27 October 2010

It was great to receive photos of Aaron, Justin, and William. Here I was thinking that William was still this little baby, and he’s already getting big! Aaron and Justin are growing up, too! I miss them a lot. I don’t think I spent enough time with them before, and it always seemed like Amanda was good with that. I can’t wait to see them when I get back!

As for spurt-of-the-moment sacrament talks: I don’t think I’ve ever had to give one of those. About a month ago, the Bishop asked us to fill in for someone in case he didn’t show up. Well, he showed up, and the Bishop asked me to give my talk the next week. The same thing happened about three times in-a-row now, and I’ve still be warned that I may be giving my talk this Sunday. Talk about preparation time.

We are teaching another excellent man by the name of Sílvio. He is the coworker of a member who recently moved here for construction work. Before we even taught him, he received a Book of Mormon, went to the temple, and received a witness that this work is true. I told our ward mission leader that we’re only teaching him the Preach My Gospel lessons to review. He really is a great person, and he plans on moving his wife and three daughters down here, too, because he wants to find permanent work here.

And that’s wonderful news for us because we are desperately searching for families to be taught. Our ward mission leader is a genius, and he’s working really hard with us so that we can find families to teach.

The mission choir is going great. We now have a small group of sisters singing one hymn. That’s a pleasant addition.

Until next week,

Elder Floyd

20 October 2010

We met an elect man on Monday. His name is Antônio, and he read eighty
pages of the Book of Mormon between the time that we met him and the
time that we taught him (less than twenty-four hours). That’s fast
enough to read it in a little over a week! He is very excited to go to
church on Sunday, and we’re really excited to teach him again on
Friday.

Last week was a pretty slow one for us. We worked very hard, but a lot
of our appointments fell through. That left us with a lot of time at
night without a marked appointment, so we decided to take advantage of
the situation and take a look through our area book. We started
calling people that were taught by missionaries in the past, and
within a short amount of time we marked three appointments and another
8-10 people asked us to call back on a specific day to mark an
appointment. Our week so far has started out great, and we’re gearing
up to teach a lot of people!

I made peanut butter cookies today. Elder Flynn in our district wanted
to use his good American peanut butter to make them, but I convinced
him to let me make some with the Brazilian stuff (which is far from
the same, peanut butter not being very common here). I found in the
past that the taste turns out the same. Even though it’s not very good
to put on a sandwich, the Brazilian peanut butter works out great for
cookies, and it’s a lot cheaper than importing.

Elder Treasure and I, along with the district leaders in our zone,
will be going to a Mexican restaurant for lunch tomorrow. It’s part of
our plan to get to know them better and make a happy zone leadership.

Now, I forgot about the Christmas box last week, so I’d better get to
that now. I’m not really sure about specifics to ask for. Much of the
stuff I have I´d like to leave here in February. I love peanut butter
M&M’s, so those are a must have. Also, the cranberry sauce was a nice
touch last Christmas. Does that make me sound fat, just asking for a
bunch of food? Cheez-its: that’s what Elder Treasure just suggested. I
asked him to name something that wasn’t food, and he couldn’t think of
anything either. You don’t need to send peanut butter; I don’t feel as
much lack of it as some other people. Worth more to me than peanut
butter M&M’s or Cheez-its, are letters. If the ward could sign a
Christmas card, I think that would be the best present of all.

That’s all I can think of for now. It sounds like to Lord is taking
good care of everyone over there. That makes me a lot happier to be
here in Brazil. Next week, I’ll try to send pictures from the Mexican
lunch we’ll be enjoying tomorrow.

Until next week,
Elder Floyd

Pictures of a museum Visit - October 2010

13 October 2010

Dad, nice car. I was wondering a while ago when you would be getting a new one. It seems like you’ve been driving the Impala around forever. Also, Lyn has a very keen eye. When we went to Promontory Point and took pictures with the train engines, she pointed out that you had put your foot up on the train and that you always do that. Well she was right: It looks like you’ve conquered your new car.

We had a great activity today with the district leaders in our zone and their companions. We went to the Oscar Niemeyer Museum of Art. I’ve attached some pictures. Elder Treasure is the missionary with me in front of the mural. This week has been a slow one, sad to say. We had a great time at the museum, but the pictures tell the best story.

The Christmas choir is still going great. We’ll be starting to practice While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks by Night next week (which I translated).

Until next week,
Elder Floyd

6 October 2010

It was good to hear that my last email was so well received. I think

I’m finally getting a hang of this missionary email thing!

I have not been transferred as I had thought. Elder Treasure and I

will both be staying together for another six weeks. The next transfer

will happen a week before Thanksgiving. I’m really happy to be staying

here in the center, though. It is a great area, and Elder Treasure and

I will see a lot of the fruits of our labors over the next six weeks.

General Conference was awesome! I really enjoyed President Monson’s

last talk on gratitude. It made me think a lot more about the

blessings that I have here on the mission. How many others don’t have

the opportunity I am having right now!

Yesterday we had another amazing experience: We had a pretty full day

planned: lesson in the morning, lunch, service in the afternoon,

lesson at 6, lesson at 7:30. While we were waiting for lunch to be

served, we received a call from the assistants asking us to go to

Barigüi to help organize the new trainers (missionaries that would be

receiving companions from the Missionary Training Center in São

Paulo). So, we planned on shortening the service, ate lunch, and

launched off to Barigüi. We called the sister who we would be helping

that afternoon and told her we would arrive about 4:00.

Well, after all was said and done we didn’t even leave Barigüi until

4. We didn’t get back to our area until 5:00. For some reason, I felt

impressed to get off the bus one stop earlier than usual, thinking it

would be faster for us to get home. The decision was made at the last

second, so Elder Treasure got attacked by the bus doors when he

followed me off the bus. He’s okay.

While we were walking up the road, we deduced that there would no

longer be sufficient time to serve the sister, and we planned on

stopping by her house to remark. As we were contemplating this

failure, who did we happen to pass on the street that we had never

passed by before? Our appointment for 6:00! We were able to invite him

to go to mutual that night with a member that lives close by him, and

we decided to teach him at the church before mutual started.

So, with a little extra time, we went and served the sister who needed

us. While we were there, we received a call from our 7:30 appointment

who told us our appointment wouldn’t work out and we’d have to remark.

Well, we got to church at 7:30 anyway to meet Adilson (our original

6:00 appointment), and we were invited to share our lesson for him

with the whole mutual group, thus helping him to make a lot of

friends. Because our appointment at 7:30 had fallen, this was quite

easy to do. The kids participated, and many of them bore their

testimonies about the gospel of Jesus Christ. And the best of all:

Adilson bore his testimony voluntarily at the end.

At that’s how Adilson was introduced to the church for the first time.

We hope he’ll be there on Sunday to assist Sacrament meeting. Even

though things often looked like they were disasters, it all worked out

for the better in the end.

Remember: Even if the bus doors are closing, it’s not too late to

follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

I love you,

Elder Floyd

29 September 2010

We just had the best zone activity I have ever been to. We met at

Curitiba 2nd Ward’s chapel this afternoon for a barbeque from noon to

about 3:00. The entire zone as there, and it went off great. There

wasn’t anything excitingly amazing about the activity, but its

simplicity I think added to the atmosphere. All the Elders and Sisters

were excited, and they got to play a little soccer and volleyball,

too. I hope it excites them in their own areas as well.

It’s General Conference season again, and all the missionaries are

excited. I’ll probably be watching it in the English room again with

the other American missionaries and a few Brazilians that watch a

session or two.

Transfers are next Wednesday, which means that Monday night we’ll be

receiving the transfers by phone from the assistants. I’m pretty sure

that I’m leaving because few missionaries stay in 2nd Ward for more

than two transfers, and I’ve been here for three. However, I cannot

read the mind of the Lord, so I’ll just keep my mouth shut until

Monday night.

You remember the prayer experience I sent last week? There’s another

miracle to report this week: On Thursday, we left lunch early to go to

an appointment we had marked for 2:00 that was far away, and a few

minutes into the walk we realized we didn’t have a Book of Mormon (as

it was the first visit we would have with this person, we wanted to

give a Book of Mormon to him). We stopped dead in our tracks and talked

for a few seconds. We decided that we didn’t have enough time to go

back home, but we also decided that we couldn’t show up for the lesson

without a Book of Mormon. I guess you could say we were in a rut.

At that very moment, a sister from the ward pulled up in her car and

asked if we needed something, explaining that she lived in the

building that we were standing in front of. My very smart companion

immediately asked if she had a Book of Mormon at home. She did, and

she gave it to us, and we went to our appointment smiling and laughing

because the Lord had blessed us immensely. The appointment was great,

and we know that the Lord wanted the Book of Mormon in that house;

else, why would He have provided such a miracle?

We found out on Sunday that the sister had no plans of going home that

afternoon, but felt it was a good idea. Coincidence? No, not even a

little bit.

I glad to know that it’s not as hot here as it is there. Please start

showing pictures of me to Vinnie so that he remembers me when I get

home.

I have given a little (just a little) more thought to my post-mission

plans. I’m still just as lost as before, but school if definitely a

part of it. Now what should I major in . . . ?

Mom also told me that she’s been going to church. I’ll be sending out

a letter soon to encourage her to keep on going. It sounds like she

has a few doubts still, but not anything too difficult for Amanda or

the missionaries.

Dad, I think about you all the time, and I thank you for the

opportunity I have to be out here.

Good luck with the knee, Lyn.

Love,

Elder Floyd