Week 71 - February 24, 2015

Transfers are tomorrow and I am leaving! I will be headed to Salto in the Obelisco ward. I will be with Elder Huntsman from The Woodlands, TEXAS. He is actually from Utah but he lives in Texas now. He just finished his training so that will be interesting. I am just getting a ton of new companions! Tomorrow I am taking a bus in Brazil to go to Quarari, which is another city in Brazil. From there I will take another bus to Salto. I am excited to go buy a brazilian bus ticket and see if I dont get lost by myself in Brazil!

This week was crazy because of our companions. My companion was Leandro Rodriguez who is from Cerro Montevideo. Elder Adasme was with a kid from Rivera. They were both 16. We got them to open our area and we talked to a TON of people during this week. It was super fun and made me grateful for members and their references! Leandro was super fun though. He was quiet but he got more and more relaxed as the week went on. 

We had a couple crazy events this week:

1. Talent show - The talent show this week was awesome. it was so much fun! We had a ton of people participate. It was super fun too because we did two dances. One was choreographied pretty legitly and we practiced a lot. The other song was one that we got EVERYONE to dance too. It was super awesome! 

2. Conference in Tacuarembò - We had a conference with President Smith and Elder Viñas this week from the 70. I got to see Elder Baggett, Elder Woodcock, and Elder Sanderson who just got back to Uruguay! It was so awesome to see them. They let us watch Meet the Mormons which was super awesome! I loved it. I felt a rollercoaster of feelings though. I was super stoked watching the Navy football part, I got scared a bit when I saw the boxer mom from Costa Rica. I cried when I watched the part of Elder Armstrong going to South Africa. I was laughing the whole time too. It was a really good movie. 

3. Goodbye Parties! Elder Lima finished the mission and went home to Brazil yesterday. Elder Adasme is going to Colonia. We had some legit goodbye parties. We didnt expect 3 of the 4 Elders to leave so we got a lot of cake because of it. On Sunday we all three got to speak in church. I got to teach primary too! that was a first! 

Honestly this week was really fun but I wasnt expecting to leave at all! I am excited to go to Salto but I will miss Rivera a lot! I dont feel as connected as I did in my last area after the 6 months I had there. Other awesome thing is I will be with my son Elder Cline in Salto too! 

Lead by example! I have realized lately that you dont have to be a called leader to lead. Anyone can be a leader but its all in your example! 

I love you all so much! I hope everyone is doing great! Its crazy to think that I will be arriving home 7 months from TODAY! Thanks for all of your support! 

Week 70 - February 16, 2015

This week was interesting but this week will be very crazy. At 6 o`clock tonight I am going to get a kid from Uruguay who will serve with me for at least until next wednesday, which is when we have changes. My companion will also get a young man to work with. It will be quite an experience. We are doing it mainly because we have a giant area and we want to open an area where there are no members. So basically one of us will be working where we ususally work while the other companionship will be contacting in the new area. It will be a long week but I am sure I will learn a lot! 

This week we had rain for a while and when it rains here, no one is in the street and everyone sleeps way too long... We had a couple interesting things that happened this week. 

Solis told us that he didnt want to have us come by anymore. That happened on Thursday. Then on Sunday he showed up at church again so we talked to him. He said he prayed and he wanted to over come his disabilities.

We also had a random kid come up to us and ask us if he could come to church on Sunday. It happens a lot so we didnt think it was any different, so we told him where to go. He, unlike the majority of the kids, actually showed up to church! It was pretty cool! We want to work with his family a bit more. 

Marcelo is the stud who has come back to church and stopped smoking for about a month now! He is not living with his wife anymore but she came over this week. He thought she was coming to get a divorce but she was still there after 3 days so we thought something was up. He called us when we were at a service project cutting down trees and bushes with machetes. We went to his house and he was crying. He opened the door and all his wifes stuff was packed up and set on the couch by the door. He cried for like half and hour before his wife finally left and then he was able to talk and calm down a bit. She has a lot of problems with drugs and needs to change. She said she didnt want to hurt Marcelo and thats why she left. She isnt sure what she wants left. He is a super cool guy and he says we are his best friends. He needed a lot of help after that though. 

The craziest story of the week was on Friday night. Friday the 13th. We had just gotten home and we decided to have a Friday Feast so we bought stuff for tacos. We made some BOMB tacos and we ate well. We went to bed on time at 11:00. At 12:30the ZLs got a call from some Elders and told them that there was something in their house. Like a spirit. They asked them to come over so they went. We stayed and slept. At 1:15 we got a call from the ZLs and they told us we had to go to the church too. We got clothes on and took off running the 4 kilometers to church. We ran for like 10 minutes and then my comp said he needed to walk for a bit. I admit, the tacos were not making it easy for a missionary who is out of shape to run. We walked for a bit and then finished running. When we got there they told us all the creepy things that had happened and then they called President Smith. He told us that we should just get some sleep and worry about it tomorrow. The ZLs went to the other Elders house and spent the night there. We walked home after running to the church and just listening to the stories. It was good to run but creepy to walk home at 2:30 after hearing stories like that... It was a great opportunity to understand the realness of the powers that are working against us and grow my testimony of the power of the priesthood as we "[sook] to take down power."

This week was pretty good though. I am happy that we have changes next week. Please dont freak out next monday when I dont write. It will be next Tuesday! We have a talent show this week and we are going to be dancing so I hope to have some sweet videos... On Saturday we have a big conference with an area 70 and half of the mission so I am stoked for that! 

I loved studying the story of the young rich boy in the bible this week. Sometimes it may seem like we are so close to heaven but the last step is what takes the most work! 

 

I hope everyone had a good Valentines day! Have a wonderful week! I love all of you! 

Quote of the week: If the power to do hard work is not talent, it is the best possible substitute for it!  

I belong to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

I know who I am.

I know God's plan.

I'll follow him in faith.

I believe in the Savior, Jesus Christ.

I'll honor his name.

I'll do what is right;

I'll follow his light.

His truth I will proclaim!

Week 69 - February 9, 2015

This week was a pretty humbling week. We had quite a few ups and downs but its all a part of the work! Jeffrey R Holland said that when we are rejected, we are shoulder to shoulder to the best misionary who has ever been on this earth, the most pure and perfect being ever. Even our Savior Jesus Christ. I sure felt that this week. 

We had a baptism planned for this week. While I was on divisions with the comp of our District Leader, I got a call from my companion. He told me that the interview was still going on after 2 hours. After it was all said and done, our investigator had to wait another month before he could be baptized because he had broken the law of chastity a while ago. My companion told him that and he didnt want to wait any longer. He said he didnt want to be baptized at all. The most frustrating part is that he said he couldnt wait any longer as if he wanted to have relations again, even though we had explained MANY times that he could never have relations until he got married. Theres that...

We visited Mario who is an inactive member. He told us that he didnt go to church anymore because the wards split and they shouldnt do that because we are all brothers and sisters. We explained everything greatly to him though but we have to respect his ability to choose. 

Two great things happened: We got a new ward mission leader who is a CHAMP. I love him. He is my favorite member of the ward. So that was pretty awesome. Then we had a lesson with a lady who hasnt been to church for over 6 years. She committed to go to church this next week. (We visited her Sunday evening.) 

We had two service activities this week, one was digging a poso negro, which is a 2 meter deep hole. We dug one meter so far and we will finish it this week. Then we helped a family that is investigating move in. They are great but they smoke a lot... 

We contacted a lot this week because we just need new investigators. One day we walked for four straight hours just talking to people. It was pretty fun but pretty humbling because we only got 3 set lessons and no one let us in. 

I was blessed enough to be able to speak in church on Sunday though. I talked about missionary work and basically talked about how the members are the missionaries and not us. I feel like I can talk forever now. I talked for 20 minutes and just had my scriptures with me. I know I wouldnt have imagined that two years ago in the States. 

Quote of the week:

"A big man show his bigness by how he treats little people"

Today I have been a missionary for 16 months exactly! Its crazy to think how the time flies and that I only have 1/3 of my mission left! I love the mission! 

Shoutouts of the week! 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY (on the 14th) Grandma Hickey! I love you! 

Isaac Cordy for getting into BYU Hawaii and moving on to the Regional wrestling tournament.

My old man who is officially 45! 

Elder Sanderson who is back in Uruguay!!!! 

I love you all for your amazing support! Thanks for everything! Please pray for my companion and I so that we will be able to have a great week and find new people to teach! Thank you! 

Week 68 - February 2, 2015

Hello everyone! This week we had some pretty high highs and a couple low lows. We learn from all of it though! 

First off, I want to with my old man a happy birthday this Friday. I am so grateful for you dad and your wonderful example which has helped me be the missionary that I am today! I love you so much! 

Well on Tuesday I cut my own hair. It looked pretty darn good but I could even it out well on the back so I asked me companion for some help. MISTAKE. He took the clippers to my head without any guards and gave me a nice short cut. I have some really short hair now. I have pictures but I cant send them on this computer! Sorry! 

We visited Yolanda and she basically turned away from us. She got a talk from her pastor in the evangelic church. She basically said that she didnt believe in anything besides Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father. It was a frustrating lesson. 

An awesome miracle that we had this week though is the fruits of a wonderful spiritual lesson last week with a less active. We taught Marcelo about faith and with just a deep doctrinal conversation, he found the will and courage to stop smoking. He smoked 15 cigarrettes on Saturday, 10 on Sunday, and he stopped on Monday. Now he is a week in and still hasnt smoked anything. He is AWESOME! 

Solis had a hard week last week and was going to get baptized this past week, but we felt like he could use another week of preparation. So WE WILL BAPTIZE HIM THIS WEEK! 

Lunches with members have gotten a lot better this week, but I had to spend a solid amount of personal money because I was the only elder in our house that had money left. I bought lunch for four Elders three days this week. We got money today though! 

We are having a talent show in two weeks in our ward. I need ideas from you all! I am thinking about singing, dancing, or playing piano. I would love thoughts though! 

Just today we went and played volleyball as a zone and then we went to eat. I bought some 5 dollar fake Oakleys. Elder Adasme and I met two missionaries in Brasil who are serving there. They talked to us in Portuguese. I was able to understand but I cant talk in Portuguese still. I can understand a solid amount though! its pretty awesome! 

Rivera is changing a lot. We have had a couple problems with a couple missionaries, but this week just changed a lot. We are a lot more united and we are getting people to understand humility and repentance! Rivera is ZION. 

I love you all so much! I hope that you are doing what the prophets have told us to so you can keep progressing as a member! Read the scriptures daily, pray very often, have family home evening weekly and attend the temple regularly! I know that is the best way that a member can keep progressing! 

Favorite quote of the week: "You can often gauge a mans ambition by whether he hates is alarm clock or considers it his best friend" -Thomas Edison. 

Week 67 - January 26, 2015

Hello everyone! I am writing from Montevideo today. We left Rivera last night at midnight and got here at 7 this morning so Elder Adasme can sign some papers to be legal in this country. We will spend Pday here in Montevideo and take the nice 7 hour bus ride home later today. 
This week was pretty good! We had a Family Home Evening on Monday where we taught a parable in D&C 101. We compared it to missionary work and we invited the two families that were there to leave with us during the week to be able to help us in the work. 

This week we had a random zone meeting that was called one day before it actually happened. We learned about obedience and things that we can do specifically better in Rivera. I feel like I miss Cerro still but I am starting to grow a love towards Rivera! We went to Brasil and went grocery shopping for super cheap. My Portuguese doesnt sound too great but I can understand a lot. I am slowly learning words and vocabulary but I just need to be able to put it all together! I feel like I am a newbie again when we cross over to Brasil. We do have a couple members in the ward from Brasil though and they just speak portuguese.

This week we had a couple funny encounters. We found Yolanda who has listened to the missionaries before but is a little bit crazy. She accepted the baptismal compromise at the end of the first lesson though but we didnt feel like it was time for her to have a baptismal date. On Sunday we passed by her house to go to church and she said she couldnt go but her grandson wanted to go so we took him! It totally surprised us but it worked out nice! Maria and Carlos were digging out two trees from their front yard. We passed by and offered to help them. We ended up spending a while there digging out trees and dragging them to the field across the street. It was super fun! Solis has been progressing towards baptism but this week he was super sick. We gave him a priesthood blessing and he said he was feeling a lot better. We will check with him tomorrow to see how he is doing. 

This week in church I got to play piano! That is keeping my streak alive for playing in every ward! I really love the active members here. There are TONS of less and non active members though. Its crazy what an understanding of the gospel can do for you and your life! 

The greatest treasure I will bring off of my mission will be my understanding of the Gospel and the Doctrine of Christ. 

I love you all and I hope you have a great week! Remember who is most important to you and express your love to them! 

A couple great quotes I heard this week:
"True doctrine understood changes behavior."

"You can always better your best"
"The biggest room in the world is the room for improvement"