June 27, 2016

We have had another good week and we have been extremely blessed yet again. We have been working a lot with out recent converts and one of the young men brought his friend to church and we have been teaching him for a while and we got him baptized yesterday!! I forgot my card in our house so I will have to send pictures next week. We have been teaching him for a while but his mom wouldn't let him be baptized, but after a great smack down lesson with the spirit carrying my words and testifying to her, she authorized it and he was baptized last night. I really gained a strong testimony about the gift of tongues and in the spirit that lesson. I really don't speak Portuguese that great, but I was able to talk to her in a way that the spirit carried my words and she understood it all the way I wanted her to. I know that God really helped us get this baptism done. I can see that the Lord is trying to strengthen our ward with Priesthood and has given us so many great blessings.

I love my recent converts and I am really happy with most of them. It is really important to me that they stay strong so we have been teaching them a lot! We are doing Family history with them and preparing everyone for a trip to the temple. Here in a few weeks we should be going to do some baptisms!

The Baptismal service last night was good, but it was almost a comedy show. After running all over the city to try and get everyone on their way to the church we get there, and our ward mission leader had forgotten the water was on, filling the font, and he was in another room playing piano so the room of the baptismal font, was pretty much flooded with water so we had to clean that up. Then when we were changing clothes the brother that we had do the baptism was so nervous that he couldn't tie his tie, so he called me in the bathroom to help so I went in to help him and he was practicing the baptismal prayer and could just not get it. After a while he got it down, but didn't know how to do the baptism, so I went in the stall and practiced with him for a while. Hahahaha anyways after a while he got it all figured out. Then when they entered the water,  the font had pretty much completely drained because he forgot to put the plug back in. For about 10 min the brother baptizing couldn't figure out where to put his hands. They both had to kneel down in the water then when he put him under he fell over and couldn't lift him up out of the water so it ended up with the two of them splashing around for a little bit and everyone dying laughing hahaha.  Then to top it off when they were walking up the stairs he fell, and straight up cannon balled it in the tiny bit of water that there was. 

In the end we got it done and it was a good night. hahaha

Anyways I am trying everyday to be a better missionary and everyday I am more sure that this church is true. I love the mission and I am way happy! Time is flying by,.... this week I will have 9 months!!! oh loco!! 

Until next week. 

Elder Millard


June 20, 2016

So this has been a great week! We had some really amazing blessings!!

I don't remember if I have told you a lot about Cainã, he is a man that I actually met last month when I was with Chalampuento. He was in the street and I felt like I should talk to him but last month we were so dang busy so we never talked to him, I just got his address and told him that someday we will pass by. However I had kind of forgotten about him, but a few weeks ago we ran into him again in the street and we taught him the first lesson and he was pretty interested but pretty closed off about the BOM and Joseph Smith however will a lot of blessings and little moments of the spirit he received an answer and was baptized yesterday!! It is amazing how the Lord works, he put somebody in my path but I ignored it at first, but he is so loving and patient that he put him in our path again and after just 3 weeks of lessons and church he got the response that he needed to put his faith into work and make a covenant with God. He is a great guy and we have already made a great friendship. He has invited us over for dinner a lot and is always giving us food, rides, hahaha he really is a good dude. Because it is my comp's first baptism I wanted him to be able to baptize him, but Cainã is pretty Massive so I was a little worried and after a stressful Saturday of running around the city to find clothes that would fit him we finally got it all figured out and we had a great baptism yesterday!

It was an amazing blessing and I am sure that God put him in our path. I don't have a doubt that God is always helping us even though we sometimes don't deserve it. 

I am doing great and loving the mission. I know that I am not the best missionary and I know that I am falling short of my potential. I know that I am nowhere close to perfect, but I know that God loves me. I know that he knows our work, he knows everything about us. Even though we all fall short of what he wants of us he will always bless us if we do what is right. I am always working to be better. 

My comp is still pretty quiet and doesn't like to joke around to much, but I sure love the kid. hahaha He is a good missionary with a great mindset. He is the only member in his family and he knows why he is here. We are doing great here in Cohab Juscelino and I have been so blessed here I think the members will remember our work here for a long time!! 

All is good and life is great, I hope everyone is doing good at home.  Anyways that's all for this week!

com amor,

Elder Millard

June 13, 2016

My dear mother,

This week was good. The highlight was that we had a mission conference. The whole mission was together and we got a few trainings and it was super spiritual, I learned a lot that I think will help me and got a lot of answers to prayers. I love my mission president he is awesome. I also got to see all my mission buddies so that was pretty sweet too.

We have been working hard all week and honestly it is a little more rough these weeks. Last transfer we just reaped all our rewards and had a lot of success, but I think the Lord had but me back in my place. We are being tested again, and I know if we keep working all the blessings will come rolling in just like last transfer. We are trying hard to find new people and finalize a few baptisms. We had a baptism marked for last Sunday but sadly it didn't happen. The day before his family talked him out of it, and he wasn't at church last week so I am sad about that, but we will pass by this week and I have faith that it will work out. 

On a better note, my recent converts are all great and I am so freaking proud of them. We are working with them doing family history and we have a date marked to go to the temple and do baptisms with them! Last week our convert Maria bore her testimony and cried a lot saying that she knows this is the only true church and she is so grateful to meet me. I am so proud of her she is awesome!! I got a little chocked up last Sunday because 2 of my baptisms were passing sacrament and Maria shared her testimony and the other convert showed up in a fresh suit all handsome, I was just so happy and grateful for all of them. I am so EXCITED to go to the temple with them, I cant event imagine how I will feel seeing them enter there. 

My comp is good, he is Brazilian and I like him. He is super quiet and doesn't like to joke around a lot, but he is good. It is pretty hard to train a new missionary, but I know that the Lord called me to do this so I will try hard to fulfill my calling. 

I am happy and life is good. Thanks so much for all the packages. Don't worry about me mom I am being taken care of. I love you!

Elder Millard