Mission Conference, Better Navigating, and Living in the Coldest Winter in years in São Paulo

As gerações: Elders Amancio, me, Martins | (generations: my trainee, me, my trainer)

Dear family!

It is very cold here, like 3° C which is like 37°F I think. Feeling weak cause I shiver a whole lot. No heat in apartment. Everyone is talking about it being the coldest winter in São Paulo in 30 years! Yikes! I’m good and healthy, just having to blow my nose a bit.

There was crazy rain last week; flooding to the north of us, but this week was fine here. Just cold as heck.

Serving in the capital is pretty cool. Lots of more people to talk to in the streets which is preferable, and there is lots more street food which is delicious. I ate tres leches cake during the week —the Brazilian version! Though I’m sure Lisa’s was better ha ha. We’re navigating through the streets much better because we teach with the young men a whole lot—they know the area way better than us. The companionship is going well!

Elder Meireles and I were supposed to give a training with President Silcox on Sunday for the Stake Ward Mission Leaders and Bishops, and we prepared everything, but at the meeting the Stake President made some adjustments for times’ sake, and so we didn’t teach at all, but that’s ok. President Silcox gave a solo training and called us up to help him a little so was cool ha ha.

We were able to meet and talk with Mateus this week, and all is going well as he is learning more about the gospel. He wants his girlfriend to start learning about the gospel!

Tender mercies this week in the Mission Conference with Elder Pinto from the Area Seventy of Brasil. He talked about things I’ve been thinking about and studying, and that was really cool. President Silcox also talked about things I’d been studying—Sister Silcox too—so pretty much the conference was made just for my needs I think ha ha. I also saw Elder Martins and Elder Amancio and Elder Merrill and a bunch of others so that was also very good! Mini mission reunions are one of the best things there are.

After the conclusion of the Conference (which was in Penha, a Zone very close to Ipiranga) Elder Pinto called all the Zone Leaders and Sister Training Leaders into a meeting with him which was a Q&A type thing about anything but “deep doctrine.” I asked a few questions and got even more answers I was looking for, so that was sweet.

Elder Pinto quoted Elder Oaks in his training for us that “the doctrine of Christ needs to be written on our hearts and right into the marrow of our bones.” I really liked that—are we allowing the Lord to write the gospel in our hearts? It needs to be part of our souls. I've been discovering over the last 11 months that truly reading the scriptures teaches how to invite Christ to do that. And without studying the scriptures, we have no way of knowing that in full.

I love you all! I hope all is well there! Have an excellent week!

Elder Hughes