Well everyone,
I am in Campinas this week because we are having a special four day training. I am in a companionship of three with my Zone Leader, Elder Ficklin and another Elder named Elder Steck from St.George. The training that we are doing is amazing. I am learning so much. I can wait to get back to my area and to apply it all.
We sing hymns almost everytime we teach people and Elder Fa likes to sing like a Ukalaili Singer, you know with lots of random notes and ``oooohs`` and things like that so it is kind of funny, yet I like him a lot.
Elder Long is once again in my Zone and once again my Zone Leader. This is the third time he has been my zone leader, we basically move around together, yet we have never been companions. We did leave together in a house of four one time. It is good to back with him, we get a long great and we have a very similar view of the work and the same desire to help the people of Brazil.
Today was the first time I went to the temple in brazil. IT WAS GREAT.
When I entered into the endowment I found my Bishop from my last area starting me off. As I stepped in he looked at me and smiled ``Elder Nothum!``. Then he said in english ``miss you``. It felt good to know that he approved the work I did there. I love the temple so much and the Campinas temple is so amazing inside. The Brazilians love the temple and it is always full, always. The people here understand the work amazingly and the church has only been here for around sixty years.
I am enjoying my new area, but it was kind of rough to abandon it for a week, but what can you do. The Lord will bless us.
As I said, my new area is the area farthest away from the mission office and it is very expensive to catch a bus to there, and I was already out of money, so the zone leaders and I were talking on Saturday of how we were going to get to Campinas. We realized that President Tanner would give a talk in my branch Sunday and we decided to ask him if he could give me and Elder Ficklin a ride to Campinas. He agreed and we got to spend a good three hours in the car with the president. It was neat. We all strived to speak Portuguese and not english the whole time, but the president gave in and we started to talk in English. He was totally drained because he had been driving around alll day across the whole mission and he tould us that he yet hadn´t taken a P-day. Sister Tanner then looked at him and said, smiling ``Honey, you need a long rest.``
He shrugged his shoulders and said ``no, I need a big coke``
We all laughed and it was good to see that President Tanner isn´t just our leader, but a comman man with a amazing desire to serve the Lord.
Well, got to go.
GOOD LUCK WITH YOUR BAPTISM NOODLE!!!!!! SEND ME LOTS OF PICTURES!!!!! I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND YOU ARE THE BEST LITTLE SISTER IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD!!!!!
Com Amor,
Elder Nothum
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Well,
I only stayed for one transfer in Noza Suiça. And it was a good one. We worked and slaved for five weeks straight and we didn´t baptize anyone. Until the very last week. The Lord saw Elder Wilson and I in our afflictions and blessed us with a man named Aluizio. He is a humble man who lives in a one room apartment. He was baptized this passed Sunday. It was the first baptism in that ward for over ten months. The Lord really does bless you always, but sometimes it takes awhile.
Elder Wilson stayed in Nova Suiça where he will be a senior companion for the first time, I´m excited that he is going to have that opportunity to lead.
I was tranfered to the area that is furthest away from the mission office. We took a four hour bus ride to get here. It is a branch in the city of Jaú. My companion is a Tongan named Elder Fa, he is an awesome Elder and we get along great. He works hard and teaches with power and conviction, he has less time in the mission than me, but I am learning so much from him. He had a full ride scholarship to play football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, but he turned it down to go on a mission. He is a dedicated servant and I am excited for the chance to work with him.
I am feeling a bit overwhlemed and excited. I was called as a district leader. I learned form my last transfer, as a senior companion, that leadership opportunities aer only opportunities to serve and that it is more responsiblity and that the Lord expects more from you. It doesn´t mean that you are better than anyone else. I really have no idea what I need to do as a district leader, so I studues today in the missionary handbook under leadership and did an in-depth study that was very fruitfull. I am excited to serve and help the Elders and Sisters in my district and I am going to be learning a lot.
Elder Christensen is training a new Elder this transfer. He is an awesome guy. He will train a Brazilian, that is one lucky Brasileiro.
Today, i did an intense football work out and Elder Fa is going to teach me some Tongan hymns that they only have there. He has a video on the internet of him and his cousins singing this song on youtube, you can watch it so you can know who he is, and to here a really cool song. He said to search for ``How can I be Fa`` on youtube. It will be a video of three tongans singing ´´How can be, like my brother Nephi.....`´ I heared some Tongan Elders sing the song in the MTC, it is really great.
Well, I have a lot to do this P-day, but I am so excited for the opportunities that I am having to grow and I have learned so much out here.
I LOVE YOU NOODLE!!!
Com Amor,
Elder Nothum
I only stayed for one transfer in Noza Suiça. And it was a good one. We worked and slaved for five weeks straight and we didn´t baptize anyone. Until the very last week. The Lord saw Elder Wilson and I in our afflictions and blessed us with a man named Aluizio. He is a humble man who lives in a one room apartment. He was baptized this passed Sunday. It was the first baptism in that ward for over ten months. The Lord really does bless you always, but sometimes it takes awhile.
Elder Wilson stayed in Nova Suiça where he will be a senior companion for the first time, I´m excited that he is going to have that opportunity to lead.
I was tranfered to the area that is furthest away from the mission office. We took a four hour bus ride to get here. It is a branch in the city of Jaú. My companion is a Tongan named Elder Fa, he is an awesome Elder and we get along great. He works hard and teaches with power and conviction, he has less time in the mission than me, but I am learning so much from him. He had a full ride scholarship to play football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, but he turned it down to go on a mission. He is a dedicated servant and I am excited for the chance to work with him.
I am feeling a bit overwhlemed and excited. I was called as a district leader. I learned form my last transfer, as a senior companion, that leadership opportunities aer only opportunities to serve and that it is more responsiblity and that the Lord expects more from you. It doesn´t mean that you are better than anyone else. I really have no idea what I need to do as a district leader, so I studues today in the missionary handbook under leadership and did an in-depth study that was very fruitfull. I am excited to serve and help the Elders and Sisters in my district and I am going to be learning a lot.
Elder Christensen is training a new Elder this transfer. He is an awesome guy. He will train a Brazilian, that is one lucky Brasileiro.
Today, i did an intense football work out and Elder Fa is going to teach me some Tongan hymns that they only have there. He has a video on the internet of him and his cousins singing this song on youtube, you can watch it so you can know who he is, and to here a really cool song. He said to search for ``How can I be Fa`` on youtube. It will be a video of three tongans singing ´´How can be, like my brother Nephi.....`´ I heared some Tongan Elders sing the song in the MTC, it is really great.
Well, I have a lot to do this P-day, but I am so excited for the opportunities that I am having to grow and I have learned so much out here.
I LOVE YOU NOODLE!!!
Com Amor,
Elder Nothum
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Oi Tudo Mundo,
We slaved through he week trying our hardest to find people to teach, and we found them. Then, when we tried to teach them a second time, nobody was home, or the just didn't want to listen again.
I know that the Lord sent us here to Nova Suica to find certain people to teach, but everything seemed to be falling through. Then, Saturday night Elder Wilson felt that we needed to pass a contact that he had done. We went there and didn't find the person he contacted, but a man named Aluizo who accepted to be baptized and is very excited for his baptism this Sunday. Then on the way to church a man stopped us and said "You're church starts at 9:00 doesn't it?"
We responded "Yes" and said that he was going to attend today.
He went to church and we taught him that night, marked his baptism, and Monday night he went to a Family Home Evening with us.
In the hour when it was almost looked that we had worked and sacrificed this whole transfer for nothing, the Lord blessed us with two great humble people as well as another great family that we will teach again tonight. This experience has strengthened the faith of Elder Wilson and I and we gain a greater understanding of why constant diligence is essential.
If we hadn't been working hard the whole transfer, the Lord would not have gave that prompting to Elder Wilson and he would not have put that man in our path.
Elder Wilson is a good guy, even though very nerdy, and I have really learned to love him this transfer. Two days ago I finally traded some of my American bills for good old Brazilian cash and Elder Wilson and I had a night on the town. And by night on the town I mean that two days ago we had McDonald's for lunch and yesterday we had subway.
I had an interview with the new mission president,so he could get to know me. He is a big BYU fan and he graduated from there, so I already have a total confidence in him. He is a real person. He doesn't set himself way above the Elders and talk down to them, he is just another worker in Zion who has been given and opportunity to serve.
He served a mission in Brazil so he already speaks the language, but that isn't the case with his wife, bless her heart. The other day she tried to say "until later!" which is "At'e logo!", yet she said "At'e lago!" which means "until lake." She is an extremely sweet lady. She told me about when President Tanner served in the Navy he was called to serve in Vietnam for one year and this was right after they had their first child, a whole year alone, taking care of a baby being 21 years old... that must have been an experience.
This next week will be transfers, I have no idea what will happen. But you will all find out in my next email.
I am starting to understand more and more how the Holy Ghost whispers and reveals things to us and it is a great experience. The other day I was teaching a woman named Nilda and I literally knew her thoughts, each thing that passed her mind, I knew it. She said in the middle of the lesson, that is exactly how every day goes and that is exactly how I feel. It was a really awesome experience and trying more and more to focus on the people and what the Lord needs me to say to them.
I love this work and I am so thankful for this privilege.
In other news "All Righty Then" does not translate into Portuguese, that is a bummer, but what can you do?
Eu Amo este trabalho!!!
-Elder Nothum
We slaved through he week trying our hardest to find people to teach, and we found them. Then, when we tried to teach them a second time, nobody was home, or the just didn't want to listen again.
I know that the Lord sent us here to Nova Suica to find certain people to teach, but everything seemed to be falling through. Then, Saturday night Elder Wilson felt that we needed to pass a contact that he had done. We went there and didn't find the person he contacted, but a man named Aluizo who accepted to be baptized and is very excited for his baptism this Sunday. Then on the way to church a man stopped us and said "You're church starts at 9:00 doesn't it?"
We responded "Yes" and said that he was going to attend today.
He went to church and we taught him that night, marked his baptism, and Monday night he went to a Family Home Evening with us.
In the hour when it was almost looked that we had worked and sacrificed this whole transfer for nothing, the Lord blessed us with two great humble people as well as another great family that we will teach again tonight. This experience has strengthened the faith of Elder Wilson and I and we gain a greater understanding of why constant diligence is essential.
If we hadn't been working hard the whole transfer, the Lord would not have gave that prompting to Elder Wilson and he would not have put that man in our path.
Elder Wilson is a good guy, even though very nerdy, and I have really learned to love him this transfer. Two days ago I finally traded some of my American bills for good old Brazilian cash and Elder Wilson and I had a night on the town. And by night on the town I mean that two days ago we had McDonald's for lunch and yesterday we had subway.
I had an interview with the new mission president,so he could get to know me. He is a big BYU fan and he graduated from there, so I already have a total confidence in him. He is a real person. He doesn't set himself way above the Elders and talk down to them, he is just another worker in Zion who has been given and opportunity to serve.
He served a mission in Brazil so he already speaks the language, but that isn't the case with his wife, bless her heart. The other day she tried to say "until later!" which is "At'e logo!", yet she said "At'e lago!" which means "until lake." She is an extremely sweet lady. She told me about when President Tanner served in the Navy he was called to serve in Vietnam for one year and this was right after they had their first child, a whole year alone, taking care of a baby being 21 years old... that must have been an experience.
This next week will be transfers, I have no idea what will happen. But you will all find out in my next email.
I am starting to understand more and more how the Holy Ghost whispers and reveals things to us and it is a great experience. The other day I was teaching a woman named Nilda and I literally knew her thoughts, each thing that passed her mind, I knew it. She said in the middle of the lesson, that is exactly how every day goes and that is exactly how I feel. It was a really awesome experience and trying more and more to focus on the people and what the Lord needs me to say to them.
I love this work and I am so thankful for this privilege.
In other news "All Righty Then" does not translate into Portuguese, that is a bummer, but what can you do?
Eu Amo este trabalho!!!
-Elder Nothum
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Hello there,
This week has been one of the hardest weeks of my mission, at least until now.
Right now I am living in a house of four missionaries. Elder Lourenço and his companion Elder Moulton, and Elder Wilson and I. Elder Lourenço has become unmotivated about the work and he is staying at home a lot, sleeping during study, not planning, and other things. His companion thus, has become infected with the same illness, saying often ´´I´m a terrible missionary... I don´t know how to teach... there is no way I can have success here.`` He is an awesome missionary and he has the desire to what he needs to do, but he is new in the field and lacks the courage to take a hold of things.
When we arrived here it took only the first day to see that my companion was lacking confidence and that he doesn´t think he is a very good missionary, which is also a lie, he is an awesome humble missionary and he tries his hardest and that is all that that the Lord wants from us. Yet, when things start to go wrong during the day he starts to get unmotivated and down in the dumps. That is hard for me, because I am used to guys like Alex Baker, who when things get crummy he just starts to smile and do ridiculous stuff and you can´t help but laugh and realize how great life is. I hadn´t realized until today how my friends in life have always been people who were joyful in any type of situation, those are the kind of people that I like to be around, people who are naturally happy, people that you don´t need to make them happy every other second.
So, we have so many great people that we are teaching right now. Hugo e Jordana: a young couple from Chile who have one daughter named Martina and a son, Mateus, who was born last week. Roberio, Ivana, Livia, and Luiza: A reference from a sister in our ward. They are great and at the end of the very first lesson, Ivana was crying because of the prayer that her 16 year old rebelious daughter offered. André: A 21 year old with a band that he compares to U2. He understood so clearly the douctrine of the first lesson and saw the need for a modern a day prophet, he accepted to baptized and has read and prayed about the Book of Mormon. Valeria and José: An older couple with an autistic son. They have been to church two time and they are liking it a lot.
So now you are asking: ´´Elder Nothum, you have all of these great people to teach, how was this one of the hardest weeks of your mission, with so many great people to teach.``
Good question faithful email reader.
Well, we love these people and we have seen the progress they are making and we want so badly to continue to teaching them, yet... We passed by each and everyone of their houses time and time againn this week and we didn´t teach a single one of them. People who have already visited the church. People who have already eight chapters of the Book of Mormon. People who have received testimonies of it´s divinity. ZERO. Normally, I can keep myself motivated and I can keep pushing on joyfully until the promised blessings come, but this week has been a long and rough one. I know the Lord is the head of this work and that if I give my all that he will bless us with success.
The house is a spiritual abiss it seems, due to the state of the Elders that live there and I am trying to show love and turn things around, but things just seem to be getting worse. This is my trial of faith and one scripture today during my study made me ponder the purpose of all that is happening Mosiah 7:29-33. I invite you all to read this and think about what your trials are and the christlike attributes that whose fault is the result of this trial. Think of what has become your block of stumbling. If are not walking in accordinance with the statutes and covenants of the Lord, it does not matter how hard we work, our work will be a stumbling block and we will have no true success. God gives us punishments in this life as a proof of our transgressions, if it were not so we would sin, everything would stay perfect and we would just keep sinning until the last day when we will be judged. Yet because of our loving Heavenly Father´s plan, there is a temporal punishment linked with every sin, so that we can notice sin and try our hardest to abandon it. The universal punishment of all sins is the exit of the Spirit. The universal result of true repentence is the returning of the Spirit. True happiness and success in this life as well as the next can only be received through humbly following the will of Him who created all, even when you don´t understand why. Humilty is the fruit of obedience, and it is the greatest invitaiton to the Holy spirit to enter into our mortal temples. The spirit of the Lord will not be the prideful, because he knows that even if he gave them a spiritual prompting, they would ignore it. I invite all of you to prayfully read Alma Chapter 5 and afterwards Mosiah 7:29-33 and think about what you have power to change in your life. I promise that if you prayerfully read these scriptures and apply them to your life, you will receive revelations for your betterment and that you will have a greater abiity to understand the mission of the Holy Ghost in your life.
The Lord will bless us in our aflictions if we are faithful. But those who ignore His will, those will be ignored in their moment of suffering. Why will people go to Spirit Prison? Alma 40:13.
Search the scriptures daily, please. If I didn´t, I could not survive these two years. Don´t lull yourselves into carnal security saying that daily scripture study isn´t a must. Concercrate at least fifteen minutes to earnest, prayerful, scripture study. If you open them with your desires and questions in your mind and prayerfully search, you will find that all you need is written or can be given through the Holy Ghost, but, scripture study is the guide to revealtion. If you are not reading your scriptures daily I invite you to stop pushing away the Spirit of the Lord and to open your arms to him through study and prayer.
-Elder Nothum
This week has been one of the hardest weeks of my mission, at least until now.
Right now I am living in a house of four missionaries. Elder Lourenço and his companion Elder Moulton, and Elder Wilson and I. Elder Lourenço has become unmotivated about the work and he is staying at home a lot, sleeping during study, not planning, and other things. His companion thus, has become infected with the same illness, saying often ´´I´m a terrible missionary... I don´t know how to teach... there is no way I can have success here.`` He is an awesome missionary and he has the desire to what he needs to do, but he is new in the field and lacks the courage to take a hold of things.
When we arrived here it took only the first day to see that my companion was lacking confidence and that he doesn´t think he is a very good missionary, which is also a lie, he is an awesome humble missionary and he tries his hardest and that is all that that the Lord wants from us. Yet, when things start to go wrong during the day he starts to get unmotivated and down in the dumps. That is hard for me, because I am used to guys like Alex Baker, who when things get crummy he just starts to smile and do ridiculous stuff and you can´t help but laugh and realize how great life is. I hadn´t realized until today how my friends in life have always been people who were joyful in any type of situation, those are the kind of people that I like to be around, people who are naturally happy, people that you don´t need to make them happy every other second.
So, we have so many great people that we are teaching right now. Hugo e Jordana: a young couple from Chile who have one daughter named Martina and a son, Mateus, who was born last week. Roberio, Ivana, Livia, and Luiza: A reference from a sister in our ward. They are great and at the end of the very first lesson, Ivana was crying because of the prayer that her 16 year old rebelious daughter offered. André: A 21 year old with a band that he compares to U2. He understood so clearly the douctrine of the first lesson and saw the need for a modern a day prophet, he accepted to baptized and has read and prayed about the Book of Mormon. Valeria and José: An older couple with an autistic son. They have been to church two time and they are liking it a lot.
So now you are asking: ´´Elder Nothum, you have all of these great people to teach, how was this one of the hardest weeks of your mission, with so many great people to teach.``
Good question faithful email reader.
Well, we love these people and we have seen the progress they are making and we want so badly to continue to teaching them, yet... We passed by each and everyone of their houses time and time againn this week and we didn´t teach a single one of them. People who have already visited the church. People who have already eight chapters of the Book of Mormon. People who have received testimonies of it´s divinity. ZERO. Normally, I can keep myself motivated and I can keep pushing on joyfully until the promised blessings come, but this week has been a long and rough one. I know the Lord is the head of this work and that if I give my all that he will bless us with success.
The house is a spiritual abiss it seems, due to the state of the Elders that live there and I am trying to show love and turn things around, but things just seem to be getting worse. This is my trial of faith and one scripture today during my study made me ponder the purpose of all that is happening Mosiah 7:29-33. I invite you all to read this and think about what your trials are and the christlike attributes that whose fault is the result of this trial. Think of what has become your block of stumbling. If are not walking in accordinance with the statutes and covenants of the Lord, it does not matter how hard we work, our work will be a stumbling block and we will have no true success. God gives us punishments in this life as a proof of our transgressions, if it were not so we would sin, everything would stay perfect and we would just keep sinning until the last day when we will be judged. Yet because of our loving Heavenly Father´s plan, there is a temporal punishment linked with every sin, so that we can notice sin and try our hardest to abandon it. The universal punishment of all sins is the exit of the Spirit. The universal result of true repentence is the returning of the Spirit. True happiness and success in this life as well as the next can only be received through humbly following the will of Him who created all, even when you don´t understand why. Humilty is the fruit of obedience, and it is the greatest invitaiton to the Holy spirit to enter into our mortal temples. The spirit of the Lord will not be the prideful, because he knows that even if he gave them a spiritual prompting, they would ignore it. I invite all of you to prayfully read Alma Chapter 5 and afterwards Mosiah 7:29-33 and think about what you have power to change in your life. I promise that if you prayerfully read these scriptures and apply them to your life, you will receive revelations for your betterment and that you will have a greater abiity to understand the mission of the Holy Ghost in your life.
The Lord will bless us in our aflictions if we are faithful. But those who ignore His will, those will be ignored in their moment of suffering. Why will people go to Spirit Prison? Alma 40:13.
Search the scriptures daily, please. If I didn´t, I could not survive these two years. Don´t lull yourselves into carnal security saying that daily scripture study isn´t a must. Concercrate at least fifteen minutes to earnest, prayerful, scripture study. If you open them with your desires and questions in your mind and prayerfully search, you will find that all you need is written or can be given through the Holy Ghost, but, scripture study is the guide to revealtion. If you are not reading your scriptures daily I invite you to stop pushing away the Spirit of the Lord and to open your arms to him through study and prayer.
-Elder Nothum
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