Week 31 Elder Sutton and Berta

Berta's Baptism

Elder Sutton and Pres. and Sis Fluckiger

Well this week was exciting from most of the things that I mentioned

last week.  My new comp is keeping me busy.  He already has given a
woman beijinhos which is the kisses on the cheek and everything. He
went to California for a transfer to wait for his visa and so he  came
in with little to no portuguese. It has been pretty rough for him
including having to give a talk in sacrament meeting with less then an
hours notice.  He completely froze and wasent able to get what he
wanted to say out but after a few minutes douglas the member of the
bishopric that was presiding called me up from the audience to
translate for him.  There was a lot of tears and even though it was
really short after I got up there he left a powerful testimony that
touched the entire congregation.  The transition of the language is
being pretty rough on him and his comp in california was a tongan
slacker so he is also struggling to live the missionary schedule.  But
yeah I am going to get him there (help him man up) sooner or later.
It is really exhausting having to really do everything right now, all
the contacts and lessons have to be all me becuase of the language
barrier for him still.  Plus studies are much more stressful because I
have to figure out how to teach him instead of just working on my own
knowledge.  But that is what the mission is all about serving others
and I can see how the mission changes people becuase I now am getting
to see where some of the elders start out and there has to be some
pretty major changes to be made so that they can man up and handle
this lifestyle.

We got to go to a dedication of a house after chruch with a part
member family that we are really close to helping the husband get
baptised.  They come to chruch every week and everything and love
talking to us and the sisters so hopefully we can see him get baptised
here within the next couple weeks or so.  It was really fun to get to
be with the zone leaders for the week and everything they are really
fun and cool missionaries and it was good to get to develop a
realationship with them because now reporting to them every night will
be more fun.  I also learned alot from being with them.  one of them
has already been our for over 2 years and is 23 so it was definatly a
little bit different.  My first ever district meeting that I got to
give I gave with Elder Alves becuse we had to combine or distiricts
since I was staying with the zone leaders who are in his district now.
so it was basically more of a zone meeting for my first ever district
meeting and we had to go in with abosolutly no preperation becuase we
couldnt get to a printer until 5 minutes before the meeting to get the
training printed out. But it went really well.  Anyways I am happy and
enjoying the time that I have here still.

While I was with the zone leaders I got to go with them to a meeting
that the mission president has with the zone leaders and the stake
presidency which was pretty cool I had no idea that they had meetings
like those.  It felt like some sort of secret CIA meeting or something
becuse it was night and raining when we got there and the high council
room is seperate behind the chapel there and has a big old heavy metal
door.  It made me laugh a little but meeting with church athorities
like that has never been too intimidating to me.  We got to hear the
plans for the stake and mission work here in the future which was
exciting to hear.  Also the new casal showed up today so That is
really exciting and my district grew a little bit today.

I love you all and you will be in my prayers.
Elder Hobson