Monday December 26, 2011

For everyone.

So this last week was a good one.........minus christmas. Well, Christmas Eve. My companion and I got sick with some kind of Virus or something. So I spent the better part of the day feeling like garbage and vomiting. So that was fun. Oh and Christmas Eve is when everyone celebrates the most here so all the big dinners and stuff were on that day. Lucky us we couldn´t keep anything down, neither did we want to eat anything. SO that was fun. Then, on Christmas, we got our investigator who is going to be baptized next week to come to church. She loved it and she´s super excited for her baptism next sunday. So thats awesome. She also knew a decent amount of people already at church. Which is way cool. So she already has friends and she will be warmly welcomed into the Ward. Got some good goals for this week and things are looking up. Until next week,

Elder Bender

Monday December 12, 2011

So, this week was good. And Sunday especially. We had some great investigators come to church and they loved it. So they will definitely be going to church next week. Also though I got to see a promise I made fulfilled. One of our investigators felt for much of her life that God didn´t love her. And I promised her that she would feel the Love of God that he had for her at church on Sunday. She came to church and she absolutely loved it. She came up and hugged me after sacrament meeting. It was great to see the joy and happiness she felt being there. I love seeing the happiness the gospel brings to the lives of those that open their hearts and let it into their lives. It brings me great joy in my service. And it is because of this that I am in the service of the Lord. I love helping others. I love being an instrument for good in the hand of the Lord. 

This last sunday, I had the great privilege of returning to my last area to baptize a young girl that was a great friend of mine. The meeting was very spiritual and a great moment for me in my mission. Also a great moment for her in her life and also for her family and friends. I know she will never forget her baptism and I know she will be an amazing person and example of the believers. She already is. I was a great pleasure and privilege to be there and be a part of such a significant event of her life. I´m also very happy because I got to see the effect that my service made in that area and in the lives of people there. I have a great love for many there in the Trindade ward and I am happy that I was able to help in any way that I did. 

Elder Bender

Monday, December 5, 2011

So this week was interesting. Worked really hard and talked to alot of people. We got to visit this one lady who has had a really hard life and she truly felt that God didn´t love her. But we taught her and testified to her that God does love her and that he wants the best for her, he doesnt want her to be sad and that he wants to help her with all of her troubles and sadness, and that through the atonement of Jesus Christ she can be happy again, and all the wrongs in her life can be made right, and she can have peace and happiness in this life and in the life to come. Twas a great visit with her. We also talked to and taught some others and they all were doing really well. But, Sadly when sunday morning came nobody kept their word and came to church. Well all except one. She was sick. And we actually went over to her house later sunday and confirmed it. Not merely to comfirm it but because we had been invited by her father to eat some churrascu (barbeque) and because one of the biggest games of the year was on and nobody was in the streets, nor did anyone want to talk with us. So we went there and taught her a little bit and then ate churrascu as the game was on. Twas a good end to a kind of depressing day. Yesterday during Testimony meeting, I was about ready to punch everyone and their kids in the face. So loud in the chapel. I was so annoyed. Flippin ridiculous. After being in a singles branch I really don´t like family wards. It´s so loud during the meeting. I hate it. Anyways, so there´s a reason to never get married. JK nah it´s a reason to always attend a singles ward as well as family ward. That way you actually get something out of sacrament meeting and you can feel and hear the spirit. Anyways, should be getting my Authentic Brasil selection soccer jersey today. So I´m pretty stoked about that. And also we will be working with some pretty cool families and people this week so, that should be really cool too. Well until next week, 

Love,

Elder Bender

I have attached two pictures one of me with a runaway goat in the road, and also a turtle or tortoise that I saw.