This past week has been crazy! The first week after getting a new comp always is!! Elder Halpin is from Holladay, Utah! We get along great! I always seem to get really good comps. He hasn't had the same luck with companions!
This past week we met an American here! He's from Indiana and speaks English fluently because he moved here...not that long ago. I think he first came when he was 18 but I think he went back. He's probably about 24 years old. We taught him and his girlfriend..in English! I couldn't even do the first vision part because I never learned it in English! He understands Portuguese pretty well but isn't that good at speaking it. Which is crazy cause he's been here for like two years and I speak way better! The gift of tongues is real! So it was really weird teaching in English for the first time ever but it went really well! Not to bash on Brazil or Brazilians but he is a far more complicated person-in a good way. He understood things on a whole new level. Logically as well as spiritually. His girlfriend (actually fiance) also speaks English fluently. They really liked the lesson about the restoration and then we also taught the word of Wisdom, the law of Chastity and asked them to be baptized and they both to be baptized and they both agreed to everything. They do like to drink alcohol and coffee and he smokes weed but they're going to try to live all the commandments we taught them. We didn't set an exact date with them though because they aren't married and living together and it's a pretty complicated situation but he (his name is Andrew) went to church yesterday already and they are both coming this next week! One part of the lesson was really funny-he compared the church and the plan of God and everything to Star Wars and was kinda convinced George Lucas was a Mormon. There really are a lot of similarities!
This past week it's been over 90 everyday and with the humidity and having to walk out in the sun it's been really hot! I got way tanner because of it too! There was even a lady at an ice cream shop that mentions that we had become brown because of this past week!
We pass by this ice cream shop every time we go to a bairro called Itamaraty. It's a good hour walk from our house! But we're usually even further away and it takes about 1 1/2 hours to walk there. So I buy a milk shake (it's only 2.70 for 500ml! What a deal!) and then it's gone by the time we actually get all the way to the house where our investigator lives. We walked there the other night and I got my shake and then we went to this guys house at the very end of the bairro. After walking for almost 2 hours to get there to our appointment they had promised to make, they weren't home!! So we headed back towards our house and I had to buy myself a second milkshake to make myself feel a little better about waking all the way there for nothing!
Eriton wasn't baptized and hasn't stopped smoking and is fleeing from us a little bit, which is really sad. But we've got other good possibilities now for baptism here shortly!
Elder Haws
Monday, August 26, 2013
Monday, August 19, 2013
Week 41-42: Transfers
Week 41:
This Sunday we confirmed Luan! We also had three other investigators at church and are hoping to baptize at least two people next week!! This is the last week of being a missionary for Elder Havili and so we're going to work exactly the same as always (because we always work hard) to baptize before he goes home! Also Beatriz, Evelyn and Lane went back to Sao Paulo this morning and so we stopped by (in reality we went to talk to Eriton, who is planning on being baptized this next week if he can stop smoking) and said bye to them and it was really awkward cause they were crying and super sad. Elder Havili will probably be talking with them on FB here in less than two weeks though.
We also got attacked by a very large goat in a field this week. It was about 7 o'clock and dark already but we heard it running for us so I just froze and was ready to jump to either side depending on where it went. I think and I won't tell too much of the story so that Elder Havili can keep a little of his pride :) He was scared pretty good though!
We have word from Sister Genaro that we are finally getting a washing machine so we don't have to wash our clothes in little buckets anymore but...we don't know when it will get here. Seeing how it took 5 weeks to have her autorize it..maybe actually getting one will take a while too!
Next week we have stake conference in Marilia so it will probably be hard to get investigators there but we'll see how it goes. Anyway, everything is going great here and I can't believe I've been here 10 already!
I love you all and pray for you always!
Com muita agua
Elder Haws
Week 42: Transfers
So Elder Havili will be going home today to Seattle! Actually he goes to Londrina for two days first but he's no longer my companion! It was a really great transfer and I'm sad to have a new comp but I know he's really cool too! His name is Elder Halpin and he's from Utah-Salt Lake-ish! I'll find out the real city when I talk to him tomorrow. Right now I'm in Marilia with the Zone Leaders and Elder Havili and I'll stay with them over night until Elder Halpin gets here tomorrow.
We did get a washing machine finally!! It's so nice! Well the machine is actually pretty crappy but it's nice to not wash my clothes in a bucket anymore! Plus Elder Havili is leaving so I took the 1 kind of solf matress in the house and I won't have to use the super hard one anymore :)
We had a baptism all set up for Saturday but then he smoked one more time and so we were going to delay it until Sunday night but then he smoked a lot and we're going to try again this week with him. He's really having a hard time stopping smoking-prayers for him would really help. His name is Eriton. He's stopped drinkking alcohol and coffee and everything but just can't quit with cigerettes yet!
The stake conference went really well. President and Sister Genaro spoke and everybody likes them a lot. Also, our bishop from Ourinhos spoke and gave a really good talk too.
I don't want to complain a lot in theis letter but just know I'm sooo glad the sisters here leaving from our district and there are new ones. They were soooo disobedient and were so rude to Elder Havili, I couldn't believe it. It's good that there are only going to be two of us staying in the district and the rest are all in different places.
I hope you all have a great week and, as always, I'm excited to hear from you all next week!
Com muita augua
Elder Haws
This Sunday we confirmed Luan! We also had three other investigators at church and are hoping to baptize at least two people next week!! This is the last week of being a missionary for Elder Havili and so we're going to work exactly the same as always (because we always work hard) to baptize before he goes home! Also Beatriz, Evelyn and Lane went back to Sao Paulo this morning and so we stopped by (in reality we went to talk to Eriton, who is planning on being baptized this next week if he can stop smoking) and said bye to them and it was really awkward cause they were crying and super sad. Elder Havili will probably be talking with them on FB here in less than two weeks though.
We also got attacked by a very large goat in a field this week. It was about 7 o'clock and dark already but we heard it running for us so I just froze and was ready to jump to either side depending on where it went. I think and I won't tell too much of the story so that Elder Havili can keep a little of his pride :) He was scared pretty good though!
We have word from Sister Genaro that we are finally getting a washing machine so we don't have to wash our clothes in little buckets anymore but...we don't know when it will get here. Seeing how it took 5 weeks to have her autorize it..maybe actually getting one will take a while too!
Next week we have stake conference in Marilia so it will probably be hard to get investigators there but we'll see how it goes. Anyway, everything is going great here and I can't believe I've been here 10 already!
I love you all and pray for you always!
Com muita agua
Elder Haws
Week 42: Transfers
So Elder Havili will be going home today to Seattle! Actually he goes to Londrina for two days first but he's no longer my companion! It was a really great transfer and I'm sad to have a new comp but I know he's really cool too! His name is Elder Halpin and he's from Utah-Salt Lake-ish! I'll find out the real city when I talk to him tomorrow. Right now I'm in Marilia with the Zone Leaders and Elder Havili and I'll stay with them over night until Elder Halpin gets here tomorrow.
We did get a washing machine finally!! It's so nice! Well the machine is actually pretty crappy but it's nice to not wash my clothes in a bucket anymore! Plus Elder Havili is leaving so I took the 1 kind of solf matress in the house and I won't have to use the super hard one anymore :)
We had a baptism all set up for Saturday but then he smoked one more time and so we were going to delay it until Sunday night but then he smoked a lot and we're going to try again this week with him. He's really having a hard time stopping smoking-prayers for him would really help. His name is Eriton. He's stopped drinkking alcohol and coffee and everything but just can't quit with cigerettes yet!
The stake conference went really well. President and Sister Genaro spoke and everybody likes them a lot. Also, our bishop from Ourinhos spoke and gave a really good talk too.
I don't want to complain a lot in theis letter but just know I'm sooo glad the sisters here leaving from our district and there are new ones. They were soooo disobedient and were so rude to Elder Havili, I couldn't believe it. It's good that there are only going to be two of us staying in the district and the rest are all in different places.
I hope you all have a great week and, as always, I'm excited to hear from you all next week!
Com muita augua
Elder Haws
Tuesday, August 6, 2013
Week 40
Elder Haws didn't have a lot to share-he was mostly answering our family email but I did extract a couple things he said:
We did baptize a guy named Luan yesterday! He is the boyfriend of one of the daugters in the family of recent converts! We are really working with them a lot.
I love you all a lot and miss you tons. I had a dream last night that I was home and I was 100% convinced it was real even though it didn't exactly make sense why I only remembered 9ish months of my mission and then I woke up and realized it was just a dream. It's been a long time since I had a dream like that! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Elder Havili will be home pretty soon.
Anyway, have a great week!
Love Elder Haws
We did baptize a guy named Luan yesterday! He is the boyfriend of one of the daugters in the family of recent converts! We are really working with them a lot.
I love you all a lot and miss you tons. I had a dream last night that I was home and I was 100% convinced it was real even though it didn't exactly make sense why I only remembered 9ish months of my mission and then I woke up and realized it was just a dream. It's been a long time since I had a dream like that! Maybe it has something to do with the fact that Elder Havili will be home pretty soon.
Anyway, have a great week!
Love Elder Haws
Friday, August 2, 2013
Week 39: Three!
Querido Irmaos e Irmas!
This week was a wild one! We went to yet another zone meeting on Tuesday, which meant that we lost part of our p-day because we had to walk to the bus station which takes about an hour and then ride a bus to Marilia that takes about an hour and a half and then walk to the zone leader's house to sleep on the ground because the meeting starts at 9. Normally it's not too big of a deal but after three weeks in a row it was upsetting. Anyway, the meeting was really cool because each of the companionships gave a training rather than the zone leaders (probably because they had already given the training from Leadership Training Meeting twice). We were assigned and taught about making contacts and talking to people. We made a nice lesson and did a cool training and finished with a sweet Nike swoosh. We asked if anybody knew the motto "Just do It," even though it was in English, the did! So it ended up working out nicely and we finished out training.
This week we had divisions with the zone leaders, partly because we had some baptismal interviews to be done, and all three interviews went great! They were all three baptized on Friday! It was so great to finally baptize people again, we hadn't baptized anyone here yet and were already halfway through the transfer!
Elder Havili only has three weeks left on his mission! It's pretty hard being the companion of somebody who is dying. It makes you want to go home with them too but at the same time not. And I'm super excited cause I still have over a year here.
Our washing machine is still broken and it's been a whole week of cold showers still. We haven't been able to get a new shower-head yet. Our ward mission leader tried to fix it for us but it broke the same day :( This past week was supposedly the coldest week of the year here. I even wore my sweater a few days! One big difference with houses here and houses in the U.S. is that when it's cold outside, it is the exact same temperature inside!
Our ward mission leader is super great and we even ate dinner one time this week because he needed to talk to us--we had, wouldn't ya guess, rice and beans with chicken! It was super typical but sitll good and it was weird to eat at night! It's been a few months since I've eaten dinner, I don't think I ever did in Cambe!
Well things are great here and I miss you all a lot but love hearing how you are doing! Have a great week and remember that miracles are real!
Com Amor,
Elder Haws
This week was a wild one! We went to yet another zone meeting on Tuesday, which meant that we lost part of our p-day because we had to walk to the bus station which takes about an hour and then ride a bus to Marilia that takes about an hour and a half and then walk to the zone leader's house to sleep on the ground because the meeting starts at 9. Normally it's not too big of a deal but after three weeks in a row it was upsetting. Anyway, the meeting was really cool because each of the companionships gave a training rather than the zone leaders (probably because they had already given the training from Leadership Training Meeting twice). We were assigned and taught about making contacts and talking to people. We made a nice lesson and did a cool training and finished with a sweet Nike swoosh. We asked if anybody knew the motto "Just do It," even though it was in English, the did! So it ended up working out nicely and we finished out training.
This week we had divisions with the zone leaders, partly because we had some baptismal interviews to be done, and all three interviews went great! They were all three baptized on Friday! It was so great to finally baptize people again, we hadn't baptized anyone here yet and were already halfway through the transfer!Elder Havili only has three weeks left on his mission! It's pretty hard being the companion of somebody who is dying. It makes you want to go home with them too but at the same time not. And I'm super excited cause I still have over a year here.
Our washing machine is still broken and it's been a whole week of cold showers still. We haven't been able to get a new shower-head yet. Our ward mission leader tried to fix it for us but it broke the same day :( This past week was supposedly the coldest week of the year here. I even wore my sweater a few days! One big difference with houses here and houses in the U.S. is that when it's cold outside, it is the exact same temperature inside!
Our ward mission leader is super great and we even ate dinner one time this week because he needed to talk to us--we had, wouldn't ya guess, rice and beans with chicken! It was super typical but sitll good and it was weird to eat at night! It's been a few months since I've eaten dinner, I don't think I ever did in Cambe!
Well things are great here and I miss you all a lot but love hearing how you are doing! Have a great week and remember that miracles are real!
Com Amor,
Elder Haws
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