Brazil Sao Paulo East Mission

Brazil Sao Paulo East Mission

Wednesday, May 7, 2014

April 21, 2014 3 new babies in the family!

4-21-14

Hey family!!

E Steele emailed me this week that he’s mailing your package this week.  What do you want me to do with it when it comes – put it aside till you get home?  - open it??  Just let me know.
Open'er up! It's not all that big, but there are 3 shirts there for my family! I don't know who'd want what so I'll let you guys decide who gets which one.

How was your week?
When I was with Elder Cosme, I had some weird feelings. You know that feeling like when you feel almost as if you're oppressed and have to worry about every little thing and you're anxious about a lot of things? That's about what it felt like with him but now that I'm not his companion anymore it's completely different. It's as if the burden is gone and you're not anxious anymore. It's a very freeing feeling, that's about how I felt.

I've really loved this last week with Elder Garcia my district leader. I know that it didn't just happen because our companions hadn't gotten here yet but I know that it happened so that I could learn from him and him from me. With Elder Cosme, we were breaking some of the rules, they weren't anything big but they were rules nonetheless. With Elder Garcia, I've had the chance to remember what it's like to be perfectly obedient missionary and see the blessings of that again and it's been really important that I've had this opportunity to remember how it is again. I'm excited to get my son!

Thinking about my son this week, I was thinking "man, I'm going to be responsible for everything he learns and if he does bad, it'll be my fault, and if he does good, that'll also be my fault" and I was beginning to recognize some of the responsibilities and I recognized that these are the same feelings, thoughts, and responsibilities of a real father when his son is coming! That was interesting for me to make that connection, I had never thought about it that way before.

This past week, I have certainty that I've talked more English this last week than I have in my Whole mission. I started off like "no Elder Garcia, we gotta speak Portuguese!" But after a while we just started talking more and now I'm just lazy and don't feel like speaking Portuguese haha but it’s not messing with me tooo much. Sometimes I mess up a bit but my grammar is still good.

We think that Elder Garcia’s phone is without limit so that's awesome because my credits were spent already and I had to call a bunch of people this past week to follow up, set up appointments, cancel, inform and what not and so that's like 30 reais that I didn't need to spend so I'm happy :)
I bought another MicroSD card of 16 gigs that I'll put in the phone with music and general conference so that'll be cool! I missed music this last week without Elder Cosme's music box.

Unfortunately this week we saw a couple fighting on the street...I wanted to help but recognized that I shouldn't because maybe he has a gun or something and we were actually talking with a family when we saw this and they said that this couple does drugs and that he's put her in the hospital 2 times already. When we saw them, the man was trying to hit the woman and she was keeping out of reach of him and then they were hitting each other and then like 5 seconds later were on a wall making out...I really don't understand how anyone would want that kind of situation but it just goes to show the amazing blessings that we have as we live the restored gospel.

As I started this week here in Suzano, I was thinking "alright, he has his area and I have mine" but thinking like this, I wasn't really caring a whole lot about his investigators, or at least not as much as I could've. Because later in the week I started to think "no, this is my area too for now as are these are my investigators as well for now" and so thinking like this, I've felt a bigger love for our investigators and I believe that some of the people that we've been teaching are promising to be baptized in the coming weeks!

Tell me all about transfers…What is transfer meeting like?
Well there's no real "meeting" at transfers. It's just everyone that's getting transferred go's to the mission office. For the trainers, there's a meeting before (that I got to participate in this time!) that helps the trainers recognize the importance of them being trainers.  Other than this, missionaries just go, talk with everyone, see the new "mission map" (who is in what area with what companion with what rank) and get stock for the houses

What’s the best part about transfer meeting?
My favorite part is seeing my friends that I've gained on the mission.

Tell me all about the companion you’re with and if you know who you’ll be training – where he’s from, how long in the mission, etc…
Elder Garcia is from Washington, He's got about another 4 or 5 months left in the mission. He is a very good elder, very obedient and he works hard and I've liked this time that I've had with him because I've had the opportunity to learn a lot with him. We also have some common interests and so it's fun to talk about those things like science and church doctrine and he likes to joke and he's way cool. Definitely a friendship for a lifetime.  Anddd I know nothing about who I'll be training.

Do you interact much with the office missionaries?  I’m assuming that you have older couple missionaries serving in the office??
Not a whole lot. Just every now and then to relay some information or something like that.  Actually no we don't, just elders.

If you’re working in another area this week like you thought you would, how is the new area and have you been able to find people to teach?
It's been way cool

Is the weather still getting colder?  How cold will it get?  
Yeahhhh bit by bit. Today is a bit hotter but this week was a bit colder

We didn’t send you with a coat, did we?  Do you need to get one??
I got a suit coat and 2 more nice sweaters which I hardly use up til now haha I don't need another one

My shoes are doing awesome! Very good quality. The Mr. Mac ones don't have a lot of tread left on the bottom but I think they shouldddd be able to go until the end of my mission, we'll see.

I know that everything that happens in our lives happens for a reason. I know that as we seek the Lord in all that we do, He will counsel, bless, and comfort us. I know that God loves us and He knows what we need in our loves and wants to shower us with blessings, He just wants us to ask for those blessings, that's it. And be patient for the fulfillment of the blessings in His time. So don't be afraid to pray for Everything you want and need even if that means praying for 10, 15, 30 minutes! Enos prayed for the whole day and then night! This is my testimony and I leave it with you all in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Elder Horton 


Bom dia!
bom dia! Oão fala portugûes agora?? Que legal!

I wish!  For now bom dia is about it!!
You used google translator huh haha. But that's cool! Jonathan wrote me and told me about the news! Shelems pregnant!! THats way exciting!

No, I really didn’t use google translator…  I’m just THAT good!  Wonderful news, right!!!  3 new babies this year!!  Oh. My. Goodness!!!!
Yeah, and they'll be born before I get back :(
I know.  Not ideal, but how do you think I’ll feel when Dad and I go on our mission in another 10 years and we miss births and baptisms and birthdays and all that.  It will be hard, but some things are worth sacrificing for.  We’ll send you lots of pictures and we’ll show them your picture a lot so they will know you when you get back!!!!  They’ll LOVE their Uncle Garrett!!!  We’ll get a picture with you holding all of the grandchildren when you get back!!  That will be a lap full!!!

I'll get my new companion the 29th of this month and we mighttt be going to the temple the same day....not sure. I have to confirm that..

Thanks dad for the advice that you gave, it's good advice. Something interesting is that Elder Garcia was talking about something this past week that I remembered as I read your letter. He said that he and his old companion, Elder Potts, had the same purpose in all that they did. And so the cool thing about that is that they never fought and they never disagreed because they wanted the same things. With Elder Cosme, we had different purposes. My purpose was exact obedience to get blessings to serve and bless others. His purpose was just to do what you can to baptize the best you can. And so we didn't always agree and it was hard to get a long sometimes. I'm foreseeing that with my new companion, that we'll have the same purpose and so it'll be a lot easier :) I'll also always try and remember D&C121, it's a good section.

As for the music, I think...you can maybe send the files via email. Depends on the format.

Yeahhh they're not married. A lot of people here live together without getting married.

As for my investigators in Brás Cubas, it's as if they're on a temporary pause in some cases and slowed down in others. It's not ideal but I don't have many options. With Elder Garcia, I'm recognizing, that we've held on to some investigators too long and that we just need to cut some and get new ones. This'll start a bit this week but it'll really pick up the week after.

Oh and as for Mother's day, they've taken that off as one of the days that we get to call home and so now it's just Christmas...sorry, love you! It'll be just another 8 months!

...Hah, I'm just kidding, yeah we'll talk again on mother’s day. I'll probably go to the same sister's house in our ward!

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