Still Trekking!

So, this week was sweet! We baptized Rodolfo (16 years old) on Saturday, and confirmed him Sunday, we also confirmed Stenio, who we baptized last week. Things are going sweet! I gave the message at the baptism about the people of Alma being baptized in the Waters of Mormon, and how they would receive the Spirit more abundantly upon them. It went well! 

This week my personal study was awesome. I have been trying hard to be able to have good studies, like where I am engaged and learning by the Spirit, and think about what I have studied all day, and treasure up the word. It’s always a struggle because I don’t know what to study, or like how to study, but I have really been working on it, so I was blessed with awesome studies this week. I was comparing each conversion of all the different prophets in the Book of Mormon (Enos, Alma, People of King Benjamin) and asking questions to myself, and it was just awesome! I really got so much out of it. Oh, and it was all in Portuguese by the way. So that was a blessing as well, I am understanding more and more, here a little and there a little.

I am growing in my love for the Book of Mormon. I have actually just realized the way I look at the Book of Mormon is a lot different than it used to be. The more time carefully spent studying and pondering, the greater my love grows. It is what was taught to me by President Holmes back in Michigan. If we treat the sacred truths we are given, and follow them as closely as we can, record them, and treat them like the sacred truths they are, we will be given more. We also need to keep an open mind. It is all so sweet! Spiritual knowledge and light is real, it is actual particles of light, and you can feel it. I have felt it. After that sweet personal study, I just wanted to do everything right and submit everything to the Lord. I felt like Superman! So, I have been trying to do that ever since, and it is going incredibly well.

This week we visited a school with one of the members. She teaches English at this school, and the kids were all like 14, 15, and 16-years-old. It was pretty funny, I was trying to tell them about California in English and Portuguese both, there wasn’t much to say though, I forgot it all! I really can’t remember. They asked what we eat there, I could only think of us eating just whatever we wanted. Here, they just eat rice and beans, so it didn’t make sense to them. It was fun though, and then I taught them the Restoration in English, I am not sure how much they understood, but we got like seven addresses of kids we are going to visit. 

I wanted to address your concerns about health issues. So, we buy a big 5-gallon jug of water every week and drink that, all the people do that too. And I never go barefoot. We are supposed to wear flip-flops around the house at night, so I do that, and shower with them too. We don’t drink soda much. I prefer water or juice. The meat is refrigerated too.

The humidity is crazy here! Always feel wet. It is funny though because you get used to it really quick because there is no air-conditioning, and the house is really open. So, walking outside is the same as inside.

I can understand everything basic my companion says. Every once in a while he says a new word that I write down. I want to master the language, so I have been studying extra hard, and trying my best to understand.

Well, it is so good to hear from you! I look forward to it every week! Thank you for your prayers! I love each one of you! I am so happy!

Com amor,

Elder Hoyt