Maybe I'll take off the headphones and try and understand the Portuguese.
I have to wake up early tomorrow to do it. And Elder Cosme wants to go to
another area to sleep - saying that it will "save time" But I know
that they're going to stay awake until late and so really it won't. But
whatever. He seems to justify things and in his mind maybe it makes sense but
logically it doesn't make sense. I've already explained a couple things to him
that he hasn't liked because he wants to do something one way and so justifies
it but I explain it the right way
I know it seems like I'm criticizing him a
lot. And that's because I am, but I'm also trying to find good things to say
about him. Daily, I have a goal to say 3 good things about him and to study
love and charity to try and have more of it. So far that's been going okay. The
first day, I managed 3 nice things to say. Since then I've managed at least one
but it's good to try and think about good things to say. Lately I've complimented an idea he had, told
him that he's friendly, he asks good questions, he works good (when he works)
and he teaches good. I'm trying to reinforce the good things he does while
trying to help him improve the not so good that he does.
I think that's about it that I have to say...
Any questions?
I love all of you and I hope you all have a
great day and week,
Elder Horton
First time I've eaten shrimp or
even seafood since being in Brazil,
it was way awesome :D It was for our New
Years Eve Dinner.
And that was the storm that
soaked us before we had a chance to get to our appointment.
It was really cool
from a distance especially with the thunder but when it was upon us,
it was a
lot of rain. Happens a lot here. During the day it’s clear
with maybe a bit of
clouds and then around 5, 6
it starts to get cloudy and then it storms.
It’s
good because it cools stuff down.
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