A Golden Week

 

 Hanging up clothes to dry, because that's cool haha

 We helped Neide move!

 Ready to work!!

 "Bagulho" - my new breakfast kkkkkkk

Always representing. GO LIONS!

 Lan housing it up

 É o tempo para e-mail!

Elder Oliveira and I were sitting on the sidewalk awaiting Neide to arrive for our lesson when suddenly we heard fireworks and screaming coming from everywhere. It was a clear sign that BRASIL WON THE FINAL! They were playing against Germany (do the numbers 7 and 1 ring a bell?) for the Olympic gold in soccer and won on the last PK, by Neymar. Nossa! Fiquei feliz demais! Teria sido feoi se Ale manha ganhasse duas vezes sobre Brasil aqui na terra do Brasil mesmo. The gold medal wone by the Brazilian men’s national team, however, wasn’t the only reason it was a Golden week. It was also g a great 7 days na missao!

Oh, my P-Day is Monday this week because we’re going to have the mission audit on Wednesday, which will be cool. I’m sure I’ll learn a lot about how I really should be doing things haha. I’ll tell you all about it next week.

I learned through application an important principle this week—being like Jesus. Two mad landlords called me this week, and results of each call were very different. An old guy called me declaring that he thought the document I sent him to fill out was unnecessary and that he wouldn’t do it. It’s a document that allows him toe receive the rent payment. He was mad and hopelessly ignorant and I got mad and started half-yelling too, explaining that if he didn’t fill out this form he wouldn’t get paid and because he wasn’t capable of doing it himself, I’d do it for him and just sen tit to him to sign. At the end of the call, I had gotten my point across but I realized I felt like lixo (go look that word up).

When a similarly angry man called me about another house I changed my approach. He was even more mad (ex. I said “Hi, are you well today” and he replied in a certain tone “ALMOST!” and proceeded to complain about the contract and house taxes and stuff). I decided to just stay as nice and calm as possible, explaining simply what I needed. After hanging up I felt completely the opposite of how I felt after the other call. I was light, happy, and had the desire to treat everyone with that same kindness. I directly experienced the blessings of acting like the Savior. We should always treat others with love, respect, and kindness as Jesus surely would, even if it’s a crazy landlord on the other end of the phone.

We helped Neide move this week! I didn't remember that we're not supposed to do service projects on P-Day until we had already planned to do it, but I'm really glad we did. She moving closer to where she works and didn't have a whole lot of things to move but we made everything go much easier. She came to church yesterday for the 3rd time and loved it and next Sunday morning will be her baptism. Só milagres!

We found some other great people this week too. Last Sunday after the ward council meeting we talked to some kids playing soccer on the chapel's basketball/soccer court. We passed by their apartment a few days later (they live almost directly in front of the church). They have a good family that was having some really big problems, until the point that the parents were almost separating. So far we've been helping them understand the importance of having Christ as the foundation of the family, and doing this through family prayer and scripture study and faithfully going to church.

I am so, so grateful for my family. I love you guys! I can testify of the power of the family that prays and studies the scriptures together because every day I can ever remember our family did, and that's why we are united, happy, and well. We have Christ as our foundation, and every blessing I have comes from that. Muito obrigado Pai e Mãe por terem nos criado assim!

We also started teaching a young woman named Paula is reading well the Book of Mormon and is discovering its truthfulness. I love the Book of Mormon and the happiness it brings and am excited she is starting to enjoy the same joy. Since we taught her last week with Isabela, a returned sister missionary in the ward, she is progressing well and finding answers to questions she always had.

Today I will memorize scripture number 50! I have loved this goal of memorizing one per day. I am loving my mission! Missão Brasil Goiânia is doing great, spiritually and financially (because I can see that part!), and I couldn't be happier to be here!

Elder Anderson