February 3, 2018 letter -- Salvador (Ondina)

well this week was quite interesting! all of salvador (especially our area) was getting ready for the holiday of iemanja which is some Voo Doo goddess of the sea or water idk i didnt understand that well. There is a tradition to make offerings of flowers or food or stuff like that to pay to the goddess and everyone throws their offerings into the sea on February 2nd. So all week people were getting ready and selling lots of flowers setting up tents on the beach walk (the fastest way for us to get home from our area) and lots of military police stations and it was all a big party. 

Monday we had family night with romilda that had been planned for a few days with an investigator that lives down the street and is really good friends of their family but when the time came around the family of Luiza was just no where to be found. not in their house romildas house not in the street. so FHE went on without them sadly. 

tuesday we got together some papers/folders for people who will arrive in the mssion and people who are going home! it was my turn to stay the night with Elder dos Santos (had surgery) so the other elders went to work in our area.

wednesday we had a district meeting about a training that president gave a few weeks ago and president showed up to the office right in the middle of the training so after recieving the training from elder hilton president decided to take another hour to give the training again lol needless to say it was a nice long district meeting haha. thursday we went to the mall to buy paper and ink because one of the printers is dumb and only prints when it has ink from all colors so if one of the 5 colors runs out we have to go buy it hahah. We cut lots of forms and papers that day too. 

yesterday was the iemanja! it was also our one day in the week that we are not to pass in the office and we are supposed to go work in our area all day long. We live real close to one of the most popular beach walks in salvador where this part/festival is traditionally held so it took us 45 MINUTES  wading thru a crowd at 10 am to get to our area hahahah wow. and right after we had down our first contacts and were getting into a house to teach elder cantuario (stayed at home with elder dos santos) called and said he needed to go to the office to pay rent for all of the houses in the mission and it had to be done by 12. this was 11:15. so we got to the office to let them in to pay and they returned home and we started walking to our lunch in the other elders area (we go to the same ward)  as we got onto the doorstep of the members home 30 minutes walking distance elder cantuario called again and said there was more stuff to pay that we needed to go back to the office. without eating we went to pay the water for the sisters back at the office. then once we finally got back to our area about 2 hours later none of our investigators were home and the member we had marked to go visit some references with bailed. yesterday was just not our day. probably sounds like im complaining a lot in this letter oops hahaha. But we were able to get in a couple lessons and have some really cool contacts. I love being a missionary. as much as we have big disappointments and bad days we are still here serving. And there is nothing better than that. It truly is during our hard times that we are closest to our Savior and he is lifting us up more than ever. But theres nothing better than bearing a sweet testimony about him. back to our day now. and we had to return home thru the big mosh pit festival that was the beach walk. We had to go thru military police scanning it was kinda cool hahaha

i think the only time i have seen such a big party was last year during carnaval here in salvador. I think the part during the day was a lot cooler than at night because lots of less smoking/drugs/drinking/naked people/police and a lot more of the culture and tradition here in Bahia. It really showed the beliefs and traditions of the ancestors and allowed these people to show their roots and do what makes them feel free and in tune with the world. we saw lots of traditional food, spiritual rituals anointing and washings in the streets and marching band kinda and it was incredible. it was a really special experience to see what they were doing and it reminded me a lot about the 11th article of faith "We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may." that is what is so special about the world today. so many people have so many different view and different truths. what we truly need to do is have more tolerance for all people no matter who they are what they do what they believe. We are all sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father who truly wants us to be happy. serve someone else this week and learn a little bit more about their point of view before you make a judgement. think a little before you speak. It will make a better world.

love 

elder prince

Elder Hilton

Elder Dos Santos