Jardim Ype Day One

I suppose it should be Jardim Ypê day one :)

Today I was transfered to Jardim Ypê which is part of São José dos Pinhais, a suburb on the side of Curitiba. It looks like a great area. My new companion is Elder Yesquer from Peru and we are going to do some great work here! (But `eu tenho muitos saudades de Colombo`)

This past week we had the baptism of Gregorio, and completed a family. They are now starting to prepare to go to the temple and be sealed together as a family for eternity. His children were thrilled! This Sunday, Sueli was not baptized, nor Gabriele, but they will be in the following weeks.

I got to see Elder Trevisanut at the transfer meeting today. He is doing quite well despite having a difficult companion for the past 5 weeks. Elder T. really is an excellent missionary. I have muitos saudades dele. 

Well instead of writing more, I´ll send a picture from the baptism yesterday!

Love,

Elder House

Colombo Semana 16

Well this was your pretty run of the mill missionary week... But with splits almost everyday. I spent more time with other people than with Elder Rocha. They went well but it took a lot of time (and money) out of the week.

This coming week, it looks like we´ll have two people ready for baptism. Gregorio is the last person in his family (wife and children already members) and they are very excited. This week they are going to visit the temple and this weekend will be his baptism. He is very excited, but his children are thrilled! The other is Gabriele but she may or may not be in town this week. She is 13 and very ready to make baptismal covenants. She actually lives a little ways away, but she comes to visit her brother often, and will be baptised the next time she is in town.

Things going well in Colombo!

Love,

Elder House

Colombo Semana 15

So this week was exciting!

Dirceu took a line from Amy Winehouse and said "no, no, no" to rehab (he ran away from rehab, almost 45 km!! I love that crazy dude... But he is going to try again in a better facility, that actually has doctors and beds and security), we slaughtered ducks for Sister Cida, a recent convert named Everson's little sister wants to be baptized muito, and we are teaching a big group of Hatian drug dealers... #Colombo

I actually don't think the Hatians are drug dealers but a few of them have false names which raised an eybrow... Brasil accepted many refugees after the earthquake and they are working and studying here... Only problem is they don't speak much Portuguese, so we are talking in English, Spanish, and Portuguese, but teaching using videos in French... I could really use a couple copies of The Book of Mormon in French and or Hatian, but ther don't have them available in Brasil.

Love,

Elder House

Colombo Semana 14

"Just Come to Church!" If you can name that quote, you're probably a recently returned missionary...

But that's a bit how we're feeling at this point :) Yesterday we had tons of families who committed to come to church with us, and we made varius appointments to meet up with people before heading off to church... But NONE of the families were at home at the appointed times. Not one... But it was really nice to see two less active families at church. And the Confirmation of Rosari went lovely.

Elder Rocha is a great elder and I will learn much from him. I'm just a tad concerned at his "I follow the Spirit, not rules" approach, but it will be good have a companion who is really trying to improve the work here. He came from a very small area with lots of members, so this is going to be a bit of an ajustment here :) He's still running at a Curitiba pace in his conversation, and people here are often caught a bit off guard... The people of Colombo move at a slightly different pace. Elder Rocha is a fantastic pianist, so yesterday for church, he played piano while I sang, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing." About half the branch was crying by the end, so we counted as a success ;) (Yes they really were crying... from joy or pain, who can say?)

We are working with so many families here who aren't married. It is so strange to be in a culture where legal marriage almost doesn't happen anymore... You just kind of start living together and have a kid, and that's what it means to be married. Quite odd. Just get married first... Rarely seems to work out well any other way.

In other news, we have a hot shower. I finally bought a new piece to replace in our shower, and Elder Rocha was the first elder in quite some time to take a hot shower in the house in Colombo. But "Eu tenho saudades, só um poco, de nosso cachoeira"

Love,

Elder House

p.s. They are gonna divide the mission in July... Curitiba and Curitiba South!! Don't know which I'll be a part of...

Colombo Semena 13

Transfers! Baptism! Só alegria!

Yesterday we had the baptism of Rosari (pictures to come). She was so happy to be baptized and make those special covenants with God. Her husband still has some work to do, but he´ll come around :) Elder Trevisanut performed the baptism and I´ll do the confirmation this coming sunday.

We had transfers today, and I recieved a new companion, Elder Rocha from Salvador Brasíl. He is awesome.

We are very happy. And very short on time.

Love,

Elder House

Columbo Week 12

Well this could possibly be the last email from Colombo. Usually when a missionary is trained, he stays in the area and gets a new companion, but since we opened the area, all bets are off. I still think there´s a good chance that the next email will be coming from Colombo, but if could be fromPonta Grossa, Paranaguá, Curitiba or some place I´ve yet to hear of :)

This week we have been working to prepare Rosari for baptism this coming weekend. Her husband is still working on dropping alcohol and tobacco, but she is 100% ready if she makes through this week without coffee. And she will. Yesterday at church she was smiling the whole time. She will be a great member!

Unfortunately, this week, we watched a family get ripped apart because of alcohol. The father had been a serious alcoholic for many years, but for the past 2 years he was clean. He was baptized, received the priesthood, was sealed with his family in the temple, and was serving as the ward clerk. But apparently, these past couple weeks, he was getting nervous about bills and such, and his spirit was weakened to the point where, when a neighbor offered him a drink, he accepted. And he relapsed hard. I probably don´t need to recount everything that happened, but it is a rather grave situation. He is now in rehab and very depressed because of what happened. Everyone in the branch is reaching out to help the family, but it will take some time before the scars from this incident heal completely. In the Word of Wisdom, which is a health code from God to protect our bodies and minds, the Lord speaks as follows, 

` 4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation— 

5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father...`

It is not good, nor necessary to drink. It never brings happiness. It never brings the Spirit. And even when it doesn´t seem to have an impact in the short run... it will in the future. What a word of wisdom.


All is well with us here, and we are going to finish off what will probably be the last week together strong. 

Love,

Elder House