17 Dec 2019

Christmas in Brazil is HOT!

Well first off, it looks like I'll be calling the 24th sooo hopefully everyone gets in when I call.  But if needs be, I might be able to arrange a way to call everyone on the 25th, but don't count on it.  In other news, I have ripped three different pairs of pants and have had them fixed up.  But I don't think that they'll be able to live for much longer...  So if possible, please send more or some money to buy some here.  They don't really have the quality that they have in the US but you know, I'm a missionary.  But if you do buy some please buy some 34 instead of 32.  Because, apparently all this walking is making my legs, as they say in cool streets, super swole.  So yeah, the gray pants have gotten pretty tight.

Christmas Eve with members

Now about the mission!  I stayed in Nova Granada and these past couple weeks have been pretty rough.  I'm seeing all my hard work with my other companion slipping through my fingers and that made me pretty upset.  But we are getting better workwise.  Maybe we'll have a baptism this week.  Speaking of which, the investigator's name is Fernanda.  We already taught everything but she didn't want to get baptized yet so because she said that she didn't receive an answer to her prayers about baptism.  She continued along like this for a  few weeks and I was getting frustrated.  Until FINALLY, The spirit told me what she needed to hear.  Which was that she has already received so many answers to her prayers and that now was her time to act.  Later she gave the closing prayer and said that that's exactly what she needed to hear and she started changing a lot and progressing again.  So, in short, there are times when we need to depend on the Lord and times when he tells us to act.  Oh yeah, my old companion went to Macedonia in the Stake Campo LImpo.  It's on the other side of the mission.

Being district leader is also an adventure.  Especially for 4 sisters.  But it could be worse.  I get a little annoyed at the lack of organization amongst my zone and how I was I left with my district.  I asked the sisters how the old district leader did things so that I could just grab the same structure and run with it but alas there was none.  So I'm going to have to figure out some kind of schedule for them to expect calls and whatnot.  I was thinking lately, why does president trust me so much with 4 sisters that are not obedient and an Elder that needs a reboot on his entire misssion. Like what? I would be the last person I would've chosen to do this.  But you know, time to grow and learn.

So, why did I email on Wednesday?  Because we had our mission christmas party!  I played basketball and volleyball and unfortunately had to tune everything down due to the lack of experience of others.  But it was still fun.  It was also REALLY HOTTT. When I was done playing my clothes were completely drenched.  It has also been really hot here.  There is noone on the streets to talk to.  So yeah the Christmas season is also pretty slow for us.

Anyway, I hope all goes well with the family gathering.  I realized recently that I'll be spending 3 Christmases on the mission.  Not everyone can say that, nor would they really want to...

Love you guys!

Elder Keliiliki

12 Dec 2018

saudações

Well, I have some news I guess.  I am now a district leader, not only a district leader but a district leaders of 4 sisters and my companion.  So that kind of surprised me to get that call.   Also I got a new companion who has been having trouble on the mission.  As in he's, as we say on the mission, thrown.  Which means that he's already done working and watches movies and all that jazz.  But in good news, I got him to work this week AND he did his first 10 contacts in who knows how long.  He plays "Magic: The Gathering" as well so I'm thankful for the little time I had playing so that we could get along since the beginning of our companionship.  Good companionships always makes the work easier. I think that was the problem that he was having before.  We are indeed doing the light the world and we have been thankfully finding weekly service projects that we do for the members.  But besides that we just have these little pass along cards that we give to everyone we see.  Also I had a little scare this week.  I started of this week with a stomach ache that was INTENSE!!  I went half the day working but then I told my companion that I needed to see a doctor.  We called president to tell him but he didn't answer so we worked and after our appointments that ended at 7 I came home and died.  As in slept... alot.  I woke up somehow when the sisters called and I grabbed their numbers and passed them on to zone leaders and went to bed.  The next day I had a pounding headache which is more normal so I worked like normal.  Then the following day I thought I was dying for real.  I start having pains right where my heart was and my left shoulder starting hurting.  I couldn't breathe really well and so I was like, "Well, this is the most righteous I'll ever be in my life soooo if I die now that's the best chance I've got to make it into the celestial kingdom."  But thankfully I woke up the next morning and the pain was gone.  Probably just stress.

But yes, the mission is starting to become a little more interesting.  Unfortunately our momentum was stunted due to the transfer but we'll quickly regain that.  But boy, sisters talk for a long time.  The nightly checkup literally takes all night.  From the moment I get home to the moment I go to sleep I have to solve problems and then hear their stories and it's a little exhausting.  But they are really cool sisters as well so it could be worse.

It seems like all the big things happen when I'm on the mission.  I wish I were there but at the same time the mission is aight.  I hope everything turns out alright for Mama as well as Joelle and that the kids grow up well and won't forget me.

I unfortunately don't know the sams club that is here.  Unlike Arkansas they are very very very rare here.  But they have one in "O centro do Osasco"  but I have next to no time to do figure things out so I'll leave that you figure that out.

Anyway, please pray extra hard for me!  I'm running 150% right now because I've only ever known how to train and I'm starting to feel the repurcussions.  So until I get accustomed to the getting my companion excited, investigators prepared to be baptized, and being a district leader of only sisters I need your guys' help!  love you guys!

Elder Keliiliki

Wihi with companion

03 Dec 2018

Como você está

So things did get better this week.  We look to have a lot of baptisms this month buuuuttt things happen so let's see what happens.  I'm glad you enjoy my insights, I will be sure to send more in the future.

As for the picture book, I don't know what to do as well.  Because the Wal marts and what not are very different here.  There is also a Sams but I don't have a membership there soooo yeah.  But it's ok if it takes a long time to get here.  I just don't want to pay an absurd amount for it.  

I'm glad to see that Hekili will finally get to see some time on the field.  It took long enough.  But I guess we'll have to wait to see him until next season. I guess I'll give my high low and whatnots for mother.

High:  Some of our investigators are progressing really well and we found 16 new people to teach last week and starting off this week strong with another 2.  This week is also super full of appointments so I'm pretty pumped.

Low: I'm starting to get really frustrated with everyone, especially my companion, saying that I'm not Hawaiian because I wasn't born there.  I've explained in every way I could imagine how it works.  But now I've turned to calling him Native American since he lives in America and the Native Americans were there first.  It may not be the best thing for the mission but I won't let it go.

Insight:  This week I learned a lot about how things happen in the time of the Lord.  Like I said last week was atrocious, but this week we had a lot of success.  I found it to be the case that we weren't ready to teach some people.  Not in the aspect of worthiness or anything like that.  But if we had gone into the lesson with the normal way we taught lessons we would've lost them.  But after we found another method, also a method I believe to be more effective, we went into their homes and taught them.  So yeah, we may want answers to our prayers but the fact may be that we just aren't quite ready yet.  Not really anything new but it's good to have a reminder every now and then.

I'm not really sure what else to say.  Umm pray for us!  Love you guys!

Elder Keliiliki