Elder Clay Green

Elder Clay Green

Monday, February 29, 2016

Week 30 - Transfers mean changes in Cabanagem!


                               Clay and his new companion Elder Jonas Steindorf! 




Clay with Elder B. Silva and some young men from their ward at Stake Conference



I don't have time to email today but I will email tomorrow. Today is transfers and we were very busy. My companion got transferred and I will train. Talk to ya tomorrow. 

Tuesday - 

This week was good. I don't have much time to write so I'll make this quick.

We had Stake Conference Sunday and it was good. There was a general authority there and it was a really good meeting. We had 1 investigator there and he liked it a lot. 

Transfers were this week. My companion Elder B. Silva got transferred and I will stay in Cabanagem with my son. I am very excited to train a new missionary for the first time. 

We left early Monday morning and Elder B. Silva went to Cidade Nova and I went with Elder M. Cruz. It was his last day in the mission so he wanted to go around and visit some members and what not. So I stayed with him until it was time to go to the mission office. The president talked to us a little bit and then I stayed here in Belem last night since my new companion isn't here yet. I didn't have any time to email yesterday so that is why I am emailing now.

My companion arrives today and I will go get him at 4 o clock. Afterward we will go back to Cabanagem. 

I got my Valentine package that has been waiting at the office. All the stuff is great. Thanks!

Well that's about it for this week - sorry this is so short. I will send pictures next week when I have more time.

I am very grateful and SUPER excited to train. Love yall and thanks for everything!

Elder Green








Monday, February 22, 2016

Week 29 - 1st Baptismo em Cabanagem!!






Suave,

Well this week was basically good but it had its ups and downs. We did have a baptism though! 

Our group of people we are teaching got a lot smaller. We cut 3 people in 1 day this week. Some people refuse to give up coffee and go to church, others flat out said they have no desire to be baptized in any church. But we are teaching 1 kid who is promising. He has 17 years and is really good. A friend gave him a Book of Mormon a while back and he already read the whole thing. He reads all the pamphlets and always has really good questions. But he was born into a different church and he doesn't want to leave his church. But he is praying and searching for an answer. We are working with him alot.

So we had a wedding Friday night. it was really nice but we didn't even get to stay the whole time. We got permission to stay at the church until 10 pm but the wedding didn't even start until 9:30... We got to see the ceremony and we took a picture real quick afterward and then booked it home. Here in Brazil you get 3 days off work when you get married. So the groom got Friday, Saturday and Sunday off. Wedding, Baptism, Confirmation. So it worked out perfectly. The baptism was really nice. He went out on Saturday and bought a white shirt, and a tie. So he already looked like a member! He was baptized and confirmed. His wife is reactivated and they have a 5 year old girl. We have a new family in the church. And they are really good. I was upset because so many of the baptisms we planned for this month fell through, but the one we had was a great one!

This is the last week of this transfer and we don't really know what will happen, but I expect I will stay.

I have been studying the Bible a lot and one of the stories I really like happened the Tuesday before Jesus died, He was in the temple for the last time and He was looking at the treasury where people come and put money in the different boxes for different reasons. Some men came and put in tons of gold and silver so people could see that they were rich and think they were spiritual. But one poor widow came and quietly put in 2 bronze coins, worth about half a cent in American money. Jesus saw this and called the disciples over and said that she had given the most because she gave all she had. We can learn a lot from this. We don't enter the kingdom of God because of the quantity we give, but the quality. Surely everything we have was given to us from God, so it is necessary that we always be willing to give everything to Him if He asks. Even our lives. When Jesus called the apostles to follow Him, they left their families and jobs and everything they had. We must be willing to do the same if necessary. The things we have on this earth are temporary, but the blessings of God are eternal. We have lots of responiabilities here on the earth, but our responsibilities to the Lord should always come first, the things that truly have eternal worth. We should always be willing to give "all we have" to the Lord. 2 Corinthians 8:12.

Love yall!

Elder Green









Monday, February 15, 2016

Week 28 - End of Carnival in Cabanagem!!



Hello!

So this week was good. The Carnival passed last weekend and it was pretty nuts Tuesday. We were walking home that night and there was thousands of people in the street and the music was so loud my whole body was shaking. But as we were walking home it started raining and everyone in the street went to the sides to find shelter and left a big ole path for us to walk through. Blessing. But it was definitely a cool experience!

Wednesday we had a district meeting so that was fun. I always enjoy the meetings because we have really good trainings and what not. But seriously it rains here everyday. Everyday. I can't complain because I would rather be soaking wet all day than walking in the burning sun. But it gets a little annoying. It seems like it always rains the hardest when I forget to bring an umbrella...

We were planning a baptism for this week. We are teaching a little old woman.  Our district leader came to our area to interview her and she wanted to be baptized, but she drank coffee that morning so we had to postpone until this coming up Saturday. But then she didn't come to church on Sunday so I don't know if we will baptize her or not. 

But we do have one baptism very firm for this Saturday - the boyfriend of the member less active I've been telling you about. He is super good. Accepts all the commandents and is very excited for his baptism. They will marry on Friday and we will baptize him on Saturday. We were running around this week trying to help them get all the papers for marriage filled out and sent. So that was stressful! 

We are also teaching the guy we found in the area book from 4 years ago. I did a pre interview with him and he doesn't have any problems with the commandments and has a very strong desire to be baptized. He just isn't sure this is the right time. So he isn't very firm for this Saturday but we are working with him and our district leader will come talk to him this week. If he doesn't get baptized now he will some day.

Yesterday we went and ate lunch at the engaged couple's house because they did a big ole barbecue with lots of steak and rice and what not. Probably one of the best meals I have had on my mission. Everyone here eats farinha. I dont know how to explain it but it only exists in Brazil I think... But I absolutely love it! I literally can't eat without farinha. And the farinha they had at lunch yesterday was mixed with bacon and french fries. I literally ate a bowl of just farinha. I was in heaven. And last night we went to another investigators house and ate dinner. She gave us vatapá and tacacá. I really can't explain those 2 but you can look it up. I have already eaten both of them in Óbidos and I wasn't a huge fan, but I think it is just something you have to get used to. It was my companion's first time eating tacacá. Oh I wish I had a camera when he ate it. I thought he was going to cry. There is something in it that is very hot and you lose all the feeling in your tongue, He did not like it. It was pretty funny.

I will send pictures later at the church. I don't know if they have valentines day here. I don't think so. Elder Lourenço said he saw a package for me in the office but I haven't recieved it yet. I took some of my Christmas money out of my bank account this week. I used it for a good cause! And don't worry about sending me any khaki pants. I'm good with what I have. And size 13 for the shoes you're sending me.
So Taylor is going to California on her mission? And that means Bessemer Ward will have 7 missionaries serving? That is so good!

Yes mom go ahead and accept all those FB friend requests. A lot of members from the ward here said they sent me one. 

Well that's about it for this week. I love my mission! I am learning so much everyday. I still have a lot to learn and just wish I had more time in the day to study! 

Scripture for the week Mosiah 2:41

41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.

Love yall! 
Elder Green

Monday, February 8, 2016

Week 27 - Carnival in Cabanagem!!!!


This week was good, but I didn't do a very good job at writing in my journal this week so I am trying to remember anything exciting that happened.

We have a pretty good group of people we are teaching. We are still teaching the guy who is living with a member less active. The woman really wants him to be baptized so they can come to church together. So we have been teaching him. He accepts all the messages and his girlfriend makes sure he reads all the pamphlets and what not, so he is progressing great. Their wedding is set for the 19th and his baptism for the 20th. 

And the last week of the month is stake conference with Elder Mazargardi so I am excited about that. 

We are also still teaching the guy from the area book from 4 years ago. He is really busy with school right now. He told us on Saturday that he has gone to church tons of times and prayed tons of times and that he has no doubts that the church is true. He wants to be baptized but after the baptism he wants to be all in. Church every Sunday and have a calling and everything, but he said he just  doesn't have the time to commit to all that right now. But we shared some scriptures with him and did our thing and he accepted to be baptized on the 20th. He said he will think and pray about it. But he is really good.

We had a zone meeting this week and a few things changed in the mission. Some rules were removed and some were added, but all the changes were really good. Our mission is more centered on the teachings in Preach My Gospel now. I think we will start having a lot more success as a mission. One rule that changed is that we can now receive letters directly to the house we are living in and not through the mission office. But I dont even know our address so I will continue to recieve stuff through the office until I can find out. We can also wear different color pants. Used to be we could only wear dark pants but the rule changed so I have been rockin my white temple pants this past week looking like milk walking down the street. :)

We brought one little old lady to church this week and she loved it. She is reading all the information we've given her and praying. We will have her ready for baptism soon. And the really cool part is, there is this 'eternal investigator' that has been coming to church for years but will never agree to be baptized and apparently she knows the little lady we brought to church. She was so excited and said if her friend gets baptized she will be baptized too. So that is a miracle! 

We are in the midst of the Carnaval - lots of people on the street and most of them drunk. We haven't seen anything too crazy yet, but I hear that Tuesday is the worst because everyone is off work and acting crazy. We have permission to be in our house at 5 o clock if things get too bad but I hope we don't have to go home early. It  sounds like the perfect time to work when everyone is on the street. So I am excited about tomorrow!

And about new shoes - yes please send some if the shipping won't be too much I never have time to look for any here. But make sure they aren't too ugly! And also since khacki pants are allowed now if you could send 1 or 2 pair. Thanks! And peanut butter - my companion wants some too. Haha lots of peoplçe here want peanut butter so you can send a bunch of that!

Well that's about all for this week. Hope yall had a good week. Love yall!

Elder Green

Monday, February 1, 2016

Week 26 - Good Week in Cabanagem!

Clay with his new companion Elder B. Silva and the Stasevskas's granddaughter.

View from their apartment in Cabanagem.




Elder B. Silva at the desk while Clay sits on the balcony!






Hello!

This week was pretty good. We taught lots of lessons and did a couple of splits with some young men in the ward so we had lots of lessons with a member! But unfortunately, our baptism fell through. Satan really was working with our people this week. We have taught this lady for 2 weeks. She has been coming to church and knows everything she needs to be baptized. We did a pre baptismal interview with her Thursday and she knew everything. But afterward she said she needs to know more and she isn't   prepared and what not. We were there for almost 2 hours showing her scriptures, but she wouldn't change her mind. She said she will come to church and keep learning. Hopefully she will feel ready soon.

But last week we did a family night at the bishops house. The bishops wife gave us 5 youth to teach. They are all friends of her kids and are recieving our messages really well. We have been teaching them throughout the week and almost all of them came to church on Sunday. So that is good. 

In my first area it never rained, literally almost never. Now it rains all the time. Thursday it rained really hard all day. The roads were literally a lake. But we had people to teach so we had to suck it up. Our shoes and pants up to our knees were soaked all day long. It wasn't very fun. But there is a saying here that missionaries that work while it is raining will have beautiful wives. So we were walking in this downpour all day with a smile on our faces knowing that we will have beautiful wives. Ha ha.

We had a district meeting this week and met as a zone on the same day. It was good. We had a good training and set some goals and what not.

We are teaching this guy who is living with a member less active but she wants to come back to church. They  hope to marry soon and then we will baptize him later this month. We also have one other family we are working with. They are older but they are really good and know everyhting about the gospel. Their story is really good but really long and I ain't got time fo dat so just know they are good. 

I am loving my area and the people I am working with. In the training we had with all the missionaries in the world they talked about our main purpose as missionaries - to baptize and declare repentance. It is such a privilege to only have one thing to think about every day. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am learning so much about the gospel and I am seeing it change the lives of the people here. As members of the church we have a big responsibility to help others feel the love of the Savior in their lives as well. D&C 19: 16-19. His atonement is sufficient for all. We have to serve the Lord everyday throughout our whole lives. That is our number 1 purpose. D&C 107:99-100.

Well I'm out of time!!

Love yall!
Elder Green

Ode to Obidos in Pictures

A Note from Betsy - These are some pictures Clay sent today from his time in Obidos. They include Christmas, New Years and his goodbyes. I'll try to group them appropriately!!





Sad Goodbyes











New Year's Day Party




Pictures from some baptisms and one NON-baptism








Enjoying the Christmas party





Completed Party Decorations and the pageant performers






Preparations for the Obidos Ward Christmas Party





Pictures of the Santarem Zone watching a movie at the Mission Christmas Party


Training in Santarem