August 26, 2013

Well well well, it seems that another week has passed by.  It’s just so crazy to think that I am already at the end of my mission... like what happened to all those 2 years!!?? Any who this week:

We went to Araguaia to do a division we left Monday night and got back wed morning. It was good because I got to see some members from there and say some good-byes.  I took some pictures of a house a member is building and the giant hole with a chicken in the bottom hahaha. Then that night we bought a HUGE PIZZA!!! Like literally HUGE. But we 6 elders destroyed it in like 10 min. hahah.

We worked in our area only 3 days this week so there was not too much progress with our investigators. The best part was probably when we just knocked doors.... it was the first time in my mission that I like knocked doors. We just took a street and went at it... it was actually quite successful. We just asked people if we could bless their homes and the let us in... We gave a quick lesson and a prayer. We found a woman who went the church in 1992 and really liked it and her son speaks English. We will go back and visit them. We also found a man who visits lots of churches and was interested in the plan of salvation. Maybe I’ll have to knock more doors.

Saturday was crazy. we went to lunch and Lunch was AMAZING so amazing that I dint want to stop eating, the only problem is that after lunch we had to walk to get a van to go to another city to do an interview.  After that lunch my belly was so full that it was hard. We then left on a 40 min walk in the Brazilian sun at 1:15 in the afternoon.  Man I was sweating so much! I almost asked my comp to just roll me the rest of the way. hahah but we got there and we got the interview on time... the only problem was that the person to be interviewed didn’t show up... and we had to get back to our baptism which started at 7pm. so we waited till 4:30 for the interview and no show so we walked back to the van and got back to our city at 6:30 got a taxi and went to our house got the stuff for the baptism and ran to the church. In the end all went well and she was baptized!  But none the less we didn’t get to teach any one that day.

Sunday, President came into town and we had a meeting with the stake President and the bishops. It got me really excited because now the bishops will be on the same page as us and know what we are trying to accomplish. It was a really good meeting and a lot of what was talked about there we will pass tomorrow for the elders in our meeting with the zone. But I think the highlight was when president told me about the transfers saying that next week I would be transferred to OPEN A NEW AREA!!! So in my last 6 week I will be opening an area. That is all he said but tomorrow I have my interview with him so next week I’ll have more information... like a whole lot more! 

Well I hope you all have a fantastic week!!! 

--
-Elder Howe

August 19, 2013

This week was really crazy. I and Elder Rais have called it "Semana Alternativa" or alternative week, because EVERYTHING FELL! At the beginning of the week we had all our nights full of lessons and family nights and then as the week went on they all fell and we ended up teaching the Alternative plans. For example, yesterday we had marked 3 lessons. All of which we had markdown Saturday... and guess what, All 3 of the lessons fell. HAHAHa. So I will just chalk it up as a test of faith. Because this week will be like 100x better!!!

There was one like awesome thing that happened. We found a 17 year old boy knocking doors. In the first lesson we invited him to be baptized on the 31st, he accepted explaining that he had never been baptized. We finished the lesson and said a prayer as we were leaving he asked, “But like my baptism will be on the 31st right? Like I can invite my uncle?" we told him yeah as long as you go to church and keep on doing what we invite you to do you will be baptized on the 31st.  He seemed very happy. haha we took him to church on Sunday.   This kid is good.

We also had a 19 yr. old girl who passed the interview, but she will be baptized in the other ward this Sunday, so me and Elder Rais did all the work and the other elders will get the credit... but we are in the same zone so it’s all good.

In the city this week a gas station blew up... that’s what the photo of smoke is all about. No one died... but we were a half mile away and could see flames from the fire.  But we are all safe.

That’s all for this week!  

August 12, 2013

Man what a week!!!

We had a baptism!!! Well re-baptism and it was so super top secret that we didn't even take a picture... so remember it is very important to keep records in the church!!! If not everyone would have to be re-baptized! But it was nice to baptize again 

This week we had a medical with one of our investigators who we never had been able to make a date with. We visited her last week, and she had just gotten a job that she would be working on Sundays... so like we cut her without hope of he being able to go to church anymore. Then this week we saw her mother in the street and marked to pass by. We went there on Sunday and taught the mother about the plan of salvation. As we were getting ready to leave her daughter showed up from work. She explained to us that she had spoken to her boss and was able to get off on Sundays! She then went on to explain how she wants to be baptized on the 25th. She marked her own date and told us that since our last visit she had 4 dreams about baptism! 3 about her baptism and one about her mom´s baptism. So all is set for her baptism on the 25th. The lord truly makes a way for his children to keep the commandments IF they seek to do so. 

Another cool thing that happened this week was Sunday Kayk (the recent convert) spoke in church and also blessed the sacrament. Our other recent convert received the P-hood, and showed up to church in his white shirt (thanks mom) and tie. It is awesome to see people progress in the gospel.

Well that’s about all the news for now!!

Have an awesome week!

--
-Elder Howe

August 5, 2013

Well it was a fantastic week here in Imperatriz.

We had our zone meeting and it went swimmingly. We have a goal of 20 baptisms for this month. And after this week I feel like we will reach it this month. We had Lunch with the zone at Brazilian bbq place, like Toucanos in Provo, UT. It was really good and everyone loved it.

This week we met an awesome family! a few weeks ago we made a contact with a guy who is 23 years old and so we went to contact him spoke to him on night after and then marked to visit him on Tuesday night we got there and he father answered the door... invited us in and we stated talking with the 23 yr. old after a bit his father sat down and we spoke to him too, then he got up and left... after 3 min he called us to the back yard to eat dinner with them... we went there and had a delicious soup. Before we knew it was time for us to go home so we marked another night to return. Friday night we returned and they did a BBQ for us!! Man it was REALLY REALLY GOOD!!! Ha-ha but this time after the dinner we taught the Restoration and the 23 yr. old told us he has been looking for the true church. He accepted to be baptized along with his parents. We left the Book of Mormon and we will go back there this week.

I learned a bit about agency this week. As we were teaching an investigator, she told us of a dream where one of the members of the ward was dressed in white and she was at some sort of meeting... I then showed her a picture of a baptism and she said that in her dream the member was in the baptismal clothes. we went on the ask her if she believed that Joseph Smith was a prophet and if she knew that the Book of Mormon was true, all of which she responded yes. She knows she needs to be baptized, the only sad part is that she will take a job which will make it impossible for him to continue going to church or for us to visit her... we left the lesson very sad because she chose to not follow the answers she received from god. The Agency of people has given me the most joyful and sorrowful moments of my mission. I have come to realize that God respects agency so much more than we do. 

Well that was basically our week. I love you and miss you all!  

--
-Elder Howe