This week has been incredible. We are still getting swamped by people that want english. We are having to tell them to wait because we just don’t have enough time to teach them.We probably have upwards of 30 people on the waiting list! I think that by the end of this week, we will have enough people that we could keep 3 or 4 companionships busy up here in Kirkland, and probably 1 or 2 companionships busy down in Renton.
I have been amazed by how many members that we have been able to find. We have a list of 25 different Portuguese speaking households that are members of the church. A lot of them are active, too! Everyone that we have been able to get in contact with is super excited for the possibility to attend a Portuguese Branch.
So last week, I wrote an email to President about the new strategy that we have been using to find people on facebook, and the success that we are seeing with English classes as a chance to teach the gospel. He ended sending that email out to all of the language speaking missionaries in the mission! I felt a little embarrassed, but I think that these things are things that the Lord has helped us learn that will apply to all the languages in this mission. I hope that stuff helps the others in the mission.
We had a huge miracle this week. We were in a park doing Facebook finding to find more people for English classes. We had a free English class poster and a Brasilian flag set up as we were sitting there. After a little while, this Brasilian lady named Katia came up to us. She thought that what we were doing was so cool. She took a picture of us and posted it to the Brasilians in Seattle Group on Facebook and posted it on some huge Whatsapp group chats with our number. Within the next 24 hours, we got 20 different messages from 20 different people that want the English classes!! Katia also gave us the contact information for one of her best Brasilian friends, who happens to be a member! We texted the member, and the member is so excited about the possibility of a branch!! The member then passed the contact information for more Brasilian members, so that was amazing!! Also, we found out from the member that Katia lives with some inactive Brasilian members in Renton. While we were in the park, we had given a Book of Mormon to Katia, so hopefully we can both visit and reactivate the inactive members and teach Katia and her family. Also, one of the people that reached out to us wanting english classes because of her social media posts is a member that has moved here in the last 6 months during the shut down, so no one knows about him. He lives in Kirkland, so we are excited to be able to teach him and get him involved with the church here. It was so incredible. It was definitely a huge testament to me that the Lord really wants the work to move forward with the Brasilians here. When we are in the right place at the right time, doing the right thing, the Lord is able to work miracles.
We were able to set a baptismal date with two of our friends this week. We were teaching them English for the second time. The first time, we taught the Restoration, and it went super well. This time, we went over what we taught last time, and they remembered pretty much everything! They had some great inspired questions about baptism, so we read 3 Nephi 11 and invited them to be baptized! They got super excited, and we set their date for October 10! We are so excited to be working with them. It is so exciting to see people progressing because of English classes!
The Lord sure has prepared these people to receive the gospel. It has been incredible to see these miracles happen.
I love representing the Savior in Brasil and Washington, I love my companion, I love the Gospel and Atonement of Christ, I love my family, and I love my Redeemer. I am ready and excited to work harder, learn more, and love better this week!
Love,
Elder Dudley
Photo 1 - I got my rackets sent to me!!
Photos 2-3 - My great aunt JoAnne and great uncle Richard Dudley live in Kirkland! I got to see JoAnne and some second cousins!!
Photos 4-6 - Creative park finding in downtown Bellevue. We held “Free English class” signs
Photo 7 - Downtown Bellevue
Photo 8 - We filmed our first video for the English Connect Seattle Facebook Page
Photo 9 - On the Road
Photo 10-11 The Facebook Post from that Brazilian lady we met in the park
Photo 12 - List of all the potential members for a Portuguese Branch
Photo 13 - Elder Schelin and I at Richard and JoAnne’s house
