15 July 2013 Semana de Progresso (progressing week)

   This week was good! My companion and I are starting to get on the same page on how we should do the work, how we should teach people and what we can do to just work better. It's been great to see the difference that a little talking has done for the work here. We have many differences but we can get together on the same page when it comes to missionary work.
   Last week I had a startling experience with a man that was drunk and his wife. After that experience many neighbors of the couple were moved because of how alcohol changed the husband. Many of the people that lived nearby decided to listen with more intent to our message and many of them came to church this past Sunday, including one man who also drinks a lot. He came to church and really enjoyed his visit. And the members were very enthusiastic and grateful for our work. One blessing that came from last week's experience was that the woman that was abused has decide to be baptized. She really wanted to before the incident, but used her husband and the fact that they weren't married as an excuse to not go to church. But this past week we were very stern/ loving with her and she for sure felt the spirit and said that she would come to church rain or shine. And she stuck to her word and came to church along with five of her neighbors. It was great! We took up the whole sidewalk, haha.
    This week our Zone leader asked everyone in our Zone to get together in an area to work together and help the branch that was trying to become a ward. We all got there and were divided in groups, some would visit less-actives and others would do contacts in the street and invite people to get to know the church from the inside. The ZL and I went out to talk to people in the street. We almost had no success until the very end when a 15 year old boy accepted our offer to walk the halls of the church. He had a bunch of questions which was great and really liked his visit. Then when he was leaving I spotted a lady walking towards the entrance of the gate and went to go talk to her. She had two young girls and I started talking to her and invited her in to get to know the church and drink a bit of water. She accepted! She liked it and asked for the missionaries to pass by and visit her in her house. All in all the work went really well that day and we helped the ward out a bunch!
    I passed my one year mark! WoooWhooo! To celebrate I drew a bunch of random things on one of my white shirts (one that was stained because my pen exploded on it) and we went to a members house to burn it, haha. It's something that missionaries do, and me being a "pyro" who likes to play with fire, I've adopted the tradition. 6 month in the mission you burn a tie, 1 year a shirt and 1 year and 6 months you burn pants... I already know what pair of pants I'm gunna burn, my Costco pants that were once black but are now brown.

Burning of the HumpDay shirt!

   Everything's going great with me. I'm really enjoying my studies, conference talks, the Bible and the Book of Mormon! It's going great.
   I'm so thankful for the opportunity that I have to serve! I love my mission
   Thank you for all your love and support!
            Elder Ralph

8 July 2013 - Experiencia Tramatica (Dramatic Experience)

    OH.... this week was alright. I started the week off with a major headache and a fever and I wasn't sleeping really well. But I woke up one morning and it went away! But then my companion got sick with the same thing but worse! So the week started a little slow but we're all good now. Friday we were able to have a fireside with Elder Moroni Torgan who is an area seventy. He talked so openly with us I loved it! A few things he said have stuck really well with me. He said that we need to always stay with "the angel". Angels go to bed at 10:30 and wake up at 6:30, angels leave the house at 10:30 sharp. When you're not with angels you're with the devils. He taught us that the followers of Satan are after us. They want us to fall. He talked about the mission being like a race and you have to give your all, everything you have on the last stretch or last few months of your mission. So the fireside really helped me and my companion and we kicked it into high gear and we've changed a few ways that we have been doing the work. We have decided to work more with members, helping them find people that we can visit, that they can invite to church and family home evenings. So far it is going extremely well and the members are helping ALOT. We were able to get 18 references which is a ridiculous number for this area. We're stoked! :)
   So the mission is filled with experiences, one that I've never had in my life and a few that I've never wanted to have in my life. Saturday night we were teaching two women and a few kids about prayer. While we were teaching the husband of the woman we were teaching came home extremely drunk, and rowdy. We ended up finishing the lesson just fine with only a few interruptions, yelling and small arguments. We have been teaching him and trying to help him stop drinking so he could be baptized and marry his wife legally. From the moment he got home I was on my toes and placed my bag on the ground and watched the two of them argue, stop, argue again, then stop. Then it happened. He started hitting her, and I SNAPPED! Before I knew I was on top of him. I ran behind him and held down his arms to keep him from hitting her, he tried many times to throw me off him to set himself free, but I wouldn't let him. I held him there until he calmed down, about two minutes passed and I let him go. I jumped away because I was scared that he would go crazy on me, but I'm pretty sure he was too drunk to notice who was behind him. The woman who was hit called the police and the man went to jail that night. He only managed to hit her two times before I got to him but her face was so swollen, he didn't just hit, he punched, clobbered her. I don't think I will ever forget the sight. I was trembling, my heart racing, and in the end of it I just wanted to cry. It was So Sad, the way that alcohol changes a decent man into a monster. I will never hurt my wife, Never. Everyone was praising me and saying that what I did was so brave and all I could think was that anyone would have done what I did. But talking to the people that were there and even my companion, they wouldn't have done anything and just yelled at him to stop. I believe that God's hand is in the work that we do, He guides us, inspires us, helps us. I know that He put us there to help that poor woman. I can't imagine what would have happened to her if we weren't there. I am so thankful for the opportunity that I have to serve a mission for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He lives and loves every one of us.
   I love you all so much!
Sincerely,
Elder Ralph

1 July 2013 - JARDIM do HORTO (garden of horto)

   Well.... I've been transferred! I've have been assigned to serve in Maceío, in a ward called "Jardims do Horto" (AKA RICH) haha. My companion is Elder Fernandes, from São Paulo. He arrived at the same time as Elder Almeida, the Elder that I trained. He's been in the area for three months and has been my guide helping get from one place to another. He went to the United States as an exchange student and learned English. So I'm helping him refine his English skills and he's helping me out with Portuguese. He teaches really well and has a strong desire to help the members and the people that we teach. We're getting along great.

   Our area is very rich. In our ward almost everyone has toured the United States and works for the government. But the hard part is that our church is a rented house that is rather small and doesn't look like a church. So, it's hard to get people to leave their huge chapel and cathedral to go to our little humble but truthful church. This area is way different than any of my other areas. It will for sure be a challenge for me.
   HA! And to top everything off I've been called to be a district leader again! I have four sets of missionaries in my district..... The Assistants to the president, the Secretaries to the President, and a set of sisters..... Wow! Can you give me more pressure! Please! Oh I forgot something... The president and his wife and family live in my area so they attend MY ward! Ahhhhh! Seriously! Did I do something wrong?! Does the president want to keep a closer eye on me?
   So yeah I'm really liking my area and the people that I have to work with. We're working with members, less active and recent converts. When one person knows about the gospel it's like a forest fire and its spreads to everyone. I'm so thankful for the opportunity I have to serve!!! Yippeee!

ELDER RALPH

24 June 2013 - Transferencias! Para Onde Eu Vou (Transfers! Where Will I Go!?)

   So the big news is that I have been transferred! Well it wasn't too big of news for me because I already kind of knew that I would be transferred because I have been in this area for six months, which for this mission is quite a long time. Normally the missionaries will stay in an area for three months. Along with being transferred I have finished the training of my companion Elder Almeida. He´s doing really well. I can let him do basically everything and he feels comfortable and confident. I really like him and I'm gunna miss him a bunch. He's a hard worker and we completed each other really well.
   I will be returning to Maceío, the state more to the north were I first started and I'll be put in a new area with who knows who, haha, but I'm super excited. Tomorrow morning 2:40am we have to take a bus to Maceío but its only 6 hours, nothing compared to driving to Utah, haha.
   This week we were able to complete a family. The youngest daughter of a lady that was baptized a few weeks ago also made the decision to be baptized and the family was complete. She offered to make us lunch today and afterwards we were all gathered together to leave a message and when I started sharing the message and thanking her for all that she has done for us she started crying and quickly left the room. I've gone through a lot with this family ever since the beginning. Six months I've known them. And they will probably be the people that I'll miss the most. It's been such a great experience to see how much the gospel has helped this family. Seeing them be bonded together, going to church together, learning together, and crying together. We've gone through SO much! Love them!!
   One of the sweetest things that happened this week was at church in the gospel principles class. The class was filled with people that I had helped to know the gospel, and they were still there. Learning, growing, praying, asking questions, helping one another and getting to know the members, and bearing testimony. One of the recent converts said the opening prayer. Later that day we passed by a recent convert's house and he was reading the Book of Mormon outside his house in a rocking chair. All these tender moments that are priceless that I won't forget. Tender moments that build my testimony and let me know that what I'm doing is right.  
   I'm so thankful for the opportunity that I have to serve, to represent Heavenly Father, to be a bearer of his Priesthood. Time is passing SO fast I basically have one year done with my mission! I'm learning SO much and I don't want to stop!
   I know that this church is the true church of God and the only true church on the face of the earth. Christ lives and he loves each and every one of us.
   I love you guys So much and I'm so thankful for all your prayers your love and support.

ELDER RALPH