19 March 2018

This week we had a few special meetings. The best one was on Saturday when we got to meet with Elder Rasband. We had to go to Apex by 9 in the morning, an hour and a half drive. We had to get up even earlier in order to make it. I don't know where to find the picture that we got to take with him, but I'm sure it'll eventually make it up on the North Carolina Raleigh Mission Share Facebook page. He gave a really great talk, and a lot of it was about how we should be more sure of what we're doing and rely more on the Spirit to guide us, and how we can never know the result of our work sometimes until way later. Also, he talked about the "whiners" that there are in each mission sometimes about where we get assigned to for our mission or transfer to transfer. He emphasized how all of it is done by revelation and how if we complain about where we end up going, or have a "dream mission" in the back of our minds, we are mocking God. It was super awesome, and we got the opportunity to shake his hand on the way in. Elder Costa also gave a really great talk on how we need to ask God to find out if these things are true or not, and how a testimony from God is super important. We also got to hear from him (Elder Costa) again on Sunday twice. We had a choir practice (we got roped into being part of the branch choir that was organized 5 days before stake conference because we had almost no warning) and he came in and talked to the branch in Spanish. It turns out that the Spanish of a Brazilian is way easier to understand than that of someone who grew up learning Spanish. He put a lot of emphasis on Family Home Evening, praying as a family, and studying the scriptures together. Another really great talk. It was really funny because our mission president was sitting in on it and he doesn't speak any Spanish at all.

Aside from all that craziness, there wasn't too much that went on this week. We got stood up at just about all of our lessons, but we had a cool one where we got invited in and taught a really awesome Restoration and they were really excited. Aside from that, it's not been exciting. Sorry. Picture time! 

 

Elder Woolums (someone I served around) and I before the meeting with Elder Rasband. We had the entire mission there.


Throwing it back to the day that I got out here with my trainer.


After our talk with Elder Costa. (This is the majority of our branch, not just the choir. The choir is about 10 people.) Elder Costa is in the first row, furthest to the right.