Hey family,

   I have learned a lot of great lessons this week. The main one being humility. 

     For a while Elder Pinheiro has been pushing us to raise our goals and teach 10 lessons a day and do 20 contacts a day. I was kind of giving him a ´´I have more time in the mission and I know how to work effectively´´ vibe when he brought this up. He also just seemed kind of down. He then brought up the subject again this last week.

     He started out by saying ´´I want to teach more, I want to give more, I want to.... I....I.....I`` 

  I said if we are going to set a goal it needs to be something we discuss and that we decide together. So he expressed his points and I made mine and I started to humble myself to see that everything that he was saying was right, he had the perfect vision of missionary work. So we were off with our new goals, 10 lessons and 20 contacts everyday.

   I put it to the test yesterday and the result was amazing. I was with Elder Suertagaray from our zone and we got the goals and had an amazing day. In one day we taught 11 lessons, marked 7 baptisms, and found 17 new investigators.  Elder Godoy from the Seventy visited our mission last week and I was really touched and impressed with his remarks. 

   He mentioned his conversion. He said that he was a shaggy haired punk looking kid who looked like he would never have any interest in the gospel. After being baptized he went in-active because nobody in the ward talked to him or tried to be his friend. He had a strong testimony, but felt like an outcast at church so he stopped going. I hope that never happens in a ward where I go. Elder Godoy said that you can never judge anyone by their looks to decide if they will accept or not, but that we must talk with all. I gained a testimony of this yesterday.

    Yesterday, Elder Suertagaray and I were walking to an appointment when I saw two rough looking guys. They had big coats on with fur around the hood and had a peircing in his chin. They both had mean looks on and they just looked sketcy. Due to their looks I almost didn´t talk to them, then I remembered what Elder Godoy said and I went for it.

   I told them that we were missionaries and that we had a message about Heavenly Father´s plan for our families and that it would bring them peace.

  One of them looked at me and said ´´Peace is the one thing I need more than anything right now. My father died this morning and we are going to the viewing here in a little bit.´´ We went to his home and taught him, his wife, his cousin, and his sister about the plan of salvation and about how through the savior they could feel peace and comfort in this moment. We read Isaiah 53:4 and they were all in tears, they all accepted another visit and we will go there on Thursday. 

    To think I could have missed that great opportunity to comfort those in need of comfort is unbearable.

  I can really say that we are working hard now and I can´t wait to teach all of these wonderful people we found. Elder Pinheiro is a great missionary and he is teaching me a lot.

 

    Abraço Forte,

                     Elder Nothum