Ties and more ties

Hey family!

I'm short on time today so I'm gonna be a bit quicker I think.

Thanks for the letter mom, I always love hearing about the updates and the new things and the stories and what not. I liked the picture arrangement in the dining room! That's cool

I had a question too, for mom and dad, when I wasn't problematic, did you guys pray a lot for me and for my personal conversion and testimony?

Elder Rockwood wanted to see what there was on the other side of a wall with a 2 floor drop on the other side right? And he had the cellphone in his shirt pocket playing music right? So he went and jumped and as he jumped, the phone flew out of his pocket and 2 floors down to the other side!! And he started yelling a bit and I thought "oh, he's yelling because he's weak and he had problems getting up on the wall" butttt he had actually dropped the phone. But even after the fall, the phone didn't break! It even continued playing music, that we could here still! That was a funny story I wanted to share.

Another funny story, we were going to lunch and we got to the sister's house and the door was shut. And then I hear her from the other side "the key is broken in the lock! We're gonna have to take off the door!" So I started hitting on the door close to the hinges and after a couple of hits the door came right off! And we set it to the side and ate a delicious lunch :)

I made awesome scripture markers for the missionary lessons and the scripture masteries in excel. And I saw another missionary with the exact same set up and I'd never given it to him and I was like "What?!?! Where'd you get that??" He said he got it from the mission office! It seems it's viral now and I'm famous...but no one seems to know it's from me. But that's still cool though

Man yesterday was one of the biggest rushes/hurries I've had at church. Because it was stake conference, and I had 15 different things to do, literally. It was difficult but I got the most important things done, being the 3 baptisms!!!! But that was a mad rush haha man I hope I never have to do that again (the rush part) there were just some things that didn't work out right that we had to resolve. But something cool, I was talking with the stake secretary which is from my ward and he said that Elder Rais (the general authority that was at the conference) and the stake president praised my posture. I was like "what?" he clarified saying that they liked the way that I help people and that made me happy :) so now I'm happy. I was happy before but now I'm happier. It's good to massage the ego every now and then :)

Elder C. Souza, who lives with us and is being trained by Elder Longi, isn't the wealthiest man. We noticed that he was only using one tie and didn't have many white shirts. When we noticed that, I decided to give him 2 of my awesome new ties that I bought! He was happy :) Elder Longi also did that which made him happy. And today, we went and bought him 3 white shirts and some more ties! And I think that made him happy too, I hope so because we walked a Lot today, on our p-day :( I don't like walking on p-day.

I'm using a sock tie :) Google it

I bought more awesome ties too! But not 21! Just like...6 :) Guilty pleasure

Josi, the wife of Wilson, went to church as I said, and man, when we saw her again, she was different! She was just like...happy! It was way cool to see the difference, it was hard to teach her this week because of her schedule but I'm super excited for her and her future.

Oh and today we were telling jokes in English on the bus right? And one of the women on the bus started to talk about us to another woman, I didn't hear exactly what she said but I heard her say "speak Portuguese" and I think she was saying something negative about us because then I said to her "We speak Portuguese too" And she looked at me with a look of "oh what'd I do now" and started to explain what she was saying. When I said that, another man on the bus started laughing. It was a funny situation in general and an opportunity for us to explain who we are and what we do. I laughed :)

What do you like about E Rockwood?

He's obedient, loving, patient, humble, intelligent, knowledgeable, willing, funny, easy-going, understanding. Yeah that's about it, he's a good example to me as well. He's a man of much faith as well.

What have you learned from E Rockwood or the other new missionaries in your apt?  (You have 4 in your apt, right??) 

How to play scrum haha.  How to love more and be more self-denying.

What differences have you seen in between your old mission president and your new one?  What have you learned from your new one?

I liked president Ferrin, but I'm not gonna lie, President Andrew is a good amount better than President Ferrin in about every way. In the way he talks, acts, plans, and just leads, its better.  What have I learned from President Andrew?..to rely on the spirit more, to be more Christ like. I don't have many learning opportunities with him.

Well the time was short but I type fast and sacrifice other things to write this letter. Thanks for everything and for your love and support!

Elder Horton

 A young woman that received her mission call

 The 4 Elders from last transfer and 2 young men from the ward

Carlos' baptism!!

490th chances

2-2-15

Hey family!!

Getting to know 3 new Elders and getting them up to speed in their new area hopefully went well.  Do you know any of them from past areas/zones? 

I know Elder Rockwood, I saw him "be born" in the mission (when he came to Brasil) in Mogi, when I was with Cosme and Mikulecky. He's from Colorado.

E. Longi got here with my son, Mikulecky and I saw him every now and then on the mission. He's from Oregon.

E. Souza is new new new NEWWWW!!!! He has like 6 days on the mission!!!! Haha he's being trained by E. Longi, his first son. He's Braslian.

What was your biggest challenge of the week?  

Help the other missionaries and my area and follow up with new people to visit and all that good stuff. But it was a rewarding week.

What was your greatest blessing of the week?

I love Sundays :) I love talking with the members, playing around with them, laughing with them, I love seeing investigators at church, I Really love seeing members interact with investigators, I also love going to members "Hey go meet that investigator!" And they do it, I love getting stuff done and resolving problems, I love being loved, I love using awesome ties and receiving complements, I love an Elder that makes it easier for me to be obedient, I love winning at cards :) Playing is fun too but I prefer to WIN!! Which I did :) Egyptian Rat Screw and Rummi. I'm the king! I made Manga shake (manga with milk and sugar!! AWESOMEEEEE!!!!) I love that still small voice and the certainty that comes with it that I'm doing the right things and I'm on the right path. I love following my Heavenly Father and His commandments. I love my loving leaders and the people that care about me and want what's best for me, especially, you mom and dad and James, Jon, Rie, Liz, Andrew, Shelem, Grandma and grandpa and everyone else.

I’m teaching the RS lesson next Sunday on prayer.  Do you have any thoughts or experiences with prayer from your mission or your life that I might share in my lesson?

I love prayer. I have a big testimony about the power of prayer, I have found various scriptures and parables about prayer including:

1)      Alma 31:38? (the last verse of the chapter)  “And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of ^aafflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in ^bfaith.”  

2)      and the parable about the persistent widow. I know that according to our faith and sincerity and purity, the Lord really responds our prayers and miracles really do happen in response to our prayers.

Some personal experiences on the mission:

I had a friend before the mission that I knew wasn't in the best path or making the best choices. I continued talking with the friend and keeping up the friendship and offering counsels when I could. But I think the most important thing I did was pray for the friend every day and fast weekly for this person. I prayed and worried more about this person than I did about my own investigators (which isn't necessarily a good thing) but I recognized this and it was part of my plead unto God: "God, I can't focus on my investigators because I'm so worried about my friend, please bless this friend to get on the right path so that I can focus on my investigators" I made this and many other pleas to God. I was very persistent and I knew that God could help me and wanted to help me and my friend.

Well what happened? One week, I get a letter, and my friend told me something that, to me, was a miracle. I don't think my friend recognized it as a miracle but I certainly recognized it as a response to all my prayers and fasts and felt the Holy Ghost in that moment confirming that it was divine intervention. After this moment, my friend just got better and better and didn't go back to having the same problems and today, is married and sealed in the temple. I know that God hears our prayers and answers them. He wants our happiness and salvation and that of those around us. Sometimes, he just wants to see our faith and perseverance. I learned a lot from this experience and it's something I've carried with me till today.

Another experience after this one. We were preparing to go to church and I was saying the prayer before we left, I felt inspired to ask that someone who wasn't planning on going to church, could go. And so I did, and what happened? Someone who wasn't planning on going, went! Much to everyone's surprise. Another similar experience. I felt inspired to ask to help us find someone on the way to church to go to church with us. So I did, and what happened? We found someone! And they went to church with us!

This was another principle I learned, our prayers have to be inspired as well, there's  scripture about this too...I think in D+C but I don't remember where. But the Holy Ghost will guide our prayers and so we should try and follow Him and what He inspires us to say. When it's inspired, it's 100 percent that it'll happen.

We were at lunch one of these days and Elder Rockwood, my new companion was getting like flavored flour with a spoon and he had gotten it with the spoon and then the fan rotated blowing full speed and blew it all in his face!!!! Man that was funny. I laughed for a good 30 seconds as did everyone else. Good times.

An excerpt from my letter to the president:

So 2 weeks ago, we had an interesting experience. It was Friday or Saturday and we were visiting an investigator and his wife and their son had been kind of reluctant to hear the messages. They both come in, angry, and complaining about how we were taking away their liberty and happiness with our visits because we were visiting them in the mornings and the son couldn't watch TV and we were waking up the mom (without wanting to). We didn't know that this was a problem, the last we heard, they'd wanted us to come in the morning because it was easier for them. In response to this, we said sorry a lot and were really sincere and humble and we could see the difference that our humility had on the family, they became more humble themselves.

Then the son started to complain about the church and the things we'd taught and what not and there were moments that I really wanted to just burn them até o pó and I was very tempted, but I didn't, neither did my companion. We used patience and our knowledge and faith to respond their questions and doubts with humility and we showed our diligence with them marking another day to come back and visit them to help them understand better our beliefs and the Church that we represent. We left their house and they were very friendly and smiling and laughing with us, we went there again this last week and explained everything better and this Sunday, the wife went to church! And liked it! So this to me was proof that really, we need to gain the attributes of Jesus Christ, patience, humility, faith, diligence, knowledge, everything, at all moments. If we hadn't been patient or loving or diligent, we would've cut them and they would've lost the opportunity to know the true church of God, but now, I firmly believe that the whole family will be baptized in the coming weeks. Because we were trying to be like our Savior.

I'm happy for new beginnings and opportunities to be better and second chances or even 490th chances. Thanks for all your love and support!

Elder Horton