A Sweet Experience

Hi my family!

So, my companion is CHILEAN, he is from Concepcion, Chile. He is brand new on the mission from the Missionary Training Center in São Paulo, Brazil. Luckily his Portuguese is pretty good already. He can already speak well, definitely a lot better than me when I got here. So, I picked him up last Wednesday in Recife, and I brought him back to Goiana with Elder McFadden and his new companion. Elder McFadden is training a missionary from Peru and is District Leader here in Goiana. So we are super excited to get things going!

The first week of training was pretty crazy, a little stressful because I have never trained before, but there is a first time for everything! Yesterday was the highlight of the week. We went to a member’s house, and his wife is a member of another church. We brought some other members with us. It was a sweet experience. The wife started asking questions about our Church, and the member we brought just started bearing powerful testimony and answering her questions so well. It really made a difference because she saw that Mormons are normal people, and that we are happy! I was shocked to hear some of the doubts and rumors she had heard about our Church. With every doubt that was cleared, the more light and understanding she got, and the more interested she got by the minute! Then I shared my testimony and a scripture about the Atonement from the Book of Mormon, and afterwards she asked how I learned to speak so fast, and the member that was with us just lit up and said, this is the true gift of tongues, and bore his testimony about the Spirit. It was just an incredible experience to see her asking more and more, and the member just loving it! So, that was a great part of the week.

I am so excited to see the vision Heavenly Father has for His work. I love this opportunity! I feel like training is going to be kind of tough, but that’s I what I felt like when I first got here. Now I have another mountain to climb! I know I have the assistance of Heaven by my side. The key is to have the faith and the power to do it! No matter how difficult it seems, we will always be able to overcome. I love you all so much! Have a great week and keep up the great work!

Love,
Elder Hoyt

I am going to be Training!

So, transfers were today, and I am going to be training! I am so excited! We found out last night, and came to transfer meeting this morning in Recife. So, I am in an area called Pina right now. I will sleep here tonight, and pick up my new missionary tomorrow. We will be staying in Goiana 1, and Elder Mcfadden will train also in Goiana 2, and be District Leader. I have no idea who I will train, I am pretty sure he will be Brazilian. But I am so excited! I know I will grow a lot. 

Goiana is doing well! We got a reference yesterday from a member. She invited her friend to hear the lessons, and he said yes! So, I am excited things are going so well. We are also still working with Edna and her family. They were sad to see Elder D. Sousa go. Also, we have a lot of other potentials, and I just can’t describe how excited I am to train!

I am just humbled at the faith my Mission President and the Lord have in me that I will be able to do this. I also believe I can do it through the help of the Lord. The main reason I am excited is that I will really be able to experience the Atonement, because I know I will not be able to do this alone. And I really just want to give it my all, and be the best I can, and that’s when I will receive the strength I need. I have really been thinking that one of the most important things in this life is the influence we have on other people, because almost everything we do influences other people, whether by example or by direct influence. So, I think we should have the goal to be an influence for good wherever we go, and whoever we come in contact with. It is kind of like the baptismal covenant, to stand as a witness, and you can show your testimony and witness best through your actions. 

I don’t have too much time to write this week because of the transfer, but I will give a better update next week. But just know that I am so happy and excited to work very hard. And I definitely feel that the Lord loves me very much. I also know you guys love me! Thank you for all the support! I love you all so much! Have a great week!

Love,
Elder Hoyt

What Else Matters?

Hello my great family! I just read all your emails! You guys are all great! 

Our friend Ellison got baptized this last Saturday! He is a great kid, 17-years-old. So, now everyone in the family is baptized except the parents, but the marriage papers our coming. He said, "I don't know if this will be easy, or if this will be hard, but I know it is right." I thought that was really inspiring, for my life as a missionary as well. It reminds me of the talk, “It's True, Isn’t It? Then What Else Matters?” Serving my mission, so far, and giving all my time, really makes me wonder a lot, what else matters? Just like Lizz said, “shouldn't the purpose of God be our number one purpose, since we are His?”

This week was my second to last week in training. The 12-week program required that I take control of all teaching and planning situations. So, it was a little bit different, it was great though. Something I have felt this week, is that I am so incredibly weak. I don't know why, it just came out of nowhere. It was not a bad thing. I didn't get discouraged or sad. I just felt so humbled because I am here in Brazil as a missionary, unable to speak, scared, just a kid, selfish, and then I realized everything I have been entrusted with, and how much trust God has in me. It is a lot of trust that God has in us. But I am glad I felt like this, I read about Paul in the Bible where he says he glories in his weaknesses because he knows the power of Christ is within him, when he is weak he is strong. Just like in Ether, we are given our weaknesses to be humble. I know I will be strongest when I put my trust in the Lord, and not in myself. After hearing General Conference, and just reading your emails, I really feel this desire to improve, and everything I need to change is made clear. It is just becoming more Christ like.  

I really want to be the best I can, I want to fulfill the mission Heavenly Father has sent me to do. I know He wants me to be happy here. I am trying hard to understand the language still, no matter how tired I get. I really want to be an instrument in the hands of God to fulfill His purposes. That is really my goal. I am so excited to be a missionary in these latter-days, especially when the work is hastening. I know this Gospel is true. I love it all, and the Plan of Salvation, and the perfection of it. It really is perfect. The more I understand, the more amazed I get.

This last weak I learned a little more about opposition and why there is opposition, and about the choices we make, and our free agency that was given to us, and is key for our eternal growth. I remember a talk I once heard, where the Plan is compared to driving a car...when Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden, think of it as if they were in a car trying to drive, but the car was in neutral until they partook of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, which brought about opposition in all things. Then they could move forward because there was such thing as backward. I think it is a really cool comparison, and really helps my understanding.

I am grateful for the trust that God has in each one of us. Also, for the love He has for us, and how much patience He has with us. I love you all, and I miss you all. The time here is really flying by though, these months are just going! I start a new month and it’s over! But I hope you all have an awesome week! Love you!

Love,

Elder Hoyt

Conference Was So Awesome!

Hello My Dearest Family!

So, I am doing great! I got to watch ALL of General Conference in English, and I loved every minute of it. The Prophets are inspired, and everything was so true. The truth feels good to hear. It was broadcast in the Chapel, and I was in a classroom with a little TV taking notes with Elder McFadden, the other American. Loved Conference! 

I have noticed, I have a growing desire to know the will of God, and I place it at higher importance more and more. I have never been so excited for Conference as I was this time. I have never listened so intently as this time, because I am realizing how important it is. The single most important thing in the world is know the will and word of God, so we can act on it. General Conference happens twice a year, and everything spoken has been carefully prepared just for us, to uplift us, and provide us with spiritual strength. One thing I have been thinking about, that I think is pretty significant, is obedience. It is key, just like so many General Authorities said, and what was asked for in the prayers..."please help us, not only to listen, but act on these things, be not hearers of the word, but doers also." I love a line from King Benjamin where he says, "if you believe all these things, see that ye do them"--- simple as that. That is something I am working on, I know it is true, I just need to do it. 

I realized one thing that keeps us from being obedient is pride. In a way, it is where you are more worried about what other people think, than what God thinks. This may be one of  the biggest obstacles to obedience....being worried about offending people or losing friends. This fear keeps us from doing what God has asked, but it is in no way justified. That’s why I loved Elder Uchtdorf’s talk in Priesthood session, he kept saying “Rise up! You can do it, now! I know you guys can do it now.” 

A special theme I noticed in Conference was missionary work. One of my favorite quotes was, “be a real friend!” It is true, when people notice that you have a true desire to help, they can feel the love God has for them. Have this attitude and share personal experiences and testimony with friends. Follow the invitation and reach out to one person before Christmas. Pray for missionary experiences! And trust in the Lord and His promise that your mouth will be filled. 

Nothing else would make me happier. I know this is what the Lord has asked. I love you all! I thought of you so much as I watched Conference, I missed watching with you. Hope you all have a great week!

Com amor e carinho,

Elder Hoyt

Some of the roads we walk on

Minhas queridas crianças...

Hello my dearest family,

So, this week was pretty solid. We had an exchange with the Zone Leaders. I stayed here in Goiana and worked with Elder Pereira, he is from Rio de Janeiro. The second day, I was on exchange with Elder McFadden, from Goiana 2. He is from Mississippi. It was a 2-day exchange because our area is far away, so the Zone Leaders exchange with Goiana 1 and 2 while they’re here.

Yesterday was sweet because we were at the Church while the ward was doing choir practice, and I was talking to this member all by myself. I have done it a lot of times, but this was like a full on conversation and I understood it all. I was super happy. So, things are still improving in that direction. It is weird because it is so hard to see my progression because it is a little here and a little there, so it doesn’t feel like I am progressing a ton, but I definitely am.

Also this week, I studied about Nephi, and his vision when he was taken up in the Spirit. It was really because he wanted to know what his father saw, and he diligently sought it. The same is with us, we can receive so much just so long as we want it and seek it.

Also this week, our investigator Edna, is incredible. Saturday night she was like, I am happy, and we said why? And she said, because I am going to Church tomorrow! I was happy too! I can really see a change in her since we first began teaching. She loves for us to come over. Every time we leave she is like, you guys are coming back tomorrow? It is a wonderful opportunity to be teaching her. And last night we had a really good lesson with her. I could really feel the Spirit there with us because after the lesson we asked if there was anything we could do to help with anything, and she said no, and then right before we left she asked if there was anything that she could do to help us! She was so sincere though. She was asking if we wash our own clothes and everything. So, we are working towards baptism. She is just working on quitting smoking. She is always praying for help, and she is so humble. She is great.

I am super excited for General Conference. It has been a long wait for me. I will be able to watch it in English too.

 

Oh Mom, I wanted to tell you I love those quotes, especially the first one...a man doesn’t desire Christ until he knows why he needs Him. That is why it is so important to know the Plan of Salvation and the Fall of man. Sounds like Seminary is going swell! I miss being in there with you!

The time here is going by so quickly! It seems like just yesterday I arrived in Brazil. I am trying to make it last. I love you all and am really thankful for the emails. I look forward to them every week. I love you all so much. Thank you for your examples of living the Gospel. Have a Spirit filled week!

Love,

Elder Hoyt

Clark Kent

Hello there, my Family!

I am doing well here! We had Zone Conference in Recife this last week. So, we traveled two hours on the bus to get there. It was a great Conference, about true conversion, our own conversion as missionaries. I love the subject of conversion. I realized yesterday that is the most important thing to have on your mission, your testimony. Being in Brazil and speaking Portuguese, just talking in lessons was kind of just a thing like, “Whew! Okay, I said something!” or like, "Okay, I should probably bear testimony now." But I realized that testimony is much more important than I ever realized. It is because that is really when the Spirit can testify. And the Spirit will testify if you bear sincere testimony, in whatever language. A sincere testimony does not have to be masked with fancy words or an intelligent vocabulary, it just needs to be things you know in your heart, and not in your head. All this I learned from the Conference, and then I experienced it yesterday.

We were teaching a less active who was a returned missionary from only a couple years ago. It was actually two of the ward missionaries and me, and my companion was somewhere else. But the ward missionary was asking, what can we do to help you get to Church? And he kept saying, I don’t know, I just need the desire. So, I was able to bear my testimony about how the Spirit can give you the desire, like He gave me last week. It wasn’t anything fancy, but I felt the Spirit there. I was trying to figure out what was different, and why I felt so much better, and why I felt I made a difference, and it was because I bore testimony of something I had experienced, and I knew it was true, and it was something I really wanted him to know. But really something I realized that brought me a lot of comfort, is you can be a smooth-talker and have a super flowing lesson with beautiful words, and be super smart with all the gospel knowledge in the world, but it won’t matter if you don’t have a testimony, and have the Spirit confirm it. So, I don’t have to learn fancy Portuguese to be a missionary. So, that was something that made me pretty happy! Everyday here gets better and better. My understanding gets more and more...I learned something today that I didn’t know yesterday. 

Something that is making me happy is that our converts are super active. Joyce, Mariana, and Edla, and one other girl are the Young Women of our ward. Yesterday they sang, Stand in Holy Places, for our Missionary Fireside combined with both Branches, Goiana 1 and Goiana 2. And they are always going to Seminary. Also, our family that we are working with is progressing still. We are working on getting them married, but it will take some time with the paperwork. Also, the oldest son is working towards being baptized as well. So, eventually they will all be sealed in the Temple. That is the vision here! We are also teaching the parents of a Sister Missionary who just got back pretty recently. So, things are going well. I love my mission more and more each day. 

Mom, I really liked your comparison to the Tree of Life, how we partake of the fruit each day. Last transfer, I had the Tree of Life picture as the cover of my planner, I really like it. But you’re right, we can partake of the fruit daily, and we need to! And bring others to partake of it with us! President Holmes in Michigan taught us really well about the Tree of life. 

Something funny that I have to share is that I wore my glasses to Church yesterday and even the people in Brazil think I look like Clark Kent!!!!! HAHAHAHA. I came all the way here, and it is still consistent! It’s great! I had a good laugh to myself about that. 

Well, it was great to hear from you all this week. It is always the best! I think about you guys all the time. I love you all so much. Have a swell week!

Com carinho,

Elder Nathan Hoyt

Dirt Roads

Cara Família!

So, this week was great. Remember how you said you fasted that I would feel the Spirit in greater abundance? Well I did, in every aspect. My Portuguese this week just took a giant step in progression. I can all of a sudden understand way more than ever...having conversations by myself, answering phone calls, all of it! Another aspect was that I just felt great. I was able to recognize that I literally felt the Spirit guiding me to make right decisions. I had this feeling that I just wanted to do everything I could to be a better person and a better missionary, a refreshed perspective on everything. So, thank you so much for fasting for me!

The Temple was sweet experience. I understood a lot. I love sitting in the Celestial room and just thinking. Everything is so tranquil.

So, I had a crazy experience last week! We visited another English class, and I told them about the United States again. This class was really shy until the end, and then they talked to me a bunch. But the funny story is on the way back. 

So, we were waiting for a combe---these are crazy in themselves, it’s a VW bus used as a bus. They pack them full of people. Last time this guy was standing up as we were going. We had about 12 or 13 people in there. One time the money collector guy just hung outside the sliding door the whole time hahaha---anyways, waiting for a combe, and a "taxi" pulls up (just a random Brazilian with a car) and yells, "Goiana?" I look at my companion like what do we do? This guys looks sketchy, but then the member of our ward (the teacher of the class) was like, “Oh, just take these two guys.” So, we get in...this is where it gets crazy! So, we are going on this road, just kind of a single road in the middle of a lot of fields, and then we make a u-turn. I didn’t understand, but I guess he was saying the oncoming cars were flashing their brights, signifying that there were police up ahead collecting 20 dollars from everyone. So, we take this alternate route, a muddy dirt road with huge puddles everywhere. We weren’t in your typical off-road vehicle either. Then, after a while, the guy stops the car, and gets out to see if we passed the police yet. My companion and I are just wondering if this guy is trying to steal us, or something hahaha. But we got going again, and finally made it back home. I wasn’t scared at all though because Elder S looked completely fine, so I figured I misunderstood or something. But that was something kind of funny that happened.

I am able to talk to my companion now, so we climbed that mountain. We are able to joke around a little bit. I realized though how important prayer is, and communication in general, but especially with Heavenly Father. How can you have love for someone with all you heart or trust someone, if you never talk to them? I realized that it is so similar with Heavenly Father as it is with other people. The more you pour out your heart to your friend, the closer you become. When someone shares with you their struggles, you have a desire to help them. But imagine you talk to someone for 30 seconds, and say, “Hey, I’m going to need some help later today, alright thanks,” and then leave. I need to have greater respect for our Father in Heaven. I need to treat Him better. I was reading Alma 5, and it made me think---would I be able to look Christ in the eyes? It is the ultimate test of a pure heart, because He knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our thoughts and our intentions. Alma 5 is a pretty great chapter, so this is something I have been thinking about.

I am so happy to be here on a mission. It is the greatest opportunity I have had in my whole life. I love the gospel of Jesus Christ, and I love the scriptures. I really do. Before I didn’t, now I do. I love Heavenly Father, and I am so grateful for what He has made of me. I love you all!

Have a great week!!

Com muito amor e carinho,

Elder Hoyt