2nd Week!!!

August 24, 2015

2nd week!!! Wow, it is insane here. This work is harder than I ever could have imagined but it´s worth it. The kind of person I know I’ll be at the end of all this is the person I´ve always wanted to be. I know through my Savior Jesus Christ, I can do all things.

Okay, so my week. So starting with last Monday, because we went into the "big city" and didn´t have a lunch appointment with a member like we have every other day besides p-day, what did we have for lunch? Subway. Ha! So funny. Oh by the way, I don´t know if I mentioned it in my last e-mail but the name of my area is Sao Jose da Mata. It´s small but full of great people.
We had zone conference on Tuesday, so that was cool. I met Elder Talbot from the Heritage Ward, so it was cool to see a face from my stake in Texas, even though we´d never met before. After meeting and lunch for zone conference, we watched Meet the Mormons, so that was kinda funny.
Wednesday I found out that our plunger was a hanger, so that was fun.
Okay Thursday, craziness. Contacting and tracting, talking to person after person, door after door, nobody wanted to talk to us, not a single one. Then we had an appointment at night and it was the best thing that´s happened here. We had taught the mom and son before, but not the dad, so we re-taught the Restoration. I could feel the Spirit so strong, I was able to say more things, and I really felt they understood what I was saying even though I was making a lot of mistakes. The joy after that lesson was so real, it was awesome. A mission really is all about loving and serving other people. Then that night, something funny happened. So earlier in the day, my comp and house mates were telling me about this thing called a chakka (I have no idea how to spell it) which they said was a super deadly animal. So Thursday night I’m just about asleep and Elder Hodges is like, Elder, something just crawled under your bed! (Cause I’m on the bottom bunk) He ran over, turned the lights on and was like, oh freak, it´s a chakka! He got the other Elder´s and they were all freaking out trying to figure out what to do, and I totally didn´t believe them. Then Elder Markham got a giant kitchen knife and ran in and tackled the chakka and started stabbing it. The chakka? It was a fruit. So that was fun.
Elder Hodges has officially decided to NEVER speak to me in English, even if I don´t understand something, he just tries to explain a different way or use hand motions or I look it up in the dictionary. It makes it difficult, but I will only learn if I stop speaking English and I know this will help me.
More teaching and knocking doors, I understand Elder Hodges better but not much more of the native Brazilians. I can say a little bit more. It´s a very slow process, but it comes from patience, a heck of a lot of hard work, and trusting the Lord.
Ether 12:27 – “And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” and Ether 12:6  - “And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.”are more applicable now than ever before.
The work is tough but it´s worth it.
I love you all!
Until next time!
Elder Carroll

 

Elder Carroll’s E-mail address:     Jeffrey.carroll@myldsmail.net

Snail mail address: (6 lines)  Elder Jeffrey Benjamin Carroll

                                                 Brazil Joao Pessoa Mission

                                                 Rua Deputado Jose Mariz, 515

                                                Tambauzinho

                                                58042-020 Joao Pessoa – PB 

                                                Brazil