Hello Friends and Family,
First to answer Mom's question. P-Day is very boring in our mission. Our mission president has prohibited everything on P-Day except eating and sleeping. My first week in Porto Alegre sports were banded because missionaries here in Brazil seemed to have problems tearing their Achilles tendons and thus being sent home on a years recovery. And now we can't meet up with other Elders on P-Day because some missionaries were not using their free agency correctly. So basically P-Day for me is the following: Wake up, eat, go back to sleep, study, clean the house, go back to sleep, study, write letters, write my email to you all, and then it is back to work.
This week was pretty intense. I went on splits in Eldorado do Sul with Elder Capistrano the Zone Leader. If you all remember I went on splits with him once before. He is from Bahia, a Northern region in Brazil. Once again it was a kick in the pants working with him. We were in the streets from 9:00am until 9:00pm. We did close to 50 contacts and had double digit lessons. I learned a lot from him. He is all do and no talk, with a year and 8 months on the mission. He has become a really good friend of mine and it will be sad to see him go home in a few months. I have never met someone so humble and hardworking before.
Back in Butiá we are trying our best to get some baptisms the 23rd of this month. We have 7 or 8 marked baptisms, but our hopes are that 1 or 2 will pull through on this date. Our current progressing investigators are, Pricila (early 20's), Adriana (40's), Teresa (60's the mother of Adriana), Joe (16), Jacqueline (13). We also found a family of 11 the other day, a missionary's dream. A Father and Mother legally married with 9 children. The problem is that they never go to church. They believe in our message of the restored gospel and they always promise that they will go on Sunday, but they never show up. It is really frustrating. We found out the other day that the local pastor caught wind of our visits and is now trying to discredit our teachings. It's funny because he is the replacement pastor for the previous pastor who was selling his own daughter into prostitution, 14 years old. Anyways the family does not believe this guy, they are just lazy to get up to go to church. They have a 9 year old daughter who is an elect. She is smarter than the whole family put together. She reads all our phamlets/the book of Mormon, prays, and understands the lessons. If this family doesn't get baptized I hope at least she will.
We went into full missionary mode this weekend. Fasting/praying with some of our investigators so that they could overcome their smoking addiction. We met with them multiple times during the day to give them encouragement. They only made it a day and a half without smoking. I was really disappointed to hear that they smoked after everything we did. It is awful how Satan has got such a tight grip. We really are trying to free them but it is so difficult after the years years of addictions that have plagued them.
It is good to see my plaque is up in the chapel back home. Ether 12:27 has become the theme of my mission. I have really had to break myself down and rebuild as a disciple and representative of Christ. Through his infinite atonement this is possible. I have really seen my weaknesses become strengths. I still have so much that needs improvement but as I humble myself I know that Christ will lift me back up stronger and ready to keep on fighting. The kingdom of God or nothing as they say.
Love you all immensely,
Elder Miller
First to answer Mom's question. P-Day is very boring in our mission. Our mission president has prohibited everything on P-Day except eating and sleeping. My first week in Porto Alegre sports were banded because missionaries here in Brazil seemed to have problems tearing their Achilles tendons and thus being sent home on a years recovery. And now we can't meet up with other Elders on P-Day because some missionaries were not using their free agency correctly. So basically P-Day for me is the following: Wake up, eat, go back to sleep, study, clean the house, go back to sleep, study, write letters, write my email to you all, and then it is back to work.
This week was pretty intense. I went on splits in Eldorado do Sul with Elder Capistrano the Zone Leader. If you all remember I went on splits with him once before. He is from Bahia, a Northern region in Brazil. Once again it was a kick in the pants working with him. We were in the streets from 9:00am until 9:00pm. We did close to 50 contacts and had double digit lessons. I learned a lot from him. He is all do and no talk, with a year and 8 months on the mission. He has become a really good friend of mine and it will be sad to see him go home in a few months. I have never met someone so humble and hardworking before.
Back in Butiá we are trying our best to get some baptisms the 23rd of this month. We have 7 or 8 marked baptisms, but our hopes are that 1 or 2 will pull through on this date. Our current progressing investigators are, Pricila (early 20's), Adriana (40's), Teresa (60's the mother of Adriana), Joe (16), Jacqueline (13). We also found a family of 11 the other day, a missionary's dream. A Father and Mother legally married with 9 children. The problem is that they never go to church. They believe in our message of the restored gospel and they always promise that they will go on Sunday, but they never show up. It is really frustrating. We found out the other day that the local pastor caught wind of our visits and is now trying to discredit our teachings. It's funny because he is the replacement pastor for the previous pastor who was selling his own daughter into prostitution, 14 years old. Anyways the family does not believe this guy, they are just lazy to get up to go to church. They have a 9 year old daughter who is an elect. She is smarter than the whole family put together. She reads all our phamlets/the book of Mormon, prays, and understands the lessons. If this family doesn't get baptized I hope at least she will.
We went into full missionary mode this weekend. Fasting/praying with some of our investigators so that they could overcome their smoking addiction. We met with them multiple times during the day to give them encouragement. They only made it a day and a half without smoking. I was really disappointed to hear that they smoked after everything we did. It is awful how Satan has got such a tight grip. We really are trying to free them but it is so difficult after the years years of addictions that have plagued them.
It is good to see my plaque is up in the chapel back home. Ether 12:27 has become the theme of my mission. I have really had to break myself down and rebuild as a disciple and representative of Christ. Through his infinite atonement this is possible. I have really seen my weaknesses become strengths. I still have so much that needs improvement but as I humble myself I know that Christ will lift me back up stronger and ready to keep on fighting. The kingdom of God or nothing as they say.
Love you all immensely,
Elder Miller
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