June 23, 2018 -- Salvador (Ondina)

president and sister biddulph get here on the 30th i think and they are taking one daughter is all i have heard so far. president bangerter has assured me that him and i are gonna get real close this week cuz he has a lot of stuff he needs help with to finish up the mission perks of being secretary. its gonna be nuts. 

this week was super busy. we had transfers and mission leadership council! monday we had a meeting all morning long with president bangerter and the assistants planning out a very hectic week. We had lots of people coming and going and staying extra time in salvador because of the leadership council so we had to plan how long everyone would stay and where they would stay. Then we spent 6 hours waiting in lines to buy bus tickets for the transfer. i think i got stuck waiting in more lines in the bus station than i do in 2 days at Disneyland. This weekend, today actually, is the holiday thats really strong here in Bahia, São João which pretty much celebrates John the Baptists death. ive heard it explained a lot of different ways but they pretty much celebrate his death by eating lots of cooked peanuts, dancing and countryish music and dancing in all the citys that arent the capital. so all week the traffic has been awful and theres not that many people in the city. on top of that we have the world cup! during the two brazil games so far you cannot find a living breathing soul in the street during the game.

tuesday we had the arrival of 5 new missionaries and trained them all day long before sending them off to various areas in the city and state. 

wednesday we had an appointment in the federal police to register the thompson senior misisonary couple and it was pretty fun. we ended up getting stuck in traffic and misplacing a few things so we were kinda scrambling all of over the city all morning but everything ended up going just fine. we spent our first real afternoon working in the office and at night had to return to get the bus tickets for the mission council that we werent able to buy the other night which meant 2 more hours in the lines. people were so stressed out they all started fighting in the lines and getting all mad. 

thursday things got real interesting. president took a group of missionaries early early to the airport and thought they had all gotten on their flights but one elder got all the way in and was waiting to board when they were informed that the flight had been canceled and he would miss his connection, but we didnt get this information until later in the day when president was back home and i was picking up another missionary to take to the airport because his flight was a good amount of time later in the day. so when we got to the airport the elder who missed his flight was nowhere to be found and president had told him to go back to the mission home. we ended up taking him again at 5 am the next day and the same exact flight got cancelled again and the elder ended up going home in a taxi since he lives in the neighboring state like 4 hours away.

yesterday was president bangerter's last big meeting in the mission council. it was moving and spiritual and i am very grateful to have had him and sister bangerter taking care of us here in Brazil. it was amazing to hear him express his love for the gospel and the Lord and each of us. i'm gonna miss him. They are an amazing couple and really have a great focus/motivation to help all of us and the people of bahia. at the very end of the council he cited the scripture from alma 26:16

16 Therefore, let us ^aglory, yea, we will ^bglory in the Lord; yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever. Behold, who can glory too much in the Lord? Yea, who can say too much of his great power, and of his ^cmercy, and of his long-suffering towards the children of men? Behold, I say unto you, I cannot say the smallest part which I feel. 

the Lord is great and He is our strength.  we can rely on Him in any moment.

love

elder prince