Families are Forever

5-15-15

Family

I love it when members do their part to make the investigators and new members feel at home! That's so important! We had an investigator at church this week, and the meeting hadn't started yet and he was sitting alone. Some people had gone to shake his hand but that was it. I asked a brother if he could sit by his side and he was trying to avoid the question and ended up not sitting with him... :( But, thankfully, another returned missionary sat by his side...but I get really sad when stuff like this happens, when members don't do their part even when I ask them...But what are you gonna do right? Just gotta continue and do your part. Do we say that in English? Do your part?

It's good to see the family together and I love seeing my cute little nieces and nephews, they look so happy and cute! :) "IT'S SO FLUFFYYY" quote that movie

Do you guys have a riding lawn mower still or is it a push?

Yeah, I remember those stories that you mentioned..or at least that story about the airplane window but I don't think I remember the one about the tram. That really is a good teaching principle, I remember that that has builded my response to situations because I remember that experience that you guys had and it reminds me that I need to be sure of all the details and not bet my lunch on it haha

Those really were some good questions that she asked, It's good for everyone to ask themselves those questions.

As for transfers, my companion, Elder Amoras, will be transferred, but we don't know where too yet, and I'll stay here in São Mateus and receive a new companion and I still don't know who it is.

But this week was good, I've read about half of the old testament and I hope to be able to finish it up this transfer! The work goes, we have some good investigators that just need to decide what they want but I'm confident that with our visits and invites, they'll decide to follow Jesus Christ.

So what was our final plan for when I get home? Do you have the final details already?]

Well I think that's about it for now.

Love you guys!

Elder Horton

Transfers Next Week

5-18-15

Hey family!

This is the last week of the transfer, next week, there will be transfers andddd we won't know who's going and staying until Sunday. I wanted to stay..but I don't know if that's really what'll most help the area and what not, maybe it'd be better if I left. I don't know but I trust in the Lord and I'll do what He wants me to do.

My son Elder Amoras is doing well, he seems to be learning a lot and I have many opportunities to train him and to teach him about how to be a better missionary. I think that by the end of the training, I'll have passed like...60 percent of what I am and know to him. Maybe less.

We live with an elder who's gonna "die" this transfer haha and man is he dead (as we say on the mission) dead in the sense that he's trunky and ready to go home and not working that much. But what are you gonna do right?

I've already prepped my planner for next transfer and for the transfer when I get home :) You guys'll really love the home planner, I did something fun with it.

Do you remember father & son campouts when you were young?  You may remember some fun experiences with your brothers as well as your dad.

Yes as a matter of fact, I do remember some. Some of my greatest memories are of Capture the Flag and fire and Frisbee and that one time that I was very young and dad had to clean me up in the lake after I made a mess of myself, I think because I was afraid of the woods...I don't remember, maybe dad remembers this experience

I love that you got to help the school children learn a song in English!  Was it very difficult?  So did you get to see them perform it for their mothers?

Yeah it was a bit difficult to help them pronounce some things right but they did a pretty dang good job for a bunch of kids. They got like 90 percent of it right.  And yes I saw them perform for their mothers, I was even on the stage with them. Yay! Publicity!

How was your week?  

My week was good, nothing super special to note on. Other than the fact that the young woman here are awesome. They've now taken the initiative of visiting less active young woman and are managing to have a great impact and are going to start handing out invites to come to church to their friends.

Who are you teaching?  

We're continuing our focus on just about the same people, Clementino, the bishop's friend, Meire and Rose, the mom and grandma of Gabriel that was baptized, and Hugo and Tatiana and their family. They're the ones who have most potential right now. We have some other investigators and we're always looking for new people.

What have you learned?  

I was thinking yesterday at church about why stake presidents and bishops and people who generally have more responsibility tend to be so intelligent, wise, good speakers and what not. One would say that one thing results in the other that because they have these attributes that they're capable of more. I thought about something else that is really kind of obvious but it kinda hit me yesterday. The Holy Ghost teaches all truth, truth is light. So when we accept the light and the truth, we accept the holy ghost and as we accept these things in our life, we receive more light and more truth which results in intelligence and wisdom and the ability to speak well. So when we truly follow the Lord and look for light, we become blessed with these things. Makes sense right?

Did I already tell you guys about my thoughts about the spirit world as well? I don't remember...but I've always thought of the spirit world as like a literal prison for the wicked and a literal paradise for the righteous but I've come to believe that it's not like this but it's like the world where we live now and that there are organizations and groups of people and agency and everything that we have here, except for bodies. So it continues being a great trial and challenge to choose Jesus Christ because the 2 sides continue on the other side.

What are you thankful for?

I'm thankful that I was born in the gospel because sometimes I worry if I hadn't been born in the gospel haha, I would've had to have found the church fast. That's what I love about the Church of Jesus Christ is that it really is a help organization for our eternal happiness and salvation and whoever doesn't have this in their lives, will always feel like something is missing.

Thanks!

The church is true!

Elder Horton

5-11-15

Hey mom and family!

It seems like it was just yesterday that we saw each other doesn't it? But seriously, yesterday, I didn't think I'd have so many problems speaking English! At times it was easier and it flowed more smoothly but at times my ward mission leader needed to help me to translate the words to English and when he wasn't there I just stumbled and waited and said incoherent things. It was kinda funny. But it was really good to talk to you mom and everyone else too! James and Liz, Jon and Shelem, Rie and Andrew, and 3 of my 5 nieces and nephews :) I'm excited to get to hold them when I get back!

That was a nice story that you shared about the uncle Don. I wish more people had a greater sense of their responsibility as parents. The world would be 1000 times better.

My week was good. We're walking a lot :(  because we have investigators that will be baptized in many different regions. It's not ideal but if they weren't going to be baptized then I wouldn't go there.

This last week, we helped about 40 or 50 children in a school close by to sing a song in English for mother's day. The song was Because you Loved Me by Celine Dion. Man it was kinda weird to sing that music because that's not exactly manly music but the children did a great job of singing it in English! We went to the mothers day program at the school and it was cool because almost everything was done by people from the church. We were there to help with the English, Sheila was there to direct the children chorus, Gabi and Graciele were there to help with English as well and do propaganda and Sheila even called the relief society president of the stake and another woman to come help give a training about food storage! The only thing that wasn't done by someone from the church was a woman that talked about skin care products haha.

We were talking with a member of the church and we told him that we don't do contacts because we don't even have time because we have to follow up with and teach all of our investigators and we still have many referrals that we need to contact. And he told me that for a good time, there only had fubecas or disobedient missionaries in the area and now that we're here and everyone loves us, we're getting all the blessings in form of referrals :)

I don't have a lot to say because well...we talked yesterday! haha so I'm gonna go ahead and end this letter

love you guys!

The church is true!

Elder Horton

Spilled Cereal

5-4-15

Hey family! :)

As for the travel plans, I manage to think about these things and plan without really getting trunky so we're all good :)

Wow! Isaac scored 5 goals! I remember when I played soccer..I think the only goal I every scored was a goal in our own net....eita!

As for writing in Portuguese. I think that was one of the things that most helped me to learn to speak and read. Because writing, I had to know how to spell the words and when you know how to spell the words, you know how to say them as long as you know the grammatical rules, which I know :) I even write in my journal in Portuguese. I started doing that my 3rd transfer on the mission because I was thinking in Portuguese and trying to write in English so I switched it up because it was easier to write in Portuguese. I'll translate my journal at a later date for future generations :)

The conference we had this week was really awesome. They wanted to shake everyone's hand so we spent 40 minutes for them to shake every hand of every missionary in 2 missions. Elder Cleiton and Elder Aidukaitis came and spake to us with their wives. They talked about getting close to Christ, the missionary purpose and the gospel, being proactive and having inciative, and our potential as missionaries. They even opened up the meeting at the end for the missionaries to do questions. I tried to think of a good question to ask but I couldn't think about anything at the time that I didn't already know the answer. It was funny though, 2 people asked in their question using a phrase that is the exact title of Preach My Gospel. One said "How can I use my time with more wisdom?" And he just said "Read Preach My Gospel" haha.

An interesting story that was told by Sister Cleiton. She purposely spilled cereal on the ground in front of the front door and hid and waited for her kids to get home. They came in one by one. The first didn't even notice the mess and stomped on through it making it worse. The 2nd noticed and then started to blame the others "who did this? They need to come here and clean this up". The 3rd also saw and yelled "MOMM come clean this up" and continued walking. The 4th saw, and walked around the mess but didn't do anything. When the 5th child got home, she saw the mess, and got the broom and dustpan without saying anything and just cleaned it up. And then Sister Claiton compared this story to us and said that probably all of us fit into one of these categories or roles played by her children but that we should all be proactive and have initiative like her last child did. I thought that was very interesting and it's something that I always try to do as well, be proactive and I try to teach this to my son and those in my district. It's very important. She also cited Philemon 1:21 as an example of proactivity

Elder Claiton also spoke about being bold because we have power and authority from God to be bold. In the beginning of my mission I wasn't very bold but now, being bold is one of the things that I most love to do. And I believe I do it well too. For example, yesterday, I was talking with 2 young men that had gone to church to resolve something with a member and they were baptized already but inactive and I could tell that they didn't lead the most righteous life. I did a lot of friendship with them....which you totally don't say in English....I became their friend..that's better. In a matter of 30 minutes and I also understood who they were and their background. And then I called them to repentance. And I promised them that if they continued in that path until they died that they would go to hell. It's something very strong to say but it's very true and they understood because of the way I said it (I'm very good with things like this now) They knew that what I was saying was true. I told them to pray, read the scriptures, and come to church and they could still repent and be worthy to enter into God's kingdom. Like I said, I like being bold, and missionaries need to be bold and cry repentance unto all the children of God.

I like meetings because it's an opportunity to repent, improve, and be better than you were before.

We're going to the temple tomorrow! It'll be my first time to go to the temple of São Paulo. Every time I went, I went to the temple in Campinas. I'm really excited! It's also really convenient because there's the temple store and Deseret by the side so I'll be able to buy some good materials, I think I'm gonna take out the rest of my fun money.

I also encomended (do we say that in English?...) I asked for a scripture case for my future wife :) haha it'll say Sister Horton on front and with a picture of a young woman in armor and on back it'll have a picture of Adam and Eve. I did it for the triple combination in English.

In response to Dad’s request for input on making the home an MTC:

As for making our home an MTC. Well let's think about what are the most important things. A testimony of the gospel, a knowledge of the gospel, and an obedience and willingness to follow the Lord. If you perfect these 3 things, you'll be as great a missionary as Ammon. So now the question, what is to be done in the home to encourage this? Make sure that everyone reads the scriptures every day and gains a love for the scriptures is important. I believe something else that would help would be if the family set som goal to do missionary work. Like set goals to talk with people about the church and the gospel once a week or once a day depending on the needs. Or a goal to work with the missionaries. Also a goal to read and study Preach My Gospel would help a lot. Any plan or goal and activity that has to do with these things would be effective in making your home a mini-MTC

Well I feel like that's about it. Thanks for the letter and the love and the support!

Elder Horton