Totally Robbed!

Elder Stilson...You need a haircut!

 Hi everyone,

Well this week, again, has been mixed with the good and the ugly! (It seems to skip the bad and go straight to ugly ;)) We started out great. Monday we played volleyball with the mission Presidents wife and some other missionaries. That was really fun! :) That night we didn’t have any lessons but we did have a bunch of people that we contacted on the street that we hope to get as new progressing investigators!:)

And then it got Ugly!

On Tuesday we had an awesome lunch at a member’s home and had quite a few lessons with our new investigators! We met Marlene last week and she is an amazing lady but has a crazy Catholic mother... It is rough trying to get any progression until the mom leaves but she leaves tomorrow so Marlene can come to church this week!!:) One other lady that we contacted on the street last week was Deusa (Goddess). She is a member of the Maranata church and Tuesday night we attended her church... Yeah a little awkward but it was really fun. A lot of just singing and they gave me one of their Hymn books so I have a pretty awesome memory haha!;) Also after lunch we went to the Ice cream shop and had awesome Açai!! It is a Brazilian ice cream. I thought it was way goofy the first time I tried it, I really didn’t like it but I think it is way good now :)  After we went to the Maranata church we got some other addresses and then went home.

Now the UGLY... So Wednesday started out pretty good! We woke up did everything we needed to, called a bunch of people and went to lunch.  Even though lunch was way good, it was different but couldn’t figure it out until we left... THERE WERE NO BLACK BEANS!!!! I felt totally robbed. The beans with the rice are my favorite things in the world and there were NO beans! :( Anyway, that morning it had already rained a ton and was kind of goofy haha but way cool! After lunch we had a lesson with Marlene again and it was good except for the mother was a big distraction and that wasn't helping out at all haha. By the end even her mom took the Book of Mormon that we gave her and said how beautiful it was especially because it was the word of God. That was good; then we started on our 45 min walk to our lesson that was at the far edge of our area. We start walking, talking to people along the way and we looked out at the Ocean and noticed that there was a huge storm coming! So we started to walk super fast but we got caught!! It was a “mild” tropical storm! It was the kind of storm where the rain comes literally at you instead of falling straight down. My umbrella was in front of me, not over my head! It was way cool! But my planner in my front pocket was soaked and my wallet in the back pocket was totally dry!! Ha ha ha weird things in Brazil! 

And the rains came!

 After we visited with Marlene, we contacted a bunch of other people and then met Eduardo. He is like 22 and lives with roommates. He really wants us to meet with him and his friends. We are really excited about that.  Anyway, we get to our house around 9:15ish and the lights are on and the door is unlocked. We walk in calling for the other Elders but no one is home... I walk into the kitchen and the microwave is gone. I walk into the bedroom and everything is thrown on the ground from my dresser. My backpack and carry on suitcase is gone... Yep... We have been TOTALLY ROBBED, twice in one day;) Luckily they didn’t take everything. They didn’t take my iPod. All my clothes were still there and so were my shoes!!! :D Haha I truly am grateful for the things that they didn’t take and had to thank Heavenly Father for that. The things that they did take are all things that can be replaced; everything except my journal from Colorado so I am very grateful!  Luckily I have been able to send home letters and journal entries so I should have some things. Yeah, I have to say it was a rough day.

The next few days were really good with the missionary work! We were even given an address to contact by some other Elders.  Iit was a wild goose chase but it was awesome!! We found 4 new investigators! The work is hard right now in the area we are in and I feel like I am being tried and test with more than I can handle but every time that I get these trials, I make it through and come out stronger! "I Glory in plainness, I Glory in truth, I Glory in my Jesus for He hath redeemed my soul from Hell!" 2 Nephi 33:6

Alma 32:41-43   - 

Love Ya'll

Love
Elder Stilson

The Beautiful City of Vitoria