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

Week 83 - Baptisms in Castanhal!

 Clay and Pres Stasevskas

Woo!

We had a good week. Holiday, sickness, exchanges, and Baptism.

So the Carnaval is a 4 day holiday but Tuesday is the day that no one works and it gets really crazy. We were advised by the members to not go in the roads because it is dangerous but the mission didnt say anything so we were planning on working normal, but maybe it wasnt meant for us to work because I woke up really sick on Tuesday. I had a messed up stomach and a real bad headache. Our lunch appointment fell through so we ate with the sisters and I almost died walking in the sun so we stayed at home. But with lots of prayer and medicine I woke up 100% on Wednesday. 

Wednesday we we did an exchange with the elders in Salinas. Their area is about 4 hours away. One of the district leaders is there so he came to do an interview for an investigator. THey have also been without a cellphone for weeks because the SIM card broke and we couldnt get the new to them because it is so far and the bus is expensive. But when they got here on Wednesday the new card also doesnt work so they are still without a cellphone. Elder Rodrigues stayed with me here. We had a ward activity that night that was organized by us. It was about family history and was super good!

On Thursday we got up early and went to Salinas to switch back companions. I passed 4 hours on a bus and another 4 on a little van full of people. It was quite the experience.  

Silvia and Beny were baptized this Saturday. Satan tried everything to keep them from being baptized but it all worked out! The sister also had 3 people that were baptized so we did one big meeting for everyone! Beny was super nervous! We went there a few days before and she was so scared! She wanted to be baptized but was just scared. After the baptism she cried a LOT. I have never seen that women so happy! 

Transfer was yesterday. I will stay in Castanhal with my companion. Not many things changed in the zone. 2 sisters from the other ward were transfered and 3 elders from far away areas. 

We are super excited! Have a good Week.

Love yall!

Elder Green

Week 82 - Aureo's Baptism in Castanhal!

Aureo's Baptism

Hello!!!

So we saw many blessings this week! So like I said last week, we had lots of problems, but last Monday, after I sent that email, our energy came back on. When our energy came on, our washing machine was working normally! We dont know what happened it just started working! SO that was 1 miracle. Next, our water started working normally! No more hauling buckets or water up the stairs!! Tuesday we went to Belém and got our new cellphone! And it isnt just any cellphone. it is a Nokia. The nicest cellphone in the mission!! Thats why you always have to be friends with the people in the office :). We also spent all day cleaning our house to a point that is Jesus were to walk in our house we wouldnt feel ashamed. So we resolved all of our problems and to top it off, we had a baptism this week!

We worked a lot with Aureo. He received an answer from God and was super ready to be baptized. It was a very special baptism meeting. It was just us, the 4 sisters and one of the bishops counselors. All of the leaders and youth went to youth conference that day so no one came to the meeting, but it was still good.

Beny and Cylvia have a baptism date marked for this Saturday. It was suppose to be last week but we are in the middle of the Carnaval so everyone is traveling or super busy. We are also working with that man that came to church all by himself last week. Hélington. He has accepted baptism as well and we will work a lot with him this week.

So there is a member of the sisters ward who was a less active but was working his way back to the church. We ate dinner at his sons house one time and he gave us a ride home. Well the sisters were teaching him one night this week, and as soon as they left his house, 2 kids, one was 15 years old and the other 17, went into the mans house and shot him 3 times in the head and left. It was a big shock for everyone in the 2 wards and we spent a lot of time at his funeral. We were asked to sing a lot and I was asked to leave a message in front of everyone with no preparation! I just read Alma 40:11-12 and then we sang some more. It made me reflect a lot about my life and what I need to do better. It was a sad but spiritual experience. 

We were stopped in the middle of the road this week and asked to go by some ladys house and give her a blessing because she is pregnant and sick. So we got the address and went. She lives alone and was waiting for us when we got there. She isnt a member but one of her relatives who is super inactive told her she needs to find the Elders and ask for a blessing, so she did. We went there and gave her a blessing and she started crying a lot. No one there is a member but we all felt the spirit. We invited them to church and left. Sunday rolls around and all of them, showed up to church by themselves, even the inactive guy. The pregnant lady said she already feels much better and felt a strong desire to come to church.

If is going from rain season to sun season so everyone is sick and has a cold. Literally EVERYONE! 

Love yall!!

Elder Green 

 Happy about having a new cell phone

 Sore foot from old shoes.

Week 81 - Week of Difficulties and Happiness!

Clay and Elder Alves

 Clay with Aureo - a Brazilian Bama Fan!

 Clay and Elder Romero

 Clay and Elder Gaspar with Aureo

A group of American Missionaries serving in Brazil Belem Mission

Hello!!!

So this week was interesting. Full of dificulties and happiness. Let me start with the dificulties.

So 2 weeks ago, our washing machine broke and we werent able to get anyone to fix it right away. So we have been using semi clean clothes. Last Monday we planned to fix the machine, but my companion lost our cellphone. He doesnt even know what happened to it, it just 'vanished'. But ok, we went to Belém on Thursday for Zone Conference and we were suppose to get a new phone, but it just so happens that all of the sim cards in the office are broken... So until today, we have no cellphone. It stinks because our phone was the nicest in all the mission!! But no big deal. They cleaned our water bucket, but after they cleaned it, the water wasnt working right. No water has been leaving the shower or sink for a while and they havent fixed it yet. So we have been having to fill buckets of water downstairs and lug them back upstairs and take showers with a cup. But no big deal. On Thursday we got home from Belém, and our power got cut off! THere are 3 unpaid bills but they didnt send the bills in the mail so we didnt know. But Friday we paid them and asked for an urgent turn on of the power. That was Friday, but until now, they havent turned it back on. But we called and they said the will today. SO no water, energy, washing machine, or cellphone. Pretty much sums up our week. But we recognized from the beginning that these are all just tests, so we worked even harder!

WE saw many blessings this week. Fernando taught with us again. His friend who introduced him to the church is inactive again but Fernando is preparing for a mission!! We are super happy with him. Beny came to church and she is super excited for her baptism this weekend. We also talked with Aureo and he accpeted baptism for this Saturday. The sisters have been teaching this lady who is ready to be baptized this Saturday as well, but today this lady will move to our area so we will teach her what is left and interview her and she will be our baptism. A few blessings.

Yesterday, we were sitting at church right before the sacrament waiting for investigators to come in. As we were waiting, an investigator that we stopped teaching 2 weeks ago came walking in!! We stopped teaching them but he came by himself to church! So we will go back there this week. Also, another Lady we have been teaching came to church all by herself! SO through the dificulties, the Lord blessed us a lot!

Our zone conference was super good. The President talked a lot about goals and the Atonement. We all learned a lot. 

Have a good week!

Elder Green

 Clay and Elder Gaspar with Aureo

 Mission Zone Conference - Elder Case, Elder Rech, Elder Della Piana, Clay, ?, Elder B. Silva, ?

 Clay with Mitt Romney's cousin.

 No lights.

Ironing with no electricity.