It has been another great week. We had an awesome time tracting this week. We had a zone goal to knock on 3,000 doors this week, and we blew the goal out of the water.
We had 3 exchanges this week. We were originally planning on doing exchanges with the district leaders, but we found out that Elder Merrill is super homesick. We figured it would be good to go with them this week too. I went with Elder Ludgate, Elder Reeve, and Elder Koenig. They are all doing super well. It was really good to get to go with Elder Reeve. He is pretty quiet, so I hadn't really been able to get a good read on him before our exchange. I got to know him better though, which was good. He and Elder Streadbeck sure turned on the jets this week. They did a great job of just getting out and working. They hit a bunch of doors. My exchange with Elder Koenig was also great. He sure is doing good. He is a hard worker. They worked like crazy this week. Elder Koenig is really diligent. We had some good talks on what he can do to help Elder Merrill.
Rita, Liv, and Luiza are getting so ready for baptism!! Liv told her mom that she wants to serve a mission now!!! She also took out all of her ear piercings, which she usd to love (they were originally one of the reasons she didn't like the church). The three of them are studying the gospel every day. They honestly know a ton about the doctrine now. They are all reading the Book of Mormon every day, they study the Doctrine and Covenants Come Follow Me manual, and Luiza is halfway through the gospel principles manual. It is so awesome to see the change.
Rosi is completely different after being baptized. She sent us a text the next day asking what she needed to do to go to the temple. We have been talking with her a ton about the temple. For our English classes now, she just wants to read conference talks in english. Her English has actually gotten a ton better since she got baptized! It is definitely a miracle. At her baptism, Brother Kirkman (2 counselors in the Totem Lake Ward) and President Christensen stake presidency) bore their testimonies at the end. Rosi said that she understood everything they said. She is reading 4 or 5 conference talks every day now!! She reads them once through in Portuguese and then again in English, then she listens to them. It has helped her a ton. At one of our English classes this week, she spoke in almost perfect English for the entire hour! It was so cool. Rosi also brought one of her friends to church again this week. After church, she asked us to give her a priesthood blessing so that she would keep on learning English and also that she would have direction in her life. Mario Costa gave her an amazing blessing. It was super cool.
It was crazy to hear that Elder Justesen will be heading back to Brasil on the 26!! I think he is kind of stressed out about it. It was good for him just to have some sort of certainty, though. Now he knows what is definitely going to happen. I think it is going to be really hard for him to leave here, though.
Scripture of the week: Doctrine and Covenants 6:36
36 Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not.
I loved representing the Savior in Brasil, I love representing Him in Washington, 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
Photo 1 - President and Sister Beardall took us to get gyros with them after interviews
Photo 2 - While we were tracting, someone gave us cards that she had painted with scriptures on them
