Well, this was definitely the fastest transfer ever! I cannot believe how time has flown! We have been so incredibly busy. I feel like I can really recognize now that the Lord is hastening His work. Literally hastening.
We got transfer information yesterday. We are now going to have five Portuguese speaking companionships instead of just Elder Schelin and me! The Lord guided us to so many people that we could no longer do it alone. There will be 3 companionships in the Kirkland Zone. Elder Schelin will be companions with Elder Buhler, Elder Brammer and Elder Ludgate will be comps, and I will be with Elder Beardall. In Bellevue South, there will be a companionship of sisters, and in Renton, there will be another companionship of Elders. It is going to be so amazing to see all of the work that we will be able to get done.
We had to do a lot of organizing this week. We have so many contacts of people that want english classes. We set up appointments for an entire other companionship. They are going to be busy :)!
We also found some more awesome members! They live in Bellevue and Issaquah. It is kind of far from Kirkland, so I don’t know if they would come to the branch, but they are all super cool. There are three families total. All three of the husbands are American and speak Portuguese, and they are all married to Brasilians.
We got more info on how the branch is going to work. We talked to the Stake President this week. It is actually going to be a group at first. These first couple Sundays, it will be a combined meeting with the ward. Either we will have to translate or one of the members will. On the 18th, we are going to try and have our first sacrament meeting of just Portuguese. Hopefully, we can get enough people coming in the few weeks leading up to the 18th that we can actually have a branch. It is definitely exciting!
We started teaching English to a really rich lady this week. She pretty much already speaks, she just wants to practice speaking with us. Her name is Fatima, and she is super nice. She lives in Issaquah, which is a super nice area. Her husband is the director of new technology at Microsoft, so they have a very nice house. It was really cool to be there.
We did exchanges with Elder Buhler and Elder Collingwood every day at night this week. Elder Collingwood has really struggled this last transfer, and just wouldn’t leave the house or do anything, which has been hard for Elder Buhler. Elder Buhler was reassigned from Brasil, and he never finished his training in Brasil. He just got back out this last transfer. It has been a really tough transfer for him because he really wants to work. This next transfer is going to be really good for him, though. He is going to be so busy now that he is assigned Portuguese speaking again.
I am so excited for this next transfer! I know that miracles are going to happen. I just keep on getting more and more excited for the Portuguese work. This is so cool to be part of.
Pray for:
Meire
Gabb
Walber
Wellison
Rita
Rosangela
Scripture of the Week:
Mosiah: 41 And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it.
I loved representing the Savior in Brasil, I love representing Him in Seattle, 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 Warren Matthew Dudley
Photos 1-3 - Cheesecake Factory with the Chinese Elders (Elder Breinholt and Elder Lai). They lived next to us in the hotel.
Photo 4 - The Tibúrcio Family in the Totem Lake Ward made me try dried, spiced, Mexican grasshoppers
Photo 5 - Stroganoff Brasileiro
Photo 6 - Elder Buhler and I
Photo 7 - Our Facebook ad
