Brazil Sao Paulo East Mission

Brazil Sao Paulo East Mission

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

7-7-14 Everyone has great potential

7-7-14

Family!

Sorry I don't have a lot of time today so I'll type fast, sorry for any errors.

This past week has been a good one. I got to know my new area pretty well. We take the bus every day to get to our area and again at night to get home. There aren't any hills it's just a pretty big area but thankfully our investigators are pretty close.

Today, in the morning, we went to a waterfall which was pretty cool. We took a bus to get to the river and then walked on train tracks to get higher up. We never really saw a legit waterfall but we hiked in the river during parts (because we can't swim haha) and that was fun, very pretty. Brasil reminds me a lot of South Carolina, the only difference being some plants. I've already sent the pictures of that.

On the fourth of the July, I bought some fireworks and it was also the day that Brasil played against Colombia. We did a small bet with Elder Rivera, that if Brasil lost, we'd buy him pizza but if Brasil won, he'd buy us pizza and so he ended up buying us pizza :) It was pretty funny because for days before he was talking about how Brasil was gonna lose and what not and then Colombia lost and that was fun :) After Brasil's victory, I shot off the fire works which were like roman candles. Sad fact, Neymar (Brasil's best player) fractured his vertebra and so is out of the world cup..so it'll be difficult against germany but we'll see.

I like to arrive in new areas and get to know everyone for the first time. I talked with everyone I could asking their names, names of family members, calllings and what not and writing it all down and so by the end of sunday I'd written down like 20 more families which was cool. One sister said that she really liked that I was doing that because as soon as she said her name I already knew who her husband was and who was her mom and her daughter's name which made me feel happy that she (and probably the others) like that. Also, as it was fast sunday, it was open for testimonies, I took advantage of that and stood up and presented myself and bore my testimony about the potential of the branch to become a ward but that this required the members to work together with the missionaries and I also testified that happiness that comes from this gospel and it was pretty strong, I could tell that the members liked it. After I bore my testimony, 4 people referenced to me in their testimonies testifying of the same thing and of missionary work and of how members should help the missionaries and I thought that was awesome. Also, after the meetings, a brother called me the "happy elder" :) I like having good effects like that on people. I feel like I had the opportunity to excite the branch and the members.

The other Elders told me that the only thing our Ward Mission Leader is good for is giving car rides to church but I got to know him once and he was super awesome and RM and super strong testimony and it didn't fit in my head. He might not be doing a whole lot right now but I marked a meeting with him this Sunday that's coming and I can tell that he's willing to work, he's just not sure how.

I also heard that the Branch President was a grumpy old man but my first day in the area, we stopped by his house and did a lot of friendship with him and he's actually a really cool guy and Elder Gilliat (another elder in my district) said that he had never met with him or gotten to know him like that. We talked about the branch and how we can help the branch and so forth

The reason I talked about these things is interesting. I'm not sure exactly why. I think it's because everyone has great potential and some people may not see it and so they limit their own potential or their expectations of the potential of others but really we all have an amazing potential to do many good things. I'm excited for this opportunity that I have to help this Branch and I hope that in the time that I'm here, we can help this branch to become a ward. This is our goal.

How are you getting along with your new companion?
We're getting along pretty good. He's not perfectly obedient but we get along good and bit by bit I'll help him to keep some the rules. He was pretty dang obedient until he got a super fubeca companion and that messed with him pretty bad.

Do you have a favorite mountain in your new area where the people sit outside and you can buy cool treats for your reward of climbing the mountain?
No there aren't mountains here but we have a nice Flat area with people outside and an investigator that gives us pastels for free :) Upgrade! I do love geladinhost hough.

How did the sister do who was so sick (the one that was in your old district)?  Did she have the dengue fever? 
No she didn't have dengue. She's doing better now. Last I heard, she works 2 days and stays in house 1 day.

Who is in your new district? 
Elder Rivera (my comp, Colombian) Elder Paulo (Brazilian) and Elder Gilliat (from my district in the MTC)

Is your companion a DL or ZL?
He's my junior

How’s your dog bite?
Practically gone
This is a well we were helping a family dig.  You have to dig down about 3 meters to hit water.  It was to water their garden.  I think we still had about 1 meter to go.

I know that this truly is a gospel of happiness. That there is no other way to find try happiness in our lives than through the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Read your scriptures every day...actually don't read them. Study them!! Learn from them! Apply them.

Lots of love

Elder Horton














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