Week 28 - Weekly Update

Dear Family and Friends:

Well, I just want to start the weekly letter off by saying - just kidding. I'm really not going for the Broncos (in the Superbowl) ha ha. I'm definitely going for the Hawks. But if the Broncos do win, I say props to Payt - and if the Seahawks win, then it's their first Super Bowl ever and props to second year Wilson.

And now on a more serious note . . . This week has been an amazing and really spiritual week. I had two divisions with two super cool elders this week - one of the Zone Leaders, Elder Foleine and the other was the other District Leader, Elder Taylor. They are super amazing kids and we really got the work done. I've been going on a lot of divisions with the leaders because next transfer I'm for sure going to be training. President Tanner and I already talked about it and he was also talking to me about being a District Leader. He said that he wants kids like me to be leaders because I guess that this mission is really going down hill right now. Like kids coming on missions just to come and do stuff and then they are getting sent home. It's not good. So I'm definitely going to be Senior Companion and training next transfer - and maybe get put in as District Leader. I guess we will see what happens in a couple of weeks. (Next transfers should be on the 12th of February.)

So we had an AMAZING Sunday yesterday. So a couple named Expedito and Raimunda are non-members. All of their kids have been members for over 20 years now, and all of them have served missions and everything. They have had the missionaries live under their house for years and they have been taught the gospel for like 20 years, and nothing has happened. But two months ago, when I went to the temple, this guy started talking to me and he gave me the address to his parents house. I was like, alright, we will go and see them. Like at this time two months ago, I didn't speak Portuguese very good, but I remember that the guy at the temple understood me - and I understood him enough to talk to him and tell him what area I was in and I was able to understand enough so he could tell me his parents address.

So, we went there two months ago. We have just been pushing them and inviting them to be baptized and just going over and over and over the gospel principles again and again. And guess what happened Sunday? These wonderful parents were baptized and their family is now complete. And a year from now, they will have the chance to go into the most amazing place on earth and be sealed to their family for time and all eternity!

After they were baptized, they bore their testimonies. Elder Despain and I bore our testimonies first and then they did. They pointed at us with tears in their eyes and they said that we have been taught for years and years and years. But when these two American Elders walked into our house everyday for months, just carrying the spirit with them so strong, and seeing the faith in their eyes, we just knew that we would be baptized. They said the Elders may not know this language perfectly, but we know for a fact that these things are true just from the spirit that we were feeling. Then the Bispo (Bishop) got up and bore his testimony too. He was just saying how thankful he is for missionaries like us. He said he has never had missionaries that he feels the spirit so strongly with in all of his 6 years as being Bispo.

Holy cow - yesterday had to be the most spiritual day of my life. President and Sister Tanner and President's sister and brother-in-law came to the baptism too because President has known this family almost his whole three years of being here. He asked us how we did it. He told us that this was 100% a miracle and that me and Elder Despain had to have been chosen in the life before this one to do this amazing thing that we did. Holy cow!

I just want to say how grateful I am for this wonderful gospel and the happiness that it brings to people's lives. I am so happy to be able to hold the Priesthood and to be able to do these life changing ordinances. Without this one and only true power from God, none of these things would even be possible. I am so grateful to have this gospel in my life and I'm so grateful for changing my life around and coming on a mission. This is that best thing that I have ever done in my whole entire life and I'm so grateful for the opportunity I have to be a representative of our one and only Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Cristo (Christ), and all that He did for us. Obviously we all know that none of us are perfect, but through the great Atonement of Jesus Cristo, we know that we can use and apply repentance in our lives and we can be together forever in the end. I'm so grateful for the spirit that I get the chance to feel everyday. It is so amazing and I really hope that you guys feel it too. I pray for all of y'all individually and hope and pray that all of you are doing good!

But other than these amazing miracles that have been happening, I uploaded some pictures. In a couple of them, there is like a broken mirror and a chunk of ceiling that fell down. Ha ha. Like I think that we had an earthquake or something because we got home and all of this stuff happened. It's crazy the things that happen here is Brasil. But, I straight up love it and wouldn't trade it for the world. I added some pics of our beds. We are now sleeping in the tiny entrance to our house. Thank heavens that I love my companion because our beds are pretty much touching each other. Ha ha. Like, I'm really going to miss Elder Despain when I leave this next transfer. He is like one of the kids that I know for sure I will be seeing after the mission. He is such a smooth kid. I just love the dude. Ha ha. Oh yea, and we like getting our workout on so we bought a ton of eggs so we can get our protein on after the workout. Ha ha. (By the way, eggs here are so cheap - it's like $1.80 for 30 eggs, like 4 reais.) So we buy them like they are going out of style. We probably eat like 60 a week. It's awesome. Ha ha.

But anyways, other than that I just got some pics of the baptism and random stuff. And mom, when I get home I'll have to fix the blog a little or maybe just comment because some of the pics you said are like investigators are like members and stuff (I am always just guessing!). Ha ha. I love y'all and I hope that you have an amazing week. Y'all are in my prayers and I hope y'all have a wonderful, spiritual week.

 

Tchau,

Elder Blake