OXE QUE BICHO CHATO DO CARAMBA!
(I goggled it and it was translated to "Oxe of boring that critter, Dangit!" I asked Dallin what it meant since that didn't make any sense to me. He said it means, "Dang, what an annoying creature!" Well, that sounds a little better!)
March 31, 2014
Bora.
So this week was super long but still passed super fast... I don't know how that's possible, but the mission is just weird with time alright?
We started off the week with an exchange. I went to an area called Massangana to help out the greeny, Elder Gonçalves. They had a lady there who they had been teaching for a long time and really wanted me to mark for baptism. Talk about an impossible task. This lady's son is already a member. I think he's 12. In the room it was the two of them, his grandma, and his sister. Let me describe the teaching environment for you. The member was whacking mosquitoes with one of those electric tennis rackets the whole time... the little girl was crying uncontrollably and hitting her brother, running around pitching a fit.... The old lady was just talking about how good the Assembly of God is, but telling her daughter to get baptized in our church, and the lady we were trying to mark didn't even want to be there. And the whole time everyone is hitting each other. Not even a joke. I was sweating and just about to explode. She didn't want to be baptized so we just said a prayer super fast to get out of there. We thanked them for their manners and we left. Good times right? Happens all the time.
So this week we had Zone meeting so we gave the training. We talked about how we need to teach the people so that they understand. A lot of times the missionaries teach in a way that only the missionary knows what's going on. And the people nod their heads like they know what's going on because they're humble and will never tell you that they don't understand something. We have to pause a lot in our teaching and ask questions... for them to understand, and for us to know that they're understanding. Sometimes missionaries just throw lessons at people and that's not the way to do it. You gotta have a conversation with the people. It's the only way. The missionaries really liked it and said it was a good training. We also talked about the DNA of the mission which are simple things that President established which were being put to the side. Gotta always repeat things to maintain.
This week we had the opportunity to visit an English class. A member from the ward goes to this city class and the teacher has a brother who served a mission. He said the students wanted to ask me questions and hear about the culture in the US. It was pretty cool. I was able to speak English for a full hour but it was super hard. I was saying some little words in Portuguese but I didn't make myself look like and idiot so it was good. We talked about food, culture, school, the language, and at the end, the teacher gave me a chance to talk about the beginning of the church so I got in front of the class and taught the Restoration in English. It was really hard, but really powerful. I cried. The spirit was so strong and the teacher even helped us out on inviting the students to pray to see if it's true. It was great because the class ended right after that and the students left feeling the spirit.
Last night we taught a dude named Elder. He's super legit and we left him with the Book Of Mormon like a month ago but he had been traveling so we didn't have a chance to talk to him. We went back and he had not read. But the dude is awesome and super interested so we wanted to leave him with something powerful. We destroyed him with the spirit. We talked about the Book Of Mormon and how he needs to know that it is true. We talked a bit about Joseph Smith too and it really put it into perspective for him. Elder Fereira said that God put a lot of things in our heads to teach him. It's true. I said a ton of things that I don't even remember and had never said before. It's amazing.
Our 2 families are being difficult but they're still progressing. Bishop Gostavo is trying the be friends with them and they like him and his family a lot. We like him and his family a lot too. His wife cooks real good. haha.
Well I'm out of time. A lot happened this week but I will just have to put it in my journal for y'all to read later. Love you all. Love the Gospel. And love being a missionary.
Elder Dallin Stephen Carroll
So this week was super long but still passed super fast... I don't know how that's possible, but the mission is just weird with time alright?
We started off the week with an exchange. I went to an area called Massangana to help out the greeny, Elder Gonçalves. They had a lady there who they had been teaching for a long time and really wanted me to mark for baptism. Talk about an impossible task. This lady's son is already a member. I think he's 12. In the room it was the two of them, his grandma, and his sister. Let me describe the teaching environment for you. The member was whacking mosquitoes with one of those electric tennis rackets the whole time... the little girl was crying uncontrollably and hitting her brother, running around pitching a fit.... The old lady was just talking about how good the Assembly of God is, but telling her daughter to get baptized in our church, and the lady we were trying to mark didn't even want to be there. And the whole time everyone is hitting each other. Not even a joke. I was sweating and just about to explode. She didn't want to be baptized so we just said a prayer super fast to get out of there. We thanked them for their manners and we left. Good times right? Happens all the time.
So this week we had Zone meeting so we gave the training. We talked about how we need to teach the people so that they understand. A lot of times the missionaries teach in a way that only the missionary knows what's going on. And the people nod their heads like they know what's going on because they're humble and will never tell you that they don't understand something. We have to pause a lot in our teaching and ask questions... for them to understand, and for us to know that they're understanding. Sometimes missionaries just throw lessons at people and that's not the way to do it. You gotta have a conversation with the people. It's the only way. The missionaries really liked it and said it was a good training. We also talked about the DNA of the mission which are simple things that President established which were being put to the side. Gotta always repeat things to maintain.
This week we had the opportunity to visit an English class. A member from the ward goes to this city class and the teacher has a brother who served a mission. He said the students wanted to ask me questions and hear about the culture in the US. It was pretty cool. I was able to speak English for a full hour but it was super hard. I was saying some little words in Portuguese but I didn't make myself look like and idiot so it was good. We talked about food, culture, school, the language, and at the end, the teacher gave me a chance to talk about the beginning of the church so I got in front of the class and taught the Restoration in English. It was really hard, but really powerful. I cried. The spirit was so strong and the teacher even helped us out on inviting the students to pray to see if it's true. It was great because the class ended right after that and the students left feeling the spirit.
Last night we taught a dude named Elder. He's super legit and we left him with the Book Of Mormon like a month ago but he had been traveling so we didn't have a chance to talk to him. We went back and he had not read. But the dude is awesome and super interested so we wanted to leave him with something powerful. We destroyed him with the spirit. We talked about the Book Of Mormon and how he needs to know that it is true. We talked a bit about Joseph Smith too and it really put it into perspective for him. Elder Fereira said that God put a lot of things in our heads to teach him. It's true. I said a ton of things that I don't even remember and had never said before. It's amazing.
Our 2 families are being difficult but they're still progressing. Bishop Gostavo is trying the be friends with them and they like him and his family a lot. We like him and his family a lot too. His wife cooks real good. haha.
Well I'm out of time. A lot happened this week but I will just have to put it in my journal for y'all to read later. Love you all. Love the Gospel. And love being a missionary.
Elder Dallin Stephen Carroll
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