Transfer 10 Week 5

Well! 

This week has come and gone so fast. I feel like I alwaus say that, but it's because it's always true.  Well we have had an amazing week. We are teaching some super cool people, that are reallt progressing and really have true desires to be baptized. I will give you the low down about them. 

Well the first one is this super sweet older lady from cuba, named Caridad. We just call her mama cari. She truly wants to follow christ, and be part of his church. She told us that she would like to be baptized. So this week we have taught her a few times and she is just progressing realky well. She has changed. I can feel it every time I go over, that heavenly father is changing her becuase she is letting him. Its amazing, and I know that she can feel it too. So like I said, she is from cuba, visiting for a little while with her son but will return to ciba soon. So she will be one of the first memebers of the church in cuba. So because there are only 2 church buildings in all of cuba, both of them being in the capital, we are going to get in contact with the missionairws of cuba and see if they can go to her town and start baptizing people. Its cool. She has a baptismal date for October 28th. 

The other one is a sweet girl from Nigeria. Her name is blesing, and she has a 1 year old son named Michael. She is super great and really has desires to do the right thing for herself, and her son. So she has come to chruch the last 2 sundays and has a baptismal date for the 28th of October. 

So, those are the 2 people who are really progressing and will be baptized. Apart from that we are teaching some pretty great people, but we are trying to find more. That is our focus for this next week; Finding. Also! We are doing this thing with our zone. We are playing BINGO, missionary style, to find more poeple and work with members. So we have been doing that, and if everyone in our zone gets bingo, except for the zone leaders and stl's then they have to do the Ice bucket challenge. But is somemone doesnt get it and they do then we all have to do it. So we are pretty motivated. I'll attach a picture. 

Well in other news, I am officially 21. Eww. I had a grear birthday, and thank you al so much for the kindess and love. I felt it all. My companion made me doughnuts, with maple frosting. #Blessed. She also taught me how-to make bread. Also I died somebodies hair this week. It turned out good I think. 

We just had a great week. I feel like with everyday closer to the end, I just grow to love the Mission more, and love the people more and more. Also, this is an excerpt from the Riccardi letter that I absolutely love, and have been pondering about this week. I have been trying to put it into practice. Do it too! 

Facing Rejection:

 Which  brings  me  to  this  critical  point.  I  can  honestly  say  that  one  of  the  most  valuable  lessons  I  learned  from Ricciardi was  the  importance  of  viewing rejection  as  positive.  Yea,  sounds  crazy  huh?  Take  a  minute and  look through  his  eyes  for  a  moment.  He  believed  that  when  we  were  experiencing  rejection,  it  was an  opportunity  to prove  our  commitment  to  the  Lord.  He  felt  that  it  was  an  opportunity  to  prove  to  the  person  rejecting  our  message that  we  are  truly  servants  of  the  Lord.    It's  amazing the  effect  it  has to  smile  at  someone  who  is  being  rude  to  you, perhaps  even  yelling and  cursing at  you,  making fun  of  you  and  then  respond  like  Ricciardi  and  say  "sorry  to  upset you,  please  have  a  nice  day,  if  missionaries  come  by  someday  in  the  future  please  don't  be  mad,  give  them  a chance".    I  would  get  angry  during one  of  these  confrontations  and  as  a  young "don't  know  much"  missionary  let my temper  get  the  best  of  me  and  say  "you  shut  your  mouth"  or  “come  out  here  and  get  me  off  your  porch”  (sad to  say  I  actually  did  say  that  once…or  twice).  To  be  honest,  in  my  early,  immature  first  few  weeks,  fighting back made me  feel better.  It  didn't  take long to  realize  that  it  would  be  a  very  long 2  years  if I  spent  it  telling  mean people  that  they  are  ignorant  and  to  shut  up.  When  I  would  say  to  Ricciardi,  "why  did  you  apologize to  that  jerk" he  would  say  "because  it  makes  me  feel happier".  He  understood  that  happiness  is  truly  a  choice,  not  a  random event.  He  believed  that  rejection  of  any  kind  was  a  sure sign  of  the  FACT  that  God  lives,  and  was  an  affirmation  of the  rightness  of  our  mission.   One thing I  remember  vividly  about  Ricciardi was  his  ability  to  not  let  things  get  him  down  or  upset.   In  fact,  on  the more  difficult  days  (and  you  know  there  are  always  plenty  of  those),  he  smiled  and  laughed  more.   On  those particular  days  I  found  his  extra  dose  of  "happy  smiling Elder"  annoying.   Yet  again  he  would  prove  its  value  to  me.   He would  say  “Elder  Humphrey,  I  know  we  are  in  tune  with  the  Lord,  because  He  sent  us  to  a  neighborhood  where no  one  wants  to  listen,  and  they  are  mean  and  confrontational.   When  I  am  prayerfully  led  to  these  kind  of situations,  it  confirms  we  are  being led  by  the  spirit  because  Our  Father  knows  how  bad  this  neighborhood  was going to  be,  and  expected  us  to  leave  20 houses  ago.   Yet  here  we  are!!!   This  is  awesome!!!”   (By  the  way, Ricciardi’s  favorite  American  word  was  “awesome”).   It  was  this  kind  of  talk  that  led  me  to  conclude  that something was  either  not  normal  with  my  Italian  compadre  OR he  was  one  of  the  three  Nephites.   After seeing how,  and  what  he  would  eat,  I  eliminated  the  “three  Nephites"  theory.   When I  was  in  high  school,  I  worked  at  a  golf  course.   I  became  friends  with  the  assistant  pro  and  he  started  to  give me free  lessons.   I  quit  after about  10 lessons  for  one  simple  reason:   I  was  frustrated  by  the  55  things  you  have  to think  about  almost  simultaneously  in  order  to  have  a  good  swing.   The  club  pro  finally  advised  me  to  stop  taking lessons,  go  play  and  do  one  thing for  him,  just  swing,  swing,  swing.    That’s  it.   Do  not  give  any  care  as to  where  the ball  goes,  just  swing.   He  told  me  “Danny,  you  will enjoy  golf better  by  just  swinging”.   The  same  applies  to missionary  work.   Ricciardi saw  the  mission  experience  as  incredibly  simple.  He  understood  that  his  mission  was  to  speak  to  as  many people  as  possible  and  that  was  it.   Yes,  there’s  a  lot  more to  it  than  that,  but  a  mission  is  nothing without  talking.  He would  tell me  “stop  worrying about  what  you’re  saying,  just  open  your  mouth  and  say  something”.   I  took  that advice  to  mean  the  Lord  would  always  fill  my  mouth  with  exactly  what  to  say.    Truth  is,  I  said  some  pretty  stupid things,  offended  people  many  times  (mostly  accidental of  course).   But  I  began  to  enjoy  missionary  work  when  I concentrated  on  getting out  the  door  and  opening my  mouth.   Like the  golf  pro  said  "just  go  out  and  swing." 

1. Me and wihongi.

2. Me and wihongi again. 

3. Sushie we ate at an all you can eat buffet. 

4. The carrot. 

5. A free pizza we got from Dominoes becuase they took to long. 

6. A pretty view from luis's house. 

7. Viva brasil!

8. Birthday pizza. (Not free this time.)

9. Doughnuts.

10. 21...