This week we went to the great super calm city of Vespasiano. Its about an hour away from the Capital and its one of the most quiet calm cities Ive yet been to. I really liked it. Lunch the first day we were there was with a neat member who served many missions, including being a mission President. He shared cool stories while we ate, and then showed us his ladder factory. Yes. Ladder factory, he owns a ladder factory. Not every day do you get to see a ladder factory!
The sisters there are super awesome, I went with Sister Gimeniz from Paraguay and Sister Paradiso from Argentina. Then Saturday we went out with Jesus(from Peru). There has been lots of spanish in my life recently. Members, missionaries, converts, investigators. Anyways I have decided to learn what I can of spanish in my last three months, use the gift of tongues while I can right? Jesus is helping me and I am reading the Book of Mormon in spanish! Fun times. All I need now are some tacos, I made guacamole last pday, even though everybody here was repulsed that I put salt on an avacado.. Spanish is super similar to portuguese, with a few funny exceptions.
Friday we had leadership council, which was incredible. President had come straight from the mission president seminar in Sao Paulo the day before so he was full of news and revelation. Our meeting was 6 hours long, but I could sit in gospel meetings all day long! He always talks about the power of a leader and the power of an example and how when things dont go right, we should never look to others for blame. He quoted President Bednar and said that we were not called because we baptized lots, or because we taught many lessons or because we had lots of success in our time as a missionary, just as President Fortunato wasnt called to be mission president because he was already a bishop or a successful business owner or the first EFY director. We are not called because of the things we have done but we are called to be leaders because of the potencial we have to make a difference. We have been studying a lot about failures and successes, and enduring to the end. It matters much less what you have already done(or not done) and much more about where you are willing to go.
We also talked a lot about really preparing people for baptism and using lesson 5 to help people progress in the gospel before baptism, since the First Presidency changed the protocall on teaching this lesson before baptism instead of after. Lesson 5 mentions eternal marriage, missionary work, the priesthood, service, enduring to the end, temples, family history work. All of the really neat things that really set our church apart from the others. We applied this teaching our investigators about temples and eternal marriage and the spirit was really strong. Temples really are powerful places! One day, very soon, we will have a temple here in Minas Gerais!
Michel, the epic young man I mentioned last week took the initiative on our missionary work activity, and Sunday brought three friends to church, including one girl that he met Saturday. This kid is making better street contacts than we are! The future of the church is in good hands, that is for sure.
Well, my week went by faster than I can really believe, and this week we have a wedding!
Until more,
Sister Holmes
The sisters there are super awesome, I went with Sister Gimeniz from Paraguay and Sister Paradiso from Argentina. Then Saturday we went out with Jesus(from Peru). There has been lots of spanish in my life recently. Members, missionaries, converts, investigators. Anyways I have decided to learn what I can of spanish in my last three months, use the gift of tongues while I can right? Jesus is helping me and I am reading the Book of Mormon in spanish! Fun times. All I need now are some tacos, I made guacamole last pday, even though everybody here was repulsed that I put salt on an avacado.. Spanish is super similar to portuguese, with a few funny exceptions.
Friday we had leadership council, which was incredible. President had come straight from the mission president seminar in Sao Paulo the day before so he was full of news and revelation. Our meeting was 6 hours long, but I could sit in gospel meetings all day long! He always talks about the power of a leader and the power of an example and how when things dont go right, we should never look to others for blame. He quoted President Bednar and said that we were not called because we baptized lots, or because we taught many lessons or because we had lots of success in our time as a missionary, just as President Fortunato wasnt called to be mission president because he was already a bishop or a successful business owner or the first EFY director. We are not called because of the things we have done but we are called to be leaders because of the potencial we have to make a difference. We have been studying a lot about failures and successes, and enduring to the end. It matters much less what you have already done(or not done) and much more about where you are willing to go.
We also talked a lot about really preparing people for baptism and using lesson 5 to help people progress in the gospel before baptism, since the First Presidency changed the protocall on teaching this lesson before baptism instead of after. Lesson 5 mentions eternal marriage, missionary work, the priesthood, service, enduring to the end, temples, family history work. All of the really neat things that really set our church apart from the others. We applied this teaching our investigators about temples and eternal marriage and the spirit was really strong. Temples really are powerful places! One day, very soon, we will have a temple here in Minas Gerais!
Michel, the epic young man I mentioned last week took the initiative on our missionary work activity, and Sunday brought three friends to church, including one girl that he met Saturday. This kid is making better street contacts than we are! The future of the church is in good hands, that is for sure.
Well, my week went by faster than I can really believe, and this week we have a wedding!
Until more,
Sister Holmes