Week 62 - 21 November 2011 Leaving Capanema

Wassup! So this week was pretty sad, not gonna lie. I’m getting transferred from Capanema, and I’ll be going to Cabanagem again, but this time I’ll be in the Cabanagem Ward. I won’t say that I’m not excited haha cuz I’ll go wherever the Lord calls me, but I like the little small towns.  

My new companion will be Elder Rodrigues.  He’ll be my fifth straight Brazilian companion on the mission. Haha. I was rooting for an American so I can have a little break from the Portuguese, but it seems like the Lord really wants me to do well with the Portuguese language haha.

So the members here threw me a little goodbye party on Sunday night. It was super sad. Capanema really is a place that lives in my heart. I love all the people here and this place. Although it’ll be good to get transferred, it’s gonna be hard to leave.  I have already said all my goodbyes, and there were lots of tears shed.  It’s probably not good to become so attached to the people where you serve, since you know that one day you will be transferred, but I can’t help it. Capanema will be a place that I’ll never forget and was really such a great place to serve 6 months of my mission. The whole goodbye thing actually reminded me of the goodbyes when I was leaving SVU.  I said goodbye to all the people I love, knowing that I will probably never see them ever again in this lifetime. But I’m happy.  We’ll travel to Castanhal in about an hour, then tomorrow we’ll be heading to Belém.

I love you guys, and I’m grateful for all of your support. Tchau!

Élder Andrus

Week 61 - 14 November 2011

Hey there família! This week we had a Zone Conference with Presidente Campos and 4 zones here on Tuesday. It was super good, and it lasted alllll day haha. It started at 8 in the morning and got done at about 7:30. And the cool thing is that we had to leave at about 5 in the morning to get there, then after we had to travel back home late at night still haha.  I’m really learning how to love traveling being here in Capanema haha.  OH and I got the package you guys sent me at the conference. Loved the Goldfish and the Christmas lights are already put up. :) Man, I love the Christmas spirit.

So this week we had a baptism of a 21 year old girl.  We ran into her on the street about 2 weeks ago, then we started teaching her, and she really showed the desire to change and be baptized. She was definitely a person that was prepared by the Lord for us. Her story is pretty cool too. She told us that about a week before she ran into us on the street, she was getting pizza with a ton of friends, and the subject of religion came up. They started talking and the subject of the "Mormons" came up and what everyone there thought was true about the church. Of course, she heard tons of rumors and lies and crazy stuff about the church, but this sparked an interest in her to actually find out for herself if these things were true or false. So she prayed, and she gained the desire to change as a person too, like stop doing things of the world, and turn more to God and become a better person. Then all of a sudden, one day we were walking on the street, and she was on a motorcycle with a recent convert here, and we stopped them to talk. Then we got her address and marked a visit to clear up her questions and teach her. She immediately accepted baptism and really felt the spirit. So then she began to study the Book of Mormon and Bible and started to really pray and ponder and ask God for help. She gained a testimony real quick and with her own will, changed her life, started living the commandments, and began going to church, even with all of her friends saying bad things about everything. She told us later that she recognized it was really the Lord that had put her in our pathway just at the right time when she was ready to hear about the gospel. This experience is really cool because it also strengthened my testimony that the Lord is really working through us to help and bless the people who are ready and prepared to accept the gospel in their lives. She is what you can say, a little "popular" with friends and stuff, and even with these temptations, she is going firm and strong in the gospel.  She’s also bringing in other friends for us to teach too because she’s seeing just how happy all of this is making her.

Thanks for the support ya´ll.  Love you and until next week!

Élder Andrus

Baptism 11-12-11

Week 60 - 7 November 2011

Hey there ya´ll!  So this past week was a little slow and stuff cause I was a little sick, but besides that it was still a good week. I’m feeling a lot better now and this week will be good. We have a girl that will be baptized this coming week.  She’s a 21 year old girl who really has a lot of desire to change. She used to be a part of many worldly things, but now she is really turning to the Lord for help. It was cool the way that we met actually. She told us that a couple days before we met, she was getting pizza with tons of friends, and they starting talking about the subject of religion. Then they started talking about the "Mormons" that walk on the street and everything and lots of rumors and stuff that people spread here about the church. This sparked her interest, and she started to really get the desire to know more about it and if these things were true. Then, the other day she was with a girl we recently baptized, and she mentioned that she was a part of the church. Then that same day we ran into them on the street and marked a date to visit her and help her out. She believes that the Lord put her in our pathway, and it was a sign to her that this is the right way to go. I also think that. It’s crazy how the Lord works. Just about a couple days after she asked the Lord for help in this respect, the Lord acted and put her in our way to teach her.

Love you guys! I’ll let you know more next week!

Élder Andrus

Week 59 - 31 October 2011

Hey everyone,

Sorry this email is going to be a little short because I don’t have too much time, and I have a headache.

But this week was a good week. We got to go to Salinas again.  We confirmed the baptisms for Sunday and planned out everything for them. So then early morning on Sunday, we went to the church and prepared the font and everything, and other people went to Salinas to pick up Monica and Inacia, the 2 baptisms. Monica is the wife of a member, and Inacia is their daughter. The baptism occurred nicely, and they got confirmed during sacrament meeting. I had the chance to baptize Inacia. Besides that, there isn’t too much more. We completed this family, and we could see how happy they were.

Tomorrow there is going to be a Leadership Meeting in Belém again, so we’re gonna have to travel some more...which is tough cuz I’ve spent allllll the money I have from the mission on the past trips we’ve made...so I’ll need to use some cash from my personal fund and wait to get it all reimbursed.

Sorry for the short email, but don’t forget that I love you!

Tchau! 

Élder Andrus

Baptism 10-30-11

Mural in Salinas