Week 49 a really doozy

August 21st 2023

Well transfers were this week but I didn't get transferred and neither did my comp so not much changed, 

Sunday and Monday we couldn't withdraw our money. 

Tuesday we couldn't withdraw it either! And lunch fell through because we planned to go to the temple and they wanted to do dinner instead of lunch, and I just didn't work out, however one family saved us from very much hunger, and made us some Chile, which you don't see very often in Brazil, so that was fun! During lunch we were able to have a really nice conversation about the gospel, we talked about one church video that talks about a native American family. That taught their sons the steps to the dance, but didn't teach him to hear the music, and for that the son didn't wanna dance anymore. And how it's just like the gospel, if we only teach the steps of the gospel, but we don't teach people to hear the music, or feel the spirit, truly live and love the gospel, many may simply not want to stay in the gospel and will leave, personally I believe I learned all the steps before the mission, but I never quite learned to hear the music before the mission, luckily here on the mission I've learned to feel the music and I testify its worth staying nothing in the world is better,

And also the lunch was just so unbelievably good, with the absolute best salad dressing I've ever tasted, onion, lime juice, olive oil, water. Some supposedly Japanese seasoning called umame in português, mix it together, and it's good all by itself, it's good not only on salads but food in general. Literally amazing top tier my mouth is watering as I type

Tuesday night we had the opportunity to bring sebastiao, Josepha, and Fernanda to the temple! Unfortunately Raquel was sick and couldn't go. I just love the temple and being there. I wish I could stay there all day. We had an overall great lesson with them and the bishop and a counselor of the presidency of the temple! Sebastiao noted he liked the wall paper... 

The temple gotta be the best place on earth, where we truly learn about God's will for us and can feel the spirit (hear the music) unlike any other place, where sacred ordinances are done! 

I wanna do baptisms in the campinas temple so bad

That night they also bought us some giant Brazilian hot dogs on the ride home, filled with mashed potatoes and bacon and corn and tomato and literally anything you can imagine, hotdogs is the smallest ingredient on there

Wednesday! Still couldn't withdraw our money...I made some dank pasta for lunch, yall missed out 

We taught some recent converts about the word of wisdom! We also taught Mateus about the plan of salvation. And the necessity of the gospel of Jesus Christ in order to enter the celestial kingdom. It was really awesome. Because truly unless we follow the gospel of christ we won't be prepared to receive such glorious blessings,

Thursday was a very big day mission tour with Elder eddy of the seventy! And we finally were able to withdraw the money to live...

We got to the zone conference and I was wearing my suit with about 100 little candies in the suit pocket that I slowly and secretly gave out to every person I handshaked, then we all got in line to say hello to Elder eddy, he's dope. 6'5" meaning he was the tallest person there. 

He gave us an amazing talk about the covenants we make in the temple and how they bring us spiritual power. We learned a lot about them 1. The law of obedience 2. The law of sacrifice 3. The law of the gospel 4. The law of chastity 5. The law of consecration, and a thorough explanation of these covenants, was definitely an answer to my prayers, because I know some people who were needing some greater understanding, 

He also told us about the tree of life vision, some food for thought, all the people in this vision were looking towards the tree of life which represents the pure  love of God who is also christ, and they were on the strait and narrow path that leads to it, holding firmly to the iron rod. That is the gospel of christ, and what made them be lead astray, was a cloud of darkness that came, the cloud of darkness didn't stop them from holding the rod, they could still feel the rod, they could still feel the path, but because they lost sight of the tree, or the goal, they lost their way even though they were on the path holding the rod and had seen where it leads, it shows how if we lose sight on our focus on christ in our lives. We can just as easily fall away from the path and become lost in the darkness

And also just to mention, he doesn't speak Portuguese never served a mission in Brazil or anything  , but he spoke Portuguese... gift of tongues is real,

Then we had sister Harker talk, she told us about the importance that we grow in unity, together, and she talked about how much patience God has had with us up until now and that we need to have equal patience with each other, she used apples as an example, they are all different colors and sizes, then she cut one open and another one open, and showed that on the inside they are the same, that's how God's sees and loves us, she also said God loves us the way we are, but loves us too much to leave us the way we are, he wants change and growth, that was Def also an answer to my prayers because I know someone who is needing that,

Then President Harker spoke, and his talk was great, he taught us how to listen to the spirit, and how to have the spirit with us, he said that one of us asked him how he feels the spirit if it was feelings or something else, and he told us that it's almost always just his thoughts, we learned that revelation rarely comes with an explanation for why, and that almost always we get the explanation after we act, also how we have to be following the scriptures, preach my gospel, and the standards to have the spirit, answer to my prayers cause I know someone who was needing that, I also have been much more in tune with the spirit the whole week now that i know that the spirit def talks to me in my thoughts than than any other way, and I know it's the spirit and not my thoughts with certainty because I get to see the result and explanation after

Then sister eddy spoke, it was good

Then Elder eddy spoke again about how we need our purpose to be what directs the work. That method can't become our goal or end, for example sometimes we talk to people because we made a goal to talk to people rather than to help people come to christ, sometimes we plan more detailed because I made a goal to do better planning ect. And that sometimes we lose sight of our real goal and the work doesn't go on even though we are working, (kinda like losing sight of the tree of life and then we stray from the path) it was also super good

Then we had lunch and we all got our own phones to use on the mission, we no longer have to share a phone per comp anymore, scary 

Ngl best part of the zone conference was receiving a giant package from my parents, I mean the spirit cough* cough* 

Friday!!! A rather unproductive day other than our weekly planning, it was intense between me and my comp, and I explained we should make goals for how we will be different and better for this transfer, and also the companionship counsel was Def interesting

Lunch was super far away too

Saturday, lunch was still really far away but still really good, I explained to the members the differences in getting your driver's license in the US 

Sunday we had stake conference that was cool, I also tried cevada for the first time, it's just corn coffee, not bad tbh

Lunch was also great, I ate half a pan of lasagna, and explained why my feet are so big and how I have an uncle with way bigger feet than I do