Week 76

This week tested our patience and faith as we worked with some investigators that "didn't have time" or didn't want to progress and keep their commitments as we wanted them to. We'd found many new families with potential this week and even though they loved our visits, they couldn't bring themselves to commit to go to church on Sunday.

One such family was a woman named Ana Paula, and her 17 year old daughter. She had problems smoking and drinking coffee, and her daughter had a few problems drinking alcohol. Each time we visited them they listened intently, and even though her daughter Eduarda is super shy, we got her to say the closing prayer after one visit. We helped them both start the process in keeping the Word of Wisdom and we saw progress in them both. Ana Paula had been smoking 40 per day, and at the end of the week she was down to 19. She also drank 3-4 cups of coffee daily and brought it down to 1. Eduarda told us how she only drinks alcohol at parties during the weekend so we set a goal for her to forgo the parties and instead read the Book of Mormon. It worked and when we visited her on Saturday, she hadn't gone to any party Friday night.

We also had found and taught 4 young men many times throughout the week. One day we returned to follow up on their reading of the Book of Mormon and as we'd only been able to give one copy to them, they told us how they had made an agreement that each one would spend a week with it before passing it on to the next. We were impressed with their desire to read it and were able to give a copy to each one.

Thursday night we continued the integration activities and held a hat competion. For the activity we made a circle of chairs with a table in the middle. Then everyone took turns drawing a die to try and draw 1 or 3. If they did so, they had to put socks on their arms, pick up two spoons, and try and unwrap a chocolate candy and eat it as quick as possible. While the person was attempting to unwrap, everybody continued to try and draw 1 or 3 and when someone did, the person unwrapping had to drop everything, sit down, and the new person would begin where the other left off. Like all the other activities, everyone had a great time. Unfortunately it hadn't been announced very well so there weren't very many members present. But as far as our investigators and recent converts, there were quite a few.

Sunday morning President Campos called me and told me how he was in Passo Fundo for a meeting with the Stake President and all the bishops. He told me how bishop Melo from Lagoa Vermelha had come up to him to ask that I be transferred back to his ward! So then President said to me, "So I'm doing just that, you're being transferred back to Lagoa Vermelha." I was super surprised and just as I was about to respond he chuckled and told me that he was joking, that I was actually being transferred in the same area from Canela-B to Canela-A, to be companions with Élder Clark. To this I was really happy, as we'd already spent a transfer living in the same house I know him well and know that he works hard, so I know it'll be a good transfer. Then President told me that there would be a Brazilian that would be coming to live with us and be my old companion's new companion. As there had been only Americans the last transfer he said joking, "the party's over, now get to work!" He's hilarious.

Lucas showed up at church an hour early to be interviewed by the branch president and after church he was ordained a priest! He's very excited to bless the sacrament next week.