Return to Seven Lakes, Chain of events to an Elect, and Amazing Improvement in the Spirit

Ha, yet another emergency transfer happened this week... I got the call last pday at about 2 o clock that President needed some help cuz some stuff happened with another companionship and some changes needed to happen, so I got re-transfered on Thursday and am now back here in my old area of Sete Lagoas, with Elder Da Rosa again :D

So, being back in 7 lagoas with the same companion has been really interesting. Elder Da Rosa as well as me myself have both grown a TON in just these last 4 weeks of being with different comps. This week we've been a lot more focused, a lot better at teaching,and above everything, better at following the Spirit. It's been kinda fun going back and visiting Gisele and Caios and seeing how they're doing. Gisele especially seems to be basically a new person. The only though thing I've seen though is that ever since those first days of finding these people, up until the baptism, and then even up until now, not even one of these converts has had a visit from the members :( I'm not bashing on the members or anything cuz I wasn't at all a member missionary before the mission, but I'm learning in kinda a harsh way how important fellowshipping as well as home teaching is, and will be for me after the mission. These people that start out their new lives in the church are so new and so... well, basically like children. Their testimonies aren't all the strong, and they need the help of developed members so much. It's also been really interesting cuz when we went there to give a message or something, both of us were at such a loss of words of what to share or do to help them. It was a big testemony to me that we, as missionaries, have done our part, which is helping them start their journey. And now, it's out of our hands to help them out. It was a really interesting thing the way the Spirit testified of this. It's amazing how varied the things I've learned and am learning are on the mission.
 The work is going really really well this week. We've had a few lessons these last few days where the Spirit was SO strong during the 1st vision and the baptismal invite... Seriously the whole room felt warm and the feelings that all of us had in our hearts were overwhelming. We've been focusing on helping these members help their own friends learn more about the gospel, and in just 2 days we found 3 friends of members that have accepted the invite to be baptized! They already have this friendship with members so I'm so excited to see how they progress. We also had an awesome experience yesterday that showed SO vividly how the Lord controls everything in our lives. About 3 weeks ago in Veneza, me and Elder Gaertner had done some contacts and ran into a girl named Ingride. She said she was at her dad's house and that she lived in Sete Lagoas. We took down her info and I laughed cuz I realized it was in my old area in 7 Lakes. Anyways, 3 days ago I was talking with Elder Gaertner and he passed me the info of Ingride who I'd totally forgotten. Yesterday we went there to her house, she remembered me, and we ended up marking a baptismal date for the 28th!! It's absolutely amazing to me how every single thing that happens has a purpose. Even the problem that happened here in Sete Lagoas and having me be sent back here :) Also, Marta in my last area didn't get baptized this last week cuz of a family emergency, but she's dying of excitement to be baptized this next sunday.
 Well, amazingly enough I hit 11 months on monday... So crazy how all this works. It's beginning to sink in a little bit with my finally how with time passing the way it does, there's no going back. Even though another 13 months seems like it's a lot of time, I'm realizing that regardless of if I'm impatient with time, love my time in Brazil, or what ever other attitude I have, above all else is the fact that I only have 2 years to do this work, and a lot of that 2 years is already passed and will never come back. I'm realzing that it's the same way with life as well. Regardless of if we enjoy, struggle, or love life, the time that passes doesn't come back. Kinda intense to think about, but I'm just glad to have the gospel so I can at least progress and grow the way the Lord wants me to. I love this work, thanks everyone for your prayers. I've really needed them this week and have really felt the power from family and friends' support. This is the only true church on the face of the earth, and what a blessing it is for us to be a part of it :) Hurrah for Israel!!! I hope the Lord is blessing you all as much as He's blessing me here.
  -Elder Ballard

 

Zone Conference, Ups and downs w/ our Investigators

Twas a good week this past one. We've had some really good parts with our investigators as well as some toughies, but all's still great!

Well, this past week sadly no one that was progressing was baptised. That miracle guy that we had to get baptized ended up having his parents flip a lid at him and not allow him to be baptized. Super sad when stuff like that happens, his girlfriend who's a member even had to end the relationship cuz she knows she won't marry someone who's not a member. Super sad isn't it? I know that one day things'll work out for him though, the Lord doesn't let anything happen without purpose. The lady that went to church ended up travelling during last week and now is just all lazy and doesn't want to do anything "hard" to prepare for baptism, so sadly I don't think we'll be the ones to baptize her :( We do have a family to baptize this week though, the mom's name is Marta, and she has 5 kids, 4 of which will be baptized with her. After church on sunday we went there with some members and Marta really opened up and told us how hard her life's been and how the gospel's helping her, and it was amazing. Her ex-husband is super addicted to beer, and is trying to move back in with Marta, and obviously she won't let him. She told us how when she was pregnant with the second youngest kid, they were building the house that they live in now (ya... she was helping build a house being like 7 months pregnant...) and he was drunk, go ticked at her, and pushed her off the side of the house and she fell down the hill, and it caused the kid to get born early. Luckily no permanent damage was done, but it is insane the things that she's passed through. Can I please ask for you all to pray for them? This family needs this gospel SO badly. The protection that will come, the healing from the atonement, the Spirit to be in their house, they have SO many things that they seriously just can't afford to do without. We are doing absolutely everything possible to help this family, they are super special.

 We had zone conference this week, and it's amazing how much I'm learning. This time is a little different cuz it has 3 section, so I went monday, tuesday, and I'll be going again tomorrow. My teaching is improving a ton, and last night we put the stuff we learned to the test and already found another person to be baptized the next week... It's amazing how many people the Lord is preparing. My testimony has been growing a ton lately simply of the fact that us missionaries are literally the ONLY authorized teachers that the areas we're called in have to actually help people. Here in Brazil has SO many churches, seriously SO so many, but all of them are wrong. That's been another realization that's really sunk in deep here on my mission, when Christ told Joseph Smith that ALL of the churches at the time were wrong, He meant it. The commandment, don't take the Lord's name in vain, applies with EVERY other church. It's amazing to me though, cuz sometimes these other churches help these people prepare for the gospel cuz they at least learn the basics, but there are some churches here that are truly (just as the Book of Mormon says) an abomination in the sight of the Lord. These poor people that are tricked into following them... This one church tells people to "prove their faith" by selling their cars, even houses, and giving the money to the church. Then the dumb pastor-face drives off in a ridiculously nice car and just feasts on these people who are already poor.

  Even though all this is really sad, I am SO grateful to know the truth. This IS the ONLY true church on the face of the earth. If we truly follow the paths and instructions that the scriptures and prophets give us, we will truly gain eternal life. Sometimes I really like just imagining what eternal life will be like, and even though it's way above the capability of our minds to realize just how great it'll be, I have the faith that it'll be completely worth every single big or small trial or difficulty we all'll pass through. I love this work, I am SO grateful to be an authorized teacher and missionary of our Lord Jesus Christ. I love our Lord, and I love this church. Hurrah for Israel!!!

 -Elder Ballard

More miracles are falling, we moved houses today? And how is it August?!

Only yesterday it felt like I was turning 19 and being all excited for my mission... And here we are again already in August, I can't believe I'll be turning TWENTY this month! AHH!!

This is Elder Gaertner from Paraná

We moved houses today which was kinda crazy, I don't like packing suitcases as often as I have been out here on the mission haha. It's kinda a huge house too for what we need as just 2 missionaries. Our last house had 2 rooms, a kitchen and a bathroom, and this new one has a BIG kitchen, HUGE bathroom, and like 4 rooms. Who knows what we'll do with all the space haha.

  Well, as I was thinking about it being my birthday this month, I have a birthday request. For my birthday out here I would love letters with people's testimonies. Testimonies, favorite scriptures, favorite talks or thoughts from conference, etc. Whatever you want to send :) And obviously this is to anyone who wants to do it. Brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, whoever else reads these emails haha. It doesn't have to be anything long, but you wouldn't believe the kind of power us missionaries recieve just from hearing the testimonies of the people we love. So ya, if anyone wants to, I would be very grateful.

  This week was a really good one. We had 17 people to take to church, and sadly only 4 were able to go, but the members in the ward blessed us with other people who are definitely miracle baptisms that seriously "fell from heaven" haha :) Seriously, one member came up and said, "Elder, this friend of ours has already been taught all the lessons, so you guys just need to mark a interview and he wants to be baptized on saturday." So looks like we'll have a baptism this saturday haha, so amazing. I'm beginning to realize a lot of how important obedience is, cuz when you're following all the rules and commandments, God is able to bless you with SO many things. It's been amazing to me as well with how much growth I've personally had as well, seriously I feel like I'm changing so much. It's crazy to think that next month I'll hit my hump day, and my goal now is to just keep changing as much as possible so that by the year and a half mark or so, I can be the type of effective mission that God is trying to help me become. This week we have a lot of people that have the potential to be baptised, so I'm really excited to go to work. I also recieved word that last sunday, 2 of the kids in that really poor family back in Sete Lagoas got baptised!! I can't wait for the marriage of the parents to go through, and then the whole family will be members!! I love this work so much... I'm at the point now with the language and the schedule where this is the only thing I know, so now it's just trying to improve my teaching and spirituality so I can make the most of my time while I still have it.

  Thank you all for your prayers and support! I love this work and I love the Lord. Hurrah for Israel!!!

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 -Elder Ballard

This was the day I made tortillas and fajitas with that delicious taco seasoning... SO good!

Miracle Baptism, New personal record on Monday, and weird foods..

   I'm running behind today so it'll be a quick letter, but this past week was amazing. We were really wanting to have a baptism, so Elder Gaertner was led to a young man that'd already been to church and Brazil's version of mutual a few times. We taught him on thursday, marked his baptism for sunday, and he accepted the invite!! He's only 13 so we had to get the authorization from his dad which looked like it was slim chances cuz I guess his dad has been known as "The guy who wants to kill the missionaries." Haha. Anyways, after a TON of prayer, we taught him again on saturday, he was interviewed, and then baptized on sunday!! I've never seen anyone progress so fast and accept the gospel like he did, truly was a blessing and miracle. Then on monday we did a comp study and really swapped and mixed up the way we taught, and that along with a lot of help from the Spirit, we had an amazing work day. Last friday we taught 8 lessons, and no one accepted a date to be baptized. Monday though, we only taught 3 lessons and had SIX people accept dates!! I've never EVER had so many people accept dates like that... it is SO incredible how the Lord can bless us. Now we're just focusing on the fact that it is totally him that is doing these results, and being completely obedient 100% so that He can keep protecting these people against the bad influences that always come when someone accepts a date. Some of these 6 people are SO prepared... it is absolutely amazing the way the Lord does that.

 I also had some interesting foods these past weeks. First, I had this little dish called Dobradinha. It used to be like a dish for slaves, and I can see why. It's basically cow intestine stew... and it smells like pure dogfood. The nasty dry kind that we always buy for Luke. The taste wasn't as bad as the smell luckily, but the consistency = nasty. The pieces of intestine still had the little microscopic finger-like things (i think they're called philli or filli or something like that?) Yuck... but it was a fun experience anyways. I also went to a restaurant and had horse meat... It was in a patty like beef usually is so it wasn't that weird or bad, but just thinking that it was horse was kinda odd. Austin'll probably know what this is but I had a dessert called Sagu. It reminds me of flavorless jello, but with like a fourth of the water you'd usually add, cuz it's really really thick. Definitely one of those foods you can't explain haha. I'm enjoying all these new foods though, Brazil's fun haha.

  Well, this next week is looking really bright and I'm very excited to work. The Lord has really been blessing us a lot, and I'm excited to do my part and really put my shoulder to the wheel. Nothing like LDS puns. I love this work and things are going great out here. Thank you all for all you do and especially for your prayers. Hurrah for Israel!!]

  -Elder Ballard

Pic - This is Hugo! (pronounced ooh-goo haha)

Nother transfer!?! Bittersweet I must say... Goodbyes and Last walk through Sete Lagoas

Boy oh boy... It never ceases to amaze me how these transfers blow past. 6 weeks used to seem like it was forever.

Well, this past week has been a great one. Like I said, today I'm already in my next area. These last few days were basically made up of saying goodbye to members and recent converts in 7 Lakes. It was kinda bitter sweet cuz I really really enjoyed that area, it was a really great place to work. That family that I talked about last week was super hard to say goodbye to, you end up making relationships based off of spirituality that end up being a LOT stronger and deeper, so it was sad saying bye to them. They're all progressing really well for baptism though, so here in a month or so I'm hoping to recieve news from Elder Da Rosa who will stay there. It was hilarious this week when you leave their house, you have to walk a mile or 2 on just loose dirt road to get back to the city. The road has a lot of cars and buses that pass, so you get super super dirty. Anyways, where a car passes and kicks up a ton of dirt we end up using our ties as breathing filters (see photo) and always get a laugh out of it. Anyways, on Saturday we realized that all the cars that were driving past were laughing at our use of ties. We looked up ahead and saw a guy walking his bike in the other direction, and even with all the dust, was pushing his bike with both hands. So me and my comp were like, "Well look at that... We must be wannies needing to cover our noses and mouths." So we were a little embarrased of our weakness, until we got up close and realized he was wearing one of those World War 2 style gas masks :D Hahaha, we about died laughing thinking that he was just toughing it out and then saw his gas mask.. Man I love Brazil.

   It sure is weird getting transferred again... I'm in an area now called Veneza (which being translated is Venice, like in Rome) and when I was explaining it to some converts they got all bummed and shocked cuz they thought I was moving to Europe :D Haha... Anyways, I don't have a whole ton else to tell about cuz we just got here today. My comp's name is Elder Gaertner, and he only has 2 transfers left. It's been interesting being with these older missionaries lately, I sure learn a lot. Anyways I'll have more about this area and the work this next week. Everything is going good here though, I'm happy, excited, safe, and plump (hopefully I can lose some weight in this area haha) I love this work and am so very grateful for the trust the Lord gives in letting us missionaries have such an amazing privilege and opportunity. This Church is True!!! One day we truly will have the opportunity of being judged by God and Christ, and I know that if we do our part we WILL one day recieve all the blessings we've earned. Hoorah for Israel!! Hoorah!

 -Elder Ballard

the dusty road we travelled down...

while using ties for gas masks...



to visit this amazing humble family!



beautiful chapel!

Week of Traveling, and Amazingly Humble Family Found!

'Nother week already gone... It's blowing my mind how fast the time is passing recently. Seriously, the weeks are truly passing like days for me now.

  Well, this was kinda a weird week cuz we had quite a few interviews to do, so this last week was super slow with regards to the work. Seriously it was like every other day we were leaving on a bus at 10 o clock and not getting back to work till 6. It's kinda taken its toll on the work sadly, but I know the Lord isn't gunna let something like that get in the way of the salvation of his lost sheep.
 Last sunday started out kinda annoying cuz the 3 people we have to be confirmed ended up not making it to church :( It's a huge bummer cuz every week that happens it's just one more week for Satan to try and attack them. Luckily they're all strong to go this next week. When we got to chruch though we met this guy who was there visiting the church with his 6 year old daughter. We marked to go visit his house after church and found out that he lives like WAY out in the middle of nowhere, but at least there was a bus we could take to get out there close. We went there later that day and found out that he's the Dad of 5 kids, and all 7 of them (counting the mom) live in 1 ROOM in the middle of the woods basically. The place they live reminds me a lot of Moody Meadows, it's not really the normal amazon type-forest that you usually see, it's a lot more dry and dusty, so a lot more like the forests in the US. Anyways, the 5 kids are 12, 10, 6, and then they have twin 2 year olds. So we walked through the woods and arrived at the house. He was really excited to see us and it was seriously such a humbling and amazing experience meeting this family. The dad is a super hard-working guy that knows how to do about anything with construction. He built their house, dug there well (which goes down about 36 feet.... I still can't understand how he dug it.) is building their bathroom, built a bridge, just all this amazing stuff. When we got there he was chopping wood for their fire, and his 2 little two year olds were running around with just shirts, aka barefoot and pantless running around in the forest. We found out that they've already found and killed about 15 snakes close to their house... so that's the part that worries me. The little kids are all pretty dirty, except for the 6 year old that obviously took a bath so she could go to church :) While we were there the mom heated up water over a camp fire and gave the two little guys a bath. Everything was just astounding to me. They live without runnning water, without light or electricity, without a sewer (luckily the bathroom the dad's making will let them have this at least) and even with all this they are all just SO happy!!! I'll try and get a video of the two little boys, cuz while we were there they were chasing chickens around the yard, and then when a couple chickens flew/climbed up into a shrub, the two of them clumsily grabbed long sticks and tried to attack the chickens :D It was one of those things where I was laughing and almost crying just cuz of how humbling everything was. These little kids don't have toys or even electricity, but every one of them is so stinking happy with just running around playing with each other. Elder Da Rosa and me about died laughing when the two little guys realized that their sticks weren't long enough, so they ran to the other side of the yard, one picked up a brick, and the other got this tiny little 10 inch tall stool, and they both brought the stuff over to the tree to try and be taller :D Man... all this was exactly what I was needed. I had been a little discouraged because of the lack of work we had had, but just realizing how much a have to be greatful for and how happy these people are with seriously almost nothing, I realized how bad they need the gospel. After talking with them for a while about their situation and the church and all, we taught them the Restauration, and the family accepted the invite to prepare for baptism!! Sadly the parents aren't married so they won't be able to be baptized on the 24th, but either way I am so so excited to see their progress together.
  I am so grateful to have the privelege of seeing a situation like this... I've been SO humbled to see the way that some people live. Watching them understand more about the gospel and what this actually will do for them was so cool to see how much hope it gave for them. I'm praying so hard that all will go well with them and that the marriage can go through quickly so they can begin their spiritual journey and start receiving the blessing the Lord has for them. Especially with this family I'm really beginning to feel a lot more of that love that God has for each one of us. It didn't matter that that family was living in such simple and humble circumstances, it was still so obvious that they felt God's love for them and the Light of Christ was so obvious in their eyes. All I can say is I hope that with time I can develop more and more of the kind of love and charity that I know God has for all his children. I'm so grateful for this gospel and the way that it helps each and every one of us. Thank you all for your support and all that you do every day to help others. As I see the way that the members of the Chruch here help others, I know that all over the world the same simple but amazing work is going on. I love you all!!! Thank you for your prayers, I truly do feel the strength that comes from them. Hurrah for Israel!!!
   -Elder Ballard

 Bit o Brazil - With all this traveling that we've been doing, we are constantly taking buses. Near the bus stations they always have like 5 of these sketchy guys calling out destinations of where they're going. So they always shout to us "BH jovens?" Which means "Belo Horizonte (the main city that we go to usually once a week) young men?" and at first we'd just ignore them and all, but since it's just gotten more and more annoying, I will usually just say straight out to them (in English obviously) "I don't understand spanish!!!!" And it usually makes them hush up :)

Conferences, I'm "growing", and some weird little... sightings :)

Only good things to report this week! It's been kinda a unusual week in relation to schedule, but it's been great!

Well, this past week we had some zone meetings/trainings and conferences so it kinda interupted the normal work a little, but it's been awesome learning so much. First of all, the baptism of Gisele was wonderful!! It was awesome having Caios there to support her and enjoy the sweet spirit of baptism again already. It's such a satisfying feeling when you baptise more than one person, be it a family or be it friends like these two, you just know that they'll be there for each other to help each other in the process. It was a cool miracle that happened there at the baptism as well cuz for some reason, not even one member from the ward could make it on a wednesday night :/ So we ended up inviting another companionship of missionaries that work close to our area to come and support her too. Anyways, they ended up bringing one of their investigators, who ended up being one of Gisele's close friends that none of us even knew about :D So now it looks like that friends is progressing to be baptized in a couple weeks! So cool!!! I love the way the Lord works. The other baptism this week was Junior!! I sent the picture of him with the picture of when his parents were baptized, so this week he finally was able to join the family also! It was really amazing how things went with him, because he wasn't able to be baptized earlier because he wasn't legally married, only living with his "wife". But we realized that being married isn't the pre-requisite to being baptized, it's living the Law of Chastity. So, we invited him to seperate from his girlfriend and move in with his parents, and he accepted!!! It's incredible how much power the spirit has in conversion of these people!! I'm so excited for him... Now being all 3 of them baptized, they'll all be a huge force in helping each other progress in someday going to the temple :)
  Well, besides the work here it's been kinda a funny time lately. Here in Sete Lagoas, the members are really strong and love the missionaries, so this means that the lunches here are wonderful. Also, this is like one of the only cities in the mission that doesn't have hills... These two factors combined means... yup, I'm getting fat haha. Obviously not huge or anything, but my gut is sadly developing :/ It's really obnoxious actually because there's not a whole lot I can do haha. I'm doing excercizes and all, but when you have lunch planned every day, don't have any hills to challenge you, it just kinda happens I guess. Oh well though, I still have the next 14 months to be switched to a "skinnier" area. This week I saw some cool/crazy things as well: I saw a flock of parrots fly over me, talk about beautiful. Bright green and red, it was awesome. I also saw a beer truck that flipped over (not rolled over but literally endo'ed, back over front) and spilled glass and beer ALL over the road, it stunk so bad. I saw a lady walking down the street with a machete in one hand and 4 large steak knives in the other... who know's where she was heading :) Right after that I saw a drunk guy sitting on the curb playing one of those antelope horns (like the one grandpa Ballard had in his basement) I love Brazil so much :D
 Well, this week I've been realizing that the Lord is truly beginning to shape me, especailly internally. Not in just what I do as a missionary, but a lot of what I think and feel. I've been really focusing lately on keeping my thoughts a lot more focused on spiritual things and less on stuff like home or friends or etc. Anyways, for really long periods of time I've been able to consistently keep a hymn "playing" in my head, and the difference it's made has been incredible. I'm beginning to realize that doing this is truly changing my inner desires. One of my struggles during the mission has been trying to subdue desires to watch TV, be with friends, draw things not pertaining to the work, etc. Anyways this week I've found that I'm truly beginning to change these desires. You all know the me before the mission, insanely social, always wanting to go on dates and hang out with friends, always drawing, animating, computering, etc. Anyways, I've truly been feeling these desires die down this week. Clealy one of my greatest joys is still receiving a letter and picture from someone I haven't heard in from a while :) But the actual desire that used to be almost nagging is finally being subdued. I truly am feeling like I'm becoming clay in the Lord's hands. Before I was all dry and hard, not allowing the Lord to do what He wanted. Now though as I've focused more on subduing myself to His will rather than mine, it's been amazing the changes that are happening. Wow this letter's a big'uhn, but I love this work. I love this life, and I love being a missionary. My old companion Elder Fife goes home this next wednesday so it was weird saying goodbye to him, I can't believe how weird others ending their missions seems. I'm so grateful to still have so much time left to improve and try to become what the Lord wants. Thank you all for you love and support, hurrah for Israel and I hope the Lord is granting you all the blessings you need! You're all in my prayers. Hurrah!!!!
 -Elder Ballard