March 28, 2016

Hey Bom dia. 

This pic is of my old district in sapopemba I will try and send a few more pics but I dont have a ton of time.    

(He never sent any more - he never has enough time!)

Yes mom I never have very much time, I have to email Presidente enter all our numbers and our goals for this week, and see if we have any referrals so all that takes up a lot of time.

This week was great but pretty hard. Opening an area is really pretty rough. We sure do hike around a lot!! Not some leisure stroll in the park here, This area is basically a mountain full of favela so its not just walking but hiking. We got here with nothing, one progressing investigator and nobody marked for a baptism so it has been all week trying to meet new people. We were blessed enough to meet a woman with a lot of interest in the church. She is great and has a lot of questions. She has already been in a ton of other churches but she said that she hasn't ever found what shes looking for, and she is liking our message a lot. The problem is that she smokes 2 packs a day, drinks coffee non stop and on the weekends drinks. So we are working with the word of wisdom and it will for sure take a while, but I have faith in miracles. 

We also have another guy who lives with a less active member, but she is coming back to church, they are marked to get married on the 9th and soon after he should be baptized. 

A large part of this week was spent knocking doors. We knocked one house that is really awesome they love us and we have only known them for about two weeks an they are always inviting us over for dinner. The mom and dad a way strong into their church but the 3 kids said they only go because of their parents. The three kids are super interested and really want to go to church. However their parents wont allow it. Not even to play futebol during the week or go to church, nothing.  It is really sad and I am praying for a miracle with them, we will need it. 

It really is incredible how much I have learned on my mission. I feel like I have progressed so much mentally and spiritually. I have a testimony I have felt the spirit I know Gods plan for me and I know this is kingdom of God here on earth. I want nothing more than to share this with other people so they can have this same confidence. However I know that if this was easy I would have a line of people waiting to be baptized, Salvation isn't easy and it never was supposed to be. In the moments when I feel like we are have the most difficulties is the moment when I feel the strongest desire to work. I feel the power and love of atonement in my life and I just want so so so badly to have others feel that as well. 

I really am great and loving life. All is well, and I am progressing a little everyday. Brasil really is becoming home haha.  I love Utah but when I tell people about my life before the mission I almost feet like I am telling the story of another person.  I am loving the challenges and loving life. 

Te amo mãe

Elder Millard

 

March 21, 2016

Hey All, 

Feels like it has been so long since I last wrote. So last Tuesday my companion and I were transferred so we spent all day in the bus and the metro. I met up with my new comp who is Elder Chalampuento, I think I might have already mentioned him before but he is from Columbia. He is in my group so we got here the same day, it is good having a comp with the desire to work. He was in my district when I was in Bela Vista and I did a few divisions with him so I already knew him pretty well. He really is awesome, I like him a lot the only thing is, for the better of my language I like having a Brasillian. But I am really excited to work with him. 

We are opening an area so it is going to be tough. My new area is Cohab Juscelino the few people that we have met are great and we have only met a little bit of the area. I am not going to lie this area is pretty poor. It is going to be hard, we don't have a chapel in our area so we have to take 2 buses to get to the church which makes it super hard to get investigators to go to church. We have our area, then there is another small piece of our area about 40 min away walking, but everything in between isn't our area. I do;t even know how to explain it but it is pretty mixed up. Anyways it will be an adventure. This week we marked one wedding for April 9th and one baptism  so I think we have a lot of potential this transfer, but we are going to need a lot of blessings. 

To answer your questions mom: We have district meetings every Wednesday so I see all the other missionaries that day. Now in this area we have 3 wards that share a chapel so maybe I will see them more. After we get done emailing we are going to the chapel to play some futebol and I thing the other Elders will be there to.

I really do miss Sapopemba, I thought I would stay there for a long time, but everything has a purpose. The members there are great, one of the family's there said that she sent you an email, did you understand? They are great.

I don't really have much else to say because this was our first week hear so I will let you more about the area next week. 

Te amo

Elder Millard

March 14, 2016- Transfers!

So tomorrow is transfers and I just heard that I am getting transferred.... I am really shocked and a little upset. I feel like we really have been doing a great job here. Me and my comp are being transferred. I am really worried because we have almost 11 baptisms marked for the next 5 weeks and I am just really stressed that these great families will be forgotten. I am really kind of upset. Sapopemba is a great area, I really thought I would be staying here for a while. Our apartment is great, we live next to the church, our area doesn't have that many hills, doesn't have that many favelas, we were having a lot of success teaching and so so so close to baptism with so many people. AAAAAHHHHHHHHH! NOOOO! 

Well I don't really know what to say now because I am leaving this area and all the people so telling you all about the people wont help. We met a family of 6 last wed. and they said they have been looking for something like this to help their fam. and they all accepted baptism, met another guy who said he has been passing by the church everyday to see if it is open and he wanted to enter on Sunday but he felt shy, but he said that he felt a strong feeling to enter and when we talked with him he is super excited to be baptized. and we have a lot of other people who are close. Just when I feel like we have been improving as missionaries and receiving the most blessings, the Lord has called me to serve in another area. Please pray for these people they are so close and I would love to see them dressed in white, but unfortunately I cant. I know they will receive so many blessings, they just need to enter into the straight and narrow path. 

I don't know what else to say right now my thoughts are so mixed up. All I can say is the church is true and that everything has a purpose. I will go will the Lord wants me to go. AAHHH! Love you all.

Com Amor, 

Elder Millard

p.s.

It really is amazing how we dedicate all of our time and heart to these people that because of them I pass through the highest of highs and the lowest of lows all because I want so badly to help other people. But all is well I am great love you mom! Até próximo! Tchau. 

March 7, 2016

 All is well here in great big Brasil. I am loving life and wouldn't rather be anywhere else. I convinced our district to get together this p day and play some football not futebol. hah so a little later we are going to a park to play some futebol americano. 

I am really good and super happy. I am excited for the day when we come back and visit some of my areas. I cant believe how fast the time is passing. I have already been in the mission for 5 months!! I wouldn't mind staying here in Sapopemba for another transfer it really is a pretty decent area. We have several people that are just so close but we always run into some problem. 

 

I don't have much to say this week just know that I am super happy and trying to be a little better everyday. Tchau Te amo!

Elder Millard 

March 1, 2016

Can you believe how fast time is flying by!? When I am thinking back on my time, it has flown by, but when I think about how much time I still have it seems like forever.

 All is well here in Sapopemba. Everybody says this it the best area in the mission and I agree. We live in a apartment across the street from the church, have a lot of restaurants and grocery stores right in front of our house and they are fairly cheap.

 All the members here force us to eat like we are dying, and usually give us something to take home. We aren't receiving as many referrals as I would like, but we are working. I cant wait until you are rich and we can come back here and I will take you and dad all over the place. You better start practicing your português! You don't want to feel that sense of vergonha like I felt for my first 4 months. 

We have so many people who are so close, it is just hard to finalize a baptism. We have been marking a lot of people, but we always run into some kind of problem. I really am hoping and praying that we will have a baptism or two in the next 3 weeks but who knows. We are trying.

 

We were blessed with an elect this week, a family was in church last week and we passed by their house. Lucas is a member but hasn't been to church in years and Amanda isn't baptized but they both have the desire to come back to church and she already knows the church is true.  They have a kid but they aren't married so we are going to mark a wedding this week, but as always we ran into a problem, she is only 16 so she needs her parents permission and we don't know if they will sign. We are passing by this week to see if she talked with her parents and they can get married. Hopefully all goes well. 

Sorry my thoughts are all mixed up right now with numbers and names and letters and English and Português. I am out of time, just know that I am happy and loving life. I am glad you had a better week. Don't let the family forget about me. Tell everyone I love them. All is well. Not long long until we will be coming back to Brasil. 

Bom Semana

Deus abençoa

Eu Te amo!!

Elder MILLARD