Totem Lake Portuguese #1 Transfer 4 Week 6

This was definitely the perfect way to end a transfer. We had an absolutely amazing week.

 

 

The highlight of the week was definitely the miracles that happened with Rosi. We have known for the longest time that she has a testimony of the gospel. We tried twice in the last two months to get her on date. Both times, she just said that the time wasn't quite right. She has been going through so much with her divorce. 

 

 

Last week, we had some really good, but really tough lessons with Rosi. She completely committed to living the commandments, including the Word of Wisdom! She got rid of all of her coffee and tea. During one of the lessons, I felt really strongly that sehe was holding something back. I asked some questions to try and figure it out. She didn't want to share at first, but I kept asking. She finally opened up to us about some personal strugg

 

 

A week and a half ago, I felt really strongly that to get Rosi to baptism we needed to help her really understand the gift of the Holy Ghost better. This last week, President counseled us to focus on the Holy Ghost with her. So, we decided to plan out an awesome lesson on the Holy Ghost. 

 

 

It went so well. The Spirit was so strong. We read the Gospel Principles manual section on the Gift of the Holy Ghost with her. We then talked about how the gift of the Holy Ghost has blessed us in our lives. The Spirit was so strong as we shared our experiences with her. We left her with two General Conference talks to read - His Spirit to be with you by President Eyering and How does the Holy Ghost help you? by Elder Stevenson. The next day, we got a text from her saying that the conference talks had made her cry. She said that she wanted to get baptized so bad that she would have liked to been baptized the day before. We had another lesson with her the next day, and she basically told her entire conversion story to us, starting with spiritual experiences she had back in Brasil up until this point. It was incredible. We planned out everything before her baptism right there. It was incredible. 

 

 

It has taken a lot longer to get to her this point than I originally thought it would, but it has been an incredible journey. I can't believe that I first started messaging with Rosi about english classes back in July when I was in Federal Way. 

 

 

I really think that this has the chance of starting a chain reaction of baptize with the other portuguese speakers that are getting close. This last Sunday, we had Mario Costa speak in our group meeting. He is a former Stake President. We had 7 friends in person between the portuguese companionships. He gave the most incredible talk I have ever heard on the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The Spirit was so strong. Some of our friends are now really excited to watch Rosi's baptism next week. 

 

 

So, I started teaching them 4 transfers ago. We teach Rita english twice a week. At the beginning, it seemed like they were progressing like crazy. We taught them like all of the lessons in the first transfer, and they kept all of their commitments. The second transfer, we were super excited to take them to church when the portuguese group got up and running. Part way through that transfer though, they started getting kinda bashy in a nice way. They hit us with a million questions and all sorts of stuff they got off anti websites. It was pretty hard. We were gonna cut them, but we had to finish the english connect 2 course. We weren't really sure were to go with the gospel cause they had already heard all the lessons, so we just read the Book of Mormon. I also decided to do my best to resolve their concerns. I ended up putting together 70+ pages of google docs to answer their questions. I just used resources I had on missionary google drives. 

 

 

So, skip forward to the time that we were about to finish english connect 2 and we were going to cut them, around the beginning of December. They just show up at church for the 2 time ever. They said they were missing not being able to go to church because their church was still closed. They came to the perfect meeting, focused on Christmas and the Savior's birth. Since then, they have not missed one Sunday. We found out that they read all the answers to their questions and it made sense to them. They told us that they just wanted to know how to answer other people's questions if they decide to join the church. 

 

 

They have also developed some awesome friendships with the members. We have one Brazilian member, Elisangela, that has taken them to the temple the last 2 Sundays. She just talks with them super openly about joining the church. I think that they have a chance to get baptized soon. They told Elisangela that they want to get baptized this year!! When they were at the temple, they all bought temple bracelets. It was awesome!!

 

 

I think this transfer was really good for our zone. We had some missionaries that had been here for a long time. Some of them needed a change of scene. It's kind of heartbreaking to see them go after being together so long. It'll be especially hard to see Elder Schelin go. We have had some amazing experiences together. It has been cool to see him change. He is not the same missionary he was when he got here. He is mch more obedient and consecrated. He is going to make a huge difference in the Sammamish Valley East zone. It was definitely super hard for him to leave Portuguese work, though. 

 

 

Our zone changed a ton with the transfer. Elder Schelin was transferred to an english area. It was super hard to see him and the others go. We have become super close after so many of us were her so long. My new companion (well not too new, I was with him 2 transfers ago) is Elder Beardall. I am so excited!!!

 

 

It'll be a little bit of a challenge for the portuguese work without Elder Schelin and Elder Ward. They and I are definitely the most capable speakers and teachers. It'll be a big hit to the portuguese work, but I trust the Lord. 

 

 

I am so excited for this transfer. Great things are going to happen here!!

 

 

Love,

Elder Warren Matthew Dudley

 

 

Photos 1-3 last tracting with Elder Schelin

Photo 4 - Awesome cake from Rita, Liv, and Luiza for my birthday!!

Photo 5 - Elder Buhler and Elder Beardall snuck into our apartment and hid a bunch of candy in Elder Schelin’s luggage because he hates sugar. It was super funny because he didn’t find it until he packed his bags

Photo 6-7 - Rosi bought me breakfast for my birthday - apple pie and eggs and bacon and deliciousness!!!

Photo 8  - Another view of that awesome cake that Rita, Liv and Luiza made me

Photo 9 - cupcakes that my mom sent me

Photo 10 - back with Elder Beardall

Photo 11 - picking up the cupcakes from Richard and JoAnne

Photo 12 - Rita, Liv and Luiza giving me the cake

Photo 13 - the zone, left to right: Elder Griffin, Elder Diago, Elder Beardall, Elder Streadbeck, Elder Ludgate, Elder Jones, Elder Lai, Elder Whitney, Elder Buhler, Elder Koenig, Elder Schelin, Elder Charles, Elder Ward, Elder Dudley, Hermana Bringhurst, Hermana Zacarias, Hermana Christensen, Sister Lott, Sister Callahan

Photo 14 - Rita, Liv, and Luiza giving me an awesome Corinthians jersey

Photo 15 - Zone Conference

Totem Lake Portuguese #1 Transfer 4 Week 4

It has been a good couple weeks. We have seen some awesome progress with some of our investigators. We are also able to knock doors again, so we have been doing a ton of that!! We have knocked out literally all of the apartment complexes in our area and most of the zone. 

 

 

We also had our exchange with the Assistants this last week. It went pretty well. I went with Elder Roberts. It was pretty cool to get to work with and learn from him. We sure had some interesting experiences. Lets just say that I have had more than my fair share of people tell me about visions on my mission. This guy managed to incorporate Buddhism, boxing, Christianity, and the Bahai faith in his vision. He also said the founder of Islam was Muhhamad Ali. It was interesting.

 

 

Elder Schelin and I have the same five investigators coming to church every week. It has been awesome to see them start to love coming to church. The members have been absolutely amazing in helping us fellowship them. 

 

 

One of them, Rosi, has come to every meeting for the Portuguese group. We had some fantastic lessons with Rosi. While she was on vacation, she texted us asking us to send her all of the chapters in the Book of Mormon on baptism. During our lesson, we discussed what she learned and highlighted those chapters. It was awesome. We had planned on teaching her the word of wisdom, but then she asked some questions about temples, so we answered her questions. She has a super strong desire to get baptized, and said that she will! be baptized. 

 

 

She did say that one hard thing for her is her family struggles. Her family is kind of fracturing as her marriage continues to fall apart. She said it is hard because she understands and believes all that we teach her, she just is sad because the gospel makes it so families can be together forever, and hers is falling apart right now. We testified to her that there is comfort to be found in the scriptures. We read Moroni 7: 13-19 and she started crying. We also sent her Elder Holland's last talk and Elder Wirthlin's "come what may and love it"

 

 

We had another great English class with Rosi. She has the gospel library app downloaded because we have been sending her conference talks (which she loves). She apparently went through the entire application because she was playing some music from the sacred music app when we got there. It was awesome. At the end, we went over the word of wisdom. It went awesome. She definitely has a lot of questions and doesn't completely understand why we have to abstain completely from coffee, but she understands that it is a principle of faith and why she needs to live it. She is going to pray about it.

 

 

We had a fantastic lesson with Silvane. It had been a couple weeks, so we weren't sure where she was at with everything, but it was an awesome lesson. She is another example of someone that is being incredibly driven by the Spirit. We didn't even really have to say anything during the lesson. She is just loving the Book of Mormon and church. She bore her testimony to us about God working miracles in her life and how there is a reason that she is here in the US. She is going to come to church in person this week even though she is terrified of Covid. She talked again about the Joseph Smith film and how amazing it was that he said we would see our family again after this life. She then expressed how she really wants to see her mom, who died when she was 5. We told her that next time we would talk about how that is possible, and she got super excited. Silvane has come to church meetings over zoom for the last month or so. She is progressing like crazy and loves the Book of Mormon and the Restoration film. She is scared of Covid, so she hasn't come to anything in person, but she told us this week that she is loving the gospel and church so much that she is going to come to church. We invited her to be baptized, but she said she wants to pray a little bit more to make sure first. This week, we are going to talk about eternal families because she mentioned how much she misses her deceased mom. I expect it to go really well.

 

 

We have another family of three (Liv, Rita, and Luisa) that has probably come to church 7 or 8 times. They have been taught pretty  much everything. Theirs is a situation that I have never really had before. They genuinely like church, and keep all of their commitments, but they have tons of questions about temple symbology, polygamy, and other beliefs that we have. We have already resolved a good amount of their concerns. They told us that they want to know how to answer these questions before they join the church because their friends from their other church will ask them. The good thing is that we have some awesome members that are helping us. They have made a good friendship with one of the sisters. She served a mission and is all in on missionary work. She is planning on taking our three friends down to the temple grounds and talking with them about their concerns. It should really help. It is crazy because I never thought that they would actually progress, but now it seems like all of the stars are aligning. I would not be shocked if they decide to get baptized.

 

 

Scripture of the week: Alma 28: 11-14 and Alma 46:39+41

11 And the bodies of many thousands are laid low in the earth, while the bodies of many thousands are moldering in heaps upon the face of the earth; yea, and many thousands are mourning for the loss of their kindred, because they have reason to fear, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are consigned to a state of endless wo.

12 While many thousands of others truly mourn for the loss of their kindred, yet they rejoice and exult in the hope, and even know, according to the promises of the Lord, that they are raised to dwell at the right hand of God, in a state of never-ending happiness.

13 And thus we see how great the inequality of man is because of sin and transgression, and the power of the devil, which comes by the cunning plans which he hath devised to ensnare the hearts of men.

14 And thus we see the great call of diligence of men to labor in the vineyards of the Lord; and thus we see the great reason of sorrow, and also of rejoicing—sorrow because of death and destruction among men, and joy because of the light of Christ unto life.

 

 

39 And it came to pass that there were many who died, firmly believing that their souls were redeemed by the Lord Jesus Christ; thus they went out of the world rejoicing.

41 But there were many who died with old age; and those who died in the faith of Christ are happy in him, as we must needs suppose.

 

 

Our mission started something called the faith challenge. We know from the scriptures that God will work miracles when we prove ourselves (or He proves us) to have great faith. We are focusing on faith on a mission so that we can become true instruments in the Lord's hands. It is awesome to see incredible things happening across the mission.

The faith challenge includes an acronym

Study about faith

Pray to have opportunities to show great faith

Act on promptings received.

 

 

It has been awesome just to more constantly strive to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost. The cool thing about this is that sometimes it doesn't even matter if it was me thinking it or a prompting given to me. If it is good, it means I should be acting.

 

 

I encourage you all to study about faith, pray to have faith building opportunities, and follow promptings. I know that if you do, the Lord will work miracles in your lives.

 

 

I loved representing the Savior in Brasil, I love doing the same thing in 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!    

 

 

I love you all!!!

Elder Warren Matthew Dudley

 

 

Photo 1 - Elder Schelin’s parents bought us awesome burgers!

Photo 2-3 - The temple in the morning before zone conference

Photo 4 - When you accidentally knock on member’s doors 

Photos 5-6 - View from Lakeview

Photo 7 Awesome food from Rita, Liv, and Luiza

Photo 8-9 - Exchange with Elder Buhler

Photo 10 - Elder Ward and I