Elder Tylor Houghtaling: Raposo Tavares Ward - Raposo Tavares Stake

Brazil, São Paulo West Mission

São Paulo, Brazil

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Elder Houghtaling's Email
Monday, May 29, 2017

I'm on!

I need to read though nine emails.

I didn't know that today was Memorial Day. But now that I think about it, I guess it is... You are at the parade? Thank you for sending the photo of Mr. Bartz. Wow, Mr. Bartz is skinny! I just sent an email directly to Mr. Bartz saying, "Hi".

Sherika just sent me an email asking how I am doing. I'm doing well, Sherika! Wait...this is her senior year in high school? Please give her my email so she can email me.

That Indy 500 wreck that dad sent looked pretty vicious.

Have you seen Pirates of the Carribean 5?

On Wednesday, my birthday, we will be going to the Cotia Stake center for a multi-zone conference. Maybe I'll buy a pizza that day. By the way, please send Elder Do Carmo's mom the pizza photos. He is addicted to pizza.

I guess you want to hear about our investigators.

Eline - Well, basically she is a member who hasn't been baptized yet. The Ward loves her.

Roberto - We haven't been able to meet with him this week, or the week before that, not even this month. Roberto is a great guy. It's just that he's never home. Sometimes we find his wife or son, or a neighbor but never him. I was looking at some old teaching records, and saw that he was taught a few times in 2015.

Marilene (60) and her son Gustavo (14) - We've been inviting them to be baptized, but they're not quite sure yet. They've received an answer and a testimony that the church was restored. They did say that the church was restored. They did say that they have a fear of what comes after baptism, but they haven't specified yet.

We are only teaching those people. Gustavo has come to church two times.

Yesterday, Vinicius was doing a split with me to pick up his family, and Gustavo in the Cohab, after a ward meeting. He had the brilliant idea of dropping me off at Gustavo's house, picking up his family, then picking me up and Gustavo up. Alarmed and confused, I replied, " I don't think that it is a good idea because missionaries have rules that they can't be alone." He said, "Yeah, it's true. I forgot about that..." So, he waited, then we picked up his family.

Yesterday, we were with Ranaldo Bishop's first counselor doing some less active visits. He drives a 2012 Chevrolet Sonic LTZ (sedan). I saw that his car's clock was wrong, so I asked his permission to fix it. I had permission, so I opened up the owner's manual to remind myself of how to do that, then I changed it to the correct date and time quickly. I mentioned something about Bluetooth on his car, and his ears perked up, and he asked me to connect his phone to his car. I tried it in Portuguese but I wasn't able to because I kept losing myself. I lost my patience and I switched the radio into English, and connected it within 10 minutes without the owner's manual.

I also forgot to tell you this, but yesterday was a scary experience. Yesterday, after Sacrament Meeting, a fallen spirit manifested itself in a lady who was visiting the church. After Sacrament Meeting, I was taking our investigators to their respective classes, so I wasn't near, but his lady collapsed on the ground and started saying a bunch of non-sense. Walter, the bishop's second counselor, expelled the spirit and then gave her a priesthood blessing. She was guided home. Her history is she was participating in the spiritualist religion.

Tell Dad I love him!

You can send these pizza photos to Sister do Carmo, as her son is addicted to pizza.

May 29, 2017 - It was a foggy morning today.

Sacrament Meeting Sounds Like This...

Brazil, São Paulo West Mission

São Paulo, Brazil

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Elder Houghtaling's Email
Monday, June 5, 2017

I'm on.

I'm currently taking a missionary safety survey, and I still need to read your email.

Nossa. There were a lot of emails today, but I'm ready now.

I actually emailed Mr. Bartz today. He was asking about what I'm doing here in Brazil. I tried my best to explain it to him. But I'm not sure if I did it clearly enough.

Thanks for letting me know that Sandra received my card. This is the reason why we need to write our converts.

President and Sister Thomas went to a baptism in Educandario of Elders Chrysostoma and Barroso in our chapel on Saturday. After the meeting President and Sister Thomas told us both to get our hair cut. A member who works in a salon will cut our hair on Tuesday for free. I do believe its been more than two months since I cut my hair.

Elder Do Carmo was waiting to get his hair cut because he missed having long hair (ask his mom about his long hair before the mission). Just go to his Facebook page and there will be a photo of him with long hair. So, I was waiting until he wanted to get a haircut. But, I'm fine with this long hair. I just think its too long when it starts to cover your ears when you don't tuck it behind your ears. When he finally was ready to get a hair cut, we ran out of money, so we had to wait until the next p-day.

We have stopped our visits with Roberto. He's never home. We only try to see if he's home when we have spare time. Maybe we should just forget that we said anything about Roberto.

Eline is doing well. We took her to Bishop Nagata's house yesterday, because Silvia Nagata is the Family History person of our ward. Eline bore her testimony in front of the ward in yesterday's meeting. What do you think Eline would like for a baptism present?

Last week we (our mission) had over 100 people marked for baptism on June 10, 2017. We have been fasting for the mission to baptize 70 people. This week nothing was included in the letter from the mission president about how many marked investigators we have.

More than a few people have talked with me about President Trump. The people here don't like him. I've been trying to keep myself from offending anyone by saying I haven't been hearing anything back home. They've been receiving trash from their media. At least what it sounds like. I haven't heard anything good about him since he was elected. Probably because he isn't doing anything to help other countries. So that's why the media talks bad about him.

In the next package that you send, please don't send more body wash or toothpaste. But yes, please send deodorant. I do like candy from the USA.

Yesterday, I asked Ranaldo if his Bluetooth is working. He said yes.

How were the graduation parties?

I've been thinking about after the mission lately. I would like to work with Grandma on geneology, as there are 50 people who are waiting to be discovered yet.

Grandma's birthday card isn't in the mission office yet. Thank you for the money, grandma! Molly, Bryan, Hannah, and Julienna sent me Saltwater Taffy! Wendi sent me a nice birthday email! I had a great birthday.

I LOVE YOU!!!!