"We will go to the shopping"

Hey Everybody!

So one transfer is over! 6 weeks already?!?! For me it feels like it flew by. So I am not getting transferred! I am staying here in Itabuna for another 6 weeks! The sad part is that Elder Santana is leaving. It seriously is very sad because I was so worried about my trainer before I got him and he was everything I had hoped for and more! My new companion will be Elder Quintana. Elder Santana said that he is from Nicaragua and that he might be finishing his mission with me! But we don't really know until I meet him tomorrow. 

This week was a little tough. It wasn't like heart-breaking tough but it was still hard. 

Tuesday we were doing a lot of finding and contacting inactive and less-active members. We were looking for a person and were really lost. So we just knocked on the closest door and a man opened who we asked for directions and he did not know. But we kept talking and he invited us in. We had a fantastic lesson on the Restoration! I just love how Heavenly Father works like that. So amazing. 

Wednesday we had a zone meeting. It was awesome and I realized I can understand so much more than I could at the first zone meeting a month ago. That was encouraging! Quick funny thing. after the zone meeting my district had to go to get new shirts for Elder Santana real fast. The store that has good, decent shirts is far from our area but near where our zone meeting was. This store is in a mall. But they do not call them malls here. They call them "Shopping." To me it was really funny because shopping is an action word in English but here they say, "A gente vai ir a Shopping." That means "we will go to the shopping." LOL!

Wednesday night was sad because we had our first failed "Hora do Cha." The people that the members invited over just did not show up. But looking back at it now it still benefitted us and the members because the next night we had to go back to their house to pick up something that we forgot the night before. It so happened that the member was really sick and he had been wanting a Priesthood blessing right when we showed up!! We got to give him a healing blessing. I don't know how to give blessings in Portuguese yet so I did it in English. After he said it was really cool because he has never received a blessing in a different language. Holding the Priesthood of God is such a privilege.

Earlier in the week we searched and found a reference from a member. We tought Flavio, the reference, the first lesson and it was really spiritual. He said he was interested more. We decided next we wanted to teach him with his member friend. We called the member the next day and found out that both of them were going to play Ping Pòng at the church that same day. (Ping Pong is huge here). We went and had a great time! It was good because we did not have a formal lesson but just talked and got to know each other. And naturally our conversation turned to gospel topics. I think he sees now that we are not robots but normal people who really love this gospel. It was great. 

Friday night we helped a lady move houses. It was me, Elder Santana, and one priest in the ward named Leo who just got his mission call to Belem, Brazil. I will say that helping people back home in our ward move totally paid off as I was able to help better because of my past experiences. 

After we moved the lady into her new house we had to drive back in the big truck that they had used. The truck was huge and a stick shift. The guy driving it was old and did not have very good vision. We were driving on a Brazilian freeway in the jungle with no streetlights. The truck's lights only shone for about 4 feet ahead of the car. It was raining and there was a lightning storm all around us. The only light came from the lighting.  Oh man that was terrifying but awesome at the same time and somehow we made it. And trust me when I tell you I was praying so hard the whole way home.

Now for your emails:

WOW! What a week it sounds and looks like you guys had in Michigan! It looked soooo awesome! And so cool that you guys got to go to the game and that BYU won!! The Grand hotel seemed really cool! And of course the Johnsons are always awesome! I am sooooo happy that West Ranch Football won. Holy Cow! They beat Canyon?  But at the same time I’m sad that we did not get that coach!! Just think what we could've been like!  Logan seemed quite happy with his new phone! Awesome, haha! It is crazy that he is so old. I am sooo soo sad to hear about Brady. Like sooo sad! What a bummer. But cool that he got to start and that he go the win against UCLA. I will keep him, Charlie in Florida, and Blake in the Phillipines in my prayers a little extra this week!

I love you all. This gospel is true. The Book of Mormon has power. Real, true power to keep bad things away. Read it!! Have a great week everyone! 

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Elder Spencer P. Christofferson