Week 86 - sickness, Mas o ide nao para!!! Castanhal

Hello!!

We had a good week. Wednesday I got sick during our study, but I took some medicine and we worked normally that morning. But once we got to lunch I wasnt so good so I took more stuff and we were told to stay home that afternoon. I thought I would escape this virus that everyone is getting, but I didnt! I just started feeling better this morning actually! But with the help of many members and medication we were able to work almost normally this week.

We had our zone conference on Thursday. We had to wake up at 5 am to make it there before 9. It was super good. It is always a great learning experience to hear the Presidente speak. We talked a lot about teaching repentence and how we can teach repentence by curing, as Christ did. Very interesting. Elder B. Silva goes home in 3 weeks so he gave his last testimony in front of everyone. He started talking about hsi mission and his companions. He started naming off his companions that helped him on his mission. Even though I was in the back waving my arms so he could see me...he didn't say my name. :(   When I give my last testimony I shouldn't have any problem with leaving out some of my companions since I've only had a few!

I went to Salinas this week with Elder Rodrigues. Ever since I got on the mission everyone talks about Salinas and how it is the most beautiful city in the world and what not. It really is one of the coolest places I have ever seen. The church is new there. Like 2 years so everyone is super open to hear about the gospel. We were able to teach a lot of people and see a lot of cool stuff. 

So now I will tell you about the miracle we had this week. So Friday night I was in Salinas and I called my companion to ask about our investigators. Long story short, a kid showed up at church and asked to be baptized. Apparently he came to seminary everyday last year and know everything about the gospel, but I have never seen him in my life! We told the bishop he wanted to be baptized but we hadnt taught him anything yet. The bishop said very calmly, "Elder, just baptize him." So the bishop did the interview, he is keeping all the commandments and know everything about the gospel and he was baptized on Saturday! WHATTTTT?! For sure the first time that someone has came up and asked to be baptized and is already keeping the commandments and knows about the gospel. MILAGRE!! His name is Felipe.

Another mriacle I got good shoes and I didn't even have to pay. So Wedsnesday we were walking and my feet were hurting and I remembered that a missionary said there were some big shoes in the zone leaders house in Belem that no one uses. So I got in touch with them and they brought the shoes to me on Thursday. I don't know who left them or why - but I know why I remembered about them. The Holy Spirit.

We are teaching an english teacher. Her name is Ivana and she wants me to go speak english for her students one day. She is super nice and interested. We are also visiting Rodrigo, a kid that has family in the church and already went a bunch of times but doesnt want to be baptized YET. 

That's exciting about will!! Maybe I will get to see him since he leaves the same day I get home and I get there so early. 

I sent another video to Grace this one is of me breaking a cocanut. So you can get her to send it to you.

Have a great week. Love Yall!

Elder Green 

Week 85 - Rainy Days and Wet Feet Castanhal

 How to handle holes in your shoes in Belem...

Clay and Elder Gaspar with Aureo

Zona Castanhal Meeting 3-17

Hello!!

This week it rained a lot! Seriously everyday this week it started at about 2 o clock and didnt stop! We didnt have umbrellas so we got really wet the first couple of days and you can imagine my feet! But on Friday we went in the rain and got to a persons house and they gave us 2 umbrellas. So at least Friday night and Saturday my head didnt get wet! I started putting plastic bags on my feet to help a little bit with the water! # NOSHAME. The bag doesnt even work very well because my shoes tear it almost instntly but it helps a little. I will get shoes here but the problem is there is no place here that sells shoes in my size. A member knows a guy that makes shoes for real cheap but he is traveling and only comes back in 12 days. I can make it two more weeks!

We had our monthly zone meeting this week. It was good! We set a lot of goals to help the zone do better this month. I planned what I thought would be a cool way to help the missionaries learn better the teaching tecnics in Preach my Gospel. I invited 8 returned missionaries to help me. There are 8 duplas in the zone so it would each returned missionary would be an investigator and every dupla would be able to practice teaching and recieve good feedback. I thought it was a good idea and I confirmed with all 8 1 day before, but only 3 showed up! For reasons unknown the others werent able to come. So that kind of put me in a tight spot but we made it work! It was also the birthday of 3 people in the zone so we made cake and sang to them and what not. It was good.

We had our activity on Thursday that we call Quinta Play. The missionaries organize it and everything. We ran a rope through the whole chapel and even outside. There were 4 places that the rope split into 2, at these points we would ask each person a question, ex: YOu got free tickets to a soccer game, will you go to the game or to a priesthood meeting? We asked 4 questions similar to this and if they chose wrong they would continute on one cord that led to nothing, and if they chose right they would continue on the cord that lead to the sacrament room which was the celestial kingdom. It was super good! Everyone liked it!

This week is zone conference with the presidente!

Love yall!

Elder Green

Birthdays celebrated at Zone Conference 3-17

Week 84 - Castanhal

 Mission Leadership Lunch 3-17 Clay, Elder Black, Elder Christensen, Elder Baldauf, Elder Bushman

 Mission Leadership Meeting March 2017

Elder Brito, Elder Baldauf, Clay, Elder Black

 Sharing pizza with one of his favorite families in Castanhal.

P-Day Ping Pong

Hello!!

This week was great!! The first week of a new transfer and we started off good!! There are 2 new missionaries in the zone. 2 elders. They are super excited to work. 

Remember that lady who is pregnant and sick and we gave her a blessing? Her name is Ausione. We went there a few times this week and taught her the Restoration and the Plan of Salvation. She was very interested in the Plan of Salvation and had lots of good questions. She goes to another church and showed up some videos from her church about the Plan. It was like a horror film! It showed the end of the world and people literally burning and suffering. My companion was a little scared afterward but we taught her and assured her that it will NOT be like that video showed. She didnt go to church on Sunday but it still very interested.

Satan worked against us this week. We recieved a refferal last Sunday of a kid who really wants to be baptized this month. His grandmother is a member. We went this week and couldnt talk to him because he traveled. Victor, another investigator who already went to church was suppose to meet with us at a members house on Saturday, but he got super sick and could come. He lives in another city that is super far but still is part of our area so there wasnt any way for us to go to his house. We were unable to talk with them this week but they are still possabilities for baptism this month. 

Aureo is still super excited, we talked to him a few times this week and watched some church videos. He loves to watch videos of the church so we showed him how to watch them on his phone. We also visited Beny a few times this week and she made food for us;). 

We went to Belém on Thursday for a meeting with the president. It was super good! The president talked a lot about free agency and blew our minds with a few different ideas. Elder Costa (president of the Brasil area) will visit our mission in May!! I just really hope that I am not transfered to a far away place that he wont visit!! 

I have been using my shoes for 1 year and there is literally a hole in the bottom of them! And of course it rained a lot this week so I walked all week with wet feet and shoes. It was funny because every time we entered into someones house to teach, I would ask to take my shoes and socks off and let them dry while we teach!

Have a great week! Love yall!!

Elder Green

Pizza Close Up