Elder Hughes | Serving in Brazil

Saturday, December 17, 2016

December 12 | Missionary Work

Elders Amancio, Vasconcelos, me

This was a good week!
It’s extremely hot here—got a sunburn through my shirt the other day while singing at a stake choir performance of Christmas songs here on a street corner on Saturday—good stuff!

What I love about missionary work right now is how we can see the gospel have a huge, transformative effect in peoples’ lives. I feel like maybe I’m understanding missionary work these days? Maybe? But I think the greatest thing I’ve learned is that love actually is the greatest commandment and the best way to teach and work in our service. That's often easily said but sometimes so difficult to do. God´s love is manifest through the gospel and the gospel changes us into who we can be eternally if we want. Seeing the changes that people choose to make with the gospel in their lives is awesome and shows that a loving God has a plan for each one of us.

What I really love about my mission right now is how I get to learn everyday and be converted to the Savior. I love seeing how the Savior helps God´s plan unfold in our lives as we live the gospel principles. The Gospel put in context in the plan of salvation makes that conversion possible I think.

This week we had the Christmas Zone Conference devotional which was cool. It was with the Penha Zone in Penha. There was a training on our desires and how they affect our priorities and how our priorities affect our actions, thus determining where we go and who we become. The point was about making resolutions for the coming year and I thought it was really cool. It made me think about how I use my agency every day—how I choose to follow the gospel, follow Christ, and how I set my priorities and goals.

Also, yesterday we had a Regional Conference of sorts—this one was for all of Brasil. It was from Salt Lake with Elder Holland, Maynes, Presidente Costa (General Authority President of Brazil Area), Elder Costa (General Authority Seventy from Argentina) and Sister Cordon from the Primary Presidency. Elder Holland spoke in Portuguese for a good 5 minutes too and then spoke in English with a translator, but he bore his testimony in Portuguese in the end which was awesome!

Have a great week!! Love you all!
Elder Hughes

Thanks for all the birthday wishes too! Not a surprise, but we ate pizza which was an excellent choice if you ask me haha.

Generations: Elders Chartrand, Martins, me and two "sons," and Martins’ trainee Elder Heredias del Cid

Me and Elder David

Com Papai Noel

Elder Merrill and I

December 5 | Sharing Hope and Being an Influence for Good

Hi all!

This week was good and I'm feeling a lot better, though the sickness got a lot worse before it got better. I called Sister Silcox and got a medicine that helped, though I think it made me a little loopy (maybe) 'cause every night this week I dreamed about Thailand. Odd, but maybe cause Syd and Ben were there? Who knows.

This week was fairly uneventful due to the getting sick but we had some cool experiences with contacting people in the streets and talking about the Light of the World program that we are also participating in. People are much more gracious for talking with us and most of them invited us back for second visits so that was a miracle! Good stuff is happening here in Sao Joca!

As for those quotes* that everyone can be an influence, and that we all are influences...

Ive been thinking a lot about how we can have a perfect brightness of hope in everything and how we can share that hope, and how we can be an influence for good for others around us. When we talk to people on the streets and teach people, we often don't ever see the full fruits of what we share, but we know we are able to influence peoples’ lives in some small way as we talk about Christ and share how He can bless us and change us. Teachings have an amazing way of teaching for years after the teacher leaves. For example, a brother from the ward shared a story with us that he heard while on his mission, which we then shared with like 5 investigators and members afterwards, and I’ll definitely share it more times. That brother heard the story from a companion on his mission who heard it from a family tradition story telling. So one story being shared has influenced the lives of probably hundreds of people over many years. That is wild to me. And very clearly shows me how we can all influence others in some way, whether small or large.

Well, tomorrow I will be 21. Tomorrow I will be old. Like even more unto an Adult. Though I don't feel like an adult. I feel like a missionary, which is safer. I will be old and such and we will likely eat pizza which will be rad! Wish me luck and health!

I hope you have a great week! Love you!
Elder Hughes

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*" Every person who lives in this world wields an influence, whether for good or for bad. The effect of our words and acts is tremendous in the world. Every moment of life you are changing to a degree the lives of the whole world." —President David O. McKay

" God does watch over us and does notice us, but it is usually through someone else that He meets our needs." —President Spencer W. Kimball

Somewhat awkward photo in Corinthians jerseys.

November 28 | Being Sick, Gratitude, and the Road to Emmaus

Thanksgiving Feast

This week was a good week. It was both super hot and super cold and rainy like normal (which is odd at times). But there´s no complaining. However, I did get sorta sick this week so any prayers would be excellent! We spent the day at home on Saturday. First time of the mission like that for me but very necessary. I was having a rough time—had a wild fever but that's gone away now, now its just a cough and sore throat. Called Sister Silcox and she gave me some ideas for medicines to buy so I will do that today right quick! Worst sickness I've had since Junior year of high school I think, when I stayed home for a week, though I´m quite better and keeping positive! All good! Tell the grandparents I'm praying for all of them to get better soon too.

On the 7th of December we have the Zone conference/Christmas conference with the Penha zone as well. Elder Martins, Elder David (both of whom are leaving for casa on the 27th of Dec.) are in Penha, and so is Elder Amancio (all previous companions)! It´ll be cool to see them all again! And yes, we will be doing the Christmas Light the World acts of service! We have a little card that tells us what each day´s theme is so we can participate. Should be great!

I really like that story about the disciples on the road to Emmaus. It´s one of my favorites in the New Testament. Shows how powerful the Sacrament can be for sure. And how many times is Christ by our side but we don´t recognize Him?

I´m happy the holiday went well! What all did you cook for the fam there to the Calistoga? We ate some pizza to celebrate Thanksgiving—though the pizza we ate was quite glorious, so that was quite worth it—tough due to lots of pizza recently we are now abstaining from pizza these days ... though pizza here is so good... sigh. Elder Miranda has been making horchata for us all these past few days which has been pretty awesome. Definitely tasty! Also the house is all painted and is doing well. I missed you all on Thanksgiving too, but as for the saudade, I felt saudade only like this, "Man the family is all together! Next year will be great!" Your prayers worked in my behalf.

Maria and Eduardo are excellent! They noticed I was a wee bit sick yesterday at church so Maria gave me lots of sickness medicines that she had with her in her purse haha.

This was a great week filled with gratitude and thankfulness. I think sometimes we don´t recognize the Lord´s hand immediately (at least that's something that I am trying to do better with). However, one of the keys is gratitude. Showing and giving thanks for His hand in our lives is how we can better recognize who He is. Like the disciples going to Emmaus, they only recognized that Christ was Christ when they ate bread He had given them. When we recognize the daily spiritual bread Christ gives us, we can understand who He is and know how to come unto Him. And we feel happier --

Love you! That was the week! It was good and filled with gratitude.

Have a great week!

English class on Thanksgiving

Attempt at making tacos

November 21 | Transfers, Painting, and Ponderizing

The Zone

Hi all!

This week was pretty great. This week was transfers, and my new comp is Elder Chartrand from Turlock, CA. He studied Piano and Chemistry at BYU for a year before the mission. He was in the Itaquera zone for a transfer; he is in his second transfer of training right now, though again, I am the one learning. Going well!

We got a call from the House Secretary on Wednesday that he was gonna pass by to look at the house since we had asked him to come last transfer. He ended up re-cementing the floor in the bathroon because it was leaking, and he came back Friday to paint inside the house! So essentially two days were used for the house repairs but they were much needed. We are putting the second coat on right now so after email we are going to paint! Woot!

Ruana was baptised yesterday. She came to church a few times my first transfer here and then wasn't able to attend again until more recently. Elder Moraes and Miranda have been teaching her, though I had taught her a couple times in the first transfer. We are all super happy for her. The baptism was yesterday at 4pm and was super good. There were a bunch of people there to support her and the Young Women sang a hymn for her. Overall super cool experience!

This Thursday will be Thanksgiving and we will have English Class! Will be good to speak some of the native tongue on the National Holiday.

As for this week, I was ponderizing what it means to truly do something and to act in Christ´s name. In the GEE (Bible Dictionary in Portuguese) it says that to do something in Christ´s name means that we do what He would do and act as He would act and speak as He would speak. I think doing thing´s in Christ´s name means that we always remember Him, that we keep the commandments, and are willing to take His name upon us. The Sacramental prayers. At Ruana´s baptism, a ward member commented how quick the ordinance of baptism is, which made me think about how quickly we can make the change to follow Christ. Then as we make these small changes continually to follow Him every day, we can act in His name.

Well, I love you! Have a great week!