Last week in 1st Area/Transferred to New Area

Whoo! What up família!?

THis week was fun. I´m SO tired. I´m pretty sure this area is killing me. Haha we have such a big area and so many people to teach that live on the exteriors of the map. I know I´ve said this before, but I walk SO SO SO SO SO SO much. But it´s a blessing. I´m not SUPER fat right now, and my shoulders are getting nice and strong from carrying around my scriptures.

Finally Maria went to church! I was so happy! She didn´t show when Sacrament meeting first started and I was thinking we would have to wait another week, but right as the sacrament ended, she came in! I haven´t been able to talk to her yet, but I think she loved it... We´ll find out tonight. She could get baptized before I leave here
THis city is just so screwed up. Religion is a big part of life here. I see dozens of pastors everyday. Some try to fight but others are cool. The whole city is stuck in the Jospeh Smith, Spiritual Revival Period.

ANyway, I love you all. Next time I write you I could be anywhere in Ceará! I´m unexplicably excited to get some cool new area that I haven´t seen before.

Talk to you soon.

Love,

Elder Hodson









                                                            

Next Letter...Transfer #1!

Hey Family!!!

What up! I´m so happy! Especially after reading all your e-mails and
hearing about all the good news from home. And I don´t know why but I
just seem especially happy this week! I´m so happy to hear about
London! I think that´s so cool that she is getting baptized! When I
heard I just couldn´t stop smiling! I wish I had been a better
missionary before the mission. To see that my friends are makes me
very happy. Let me know how it all goes.

And.................................. I was transferred!!! Finally! New
area! I´m so happy! I loved the old one and was pretty sad saying good
bye to so many people that I love, but it was time.

Haha but I´m living with Elder Smith now (who was in my room with me
at the MTC) and we´re going to start running like we used to. I love
Elder Smith. He´s one of my favorite people in the world. He´s with
Elder Conseção and I´m with Elder Receveur (yes another American.)
He´s fantastic! He´s got 2 months less time on the mission than I do
and we´re gonna kick some Brazilian trash out here.

Oh! Also, I´m District Leader now. I get to do interviews for the
elders in my district and do trainings at District Meeting, as well as
pass numbers and whatnot. I´m pretty excited.

In all, the mission is just absolutely fantastic. I think this next
transfer will be terrific and I´m just excited to meet new people. I´m
very close to the mission center as well so I might be seeing a lot of
President. We don´t have a chapel here though. It´s a house-chapel.
But from what I hear it´s got a swimming pool. I´m thinking baptism in
the swimming pool... does that sound cool or what?

Anyway, thank you for the love and support and care and all that good
stuff. I´m happy and healthy and highly blessed of the Lord in all
things that have any importance. Thank you for getting the package
off. They make my week. Thank you for all the letters from everyone
who´s writing. I´d love to hear from anyone else out there as well!

I know that the church is Jesus Christ´s and that His Eternal Gospel
has been restored in it´s fullness again on the Earth. The battle that
was waged before mortality continues today. As we know it is not a
battle of swords and steel but of testimony. The battles are growing
each time more violent and intense. The enemy knows his short season
of power and dominion is coming to an end. But we are the soldiers. it
is us who have to act. To put on God´s armor and take the final steps
to complete the victory. We must share our testimonies with everyone
we know and shine light through the dark clouds of deceit and
ignorance. When the Spirit is our weapon there does not exist any
power on earth or hell that can withstand our testimony of truth and
righteousness. I know that you always read my e-mails, but are you
actually acting on the words that I share? I know that we must share
what we know with those in the world around us, through example and
testimony. So talk to your friends. Share your light and testimony.
There are many that are searching for the blessing of God but know not
where to find them. You do. Help them learn about the restored Gospel
of the Eternal and Endless Jesus Christ. I promise that as you do, you
will feel the Spirit more fully in your life and reach a higher level
of joy and happiness that can only be enjoyed by the ´´truly penitent
seeker of happiness´´ (Alma 26, 27, or 28 verse 17, 18, or 19.)

I love you all and can´t wait to hear about all of the people you know
who are being taught by the missionaries through your references! Let
me know how it goes. Talk to you next week.

com muito amor,

Elder Hodson

Easter

Hello Family!

Thank you as always for writing me. One of my favorite parts of every week is remembering you guys and everything that´s going on at home. I can´t believe that Josh made Jazz Choir. Like, I literally don´t believe it. I don´t think it happened. He´ll have to prove it to me with his voice this Mother´s Day (which is getting close.) I´m excited to talk to you guys again. I´ll probably be in my new area.

 We had one investigator at church and she lives in a different city were the church doesn´t exist yet. We gave her a Book of Mormon though and I´m hoping that some miracle happens out in that far away city.

So some fun things that have been going on lately. This week was Semana Santa so we saw a lot of interesting things. They eat a lot of fish and burn Judas. That´s probably the funniest part. People stuff clothes and make life-sized dolls of Judas. Then they burn him. It´s not very Christ-like but I guess it´s more the spirit Peter had when he cut the soldiers ear off. Whatever it is... it happens. Also, we saw donkey races. A bunch of kids got on donkey´s and raced them right down the middle of the street. Oh! and I´m on Google Maps! The guy drove right by us twice. Check it out because I haven´t seen it yet. It´s in the neighborhood of João 23 or maybe Bonsucesso. Street Aristóteles Gondim
next to Theogenes Gondim and also on Bias Mendes next to the same first street. It´d be cool if you say me there.

We got ovos de Pascoa (Easter eggs) too. They´re super expensive but some people we know shared with us. I know SOOO many people in this area.

And congrats to Alex! That is honestly one of the coolest things I´ve heard in such a long time. It´s lifted my spirits and I´m honestly feeling a lot better now. That is the Gopsel of Jesus Christ in action. I can´t wait to come home and see him bless the sacrament with my own eyes. The Gospel literally changes lives.

My time is up and I have to go. I know that the church is true and that Joseph Smith was a prophet. I am so grateful to our Heavenly Father for restoring the fullness of His Gospel and Plan of Salvation in these days. I´m especially grateful for the role that Jesus Christ played in that plan and for fulfilling the role that no one else could. Through Him we may be resurrected to Eternal Life but only through obedience. Love you all.

Elder Hodson

General Conference

Hey family!

 

How´s everyone doing? Did you like conference? I thought it was fantastic! I was able to watch all 5 sessoins. And in English! It´s so much better in English. We had investigators that came and watched too and they loved it! There is nothing like prophets and apostles to help in the conversion process.

 

This week was super fun. We taught a whole lot and had interviews with president. We have many people preparing for baptism. I always want to find more though. It´s so much fun bringing people to church.

 

This week we found a new family. Well, really only two people live there in the house. An aunt and nephew. The rest of the family lives off in interior. The people from interior had never heard about the church but really enoyed our message. I love it when people ask, ´´Does your church like the Catholic church?´´, because there are many churches which attack the beliefs of others. I always answer, ´´I love the Catolic church!´´ and people love us so fast!

 

Anyway, with conference this week I feel very renewed and remotivated. I loved many of the talks and hope everyone was able to watch. The priesthood session was fantastic too. It seemed like they talked a lot about families. I remember one in particular, I think Elder Ballard, that talked about how famillies are sealed together; and so even if they are on the other side of the veil or the other side of the WORLD we are still a family and we can always have the hope of a glorious reuniuon. I´´m glad that our reunion right now is in the near future and that I don´t have to wait decades to see you all again. But, even if it was a little farther, we will always be a family throughout the eternities. Dad will always be OUR dad and Mom OUR mom. And I ALWAYS get to be the bigger, smarter, faster, more attractive, older brother. How good it is to know that! Haha but for real, that really is the goal that we all need to have. It´s not a right to any child of God. It is a gift and a reward for those that keep their estates. For those of us that honor our second estate, we will recieve and even more glorious family unit. But that really is what joy and existence are all about. That is what God Himself lives for.

 

I kow that it is through living the Gospel of God´s Son, Jesus Christ, that it is possible to attain this exaltation together. How perfect is the plan! We have the path, but more than that we have other etertnal inteligences here that are walking that path with us. Other eternal beings that love us and will do anything to help us make it down the path. No one will be left behind. Because no one in this family will allow it. So let us continue along the path, steadfast and immovable in charity and good works. Ands let´s bring others along the way with us so that we can have joy with them FOREVER. No sacrifice is to great to bring even a single soul before our God and Father blameless and sanctified, ready to recieve glory and progression from one eternity to the next.

 

I love you all so much. Read the scriptures and know our Father´s words of Eternal Life. Pray to Him to know His will. have the courage to do the portion of the truth that He shares with you through the Holy Ghost. Love others and share with them what God has given you. And in ALL things, remember Jesus Christ and do that works which you have seen Him do.

 

Love,

 

Elder Hodson