A Good Week

Well this week was good but honestly there was not that much to talk about. On Saturday, we had a Stake Fireside about the mission work. It seemed to go really well. The missionarys sang a few hymns. Our President spake along with a few others. I just wanted to share with you a little of what was talked about and my thoughts.

 

When the First Presdiency had the Work of Salvation Meeting last month, they shared with us the vision of missionary work in the Church of Jesus Christ. The role of the member is to FIND, TEACH, and CONVERT all of their friends and neighbors. The role of the missionary is to ASSIST the members in their work. Unfortunitally, this is a fact that most members (including me before I served) dont understand. I hope that through my message today, the readers can feel more of a responcibility to serve.

 

The members need to FIND. This is the first thing that member missionaries need to do. We need to talk to people in the road, Market, school, work, or any place where we find people. When we do this we are able to find out who would like a message and who wouldnt. When you give a good REFERENCE to the missionaries, they can assist you in teaching and converting your friend.

 

Another way to find investigators is to visit Less-Active or IN-Active families in the Ward. Pass by there and make friendships. Usually what you will find is that most people just need a friend and invitation to come back to church. Also, alot of families that are less or inactive have Family members or friends that are not members of the church. You can use less actives to find investigators to teach.

The second role of the member missionary is to TEACH. Teaching has two parts. The first is teaching before baptism. This is a responcibility of the missionary, to teach and help the investigator understand what is being taught. The role of the member is to be there as a friend. To help the investigator with questions about the church. Also help the investigator keep commitments  by giving them a ride to church and talking with them often.

 

After the investigator becomes a member of the church, he needs to be taught all of the lessons again. The second part of the teaching is the responcibilty of the member. This teaching should be done by a friend, the Ward mission leader, or the Home Teachers.

 

Lastly, The third role of a member in the work of salvation is to CONVERT the new member, not just baptise. Last night I heard a disturbing fact about the church that broke my heart. In Brazil in 2012, more than 33,000 people were baptised and confirmed members of the church. Thats wonderful!!! Unfortunitally, in 2012, the number of people that frequented church only went up by less than 3,000. What happened to the other 30,000? Its sad to see that the missionaries are working so hard to baptise and help others but nobody is helping the members to be converted. The third role of the member is esential to the growth of the church. You can help a new member stay converted by Home and Visiting Teaching. A friendly phone call to ask why they wernt at church. Things that show your love.

 

Anyways, these words are some of the things that I have learned about the importance of member missioary work. We all need to do our part to recieve the blessings of The Work of Salvation.

 

Love,

Elder Horst

Zone Conference Meeting "The Armor of God".

Happy Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday Mom! Congratulations on making it another year and having such a good life so far. I hope that arent able to believe the age that you have. They have a hard time believing that you made it through six (wonderful, amazing, and beautiful) children and still look the way that you do. There are not many people in this world that can pull off the things you do. Thank you for your support and love and most of all your example that has guided me throughout my life. When I teach people about families I Always make sure to testify that I am the person that I am because of two things. My parents and my Religion. I am so grateful for the both.

Well this week turned out to be a great one for me and my companion. Tuesday was zone conference and it went really well. We learned alot about how to become better teachers and missionaries. We also learned about Accountability and how we need to take responcibility for our actions through our leaders, the presidente, and Our God in prayer. It was very helpful for me.

Monday we were able to witness the wedding of our investigators Alan and Debora. It was so exciting to see them and their desire to follow the commandments of God. Alan and Debora have two kids. Their daughter who is three and isnt obediente and runs and screams all sacrament meeting:) and their one month year old son.

This is their conversion story. Debroa was seeking a church to help their Family. She knew that it was important and would help their Family throughout their life. She wanted something to help her kids. She prayed and within a short time two missionaries knocked at her door. From there on it was progress. She worked really hard to get married. Alan stopped smoking and they both prayed and knew that the church was true. Its a very amazing story. Id love to show you fotos of the wedding and all but they borrowed my memory card to copy the fotos! Ill send some next week.

There was alot of rain this week and it was REALLY REALLY cold! In fact, there is a place in the Porto Alegre NORTH mission that actually recieved SNOW... SNOW IN BRASIL??? Whats this world coming to... I havent had any problems with being Warm or sick. I hope to keep that up. Our house is very cold but I am okay with just two blankets at night.

Thursday I went to the hospital to pick up my MRI. Fortunitally the exam showed that my knees didnt have any problem and it was only a problem with muscle balance. One of my muscles is weak and the other one is starting to pull on my knees. I will start Physical Therapy in a few weeks and im sure everything will be better in no time.

Saturday was the baptism of Alan and Debora. it was a dark and rainy day but that did not stop the spirit from entering the room. The presidente and his wife were able to attend. Also at the baptism was the Bishop, Elders Quórum and releif society President, a representative from the Primary and their new home teachers. it was a very good meeting. I was able to baptise Bebora Rocha Mãotone Akino Espindola. Yes, I was very nervous that I wouldnt remember the name. The spirit helped me and I was able to baptise her without any problems!

I hope to wish everyone a good week! May you enjoy your hot summer weather!!!

Love,

Elder Horst

Alan and Debora at their marriage ceremony.

Looks like Debora has a sense of humor :)

 Debora and Alan's baptism

Debora and Alan with Elder Horst and Elder Miller.

It was really cold in the building, that's why Debora is wearing a sweater.

Debora and Alan with President and Sister Castro.

Healing Waters!

Well this week was kinda lame..It started out way good. Tuesday I had my first Zone Training as a zone Leader. It was really good. We talked about  a ton of things and it went well. I think the zone was really benifited from the meeting. Throughout the start of the week we were teaching alot of people and having a good time.

Thursday I was feeling really bad in the knees and had a hard time walking up and down the MOUNTAINS in the área so I stayed home with Elder Emanuel. He was hurting because he had surgery on the hips. Friday we spent almost the whole day in the hospital. I had an appointment at 7 am and he had an x ray to do in the afternoon. We decided to use our free time wisely haha. We stopped at the Italian Embasy to take a few fotos. We stopped at the Old Gremio stadium too! That was really nice to see.

Now I can say that I stepped foot in Italy!

They are getting ready to destroy the old Gremio stadium.

Saturday we went and I got a cat scan on my knees (at least I think thats what they call it) I was put in this big tube and had to stay in there almost an hour without moving my legs! I just took a nap:) Long story short with the knees. I will have to start doing Physical Therapy to get my muscles back to normal but thats okay because ill be all better in no time!

Saturday on our way back to the hospital, we stopped by a little shop on the side of the road. He was selling flags of soccer teams. When he saw us he became very happy and we ended up talking for about an hour! He told us alot about his life including the fact that he served in World War 2 and did training in the USA. He also told us that he was a member of the church and had a big desire to come back! We gave the other missionaries his address and all was well.

 Not much time to write today because our investigators will be getting married in a few hours! They will also be getting baptised this week! Much more details next week.

Love,

Elder Horst

A Very Busy Week!

Well this week has seemed to fly by. Alot of things have happened. Lets start with Tuesday. Tuesday I went on a division with Elder Gull. Elder Gull is a district Leader here in our zone. I like him because he is a really hard worker and has good vision for his district. It was my week to leave the area so I was able to work in his area.

Wednesday was a full day because I had my first Zone Leader Meeting. The name has been changed to Leader of the mission Meeting because now we have sister Leaders! They arent like zone leaders, but they take care of all the sisters in the missionary. I like the idea! It was a very spiritual and productive meeting. I truly learned alot on how to be a better missionary and leader. For lunch, President took us out to a nice restaurant with all you can eat churrasco! It was super yummy!

Reunited with my best friend, Elder Henderson :)

Thursday, the Asistants to the President wanted to do a division with us. I went to their area and one of them came to mine. it was TONS of fun! The assistants work in a really hard area. Downtown Porto Alegre. Its really hard for them to have investigators cause there are no doors to knock and nobody in the road acutallly live in their area! We spent some time finding some less active families. It was good sucess. At 5 we had to hurry home. Brazil has been having lots of riots and protests lately. They had one planned that day and we decided to go home when we saw thousands of police men on the road. It was fun to see, but im glad we didnt get stuck in the middle of it. The next day, roads and businesses were destroyed from the violence. Its kinda sad the lack of respect that some people have.

Playing checkers with orange peels, orange vs white!

Saturday and Sunday were major days of sucess! Sunday it rained but that didnt stop us and we ended the week with 7 baptisms marked! Ill talk a bit about them

First of all, Alan e Debora. They are really perfect investigators. They are getting married on the 15th and getting baptised on the 20th. They are reading the Book of Mormon every night and praying. They are doing lots of missionary work and never miss a week of church! Im really excited for their baptism. They have two kids, One with 3 year and one with just a month.

The other baptisms that we have are from knocking doors. We are working really hard to animate and encourage our areas. Thanks for all your help and support.

Love,

Elder Horst

Me and my companion, Elder Miller.

20 Buck Pizza Hut pizza night!  It really was Pizza Hut!!!

One of our investigators is an idol worshiper!

President Dilma of Brasil!

BRASIL, BRASIL, BRASIL!!!!!

Well its been a wonderful week here in the fabulous Brazil! Lets start with some updates. BRASIL WON the confederations Cup!! I know that you have no idea what that is so ill explain. They pick the best teams from each continent and have a tourneyment to prepare and predict how the world cup will be next year! BRASIL WON! wahooo. The whole country is happy. The championship game was last night and it was impossible to work. People called us crazy for being out in the road which was true cause all the shops were closed and in one hour we saw 7 people on the road. We had a meeting with the Ward Mission Leader than just went home. It was impossible to work!

Other news. Brasil is revolting against the country. Its a historic event because people are finally starting to take a stand on the high taxes and all the government stealing their money. Because of this, there are like weekly strikes, Weekly riots, and Brazil shuts down completely. So the next strike will be on the 11th. haha.

Well now Ill get back to talking about the missionary work here. I just got transferred. Its an awesome area with LOTS of sucess. On the 15th, two of our investigators are getting married and they will be baptised on the 20th. Im really excited. My companion and I have plans to baptise alot more than just them though! The ward here is really strong. Its really missionary based and has had lots of baptisms lately. im excited to keep that up!

Saturday we went to the temple. it was a really nice experience like usual. We got to do a session and see two sealings of a family that my companion baptised. It was very special. I liked when i saw a 4 year old girl and her 9 month old brother get sealed to her parents. The spirit was really strong.

Well I know that this is a really short letter but I gotta go. Today is gonna be a fun P-Day!

Love you all,

Elder Horst

Elder Horst in front of the Porto Alegre temple

Elder Horst and his new companion Elder Miller, who is from Susanville, California

The largest mall in Brazil is in Porto Alegre

The Work of Salvation

Well im gonna start this letter by talking about the World Wide Training held by the First Presidency and Quorum of the twelve Apostles called the Work of Salvation. That meeting was an excelent demonstration of the importance of missionary work. They shared with us some of the changes in the way we work, the responcibility of members in conversion, and how we can become better teachers by relying on the spirit. I can testify that this broadcast was pure revelation given to the prophet from the Lord. I encourage all of you to apply the things that they said and you felt. For those of you that havent watched it, I encourage you to go online and watch it. If we all work hard and apply the revelation from our prophets and apostles, the work will flourish and shall be blessed.

Well, This week for me was very good. We worked hard and had alot of sucess. Last night I got a special call from President Castro. He called to tell me that I was promoted to Zone Leader! How cool is that? I feel that I am making fast progress in the mission and doing all I can to help the people here in Brazil. Im really excited to now be able to help all the missionaries in my zone and have a closer relationship with the president. My new area will be Agronomia in the zone Partenon in Porto Alegre. Im really exicted to be serving in Porto Alegre now.

Although it is always great to be transfered and start a new journey, its hard to think about all the people that you will miss when you leave. Its really hard to leave the people that you have loved and served for so long. Its not something that I can explain. Over the last 4.5 months here in Bagé, I have seen this ward flourish. The expansion of a meeting house in our area has blessed the lives of so many and I have seen the changes in their actions and hearts. I will never forget the soon to be Branch Prado Velho. I guess it was perfect timing to leave when the ward secratary announced to me that the Stake President was working on the papers to start a new branch.

Sunday was a really great day. I was able to give a talk on Revelation and at the end of the meeting say goodbye to my good friends. I really was sad to say bye to Marcia. I have seen miraculous changes in her ever since the first day I met her at church. Her faith and testimony has built mine so much, more than she could know. I am excited to see her grow continually. I know that in a few years she will serve a mission and help thousands of people become converted!

I also want to talk about Carla. Carla is my progressing investigator. Saturday we taught them how to have a family night. We had a fun activity and than made pancakes for them! They loved it and we had a great time. Carla kept making comments like,  when we get married in the temple.. or.. when my daughter goes on a mission... or when we get baptised.... It was really nice to know that she was so excited to doo all those things. Sunday she went to church for the first time with her children. She said that an hour before she left the house a whole bunch of people came over to visit. She was worried that she wouldnt be able to make it than said... I cant miss another week of church! I gotta go! It was really sweet to see her there.

I just want to end by saying that I know this church is true. I know that missionary work is important and we all need to be involved to keep the work going. Thank you all for your support and love.

Elder Horst

P.S. Congratulations to my long time friend Katie Toolan for getting her mission call to the California Rancho Cucamonga Mission!! Im excited for her and so happy that she chose to serve a mission.

Playing around on the railroad tracks.....

Sofia and me.  Sofia is the l l/2 year old daughter of our investigator, Carla.

Sofia's sister Maria, she was really sad to hear that I was leaving Bage.

Maria loves to say prayers and go to church.  She is super shy.

Elder Borges and I taught Ricardo and Carlo how to have a family night and made pancakes.

Pedro and his wife.  Pedro is the Ward Mission Leader and is really cool!!!

This is a lady in our ward.  She is mute so I can only talk to her with hand gestures.  It's really hard to understand and talk to her but she likes me a lot because I try.

Me and my good friend, Elder Henderson

The missionaries and the youth in the ward.

This is the church in the other area.  Carmen, her daughters Luisa and Marcia.

Carmen was the one that first invited Marcia to church.

Brother Nelson, Paulo Fernandes, and Joao.  Some of the priesthood in Prado Velho.

A protest in the center of the city because of rising bus fares in Brazil.

We decided to get in on the action and do contacts.  Just kidding, we just wanted a picture.

Jared and Debora,  members of our ward who always have fabulous lunches!