I. AM. EXHAUSTED.! I don't know if it is a normal thing but I am just completely exhausted in all ways. Physically, mentally, and spiritually haha. I have never felt the way that I do right now. I am getting better though. I am slowly getting more and more used to this craziness here in Bosque. My companion is Elder Mendes. He is from Fortaleza Brasil and is 25 years old. He is a pretty cool kid. He is struggling here on the mission in a few ways and if you could just keep him in your prayers that would be much appreciated. Also, if you could keep me in your prayers to be a better example to him and help him become what he wants to be... that would be much appreciated as well. I am so grateful for you guys. I tell you this because I know how much you care, how much you can help, and how real the power of prayer really is. I am so grateful for the opportunity that we have to pray and to talk to our Heavenly Father... He is real and He is listening and helping. Soo amazing!!
So how about that new area? Well.. we are living more in the city now. There are literally apartments EVERYWHERE!!! It is so hard to make contacts because people will either lie about their address... or give an address to an apartment and not give us their room number. It is so annoying. We walk and walk and walk with hopes to teach and then we get there and look up to a 20 floor apartment building without a floor number. It's the worst!!
The house is another crappy part about our area. It is a two story house with a billion problems haha. Fun fact: My companion was taking a shower and decided to go to the bathroom. `Don't flush the toilet when you are taking a shower...?` Well it is REAL!!! He flushed the toilet and it went down and came out of the drain in the shower... EVERYTHING and EVERYWHERE!!! I just hear him scream and it was the funniest (yet grossest) thing that has ever happened in Brasil. Hahahaha!! But besides that and the other million things that are wrong with it.. we do have AC in our room and a bed to sleep on...which is nice. At the end of the day.. that is all I really need. Ü
I was on splits this past week and we were climbing a mount everest of a hill. (Actually... we were at the bottom of it and I was about to cry haha.) Like this is the type of hill that is a 90 degree angle of your tie and the rest of your body as you walk up it. Well.. then some Brazilians were all like... `Look an American.` They started talking to me and telling me how they could beat me in Soccer. I went on to say how I can't play soccer but I will race them. They told me that they would demolish me and they were all dressed in their soccer clothes. They started laughing at me and they asked me when and where. I told them to pick their fastest kid and I will race him. They picked the kid and he was pretty athletic.. I was pretty scared but I had faith haha. I told the kid (Marcos) that he could pick where and he told me up the hill. I thought to myself... ´Elder Abel... you are so stupid. You are dressed in church clothes and church shoes and you are not gonna win this battle.` But High School Track Sky was totally down. I tightened up my shoes and as I was tying my other shoe they shouted `GO!` and the small, quick, Brazilian went off. It was epic as I took off... I don't think I have ever ran so fast in my life. All of my pride and the pride of the Church was on me. haha! This was like life or death for me and for these Brazilians to hear the Gospel. Well to shorten things up a bit.. I won. I beat this soccer kid.. up the hill... and it was a highlight of the week. I don't know how I did it.. but you wouldn't imagine the amount of Brazilians that witnessed it and were in such shame haha. It was a proud moment of mine. But the best part of this was not that I only won.. but that these kids want to hear more about the Gospel and that they are very interested in what the Gospel and the Church is all about. Sometimes it takes being a little bit more normal and relatable to get to the hearts of the people here. It was so cool and it strengthened my testimony... as weird as it sounds.
This past week we had a conference with Elder Toledo (of the Seventy) and his wife. They are both Brazilian, and have such amazing testimonies. They are truly amazing!! They taught me so much and the spirit they brought to the meeting was incredible!! But after the meeting he said that he would like to interview 5 missionaries. One of those missionaries was me! I was scared out of my mind. I had nothing to hide, but I was so scared. It wasn't the type of `worthiness interviews´ that you may be thinking... but was more about the mission and about my personal life. He asked me a bunch of questions that really hit me hard and made me think quite a bit. But then at the end... he said... `Elder Abel... I have something that I need to tell you that your Savior would like to say.` My heart just dropped, got instant chills, and I just started to cry.. the spirit was so strong and it was incredible. He went on to tell me how much Heavenly Father loves me.. how I have a purpose here on the Earth and how I have a purpose here on my mission. He also went on to tell me how much my parents love me.. in great detail of EXACTLY what my parents are doing in that very moment and exactly how they feel as I am here on the mission. It was such an amazing experience and made me just feel so overwhelmed with the love of my Savior and the love of my Heavenly Father and earthly parents. It was such a powerful experience and it was exactly what I needed to hear. I am so grateful for the spirit... I am grateful for the leaders of this church who receive revelation and know what we need. I have no doubt in my mind that we have a loving, living, Heavenly Father. Everything on this earth is a sign of His existence, love, and is care towards us. I know that we have loving Heavenly Parents who watch over and protect us.. just like our parents here on this earth. I am so grateful for my mom and dad. I am grateful for the love that they show me and the love that they show to our family and to others around them. They are my greatest examples in all things and there is no other mom or dad that fit me more perfectly than those two do. I am so grateful for each and everyone of you and the examples that you are in my life. Sometimes it blows my mind that we were placed soo perfectly together and that we strengthen each other so perfectly. I am grateful for all of you and the eternal family that we are. I am also so grateful to have the knowledge of a loving Heavenly Father and Mother who live, who love, who care, and who bless us. There is not a doubt in my mind that they weep when we weep, smile when we smile, rejoice when we rejoice, suffer when we suffer, and bless us when we are in need just like our earthly parents do. I am so grateful for all of you and I love you all individually so very much!!
Love, your happy and feeling very blessed Sky... Elder Abel! (;
So how about that new area? Well.. we are living more in the city now. There are literally apartments EVERYWHERE!!! It is so hard to make contacts because people will either lie about their address... or give an address to an apartment and not give us their room number. It is so annoying. We walk and walk and walk with hopes to teach and then we get there and look up to a 20 floor apartment building without a floor number. It's the worst!!
The house is another crappy part about our area. It is a two story house with a billion problems haha. Fun fact: My companion was taking a shower and decided to go to the bathroom. `Don't flush the toilet when you are taking a shower...?` Well it is REAL!!! He flushed the toilet and it went down and came out of the drain in the shower... EVERYTHING and EVERYWHERE!!! I just hear him scream and it was the funniest (yet grossest) thing that has ever happened in Brasil. Hahahaha!! But besides that and the other million things that are wrong with it.. we do have AC in our room and a bed to sleep on...which is nice. At the end of the day.. that is all I really need. Ü
I was on splits this past week and we were climbing a mount everest of a hill. (Actually... we were at the bottom of it and I was about to cry haha.) Like this is the type of hill that is a 90 degree angle of your tie and the rest of your body as you walk up it. Well.. then some Brazilians were all like... `Look an American.` They started talking to me and telling me how they could beat me in Soccer. I went on to say how I can't play soccer but I will race them. They told me that they would demolish me and they were all dressed in their soccer clothes. They started laughing at me and they asked me when and where. I told them to pick their fastest kid and I will race him. They picked the kid and he was pretty athletic.. I was pretty scared but I had faith haha. I told the kid (Marcos) that he could pick where and he told me up the hill. I thought to myself... ´Elder Abel... you are so stupid. You are dressed in church clothes and church shoes and you are not gonna win this battle.` But High School Track Sky was totally down. I tightened up my shoes and as I was tying my other shoe they shouted `GO!` and the small, quick, Brazilian went off. It was epic as I took off... I don't think I have ever ran so fast in my life. All of my pride and the pride of the Church was on me. haha! This was like life or death for me and for these Brazilians to hear the Gospel. Well to shorten things up a bit.. I won. I beat this soccer kid.. up the hill... and it was a highlight of the week. I don't know how I did it.. but you wouldn't imagine the amount of Brazilians that witnessed it and were in such shame haha. It was a proud moment of mine. But the best part of this was not that I only won.. but that these kids want to hear more about the Gospel and that they are very interested in what the Gospel and the Church is all about. Sometimes it takes being a little bit more normal and relatable to get to the hearts of the people here. It was so cool and it strengthened my testimony... as weird as it sounds.
This past week we had a conference with Elder Toledo (of the Seventy) and his wife. They are both Brazilian, and have such amazing testimonies. They are truly amazing!! They taught me so much and the spirit they brought to the meeting was incredible!! But after the meeting he said that he would like to interview 5 missionaries. One of those missionaries was me! I was scared out of my mind. I had nothing to hide, but I was so scared. It wasn't the type of `worthiness interviews´ that you may be thinking... but was more about the mission and about my personal life. He asked me a bunch of questions that really hit me hard and made me think quite a bit. But then at the end... he said... `Elder Abel... I have something that I need to tell you that your Savior would like to say.` My heart just dropped, got instant chills, and I just started to cry.. the spirit was so strong and it was incredible. He went on to tell me how much Heavenly Father loves me.. how I have a purpose here on the Earth and how I have a purpose here on my mission. He also went on to tell me how much my parents love me.. in great detail of EXACTLY what my parents are doing in that very moment and exactly how they feel as I am here on the mission. It was such an amazing experience and made me just feel so overwhelmed with the love of my Savior and the love of my Heavenly Father and earthly parents. It was such a powerful experience and it was exactly what I needed to hear. I am so grateful for the spirit... I am grateful for the leaders of this church who receive revelation and know what we need. I have no doubt in my mind that we have a loving, living, Heavenly Father. Everything on this earth is a sign of His existence, love, and is care towards us. I know that we have loving Heavenly Parents who watch over and protect us.. just like our parents here on this earth. I am so grateful for my mom and dad. I am grateful for the love that they show me and the love that they show to our family and to others around them. They are my greatest examples in all things and there is no other mom or dad that fit me more perfectly than those two do. I am so grateful for each and everyone of you and the examples that you are in my life. Sometimes it blows my mind that we were placed soo perfectly together and that we strengthen each other so perfectly. I am grateful for all of you and the eternal family that we are. I am also so grateful to have the knowledge of a loving Heavenly Father and Mother who live, who love, who care, and who bless us. There is not a doubt in my mind that they weep when we weep, smile when we smile, rejoice when we rejoice, suffer when we suffer, and bless us when we are in need just like our earthly parents do. I am so grateful for all of you and I love you all individually so very much!!
Love, your happy and feeling very blessed Sky... Elder Abel! (;
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