So this weeks been interesting. I have a new companion from northeastern Brazil named Elder Karmen. He´s nice and teaches well. I think sometimes he over complicates the lessons for people who aren´t very studied up on everything, but he's good. We´ve been inviting people for baptisms and things have been going well. The entire mission will have a group baptism two weeks from now. Photos will be sent to the President and he´ll make a DVD of all the baptisms/missionaries. The same happened last month.
For our goal to be achieved our investigators need to be in the Church THIS week. So pray that we can find the Lords elects and that they can be ready to keep commitments. We´ve already been working with a lot of great people but I´m hoping we can find even more this week.
So I don´t just have one new companion. I have two. The plan was that my companion and another companionship would show up. What happened is that only one of the others - Elder Jannsen (a Brazilian) - arrived because his American companion is waiting on a visa for him to enter Brazil. So it´s us three working together with the two branches for a while.
Elder Jansen is really a funny nice guy. He was baptized a year before his mission and went directly for the mission after the minimal amount of time. By the time his mission ends he´ll be a member in the field longer than out of it. He already knows the scriptures better than many and understands a lot. He´s the only member in his family.
So Valnei is terrific. My last companion had valnei sign his address book before this last transfer ended. He told Valnei to write a small message next to his contact information. Valnei laughed and humbly said that he didn´t know what to write. So here I was expecting him to write something like good luck but I looked in my companions address book later and found what Valnei had written. It said "you are the best person I´ve ever met in my life" (translated from Portuguese)
It really warmed my heart to see that. I like to think that what he wrote could be extended to me as well ha ha. In all seriousness it´s inspiring to see that you can work with a person, bring them unto the gospel and in a few short weeks they have such a bond with you. The other great thing is that Valnei says he´s sleeping more soundly, he knows that God is really alive in his life and working with him. I sat on the side of Valnei this week in Sacrament meeting and I noticed that he had taken a handout from the relief society. I asked him why and he replied that it was for his aunt and his sister. The mere fact that he thinks about these things already makes me very grateful to my Heavenly Father.
The language is really coming along. I know that a lot of the time what I say doesn´t really come out right but I´m recognizing what I don´t know and this tells me what I need to be studying. It´s interesting because on the first day of every transfer, I notice a great leap in my ability to speak Portuguese and I recognize that as a fulfilment of what was said in my setting apart.
I notice very often an unspeakable calm that sweeps over me when I´m working. It ensures me that this truly is the work of the Lord. I am grateful everyday that I´m out here.
I don´t know much about the holiday tomorrow. My area will be pretty calm tomorrow I think.
I´m not spelling or typing correctly. You can go in and fix everything. It´s getting pretty tough.
As for the message for the ward, you can tell them that things are going well and you can tell them about some experiences from the blog. You can also tell them that the mission is a really shaping experience that I´m becoming more humble and able to feel the Lord's will and love for me in my life more abundantly.
I love you all.
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