This week has been tiring! Elder Prates and I are going a little bit crazy due to the expansion of our area. When you have to walk everywhere, it's huge. We are trying to work in Canindé A one day and Canindé B the next day, and switch every day. But it doesn't go as smoothly as you'd like when you have investigators who only have time on specific days during the week. We also didn't get a single address this week from contacting. Our teaching pool is pretty small right now. And the investigators that we have that are progressing aren't married, just living together, so it'll be a while until we can think of baptism for them. But, as they say here, vai da certo. If there's one thing I've learned from last transfer, it's that hard work pays off. We've just gotta do that hard work. We've also had some rain in the past few weeks which has been amazing. The last time it rained, it rained hard. It was actually crazy. Luckily we were close to an investigators house so we were able to stay somewhat dry but it reminded me of the storms we had in Texas. It was great.
Also the family of Eliane (the family we baptized) is pretty much my Brazilian family now. We tend to go to their house at around the same time each day, and they all wait for us now. When they see us, they come running. It's awesome. Especially the little one with long hair, Kaue. He is almost always naked so seeing a fat naked 4-year old running down the street towards you is quite the sight. The mission is awesome!
The language is coming- I think. I can't really tell how much I've improved, but I think i've improved a little bit. Like I said, I can understand everything about the gospel. During lessons I understand everything. The day to day stuff is what I am having problems understanding still. But i'm going to really crack down on vocab now. I feel like that's what I need to work on.
This week I have been studying trials. Everyone has them, and I have been dealing with some tough ones recently, so I figured it would be good to understand them a bit better. I've come to more fully understand that pretty much everything I have learned on the mission thus far is due to some form of adversity. This life is a test, and this test is different for each person. Heavenly Father loves each one of us. He loves us more than we can imagine, and he wants to see us grow and become better. He has placed trails in our lives in order to help us become better. Each trial I face is specifically tailored for me. Each trial you face is specifically tailored for you. Our goal is to find out why he placed that trail in our lives. Learn what we can from it, and get through it. This is much easier said than done. That's why we don't have to complete these steps alone. Lucky for us, God is with us every step of the way. He has provided scriptures, living prophets, and his telephone number if we have any questions. We also use the term prayer for that last source of help. I know that through the trials I have faced, I have become a better person. I have also come to trust in the Lord more which is something that helps immensley.
Thank you for all the prayers and support!
Elder Odom
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