#15 - Halfway through TRAINING ALREADY!? (8/28/23)

 E ai meus amigos! Como ta indo? [And there my friends! How's it going?]

 facebook post idea Elder Zoneti made

It's weird to think that the day is already here... I FINISHED MY FIRST FULL TRANSFER IN THE FIELD! (But I am staying in the same place and only half way through training 😅)

Elder Hall was telling me that these next 6 weeks he is going to be treating me as junior comp so... my training is still happening but now I am going to be put to work more😁 Muito legal!

Here's some updates on events from this past week:

- This week we had a division with our zone leader Elder Jenkin & his comp Elder Luedke! I got to go around with Elder Luedke and man oh man did I learn a lot! I learned the importance of teaching to needs and how missionaries also need to know the 5 love languages to best help others. These include: 1. Quality time 2. Words of Affirmation 3. Acts of Service 4. Gifts and 5. Physical touch which is just High fives or handshakes or fistbumps. It's cool to see how things I learned before the mish are helping in the field.

  TITA! 

 -Venezuela food is AWESOME! We had a member lunch yesterday with a Venezuelan family and it was DELICIOUS! I don't know how to spell this word but they have Tita ("Chi-tah") and it's like Horchata but better! (I want it in the states ngl)

 late night cooking!

-One of the people we met this week is named Jonathan and he's a pretty cool dude! He has this huge motorcycle and listens to country music. When Elder Hall and I visited him, we may or may not have stayed for like a full hour just listening to country music (Love language 1. Quality time!) He is honestly an awesome dude and gave me a lot of song recommendations

-MIRACLE: While walking to our final lesson for the day, we found a kid who lost his earbud along the road and couldn't find it. After looking for a bit, we said a prayer and low and behold, WE FOUND THE EARBUD. THE CHURCH IS TRUE!!!

the tag

- RAIN! yeah there is a lot of rain here...

Horses na rua!!

- We had the opportunity to go to the temple with recent converts in the ward for their first time attending the temple! It was a remarkable experience to do baptisms with them and see them inside the house of the Lord. The Fruits of our Labors are real and worth more than gold.

Temple trip

- Elder Hall was sick again one night this week so while he was resting, I watched a inspirational video on Gospel library titled: "Life is incredibly unfair - in our favor". Biggest take away: Even though we want everything to happen for a reason, it's better to let God make reason out of everything.

Scriptures:

D&C 66:6 (If you know, you know!)

3 Nephi 12:25 (we shouldn't make contention but rather agree with our enemies)

3 Nephi 11:37-38: It is interesting how Christ repeats the same idea twice. This idea of becoming like a little child, we shouldn't fear it or think of it as a weakness, but as an opportunity. When we are younger we are must prone to listening to our parents and learning and that is what Christ wants us to do. Learn from him.

It's honestly been an awesome week and we may have some baptisms coming up this next week. If you can, pray for:

- Jurigir

- George

Ate mais! Falou!

-Elder 🐟er

#14 - Have No Fear, Underdog is Here! (8/21/23)

 Boa tarde meus amigos! Come ta indo?

Walking around

After doing some shopping, getting acai, and deciding to have a member cut Elder Hall and I's hair another day in the next couple of weeks, I am here with another update! 

Events from this week:

- We participating in this "Helping Hands" service event that the Church sponsored! We got together with our entire district and people around the area to repaint this schools playground and blacktop. Not going to lie, I am not the greatest artist, but I was still able to help! It was awesome to see everyone come together and see people from all ages help out. (It was also weird to wear normal clothes)😂

Helping Hands

- We did another division this week and I was with Elder Zenoti! This man is a funny and so in tune with the gospel. He taught me the importance of finding the needs of the people and using scripture to address those needs. We also made plans to meet up in Chicago after the mission so he can try Chicago deep dish!

ELDER ZENOTI

- Our water heater also broke this week (it feels like a lot of things are breaking here but at least we fixed our gate with a new battery!) So for the past couple of days I either wake up and boil a pot of water.... or take a FREEZING cold shower. Let's just say, I look forward to showering in the state again 😆

- Story time: During this past week, Elder Hall and I got in contact with a reference and made an appointment to visit them one night. We got an uber to the house, walked down a scary road and arrived at the investigators house. We called them but they immediately hung up and we got no other answer. Being in the middle of nowhere and terrified, Elder Hall and I started walking to the main road in the dark. We kept on hearing weird noises and honestly thought we were gonna get jumped but luckly, thanks to promptings of the Holy Ghost (and a lot of walking), we made it back home. Honestly was the most terrifying part of the mish. Which brings me to a thought:

I was told this week after a member lunch that as a missionary in a new place, new language, new life.... "Don't be afraid and have no fear". Honestly, this is so true. What do I have to fear? We are told in scriptures to only fear God, who is the one rooting for us all the time! When I heard this, I thought about the old cartoon "Underdog" and the line he would always say. We all have fears. But, we don't need to give into them.

Piano after church

Another thought I had is why we have pain? As I was reading in the scriptures, I found a chapter in D&C that helps answer this. D&C 122:5-9. We will face all this adversity and pain but at the end, it is for "experience and shall be for thy good". Pain helps us learn and retain what we have learned. Pain is memory that we shouldn't allow to bring us down, but to raise us up. I highly recommend this chapter.

early morning p-day and breakfast

Finally, I understand now how to be a better missionary. The answer? MEMBERS!

Everyone truly is a missionary even with or without a tag. As missionaries, we are to work with members also to help them keep covenants and ask for help in building relationships and teaching others. So I invite you, reach out to your missionaries. We are trying our best but when we work with our members, it's a whole new and better work!

That's all for this week. I hope your all well!

Boa Sorte! Ate Mais. Falou!

-Elder Fisher

#13 - Brownies in Amerca!? (8/14/23)

 Boa tarde meu amigos! Como voces estao? 

Acai

Here with another weekly update in Almirante Tamandare, Curitiba!

Elder Ortiz

1. We had another Division this week with our District leaders: Elder Hutchinson and Ortiz. I went around with Elder Ortiz and he is a funny dude! He speaks a good part of English and knows Portuguese but Spanish is his primary language (which I hope to also learn sometime cause a lot of members here speak Spanish!) During our division we taught the plan of salvation like 5 times and it was my first time doing it in portuguese but you know what, I wasn't scared to teach. Even though I don't speak perfectly, I sometimes think it's a blessing because I can say simple things and I learned that the Gospel is simple. God works in simple ways. We also got pizza 20 (pizza viente) with the 4 of us and had a sleep over before the temple the next day! AWESOME!!

PIZZA [Mom note: this was a favorite late night meal for his big brother too]

2. Now to talk about these brownies! Apparently, yesterday was "Dia dos pais" or Fathers day as we know in the States. Because of this, the member lunch we had was HUGE! They had sausage, beef, rice, chicken cassarole, lasagana. AND, to top it off, this lady brought this whole desert bar, WITH BROWNIES! I DIDN'T THINK THEY EXISTED HERE! Apparently this lady makes wedding cakes and has friends in the USA so she got a recipe. They were delicious!

3. A scripture that really stood out to me this week I found while looking at my brothers old Portuguese bible.The bookmark was on a scripture in Proverbs chapter 3:5-6, which were highlighted and hearted. The main idea of the scriptures is to trust in the Lord with all your heart and not in your own understanding. Recognize him in all things. I love this scripture cause it helped me think about all the moments in my life that lead me to today and how the Lord blessed me in every trial I ever had, and he will bless you.

Late night photos with the Book of Mormon

4. A quick life lesson here: Elder Hall noticed something about me and told me that "I shouldn't be afraid of doing something wrong". Honestly, I needed to hear that. We always want to do stuff perfectly. But no one is perfect. It is by doing the imperfect things, and striving to be perfect, that we improve and learn from our mistakes.

Sick Elder Hall

5. This last Tuesday, Elder Hall was sick so we stayed at the apartment and watched the "inspirational messages" on gospel library. To anyone who wants to share, listen, or give a spiritual thought, I recommend you check those out as I learned more in one day than I ever have.

Yes...it rains in Brazil

That's about it for this week. Eu amo voces e espero que voces tem uma otimo semana! (I love you guys and hope you have a great week!)

Valou e falou!

-Elder Fisher

#12 - "Wait, I KNOW THIS SONG!" (8/7/23)

Boa Tarde meu amigos! Como ta indo!?

As always, her is an update on the week:

1. On Tuesday we had a training meeting with all the new missionaries in the area so I got to see everyone again! It was good to catch up and see how everyone is doing. President Bikmin gave a great lesson about how we have opposition in all things, and that is natural (2 Nephi 2:11 if you want to read the scripture). We will always have opposition and we can't control it. But we can control what we will choose to do. We could choose to complain and that is natural. The natural man is also an enemy to God so instead of complaining, have an ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE!

Elder Hall got me while I wasn't looking

2. During our lunch hour (yes we only get an hour for lunch) Elder Hall and I will listen to conference talks at home if a member family didn't sign up for the day. We listended to a priesthood session from a while back and the biggest take aways were: "Lift where you stand", If you feel overwhelmed that is good because you understand the work the Lord has for you.

Elder Ferraz

3. WE HAD OUR FIRST DIVISION! We did a division with our AP's and I was with Elder Ferraz! He is a native speaker of Portuguese who knows english but he made me speak in portuguese the entire day! It was both a  challenge but an awesome experience! I learned the importance of including members in the work as a  missionary and Elder Ferraz was impressed with my portuguese that he bought me this Braziliean pastry (SO GOOD)

Elder Ferraz and I in the sun

 

The Hill of Curitiba😑🤣

4. My new favorite flavers of ice cream are corn and avacado.... yep. We got these popsicles from a person we were teaching and they were DELICIOUS and the United States needs them!

avacado ice cream!

5. A spiritual experience: While we were knocking doors this past week, I realized how much the spirit is with me. As we passed by this house that was chanting very weird words, Elder Hall and I got very overwhelmed and looked at each other and told one another that we felt the spirit wasn't with us. We decided to go away from the house and I eventually felt the spirit come back. Just goes to show how important it is to recognize when the Holy Ghost leaves as it is to recognize when it's with you.

6. We had a district meeting today and I was asked to recite Doctrine and Covenants 4 in PORTUGUESE from MEMRY and it's only my 3rd week in the field!! Luckly though, I pulled it through and Elder Hall guided me through it so for future missionaries, MEMORIZE D&C 4! XD

7. Yesterday was probably one of the hardest but must rewarding Sundays. We wake up early to help bring people to Church and no one responded so we walked around for nothing. On top of that it was also fast Sunday and SUPER HOT and the members house was an hour and a half walk away for lunch. Elder Hall and I pulled through and made it to the house so I now know, I can survive the mission. After meeting with the members for lunch, we then went around and checked in on other members and had some very delightful conversations and tried some more braziliean food! What turned out to be a hard Sunday was the best one yet!

Something I also want to mention is how in Curitiba, people listen to some music in English. So we will be walking along the roads and all of the sudden we will go, "WAIT! Is that english? Is that Kelly Clarkson?". It's awesome and gives me a taste of home.

                                                                    AWW YEA!

Scriptures:

Alma 48:17 (As missionaries, we can be like Moroni and scare even the adversary)

Alma 39:17 (every soul is precious unto God at all times!)

That's all for this week. Ate Mais!

-Elder Fisher