Secretary to Pres. Pinho

July 14, 20012

Here in chacara we are planning on having a baptism for August 4th!! His names Migeul and hes 32, he has a big desire and he already has the support of an amazing ward, because he went to Church!!!!!!!  we are helping him stop smoking. He was at 20 per day and now is working on the goal of 10! Hes really doing great!!!

So about the stuff in the packages, if its possible I'd really like some Zebra pens, I know its weird but they are really my favorite and also some things I have been craving, skittles and starbursts!! ha ha I really miss those :) 

Also something new, I got the news I'm being transfered :( :)(Mixed emotions ha ha). I'm leaving Chacara Santana and the Lord has called me to be secretary to President Pinho. I'll be moving there to the mission office on Tuesday and be living there for at least the next 6 months. I'm really nervous, but I do know that with the Lords guiding hand I will qualify for the position for which he has called me. Elder Cherry will be training me. Its kinda funny because I remember when Ii was at home and was emailing Him to know about the mission.

July 24, 2012

This week was awesome and I"m having a great time working here in the mission office! There´s a ton of stuff to remember and a lot of stuff that your responsible for, so it´s a little hecktic but I´m just hopping and praying that all get it with time. To answer your question about the prosilyting, yes, we do get to prosilyte. We work in the office Mon-Tues and Thurs-Fri after studying 10:30-5:00 and we get to work in the area from 5-9:00 and Saturday and Sunday all day. The only problem is that sometimes we don´t get to leave if we are really weighed down with work, but the amazing thing is that Elder Cherry and Elder Vasquez(the last secretary of the mission and secretary of finances) were still able to baptize! Elder J. Castro(The new sec. of finances) arrived in the area Tuesday and we have a baptism already planned for Saturday! I'm supper excited, the area here is really different. Its Really Really wealthy here. In our ward, its just full of high up leaders in the church. Pres. Pinho, Pres. são paulo south, Pres. Coasta( brazil area president) its really sweet! The problem is that because the areas is so rich its really hard to teach here, they are really "hard in thier hearts" like the scriptures always say and don't have any room for the message, but the Lord always provides a way and we are trying to think of ways that we can get references from the members so that we can enter some of the huge apartment buildings were all the wealthy live and BAPTISE!! But as for now we are mostly working in an area really far from the office that is a favella called João dias, there the people are more humble and willing to hear our message.

July 30 2012

So novidades(new stuff). Its now my second week in the mission office and its really going good! There´s a ton of stuff to learn and to remember, but I"ll get there I know it ha ha. One of the great things about being in the office as Secretary of the mission is that I´ve been figuring out that my English definitely will get back into shape. I'm having to call the association in Salt Lake at times so I'm practising and by next phone call at Christmas I should be great. Also with 4 Americans and only 2 Brazilians that are trying to learn English here in the office, we are talking a lot in English so that helps too.

I had an experience this week that now seems funny but at the time was just terrible. I ran out of toothpaste one morning and had forgotten to buy some that night before returning home from proselyting. I needed to brush my teeth that night before bed so I asked Elder Soares, the Brazilian AP, if I could use his. He said ya and that his toothpaste was in the second bathroom. I went to the bathroom and found what I thought was his toothpaste and went to brush my teeth. When I put my toothbrush in my mouth and started brushing I realized immediately that it most definetly wasn't toothpaste!! I spit everything out and washed my mouth out and then looked at the container that, lo and behold, read Creme de barba, in other words shaving cream!!! ha ha This week i learned that sometime things aren't as they seem and that you shouldn't judge things by how they are on the outside! :) ha ha

But all jocking aside I really had a good week! The Lord is really molding me through experiences here that are always in response to prayer. One thing that I am really learning lately is about positivity and the giant role that it plays in the live of a true follower of Christ. 

August 7, 2012

This week was super stressful. We got hammered with a bunch of stuff we had to get done fast and on top of that there´s always the elders that are calling with problems to be resolved. I know that Lord has placed me in this calling. I am always reminded of a passage from my patriartical blessing that says, about my serving a mission,"How you do this work will prepare you physically, mentally and spiritually for the rest of your days on the earth." I Know that these experiences that I am having, have the ability to change me into the person that the lord wants me to be, I just need to do my part and work hard while staying humble and leaning on the Lord!

As for proselyting its going good, its amazing to see how the Lord blesses us. Even with The restricted time that we have as secretaries, it is having no effect on maintaining a teaching group just as if we were normal missionaries.

Right now were are teaching a couple FAMILIES!!! I am so happy, my goal is to find, teach and baptize an elect family of the lord, so that they can eventually be sealed in the temple! I want that so badly!!

August 15, 2012

This week was tough. :) So, I only have two more weeks until training is finished for me here in the office. I'm kinda stressin out about this a bit because after training all the responsibility will be put on my shoulders.

  

About your questions ya, the secretary of the mission handles all the Administration for the mission. so everything from visas to calling parents because they aren't writing their missionary letters.ha ha. Right now we have 6 people in the office because Elder Cherry & Elder Vasquez are training Elder Castro and I, and then the assistants. but after the transfer on the 28th it will just be the 2 secretaries and the AP´s. To answer your other question as well its just the AP´s that travel with Pres. Pinho.

So the Family that I was telling you about is planning on going to the court house and getting married on the 18th, which is a huge step and I"m really excited about it! This week was amazing, I had a really neat experience with them. We taught a lesson about the Book of Mormon and we read 2 nephi 31 together. It was so beautiful to see the family all united together happy and reading the words of God. It's amazing the power the gospel has to unite families in happiness and love!