Happy New Year!

Its gone by so fast!!! I remember the last new year like it was yesterday. Now it will come again. What goals have you been making? What parties are you going to? Today, I will pass by a members  house but unfortunately wont stay up til midnight. Although, I think I will wake up for all the fireworks! Starting tomorrow, I will be able to say that I only have one more year on the mission haha. How cool is that? 

Okay, well last week was sure alot of fun. Obviously, the highlight of the week was being able to talk to my family. It was so nice to be able to converse with them and see their faces! I had to wait 8 months to see them! Luckily, mothers day is only 5 more months away. I am excited to call them again! Christmas was alot of fun. On Christmas Eve, we went to the Family Cruz. A family with over 150 member of the church... all because of one set of missionaries:) It was really fun and there was tonsss of food! yum yum. Than on Christmas we ate lunch with some members. It was great and I felt lots of peace and love. Than after lunch we went to a members house to skype our parents. It was a really great and peaceful conversation.

This week we almost had a baptism but a few things came up and we had to reschedule. Dont worry, it wasnt a big deal. We have two baptisms scheduled to happen before the end of the transfer and we are working really hard to get it done. I have a feeling that I will be transferred on the 22 of January so we have been working really hard to have some more success before I leave.

Ive been practicing the guitar and its been lots of fun. I think that by the end of my mission ill be pretty good at playing it. On Sunday we received new manuals for Priesthood. Teachings of Lorenzo Snow. Im really excited to study and read about this prophet and the experiences that he had. This is the first time I will be studying the Teachings of the Prophets.

Today we took a trip to central de Porto Alegre. I love coming here because its always so busy with people, sounds, and smells. I guess I have my mothers blood. She always loves visiting the big city. I am really excited for tonight because we will have chorrasco...

Yesterday, my companion and I visited V, our recent convert. We sat down and talked for a while when she told us, ``I have to repent, what do I need to do?`` haha. It was a really funny comment. She had been sick all week and decided to drink coffee to help her throat. We had a good message about true repentance and it was really nice. That night, I thought alot about our conversation. I really am grateful for our opportunity to be able to repent. Without repentance, we would be lost in this world and we wouldnt have a chance to return with our father in heaven. Its just good to know that he has a plan for us and is always watching us, ready to help.

``Work will cure most of your problems`` - Ezra Taft Benson

Love you all, Happy New Years


Elder Horst

Merry Christmas!

Elder Horst wanted everyone to see this webpage.

http://mormon.org/christmas?CID=51064

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve

Well, Its hard to believe but its finally arrived.. Christmas eve!! How exciting is that? Christmas here in Brazil is completely different. After P-Day today, we will go to a big party that some members are having and our present is that we get to stay outside until 11 at night! Wahoo! Of course, tomorrow is set aside for calling my parents. Im so excited for the opportunity and cant wait.

This past week was really busy. On Monday, we had a conference with Elder Godoy... An Elder of the 70 and area presidency. We had a full day of training with him and it was soo good! One of the best trainings that I have had on the mission. He promised us that if we use the Book of Mormon more in our teaching, our investigators will become converts, not just members. Also, he said that if we work more with less active members in our area, our baptisms will double! How cool of a promise is that??

Wednesday, we had our zone conference. IT was held at the local military base. Again, it was a spiritual experience filled with ltos of fun as well. The morning part of the conference was a training. The president and his wife spoke. SIster Castro presented a little family home evening lesson. The president spoke about the differences between a war and the spiritual war that we are fighting. It was such a cool talk. Than we had a guest speaker. He was one of the top leaders at the military base, a convert to the church. He shared his conversion story and a few scriptures. He said that the only difference between us and his soldures was that his people serve their country but us missionaries serve the Lord. After the training we had a really good lunch.. so good that we ran out of food haha. Than we had presentations of each zone. Some were funny, some were cool, some were spiritual, but they all were really good! I surprised the mission by dressing up like Santa Clause. I sat in the back and got dressed. One by one, all the missisonaries started to notice. Than the president announced that Santa Clause arrived and made me stand up to say hi haha. It was great.

This is Elder Horst with all the stockings that Sister Castro and her helpers made for the missionaries.

This is Elder Horst and his companion Elder Xavier.

This is Elder Horst with his mission president, President Castro.  Sister Castro and her 15 year old daughter are in the background.

Well more exciting news, this Saturday we are planning on having another baptism! 9 year old Inita. She is a really special girl. Her parents died when she was one year old and she has been living with her grandmother her whole life. Some of her family is baptised and she is ready for the blessings as well:) Im so excited to have a white Christmas... cause its so super hot over here.

Merry Christmas everyone! Please remember the real meaning of Christmas and why its important. Remember that the biggest gift we have ever received with the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ.

Love you all,

Elder Horst

Where in the zone is Elder Horst?

A:  in the front row, on the extreme left

http://mormon.org/christmas?CID=51064

Merry Christmas

Hello World!! How is everyone? Im sorry but I hardly have any time to write this week. This week is so crazy! I get tired just trying to plan for the week. But first, before I speak about this upcoming week, I will share a few stories from this past week. First, ill start with the bad news!

Monday night around 2 am I woke up to a very fierce wind and rain! It was almost bright outside because it was thundering so bad! The weird part is that it lasted for only about a half hour. The next day when we went to Porto Alegre for transfer day, almost half the city was destroyed!! Buildings fell down, lamp posts were bent.. just so many things were destroyed from a half hour of rain. Worst of all, we didnt have power or water! Long story short... The power kept turning on and off all of Monday-Wednesday. And we didnt have water for five nights in a row. The water would be on in the morning but really week, then when we arrived in the house that night there was no water!! IT was really frustrating but it turned out ok!! 

Funny story. Last night we didnt have water and I REALLY needed to take a shower. Next thing you know, it started pouring rain outside! My companion gave me the idea to take a bath in the rain... and thats what I did! I went outside with my soap and took a shower in the rain! IT was so weird but extremely funny too... I wouldnt take it over a real nice hot shower, but it was a great experience.

This week was really fun! We focused on visiting members and getting new investigators and we had alot of success!! It was my first week being senior and I loved it! I just felt a better sense of responcibilidade. This transfer is going to be so much fun. My companions name is elder Xavier. He is from Sao Paulo. He is so happy and ready to work. The best part about him is he loves to talk to people and share the gospel. He literally talks to everyone that he sees! Its turned out to be a great advantage because we really need to get some new investigators!

Our relationship with the branch is already starting to get alot stronger. I have gotten 20 families to promise to do a family night with the missionaries and a friend. They have from now to the end of February to do it. Thats going to help us so much with the missionary work we are doing.

This week is full of fun and meetings. Today we had a meeting with Elder Godoy.. dont remember his name. He is the area president and a member of the 70. Wow! it was such a great experience! When he was here I really felt the spirit and he taught me sooo much about missionary work. He also gave us some really big promises that have to do with obedience and baptisms! He made me really excited for the work. We also brought back our mission hymn. Its kinda weird, but I love it because its from the best mission in the world!!

Tomorrow I get to go to the temple and Im real excited!! Then on Wednesday we have our Christmas conference. Im soooo excited and I have a surprise for you and the whole mission on that day. As you know, im full of surprises and love to keep things fun!

I have a friend here named Paulo. He is my next door neighbor and soo soo cool. He loves to speak English with me and hang out. Whenever I made American food I always give some to him and he loves it! My new companion is a really good guitar player and last week we were talking about playing guitar. Paulo used to play but stopped because his wife didnt like it (haha). I said that I would love to learn to play. Next thing you know Paulo gave me his guitar as a Christmas present! How cool is that??? I can already play a few songs:) By the time I come home, i will be an expert guitar player!!

How exciting is it that Christmas is arriving! I am so happy to be here and I am loving every minute of Brazil and this mission! Sorry I cant write more...

Id also like to talk a minute in respect to the tragedy that happened this past week. I can say that it shook the world because I knew about it within the hour that it happened. The wonderful part about the true Church of Jesus Christ is the fact that we believe in life after death and I know without a doubt that those little children are sitting at the feet of Jesus Christ living a celestial life. What a wonderful blessing.

Merry Christmas,

Elder Horst

Transfer Day!

So tomorrow is transfer day and I have big news! Im now the senior companion!!! Wahoo! How is exciting is that? My new companion is Elder Xavier, he is Brazilian. He has one transfer less than I do, but we were in the ctm together! I know him a little bit and he is a really cool guy that has alot of love! Im sooo excited for this upcoming transfer. Its a definite motivation booster. I have alot of work to do here in Saõ Tomé and im ready for it!

This last week was pretty simple. We visited alot of less active members and invited them all to church. The branch here is getting really weak and we are all working hard on getting a good amount of members to go to church. Branches are alot harder to run than wards. They are always lacking in leadership and organisation, but I have so much love for my area and Branch. I dream about the day that they will become a ward with 600 members!!

I love when transfer day comes around. Its just like the new year. You leave all the bad behind you and look forward for whats to come! You make goals. You work hard and hope for the best. Tomorrow I will go to Porto Alegre and pick up my new companion! I dont know how we will get home because I dont have much money and we cant take a city bus... but thats not a concern now:)

This week has been so hot!!! Think about the hottest day of your life... then think of it being that hot every day... Its really hot here in Brazil. I drip sweat when Im outside, when im inside, while im sleeping, and right after I towel dry myself from the shower... Its actually kinda fun:) but Its hard to think about Christmas and sunblock at the same time...

Sometimes the things you really want are alot closer than you think! Thursday night was the most hot on my mission. My companion and I could hardly sleep an hour! Around 3 am, we went outside to get some fresh air and a bit of wind. It was so funny because everyone was outside with the same problem. I could have counted over 100 people. Anyways, we got to talk to our next door neighbors (at three am) and we asked if we could teach them the missionary lessons!! How cool is that?? Its hard to find them home because they both work but its no problem because they live 3 steps from our door:)

Anyways thats all the news for this week. Im really excited for the upcoming weeks, and not just because its Christmas!

Happy Holidays!
Elder Horst

First Week in December!

Well well, this week has flown by so fast! Just when the mission was finally starting to slow down, Christmas decided to come around and speed it back up again! Ill break the week down to a few highlights, Lots of  food, over 200 bucks in medicine for my companion (after a 1000+ buck exam) and soccer. Now ill explain:)

I dont know what made this week different, but the food was really good:) I found myself dreaming about rice and beans... Oh! Speaking of dreams, I speak Port-Englais! That means I speak half English and half Portuguese when im dreaming. One night this week I dreamed that I was at a family get together. I was talking to my mom and all of a sudden got really mad! I  said to my mom, ``why are you speaking Portuguese??`` My whole family was speaking Portuguese and apparently that made me really mad.. haha.  But anyways, if you want some good food, come to Brazil.

On Wednesday, we went back to Porto Alegre to get my letters.... i mean to pick up medicine for my companion, Elder Kargel. He lost most of the cartilage in his left knee, and its painful. We cant walk long before we have to stop at a members house.. which makes it really hard to find new people. Anyways, he has to take medicine until April, when he ends the mission. It was really expensive medicine but luckily he got some help from the church.

This Sunday was the classic GRENAL. Dont know what that is? GREMIO vs. INTERNATIONAL soccer game! They are huge rivals and their stadiums are only 20 minutes away.The blue and red game.. Why is that important to a missionary? It shouldnt be...but it is. Why? Because we did not have one lesson on Sunday! Everyone was watching the game.. there was nothing we could do! I even had a member tell me not to go to his house on Sunday...haha. Thats alright though. I heard it was an interesting game. Tons of fights!! Two players and a coach were kicked off the field... a fan threw a bomb at an inter coach and he had to go to the hospital...Ya know.. normal stuff at a rival game:)

Now its P-Day! Im here at the landhouse using a different computer than normal. The space button doesnt work too well. ifidontpushitthreetimesreallyhard,mywholeemailwouldlooklikethis!! haha.        Transfer day is on Tuesday and im 99.9% sure my companion will go. This week we will focus on preparing the area for the next transfer with a clean plan, a clean house, and a lot of people to teach and baptise:)

Thanks for all your help and support,

Merry Christmas!

Elder Horst

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving week was really fun for me and I had alot of cool experiences! On Tuesday, we had interviews with the president of the mission. It seemed to go really well. We had some good discussions about the area and I really loved the opportunity to talk to him.

On Wednesday, we had to go back to Porto Alegre for yet another exam for my companion. He has a problem with his knee and will need to do physical therapy. Its almost ten real (dollars) to go to Porto Alegre and back, thats alot of money for a missionary! My companion is starting to make me broke! The president has already told us that on transfer day in two weeks, Elder Kargel will be transferred to a new area. Im excited to see who my new companion will be.

Well the Holidays are fast approaching. Thursday was Thanksgiving and although it was a regular day of work for me and the rest of Brazil, I was able to celebrate a bit at night before bed! We ordered a pizza and had lots of fun. Better yet, I was able to receive a package from my mom! It was great to feel close to home on the day that im so grateful to have my family! Lights are starting to come up on the houses and the city is starting to look real pretty!

Friday was a good day of work, we had some good success finding new people but we still havent had anyone come to church yet. Its kinda frustrating, but it will get better! As you all know, it was black Friday. Another US holiday that they dont know about in Brazil. I loved explaining it to the members and people I talked to cause they thought it was so weird. Why would everyone in the Country go shopping on the exact same day... at midnight.. and fight for a lame x-box?? haha.

The weekend was good, but really hot too! A member told me that I need to start using more sunblock cause my face was getting red. My first response was that I always have a red face (compared to Brazilians) and my second response was that its super weird to be putting on sunblock when your singing Christmas songs.. haha ill never get used to that.

Anyways, sorry for the short message today but this week has just been a good, normal week! Im grateful for all the blessings that I have received on the mission and Im definitely grateful for a family that supports and thinks about me every day! Only a few more weeks til my phone call!!

Taking Your Steps of Faith

Ahh the holidays are arriving! I can almost smell the rice, beans, and occasionally spaghetti that ill be eating this Thursday. The stores are packed with Christmas decorations and toys that are found right next to the sunscreen and bathing suits. What a great time of year this is! I just really wished I had a Mormon tab Christmas CD with me! This past week was so busy with so many meetings but it was a great week, full of blessings.

Well Wednesday was really cool! My companion and I went to Porto Alegre to hear from the mission president and an Elder from the 70. I am always excited to go to Porto Alegre because it means a few things. It means we will receive letters! It means we will get to see our old friends in the mission too! To make Tuesday better, it was combined with some missionaries from the Mission Porto Alegre North. I caught up with some old friends from the CTM there. First the presidents of the missions spoke. It was funny because my president only has 6 months in the mission and the other president only has 3! He is from Draper, Utah and his name is President Wright. It was funny to see them both together because President Wright is really loving and calm and shared his testimony the whole time. President Castro drilled us on keeping the rules better then promised us love and blessings in the end. haha. President Castro is full of justice and obedience, but is good at showing his love too. I really love him as my president.

Unfortunately, there was another emergency in the mission that called the president away and our interview was pushed back until tomorrow afternoon. I really am excited for the opportunity to talk to him. Cant wait!

Oh, back to the meeting with the Elder from the 70. He shared alot of things that I really liked and really wanted to apply. The thing that hit me most was something he said about being in a Godly state of mind. Ive passed the 6 month mark in my mission and Im completely settled in. I feel really relaxed and I take the mission day by day. In the past two or three weeks Ive noticed that ive been learning TONS about life and the gospel. Its really cool. My favorite part of the day is study time. Right now im studying the Book of Mormon institute manual while reading the BOM again. Its fantastic! Anyways, the Elder taught us that we need to try to spend the whole day thinking about God and spiritual things. If we do this than we will be really close to the spirit and get alot more out of our mission. I really want to try to apply this in my life right now. We will see how it goes.

their apartment

Wednesday was pretty much are only full day of work in the entire week. We decided to do something really different. Our area includes a really tiny neighborhood that is really really far away from everything. We have never been there and decided to make the trip´. It was a dirt road the whole way and a 45 min. walk but way fun and way cool! There was nothing but a random house every 5 minutes. It was even more cool with my Brazilian companion because he showed me plants and animals that I wouldnt have noticed before. Did you know that pineapples are red before they are ready? Also, I saw my first tarantula spider! Ugh! It was as huge as my fist, but way cool to see. We picked up a cool family there so I guess we will making the long trip more often:)

Ill wrap this letter up with Sunday. 5 minutes before sacrament started the Branch President asked me to give a short talk because the member that was supposed to do it didnt show up! Ahh! It was my first time talking in front of people in Portuguese and I did so good! I talked about Faith and how we need to demonstrate more faith in our lives and it ended up being 10 minutes long. Pretty good for my first time huh? I wasnt nervous and I didnt really mess up with any of the language. It was a test of my faith but Im positive that I had the spirit there to help me. It was a great experience to remember. Later, Vania (a recent convert of mine) told me that I am starting to use alot of slang words in Portuguese (Which means im getting good!) hhaa.

I hope this Thanksgiving week will be great for you guys! Be sure to think of me when you cut into that deep fried turkey!! 

Love,

Elder Horst

Why does it only rain on p-days and transfer days?

Its been another great week with another really busy week coming up! Tomorrow, my companion gets the results from his knee exam. That means we have to take another bus ride to Porto Alegre which will probably end up taking the whole day. On Wednesday, our day is filled with appointments for new investigators. Hopefully it will be a great day and everything will go well. Also on Wednesday, I will return to the school and talk to the kids in their English class. Last time was great and they really loved it. On Thursday, we have a special meeting in Porto Alegre and we will get to hear from an Elder from the quorum of the 70. Im especially excited because it will include the Northern half of our mission (Porto Alegre SUl) and the southern half of the mission Porto Alegre North! Im excited to see other missionaries from a different area. I think that will be a great experience. On Friday, we have district meeting and an opportunity to have our interviews with the President of the Mission! Im excited for the time to talk to him one on one because it doesnt happen too often. That also will probably take up the whole day! This is going to be such a crazy and fun week! (also a really expensive week for bus tickets)

Today was a really cool P-Day. All the missionaries from our zone went to a members house in the middle of nowhere. There we had lots of fun playing games and eating churrasco (BBQ). All the missionaries here in the mission love to play the game Monopoly Deal. Its a really cool game, basically a transformed version of monopoly with just cards. Ive started to get really good at it too.. so that helps alot haha. We played a game called war, its a really fast version of Risk. Not to brag... but I won that game too:) It felt good to finally win! Whenever I played RISK with my family I never was able to win. Whenever I was close to winning, everyone would decide that its time to go home or my dad would make me go to bed... Its hard being the youngest of the family:) The mission president went to a meeting in Saô Paulo with all the presidents in Brazil. They made a new rule that we arent allowed to play physical sports on P-Day. That includes basketball and soccer!! AHH I almost died when I heard this rule. I cant play soccer in Brazil?? There are the some things on the mission that are tough to deal with, but its all worth it in the end!

On Thursday, my companion and I went to the local school to talk to kids in their English class. It went really really well. I talked in two classes. The first was really good because the kids were nice, interested, and asked good questions. The second wasnt as good because the kids were a bit immature... But it was definitely instructive! First I introduced myself and asked them to introduce themselves in English. They thought it was hilarious to try to speak English. After, I shared with them some things that are different in the United States. Then I shared with them a language plan that really helped me learn the language and encouraged them to work hard and set goals to accomplish the things they want. Lastly, they had some time to ask questions. I really had such a fun time talking to them. I cant wait to go back this week. Doing activities like this really helps the missionary work. It shows that missionaries are normal people.. not weird Americans that always walk around in white shirts. Throughout the week, I saw many of the kids from school in the road and they all were excited to come up and say hi!

This Sunday was the first Sunday in a long time where we had NO investigators at church. It was really annoying. I felt really bad because the success seemed to completely drop off a cliff in the last two weeks. Im not sure that we will even be able to have a baptism this transfer! The mission is alot slower when there is no success, but im sure it will improve soon. Just like all trials in life, if you keep your head up and keep working really hard, good times and miracles will show up alot faster.

When you leave for the mission, you pack alot of things that you never end up using! For example, i brought sunglasses and a travel iron that I have never ever touched! Luckily, I have a Brazilian companion that wants anything that looks cool, sounds cool, or even pretends to be cool. I traded him these two things and got 8 really really old pieces of Brazilian money. They are really cool and I thought that it turned out to be a great exchange. In the next few days I will have finished my first mission Journal! I was able to go back and read a few pages and its full of alot of great memories and stories! Its funny to think that 6 months ago I didnt understand a word of Portuguese and I was always wondering if I would ever be able to learn the language... now im doing great and speaking really good!

I dont know when thanksgiving is... but I know its soon. SO happy Thanksgiving! Im planning on introducing Egg Nog to Brazil this Christmas season. Ill let you know how it goes.... Just yesterday I was talking to my companion about how I cant believe its already November. I told him that its TOO HOT to be November!! Haha. I have already seen my first house with Christmas lights, have you?

Thanks for all your support and love. I cant wait to talk to you next week!

Love,

Elder Horst

Happy Hallowe'en

Well this week was definitely a great week for me. Just like every week, it has good parts and bad parts, but overall I really enjoyed it. First ill start with the bad news and than cheer you up with some good stories! On Tuesday, we taught a lesson to Cesah. I thought the lesson was going good and it had a good spirit. At the end we tried to get him a baptism goal. One thing led to another and he told us that he would get baptised in our church but he would never stop going to his other church. He said that he would be worshiping two different churches. Than the member that was there (his best friend) started fighting with him and it all went down hill from there... Im kinda sad because he is no longer our investigator.. To make the story a bit better, he is still going to church every week and maybe someday he will feel the promptings of the spirit!

Okay, now to talk about a more happy subject! Halloween! Well im almost positive that Halloween was a bit different here for me than it was for you. I think its weird because here in brazil they recognise Halloween and everyone loves the holiday but they do nothing to celebrate! Thats right, I didnt eat one piece of candy on Halloween!! This is what happened for me. I woke up and was talking to my companion about Halloween and some experiences ive had. Then I told him that I really wanted to do something to celebrate! We called the sister missionaries for some advice and they told us to dress up as men in black! We thought it was a great idea. We got in our suits and grabbed some cool looking sunglasses. To most, we looked like normal missionaries... but I felt good that I was keeping the Halloween tradition alive!

One good thing I like about transfer days is that we are able to start fresh and make some good goals. My companion and I have set some high standards for this transfer and were really excited to work! This week we want to have alot of baptism dates set for our investigators. Setting goals is a really good way to get things done. Another goal that we have is to start working alot more with the members.We came up with a cool family home evening program. Tonight we will have family home evening with the president of the branch and another family that he invited (family 2). Next week we will have a family home evening with family 2 and they will invite someone else... Then on Sunday we will put a photo up in the church of the night which will make more people want to participate.. haha im excited!!

Anyways, I hope you are all doing good and staying happy! Until next week,

Elder Horst

A creepy creature that Elder Horst saw when he was walking........eeeeewwwww!!!!

Transfer Day

Hello everyone! Today is transfer day. The week before transfers are always so exciting because everyone is wondering and guessing what will happen and where they will go! Well today I was blessed to be able to stay in this area! Saõ Tomè. Also, I will have the same companion. Things are great in this area! Im so excited to continue to progress and have success here.

With transfers, there are usually new goals made! One goal that my companion really wanted was to run each day in the morning! Now, Im not too excited for that one, but Im happy to do it. I think it will help us out alot and of course, will allow me to eat more chocolate here. Wahoo! I want a lot of baptisms this transfer and think we can get them if we work hard enough. Well see what happens!

So this week was great! It was funny, my companion was almost positive that he was getting transferred so he talked to everyone saying that it would be his last time with them. They will be shocked when they see him again. On Sunday we had to do a division. My companion went with a Brazilian and I went with a brand new American. All the Brazilian had to justify their vote for the elections  (Brazilians are required to vote). Its really annoying but he finally got it taken care of. We went to church in my ward and it was the primary program. The primary did so good! There was about twenty of them, which is a lot for a small branch. I tried singing the songs with them, but I only have them memorized in English... Sorry!

Sunday also brought a great experience for me. I was able to confirm Linda a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It was my first time doing it and I was really nervous. I spent the whole week preparing for it. When I gave the blessing I really felt good and I spoke really good Portuguese. I felt like some of the words were put in to my mouth. I definitely know that the holy spirit helped me. I was grateful for the experience.

Its starting to get really hot here. And of course, with the heat, comes the insects and rodents! I have seen so many creatures roaming around haha. It really hasn't bothered me yet. I have seen lots and lots of snake skin on the ground but I havent seen a live snake yet. Luckily, our house is pretty clean, so it wont attract any weird bugs. Although, I like the spiders, because they eat the flies. I like the lizards, cause they eat the spiders. Its a win win situation:)

Today I went to the school in our area to talk to the English teacher there. She wants me to stop by one day and teach the kids about America and what its like there! Im so excited to do that! The teacher actually lived in San Fransisco for a year. I think she speaks pretty good English. I told her that on that day shes not allowed to speak Portuguese to me:)Tomorrow is the baptism of my good friend in the branch. She just turned 8 and is so excited for baptism! My companion and I had the opportunity to teach her the mission lessons just to help her understand the importance of baptism.

Wish me luck on my next transfer! Im so grateful and happy to be here on the mission. I want to congratulate my really really really good friend Brinkley on becoming engaged! I am really excited for her to prepare for the temple and live with a family that can be together for eternity.

Until next week,

Elder Horst

Time to Change the Toothbrush!

Well well well, it seems as though I have made it to the 6 month mark! Wahoo! Thats cause for a week of celebration dont you think?? Its been a fantastic 6 months full of experiences and opportunity. Im excited for the next 1 1/2. Before I start I want to make an announcement! Some of you might have already known, but on average, the church receives 600 applications of people that want to serve a mission each week. Last week, the church received 7,000. WOW. How exciting is that? Its so fun to see the growth in the church. I am blessed every day to be able to help out with that work. I have a few good stories for you.

On Saturday we were able to baptize Linda. Linda is 16 with the maturity of a 25 year old. It was such a special day. I was able to conduct the meeting and my companion was able to baptize her. There was an emergency that caused her to miss church this week but I will be able to confirm her a member of the church next Sunday. Linda has three brothers, 18 years, 13 years, and 12 years old. Right now we are working on teaching them and getting them a baptism date as well. It would be really nice if they were all baptized so they could grow and stick together through easy and hard times.

Our other investigator is starting to progress very rapidly. He has been to church twice with a member family. He has stopped whispering during the prayers (which was good cause it was always hard to focus when he did that!). He isnt as hesitant with us and asks really good questions. Also, last night we all went to another member family and he was able to bond with them. Everything is working out good, its just going very slowly one step at a time. We decided to push back his baptism date from the 27 to the 10 of November. I think this is best for him because he still has a lot of passion for his other religion. Im excited to see him progress.

 I am so happy with my area. We seem to be having alot of success. Transfer day is next week and my companion has a ´feeling´ that he will get transferred. I think we will stick together for one more but who knows! Last Tuesday was the conference of zones. I thought it was really good and I learned a lot! I love going to the conference because you get to meet up with your old companions and friends. I saw almost everyone from my group in the CTM and other friends as well including Elder Cox! Zone conference helps you remember your purpose. why your here, and what you need to do to have success!

This week I saw a snake and the Biggest Spider ive ever seen in my life!! Luckily It was in the road and I was in a car, but I was still freaked out. Its starting to get really hot and all the little creatures are starting to come out:) We have had a really late summer here. The people are shocked at how cool its been. I dont have a problem with that! haha, they say when its really hot in January or February you will end up taking two or three showers a day! Thats alot of laundry...

Today my companion got permission from the president to return to his first area. We are going to a members house to eat some good food! Im really excited. I want to share with you the talk that was given by the presidents wife at the conference. She talked about how to have a good attitude and animation in your life. She gave us 4 things to work on and I want to challenge you to work on these things too!

1. Attitude : Always wake up with a positive attitude and keep it throughout the day

2. Work: Always try to improve your skills and talents

3. Gratitude to the Lord: Be thankful for your blessings, your trials, your family and friends, and all the things you have in life

4. Pray with faith and ask for more faith: With faith in the Lord, all things are possible!

Do this and I promise you will be blessed and receive more happiness in your life. Thanks for all!

Elder Horst

This is Elder Horst and Elder Cox

Elder Cox is from Rocklin and Sean got to know him a little before Elder Cox left for his mission.  I think Elder Cox has been in Brazil about 4 months longer than Elder Horst.  They have a special bond knowing they are from the same city and the same Stake :)

A Week To Remember!

This week was filled with fun and good times topped off with a trip to the temple! My zone was able to attend a session at the Porto Alegre Temple. It is actually zoned in the Brazil, Porto Alegre North Mission but we got special permission to go. It was such a cool opportunity and it was all in Portuguese! That made it even more fun. For those of you who dont know, the temple is a house of the Lord. Worthy members of the church have an opportunity to go there to feel close to the spirit and make promises and covenants with God. What a blessing! Through baptism and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, every one has an opportunity to go to the temple and partake of these things! Temples are always beautiful and a good place to forget all your worries of the world.

We focused this part of the week on members, less-actives, and our progressing investigators. After two weeks of teaching, our investigator Cesah went to church! What a blessing that was! He has been so hard to teach because he is dedicated to his other religion. Little by little he has started to receive answers to his prayers and good feelings about our church. We set a baptismal date for him on the 27 of October. Through faith and perseverance, I know that he will be prepared to enter into the waters of Baptism!

One of the biggest problems Cesah has is understanding the concept of Authority from God. Only one church has true priesthood authority from God, The Church of Jesus Christ. Joseph Smith received this authority from Peter, James and John and it has been passed on by the laying on of hands. Now, there are many worthy people that hold this priesthood and that is a great blessing! Without this priesthood power, men cannot perform ordinances of God.

Heres a kinda funny story. On Saturday there was a birthday party for two kids in the branch. There were to be investigators, non members and cake, so of course, my companion and I were there! We were asked to go early and help set up decorations. We finished around 12 and decided to go home for lunch and then return in time for the party. We were walking home and I stopped and remembered that I left the keys to the house at the party! Even worse, we couldnt return to the party, because everyone left for lunch and the doors were locked! We decided to get to the house and find a way in. On the way there I remembered that the window next to my bed was really easy to open from the outside. I used a credit card to jimmy the latch and open the window. We then jumped into the house and had no problem! Haha. Thats what I call creative thinking.

Brazil continues to be good for me and I hope that all is well for you too! Until more..

Elder Horst

Mother's note:  Sean has always had a terrible problem forgetting his keys!!  I have made so many trips to. his school because he was locked out of his truck.  He has had to pay for a few locksmiths because I couldn't find the spare key because he misplaced it also.  One time he even stepped on his keys that were on his bedroom floor and one of them got lodged into his heel.....a trip to the emergency room......Looks like he will always have a key problem.  LOL

A Little Under the Weather! (the weather hasn't been that great either)

Hello Friends and family? How was your week? How was conference? Its officially October! Do you know what your going to be for Halloween? Im going to be a missionary:) I have to be honest, this week has been a bit slow, but nevertheless, it was full of blessings and miracles!

Monday and Tuesday it rained. We had a service project on Wednesday that was really hard! We moved a pile of broken bricks from the road to the guys back yard. It was a lot of work but it turned out to be a real big success! This pile of bricks has been sitting on the busy road for a long time! When people passed and saw that Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ were cleaning it, it really gave us a good image! At one point, a parade passed by and someone running for mayor of the city was on top of a car talking to everyone on a mike. He looked at us and told us thanks for our service! He than went on to say that we need more people like these missionaries in the city! I thought it was really cool.

Ive been a bit sick this week... but if you know me, you know it hasnt slowed me down much. It started a bit on Tuesday. I had a headache and I felt kinda worn out! By Thursday I realized that it was another sinus infection haha. I called the mission home and I was able to get some medicine. It hasnt passed yet, but it will soon! Also, unfortunately my companion has had some really bad knees lately. In a few weeks he has an appointment to get them checked out at the doctor.

Saturday and Sunday I was able to watch conference! It was a bit different than im used to but, just like usual, I felt the spirit so strongly! Our president let us go to the Saturday sessions, but we were only able to make the second one. It was really great! The sessions were at 1 and 5 at night. Unfortunately priesthood was at 9 at night or 6 in the morning so we couldnt go to it... Its really fun to watch conference in Portuguese but its difficult too! By the end of each day I had a huge headache from trying to understand and absorb every single word! It was fun to hear the translations. In the last session, Elder Scott spoke. I wrote in my notes that the church does a really good job at finding translators because he sounds exactly the same as Elder Scott!! I also noted that this translator was particularly good because it seemed like he knew what Elder Scott would say before he actually said it! Thats when my companion told me that Elder Scott speaks Portuguese! He served a mission here when he was 19! Now, he translates all his talks into Portuguese! Thats one great way to use your talents!

Tomorrow we have the opportunity to go to the Porto Alegre Temple. I am very excited. The temple is a great place to feel the spirit and receive answers to our prayers!

When president Monson spoke Sunday morning, he told us to take an inventory of our lives. Think about all the things you have done and after write down all the blessings that the Lord has given you! I want to give you this challenge as well. We are blessed by the Lord every day but there are times when we dont really notice, or when we think that it was just a coincidence; Do this, and let me know how it goes, I will do it too!

Thats all for this week. Im glad to hear that all is well for you. Always do good and be on the Lords side, because you never know when he will call you to serve.

Love,
Elder Horst

Enjoy life and stay happy

Ola family and friends! How is everyone this week?

 For me, this week has been full of fun and opportunities to serve! First ill talk about the service. I havent lived in Brazil for too long, but im pretty sure that the only service projects they know how to do is move dirt from one side of the house to the other!! I did it in my last area, I did it this week, and we have another one planned for next week. On the bright side, I love dirt! I always seem to be the most dirty at the end of a project. So for this project in particular, we were moving a pile of dirt that is used to make cement from the road to the backyard because they were building another little house there. It was my companion and I, a shovel and a wheelbarrow. We took turns with each. We than realized at the same time that we could make a cool little cave! That gave us motivation to work hard and before you know it, we made a hole that we both could fit in! Than we pulled a good little prank. I hid in the hole and my companion ran inside the house to ask where I went. We had the member there convinced that I ran away until I popped out of the cave and scared her! It was all good fun and in the end I got the job done.

On Saturday we made a trip to Porto Alegre. There was a really big event at the church. It was kinda like a job fair with interview trainings and stuff. It was awesome. People from the whole state(some drove more than 4 hours) were there including tons of non members. Luckily I was able to be there. It was really fun. My job was to help people who had questions. I got to see some of my old friends from Pelotas too! Porto Alegre is about a 40 minute ride from my area using a public bus. I love using the buses!   I also love going to Porto Alegre because I am able to stop by the mission home and pick up my letters! Oh, that reminds me. The post office is on strike here. This apparently is a normal occurrence. I dont know whats going on. First I heard its on strike until November, then I heard that only half of the Post Office is on strike and I also heard that it already ended... I dont know. I will stop by there today to see if I can send some letters. As for you, feel free to send them:) Ill get it sooner or later!

Sunday was super great! It started, as usual, with church. We were one of the first ones at the church. When we got there, half the hallway was flooded!! Ahh! There was water pouring from one of the roofs. It was really sad to see. Luckily we were able to turn off the water, but it made a big mess. At night, we went to a members house to teach an investigator. His name is Cesah.. its a strange name.. Anyways, to our surprise, another family was there too! We were able to have a really amazing family night with them. My companion spoke on attitude and showed a few videos on his flash drive. I tied in how we need good attitudes to endure until the end! A lot of people cried and I felt the spirit so strong. Especially when one member bore her testimony. If you ever get the chance, go out with the missionaries and bear your testimony! It helps us so much and it will always invite the spirit.

Lastly, I want to talk about General Conference. Wow I am so excited! Its my first time as a missionary, first time in Portuguese, and im pretty sure its the first time going to the church to listen! We are so blessed to be able to watch conference in our own homes! I want to challenge all of you to watch general conference. We have the opportunity to listen to a prophet of God, someone who receives revelation from God! Why wouldnt you want to listen to every word? I am very excited for this opportunity and I hope you are too.

Enjoy life and stay happy,

Elder Horst

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Hi family and friends! How are you? Is it starting to get cold in the states? I only ask that because its starting to get hot here! This week was ridiculous with the weather. On Sunday it started raining. It rained so hard that the water drops hurt if they hit your face! It didnt stop all night. Than when I woke up, it was raining! It never stopped, than Tuesday it rained! Finally on Wednesday, for the first time in half a week.. the rain stopped. Phew!! I was so worried that Brazil was going to be flooded then become part of the Ocean or something it was unbelievable. On the bright side, all rain storms have an end, and its usually a pretty ending! The rest of the week has been so pretty with a slight breeze and the sun. Perfect. We have been working so extremely hard this week and its starting to pay off! We are receiving so many new investigators and are teaching many lessons. This is going to be a great transfer.

I will tell you about some investigators of ours. First there is Linda. Linda is a 16 year old girl who was inspired to go to our branch birthday party. At the party I talked to her and got her address! The next day she showed up at church! Wahoo! We went to her house excited to teach her about the Gospel. When we arrived there we were able to meet her 3 brothers who also wanted to know about the church! Bah, that was a great little surprise. One brother is 18, i dont remember his name because its extremely hard for me to pronounce let alone remember. The other two brothers are 12. This Friday we went there to talk to their mother primarily to let her know what we do and what her kids will be doing in our church. Of course we invited her to take the lessons as well. She will be hard to teach and progress because she works on Sunday but I have faith that all will be well!

Here is another great story. I dont know if I have told this or not.. but ill tell it again. A week or two ago we were on our way to a members house. We get to the front and clap at their door.(We clap because every house has a gate and we cant reach the door.) All of a sudden a lady and her son walk up. The lady says, ``My son wants to know what you guys do!`` I almost laughed because that sentence was so good to hear! We shared a few sentences and were able to get their address. We stopped by a few days ago but the address turned out to be an abandoned house. It was actually a house that we knocked the week before. I got discouraged thinking that I got the wrong address. I turned around, and there was the boy that we talked to. Ahh, it was perfect. He took us on a long walk to the back of the property where there was another house. We were able to teach him and his mother. His mother, at the end of the lesson, was really happy. She told us that she liked our message because before she didnt think we were normal people but now she knows we are. Haha. Anyways hopefully we will continue to teach them and see progress.

Cool things that happened this week. I finished Jesus, the Christ. Wow, what an amazing book! I was able to learn so much about the life of Jesus and the New Testament. Now, I am inspired to read the New Testament. I cant wait! Also, I ate at least 9 cakes this week. We seem to be invited to at least 5 parties a week. (were really popular.. already have an appointment for Christmas!) Oh! This is a cool story that I still cant believe.

We were at the house of the Relief Society President, Grazi, and her husband the Young Mens President, Hobbson. They are really cool. Grazi was on facebook. She wanted to show me this page called SUD (Or in English, LDS) Brazil. Basically, people attach pictures with a phrase from a prophet or the scriptures. We were clicking through them and I was having a fun time reading the phrases in Portuguese. We pass one and I was like.. hey! This picture looks familiar! I look closer and its my good friend Jamie VanWagenen! I was so shocked. Why is Jamie on a Brazilian facebook page?? It was so funny and random at the same time but I thought it was really cool. I have a picture for proof that my mom will post.

Anyways I think thats it for this week! All is well here! Continue firm in the faith of God and he will guide you with all the things that you do! My challenge to you is set some Goals for the week. They can be about school, work, friends, or the gospel. Goals are a good way of accomplishing tasks with motivation. My companion and I set some crazy goals this transfer, they almost seemed impossible. Because they seem impossible, we have been determined to meet them to prove to everyone and ourselves that its possible!

With Love,

Elder Horst

Elder Horst wasn't able to send photos.  He tried, but they would not go through.  Hopefully we will get some next week :)

Batismo!!

Hey family. How are you? The mission has brought me another week filled with blessings! I will share..

On Monday I went to the BIG and bought some supplies to make Ice Cream! Let me tell you, it was quite a challenge! I have a rule that if a recipe requires more than 1 pan, I wont be able to make it! Well, I did alright! The first challenge was to translate the recipe! After that I mixed all the ingredients and threw it in the freezer overnight. Oh, I forgot to mention that I first had to DEFROST the freezer. Have you ever tried to defrost a freezer? I tried hot water, I tried salt, i tried using a huge knife, it took forever! The next afternoon after lunch we tested my Ice Cream. It looked so good when we took it out of the freezer! Unfortunately, it wasnt as good as the Ice Cream we had at the members house but I still consider it a success. It tasted good but was really icy and I messed up somehow... The best part is my companion didnt like it and I had it all too myself! Wahoo.

The ingredients for the ice cream.

Elder Horst and Elder Cargel making the ice cream.

The anticipation :)

Success!

It sure looks good!

On Friday we went to the 4th Birthday Party of our Branch Saõ Tomé! It was so fun! They had 2 trampolines. One for the kids, and one for the adults! They also had some really good food and cake there (necessary for all types of parties). I had a great time walking around and talking to every single person that passed by me! I love this branch because the members here are so united. Also, everyone loves the missionaries! The night was really successful because I ended up having a few addresses to pass by and a few family nights planned to meet with some non members. Wahoo! After that party I really feel like I can talk to people without many problems. I feel like I can understand almost everything most people say and I also am able to respond. Luckily, I already have the outgoing part down.

Saturday was a really special day for me. We had another baptism, Vania. What makes it even more cool is that she asked me to be the one to baptise her.It was such an honor. The day was special. We were able to also see the baptism of a member family. His name is Kaiki (I dont know how to spell it). It seemed like the whole branch came to watch the baptisms. There is nothing better than having a good support team. 

I had a funny experience during Sacrament meeting on Sunday. I was able to bless the water. When the sacrament was being passed a certain man walked in. I could tell that he was a homeless man. He walked right up to the front row of the pews and sat down. No big deal. Then he got on his knees and prayed really loud and really strange! It didnt last long fortunately. He got up, blew us a kiss and thanked us for our time then left. Ahaha I almost died laughing!  I wouldnt say he did anything wrong because in some churches thats what you do! He just didnt know better:)

This area is really special. Its transfer day today and luckily my companion and I will stay together for another transfer. We have really big goals here, but I think we can accomplish them. We have received 10 new investigators in 2 weeks. That may not sound like alot but its tons for us!! Literally, so many people come up to us and ask us who we are and what we do. It makes our work alot more easy!!

I have a really important announcement to make. As of today I am no longer a greenie in the mission! Wow, it has flown by. I love this opportunity to serve a mission. I am so grateful for all the people I meet and all the experiences I have. I hope everyone is doing well and staying happy!

Love,

Elder Horst

Waiting, waiting, waiting.......for the bus.....zzzzzzzz.......