Well this week we found some cool people to teach. The work is starting up here which is cool to see and fun to watch the members get excited about the work. I always have fear to invite members to our lessons because sometimes they think they know better than us how to teach. Wchich ends up being a head ache.... but it is fun to see how exctied they get afterward. 

The bishop told us about his missino and how he didn~t get up at 630 ever. That he always got up´ before to study or read. That is a pretty interesting thought. I am thinking about starting my day a little earlier.... 

 

Recently I have had several members tell us about reading the BOM and how fast they read it. Or how many times they read it on the Mission. Do you know how many times I will read the BOM before the end of my mission. NOT ONCE. I am in Alma 30 and started in the MTC reading slowly and studying the book Marking who is speaking and where and why drawing maps and things. I have started to understand so much more. I learn things as I understand WHO is talking to who and why. I have gained a new appreciation for Mormon. It is mostly his insights that we have in the book or mormon. I love his perspective. The way he talks about events and the way things happen. Little words here and there show how he understood and knew our Heavenly Father. 

 

As of late my understanding of study has changed. We dont study to read the BOM or the BIble. We read to know GOD (John 17:3) I get so frustrated with people (members non members and missionaries a like) who know the scriptures but don~t know God. IT is so sad. They have gained a telestial knowlege through telestial study. As we study and write with the intent to use the books not as manuals for obediance but rather as sources of knowlege designed to change behavior we start to understand and apply in a celestial way.

 

But enough preaching. This week was good. I am tired and ready to rest. haha There are a ton of hills here and I need to change my eating because my waist is smaller now than when I left home. haha

 

Love you guys

 

 

 

 

What a week filled with tears.

Monday in the branch We had a family home evening/ say goodbye to Elder Noel where the branch President asked everyone to write a little note to me. It is these little things that really give us rewards. Those pieces of paper don~t have value to me. They are literally invaluable. I love these people so much.

There was one girl who lives in a family all alone. I believe she is the only sane person in her house. And the note she wrote about finding strength was so touching that it changed the way I looked at myself.

Tuesday I left in the morning and half the brach came to the bus station to say goodbye again and the sang a song. I cried and hugged everyone.

So tuesday I got here and Wednesday I met my companion. He is from São Paulo. He is cool and is well prepared and ready to work. We are going to do miracles here I know it. The Ward Mission Leader here is so good and the bishop is great. I have no doubt that the ward here is going to start to grow.

This week since we know nothing about the area or the members or the work we just started working. We talked to 202 people from wednesday to yesterday and were able to teach 2 lessons. But one of them was with an amazing man. His name is Fabio and he accepted our message because he is doing his doctorate in English and wanted to speak english. So I taught him in English. He is gay. He said that he wants to change but he doesn~t know how. He wants to have a family but he just doesn~t feel attracted to women. He asked why he was made so wrong why God would deny him that privelege here on earth. It was so eye opening to me. That this man saw homosexuality as a burden. We invited him to stake conference and he came. He liked it and he said he would start reading the book of mormon. He is amazing and I am so excited to help him change his life.


He asked me what sucess for me would be with him. If he started frequenting would that be sucess or if he was reading or what? It was such a deep question. What is sucess to me?  Where am I taking my investigators? Why am I working with them? It was pretty introspective.

This was a hard week for me. To show up in an area all alone in a small area divided in 2 smaller areas and just having to work. At having 4 missionaries and having less of a chance to impress members. I felt a little overwhelmed a little cramped and a little mad at President for doing this. I had some talks with my Heavenly Father about this. I got such a new perspective. I was actually kind of slapped in the face. I felt this `where is your faith, do you  think that President just put you there because he wanted to?`  I was a little taken aback. Then I just thought ok lets go. Started singing Gosple rock and reading my Book of Mormoin. I love that book. It helps so much.

I am going to start to try working in a different manner here. Not to please anyone but to work to find the right people. Not to make numbers but to find the people prepared to hear us. I dont want to waste anymore time with people who don~t want to listen. I am going to try and start working in a more celestial manner. It will be so hard to let go of that Pride factor of hey I teach lots of lesson and just have my work between me and my Heavenly Father.

I love you guys so much.


Wright

So my companion was emergency transfered out of the area after he had 2 little mini seizures on the street. Pretty interesting. Luckily we had 2 other missionaries with us so we were able to keep him from falling down but still a little interesting. 

My new companion is also a short term missionary who is living in the state and waiting to go on his full time mission. He is cool and we will get a long well. These last three weeks in the area will go fast. 

This week we had a little miracle with Kelly and Valdo (the family from my time with Elder Grondel) she cooled off and then recently has started wanting more. After a few lessons we made some promesses about things that we would each do (her, me my companion and her husband) to help her get a testimony. After little progess we had a lesson with her on saturday night where i felt impressed to stress the importance of quiet prayer with the book of Mormon. I told her to go into her room and read and pray quietly to get a testimony. 

The next morning before church we stopped by and talked to her and she told us that she had done what we asked and that she just opened the book randomly to Alma 5 (haha) and started to read. She read vs 40 That says that everything good comes from God and everything bad comes from the Devil. She took that to mean that she needs to follow a church. She just needs to have a stronger confirmation that THIS church is the church that she needs to follow. Pray for her she is so close!!!

Ademar and Adainane got all their papers ready and are going to start the marriage papers today!!! I hope I am still her for the wedding!!!  

Next week we will get a new branch presidente I think i know who it will be (he was the only one called to the stake offices yesterday... hmmmm) and he will be great. We will do miracles with him. 

The work here is going great:)

This week I read in alma 17 about the mission of the sons of Mosiah. They were told by the Lord to go a preach the word of God.And after the lord said be patient in your suffering to give a good example of me to the lamanites. How important is a good example? we remember that in alma 24 the anit-nephi-lehites were examples of suffering even unto death and they just from the example converted thousands of their bretheren. I want to be a better example of Christ this next year. 

Love you all hope all is well,

Wright

Ok so this week was exciting. 

Wednesday we went to eat lunch at the house of Roberto. He made some french fries for us and we were eating a delicious lunch when his wife asked him to make some more fries for the daugter who was coming to eat lunch. She put the pan of oil on the stove and told him about it. 

We were eating and talking and he (we, but really him because it is his house) forgot about it. Then he remembered and went in to find the oil on fire. So we were opening the windows and clearing the house as he put a lid on the pan and the fire went out. I went into the kitchen to see how it was and he took the lid off the pan. The pan started to smoke and he grabbed it to take it outside. As he was walking to the door it caught fire again and as he moved the oil spilled onto his hand and arm. As he let the pan go the oil (now spread out in the air) caught fire in a big fire ball.

At this point Elder Noel is in disbelief that this is happening right before his eyes and doesn~t really know what to do. 

The brother was more worried about his autistic son who had followed him into the kitchen and was right by his side when the pan caught fire. I grabbed the boy and carried him out of the kitchen as the sister called the ambulance. The brother went into the bathroom and was about to put water on his arm when I remembered that oil burns shoudn~t be put directly under water (or thats what I thought I couldn~t quite remember my first aid merit badge) Anyways I yelled Não água!!! (Water no! ) and ran into the bathroom and wrapped a towel around his arm. Then we soaked the towel in water and wrapped it around his arm. 

Anyways he is fine now with 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his hand and arm but he is recovering well. His autistic son was only burned by 3 drops of oil that fell on his hand. That is it. Only 3 drops of oil. Heavenly Father was watching. I saw that pan explode. It was like a movie his whole body was covered in fire and the son that was right next to him was unharmed. 

So I with 2 bus accidents, 1 severe burning and various epileptic seizures from my companion (5 and counting) this area is hands down the most exciting area on the mission. haha

Oh Kelly and Valdo, who I talked about when I was here with Elder Grondel decided to start investigating the church again!! We made some goals yesterday with her so that she could get a testimony. (Just as a side note her husband said he had a dream with `the prophet` where I and the prophet walked in and knelt down and started praying for Kelly. I thought he dream about president monson because he had seen a picture of him in the church. But i grabbed the gosple principles book and showed him a picture of the Prophets and said was it one of them? He looked and said it was this one and pointed to a picture of Presidente Hinkley!! He said but he was younger and didn~t have glasses. He had never seen a picture of him before and had no Idea who he was. But in the dream I and my companion (President Hinkley) walked in knelt next to Kelly who was laying on the bed and started praying for her. Cool huh! Pray that we can help her get a testemony. 

Well thanks for the love and the support. I love you all. It is great to be out here. 

Love,

Wright

P.S. this week our class of gosple principles with new members and in actives was bigger than the gosple doutrines class. people kept telling me congratulations but I felt bad because I feel like I havn~t really done a lot. More like I just received blessings from Heavenly Father. But either way the branch is growing!!! 

Attatched is a picture of my leg.....

To answer your question mom I have vitamins but I haven~t been taking them. I guess I should. I eat really healthy in general. I have lost weight since my first area and my body fat is down (bigger muscles I guess). I eat only whole wheat bread and have recently been buying chicken breasts and cooking them on Pday to eat during the week. I don~t really eat at night because we work from 1 in the afternoon until 9 at night and when I eat at night I get stomach aches so I just eat breakfast and lunch. Just letting you know that I am feeding myself and taking care of myself (exept for that little leg thing but that really wasn~t my fault)

Well not a whole lot of news this week. We started teaching some new people who have interest to get to know the church which is always good. We really have been guided to good people here. The people have more interest to know the church and to know what we are doing as missionaries.

I think this comes from a desire to be different from other churches. When we act just like other churches people dont~have a whole lot of interest to see our church. but when we explain our beliefs as a restored church we have more interest from people. That was hard for me. To look people in the eye and say that this church is THE restored Church of Jesus Christ. But when I got over that hump we started having more interest from people. 

It is really cool to see people who are getting to know this church as something different. 

I asked to stay another transfer here (that would make it from 28/1 until 15/8 that I stayed here. I hope president lets me stay. I love it here and the people are helping a lot. We are going to change branch Presidents here so I want to avoid loss of information. Everytime a switch happens we lose a little of the information and I want to avoid that with a transfer and a swap in presidents at the same time.

So pray that our president will be inspired in whatever he decides to do. 

I love you guys. Crazy to think that only 11 months and I will be home. Time goes so fast!

I love you!!!

Wright

A visit to the Dr.

So this week we went to Joinville (the biggest city in the state) that is about 1 hour away from our area. We had a zone meeting and then I was off to the hospital as the apparent bug bite on my leg continued to get worse. By wednesday my inner thigh was swollen from the knee to about 3/4 of the way up the leg and the bite opened and started to ooze blood. 

On the way to the hospital we got a call from the assitant that Elder Welling would be transfered to the other side of the state. 

I entered the hospital and was treated by a doctor who said that it really was an ingrown hair that got infected. He injected it with      some anestetic and used a pair of medical scissors to open it up and clean it out. Then he grabbed my leg and squeezed out the blood and whatever else was in there. 

So right now I have about a 2cm deep hole in my leg that oozes dries on my clothes and opens again when I move my legs. But i am on antibiotics and am doing great. Friday I stayed home and rested while my new companion unpacked his bags and rested from the 13 hour bus ride. I felt like a bad missionary but I got over it. haha

My new companion is Elder Aguiar from the state of Santa Catarina. He has Epilepsy and tried to go on a mission but wasn~t allowed to because of the medical situation and is doing a short term mission of 9 months here in the state. 

Our time together will be good for me. He has an interesting personality so my pacience will be growing. I am working with him now to get him to have more confidence in his abilities. These short term missionaries aren~t really trained by other missionaries and it shows that he doesn~t feel the same as other misionaries. We are working together to get him teaching and excited to work. He has a great spirit and we will do miracles here. 

Yesterday was the dedication of the Manaus Brazil temple. So we didn~t have sacrament meeting and got to watch the dedication. It was fantastic. It was really cool to see Elder Cook and President Uchtdorf outside of General Conference. They looked so Human. It was really cool to see that and understand that they are people too. They are great people but still people and they have their weaknesses and trials and feel uncomfortable too. I am so grateful for the chance I had to watch the dedication.

I am doing well. This new companion brings new challenges and opportunities. Chances for me to teach alone which I like a lot better than working with others and chances for me to show him his potential as a missionary.

I read a book about an LDS boy who did some crime and the victim of the crime was helping him to understand his worth with the phrase Eagles don~t eat worms. Reminding us that a majestic eagle doesn~t stoop to eat worms. Just like we shouldn~t settle for less in our lives. We are children of our Heavenly Father. It is something I hope that we can come to understand better together.

Remember Eagles Don~t eat worms.

Love,

Wright Noel

1/2 way point

This coming week will make one year since I left!!! Crazy how fast things move. Seems like not too much has changed there... lol.

Today I am a little sick. I think this comes from a bug bite that I have on my inner thigh. I got it friday night I think but yesterday It started hurting a lot and I noticed a red line leaving the circle of red around the bite. I called Sister Fernandes and explained (in portuguese) about this thing on my leg. She said it could be a parasite of some kind. A worm that enters your body and starts eating its way through your veins.... interesting huh? haha So today I will be talking to some kind of medical professional about this.

Hey have you guys ever heard of a film called Charly? It is made by a guy who is a member of the church and is a story about a girl who joins the church. Elder Welling and I watched it this week. It was good. If you guys can get your hands on it it is a good family film.

This week passed quickly. We found some new people to start teaching which is always a good thing. People with real promise. So we will be praying for them that we can help their families join the church.

Our branch president will move this month so it looks like we will be here for a branch presidency change. Which will be interesting because there are limited men who are qualified (by requirements) for the position and most of them have already served. There are lots of men here who recently returned to activity so the number of qualified priesthood holders is beginning to grow and this branch will be really strong soon.

Well I love you lots. Sorry this email wasn~t very interesting I am a little out of it today.

Love you,

Elder Noel