11-1-10 Wonderful Spiritual Experiences

11-1-10

NOBODY CELEBRATED HALLOWEEN HERE, EXCEPT ELDER WELLS AND I. WE MADE CUZCUZ (BASICALLY LIKE CORN MEAL MUSH) AND ADDED REESES PIECES MNMS TO IT AND THIS PEANUT CANDY. IT WAS GOOD, AND WE HAD IT WITH OUR NEW HOMEMADE AÇAÍ SMOOTHIE RECIPE, WHICH IS AMAZING! WE JUST WATCHED THAT GUY AT THE SMOOTHIE STAND MAKE OUR SMOOTHIES AND BOUGHT ALL THE SAME INGREDIENTS HE USES AND NOW WE HAVE SMOOTHIES LIKE TWICE A DAY!

THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW GOOD THINGS HAPPEN WITH THE WARD. WE HAD A FAMILY NIGHT WITH A FAM IN THE WARD AND ANOTHER FAMILY WHO THEY ARE FRIENDS WITH. AND ALSO WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE A FEW DIFFERENT PEOPLE WITH US DURING THE WEEK TO TEACH LESSONS.

IT"S A VERY FINE BALANCE BETWEEN WORKING HARD TO PEAK WELL AND WORKING TOO HARD. THAT'S REALLY FRUSTRATING, BECAUSE SOMETIMES YOU JUST WISH THAT THE HARDER YOU WORK, THE FASTER YOU'LL BE, BUT YOU ALSO HAVE TO WORK VERY SMART FOR THAT TO BE TRUE.

SO YESTERDAY WAS AN AWESOME DAY. ONE OF THE DAYS THAT WILL ALWAYS MARK MY MISSION. I'LL JUST COPY MY JOURNAL ENTRY FROM YESTERDAY:

"TODAY WAS A DAY I'LL NEVER FORGET! I AM STOKED RIGHT NOW. ADELÁN FINALLY, AFTER LIKE 8 WEEKS OF BEING TAUGHT, HAS AN ANSWER TO HIS PRAYER AND WANTS TO BE BAPTIZED!  WE WENT TO A REALLY GOOD MEETING TODAY FOR ALL THE PEOPLE IN THE WARD LIKE 16-30 YEARS OLD. THERE WERE SOME OLD PEOPLE TOO. BUT HE DESCRIBED HOW HE FELT, AND IT WAS REALLY A FEELING I KNOW. HE SAID HE REALLY JUST FELT SUPER HAPPY THERE, LAUGHING AT EVERYTHING JUST BECAUSE OF THE JOY HE FELT. (I ALREADY MENTIONED THAT HE RECEIVED A STRONG ANSWER TO PRAYER WEEKS AGO RIGHT?) I FELT THAT SAME WAY IN THE MEETING (WE HAD JUST COME FROM THE LESSON THAT I WILL WRITE ABOUT WITH TEREZA AND CASSIA.) HE TALKED ABOUT SERVING A MISSION AND HOW IT WILL BE A BIG DECISION IN HIS LIFE. AND HE SAID HE WANTS HIS WHOLE LIFE TO BE A MISSION JUST HELPING PEOPLE FOREVER. HE IS REALLY SMART, AND I AM VERY CONFIDENT HE'LL REMAIN STRONG IN THE CHURCH. HE ALSO SAID THAT DURING THE MEETING HE KEPT HAVING THIS IMAGE OF ELDER WELLS BAPTIZING HIM, SO WHEN WE TALKED TO HIM AFTER, WE WERE ALL STOKED AND EACH SAID A PRAYER TO THANK GOD, AND HE WILL BE BAPTIZED A WEEK FROM THURSDAY. SWEET.

      SIDENOTE- AT THAT MEETING, AN OLDER WARD MEMBER WHO WE ATE WITH A FEW DAYS AGO WAS THERE.  HE’S BEEN  A MEMBER FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS NOW, AND HE TOLD US ABOUT HOW LONG AGO HE DROVE AROUND DRUG TRAFFICKERS, WAS THE DRIVER IN SEVERAL DRIVE BY SHOOTINGS, AND HOW HE "HAS BROKEN MANY FACES". THEN HE TOLD US HIS CONVERSION STORY AND HOW HE IS INFINITELY HAPPIER NOW THAN EVER BEFORE, BECAUSE THIS IS ETERNAL. IT WAS PRETTY POWERFUL.

     CÁSSIA COMMITTED TO BE BAPTIZED TODAY IN A VERY POWERFUL LESSON, AND WE TALKED WITH HER AND TEREZA ABOUT ALL THE MIRACLES THAT THE GOSPEL (FULNESS OF, THAT IS. THEY HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN STRONG CATHOLICS) HAS BROUGHT THEM. I THINK I ALREADY WROTE ABOUT HOW CÁSSIA WS PRAYING FOR DAYS BEFORE WE ARRIVED FOR GUIDANCE IN HER SON, JOÃO PEDRO’S LIFE, AND THEN HE FOUND US. AND TODAY HE WAS ANGRY BECAUSE NO ONE WOKE HIM UP TO GO TO CHURCH! I ALREADY WROTE ABOUT THE FACT THAT BOTH TEREZA AND HER HUSBAND MAURO ARE IN BETTER HEALTH THAN EITHER OF THEM HAS BEEN IN YEARS SINCE WE STARTED COMING. NOW CÁSSIA’S 15 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER, MARIA KLARA  AND HER NIECE, MARIA LUIZA BOTH ARE LISTENING AND LOVING OUR MESSAGES. BOTH OF THEM INDIVIDUALLY READ AND PRAYED AND HAD VERY POWERFUL EXPERIENCES. BOTH OF THEM TALKED ABOUT A STRONG FEELING OF PEACE AND JOY AS THEY PRAYED.  THEN THE NEXT DAY WE WATCHED A 7 MINUTE FILM WITH THEM THAT WAS MADE BY THE SAN JOSE CA MISSION CALLED "BY SMALL AND SIMPLE THINGS". IT WAS REALLY REALLY POWERFUL AND EVERYONE FELT THE SPIRIT DURING IT. CÁSSIA WAS SO HAPPY BECAUSE SHE SAID SHE HADN'T REALLY FELT ANYTHING SPECIAL WHILE PRAYING BUT DID DURING THE MOVIE. ONLY TEREZA AND CÁSSIA WENT TO CHURCH, BUT THEY WERE BOTH VERY WELL RECEIVED BY THE WARD AND LOVED IT. I'M STOKED TO SEE WHAT IS TO COME WITH THIS FAMILY."

ANYWAYS PRAY FOR CÁSSIA BECAUSE SHE WILL HAVE TO QUIT SMOKING. AND TEREZA SAID THAT SHE WANTS TO FEEL SOMETHING STRONGER BEFORE BAPTISM. SHE WILL, IF SHE TRULY WANTS, BE READY WITHIN 2 WEEKS.

WE ARE ALSO TEACHING A PART MEMBER FAMILY, AND THE 17 YEAR OLD GUY AND MOM USED TO SMOKE. BUT THEY SET A GOAL TO STOP, JUST UP AND STOP, DURING ONE OF OUR LESSONS AND NOW IT MAKES 5 DAYS WITHOUT SMOKE! WE HAD MARKED ANDERSON'S BAPTISM FOR THE 13TH BUT THAT WILL CHANGE BECAUSE STUFF HAPPENED SUNDAY MORNING THAT KEPT THEM FROM CHURCH.

AND THE BISHOP’S NIECES WERE DROPPED. THEY HAVE A REALLY BAD FAMILY SITUATION AND I FEEL BAD FOR THEM, BUT THEY "DON'T WANNA BE BAPTIZED". I BELIEVE THAT WAS MORE OF THE WORDS OF OTHERS (WE GOT CALLED LIARS, AMERICAN JERKS, AND STONED BY ALL THEIR NEIGHBOR KIDS, I JUST GOT HIT BY ONE LITTLE ROCK IN THE CALF, BUT AT LEAST I CAN SAY I GOT STONED  :)   )

LOVE YOU TOO. BYE!