Week 10 (11/9/15) IIha do Governador, Brazil

Elder Worthen and Elder Maja in Ilha do Governador, Brazil

Oi Familia!

Heyoo, how is everything gong in the wonderful state of AZ? How are my cardinals doing?? Just kidding I already know, I have a member in the ward fill me in. There are few people here that like American Football so I use them as much as I can to hear about the latest plays and stats n such haha :P You guys will probably need to spell chek literally everything I send. Im forgetting how to spell because I read in Portuguese and it is SOOOOOO different. The pronunciations and everything haha. Man Im not gonna lie, Portuguese is not easy. Im having troubles lately because i really want to express my feeling the best way I can and help people but sometimes it is just to profound for my vocabulary. Sometimes I wish I was serving a mission english speaking but other times Im super happy about it because I know this is where I am supposed to be and that I will improve and that I'm improving more and more everyday:)

So we have been blessed immensely lately, we have had the opportunity to teach lots of families and been receving tons of help from the ward. It's fantastic what a ward can do to help missionaries. My dream is to have all the members come to me an ask "How can I help?" Oh I would have so many things for them to do haha. This week I am giving a talk on missionary work and keeping the sabbath day holy in our ward. I'm pumped because I know this will excite our ward more about the work.

SO We have a couple baptisms marked pretty soon for the 21 I really hope they dont fall through because I've learned to love my investigators sooooo much and I know this will bless their lives so much so I pray every day  A TONNN for them. Hopefully I will have my first baptism real soon here :)) I will definitely send pictures of that :D

Lets see... Anything crazy happen this week.... Well I found a store inside of a favela that just so happened to sell mountain dew, that was pretty sweet haha, it wasnt the same flavor but it was still really good!!

I love you family, I love being a missionary.  The days fly by and the weeks too, Im going to be writing you another letter in what feels like a day but is actually a week haha. I cant even remember what day it is most of the time, they just blend except for when its Sunday. Anywho, tchau tchau for now, I love you! hahaha jk :P

-Love, Elder Worthen

Week 9 (11/02/15)

Illha do Governador, Brazil (Governors Island) 

Oh noooo.... Mom Im guilty... I waited till last minute to write this to you.. Im so sorry! 

Ah thats so cool, you guys sooo deserve that cruise. That sounds like so much fun I cant even imgagine haha. Mom im ma be straight with you...These past weeks were really hard with the language and our members and investigators and everything. Its fun but really hard. This week things are finally turning around. Ahh its so great, I got to meet a lot of new investigators, we have alot more help from the ward, the bishop is helping us too, things are really turning up here!! And my language is turning out amazing too!!! Hahaha Its amazing how great the gift of tongues is. Imunderstanding  soooo much more now, I love it and I know its because of the help from our Heavenly Father. I have fasted and prayed a lot for this help. I still need help Im not fluent but it is definitely improving :) 

I love getting the chance to bear my testimony all the time I feel the spirit every time I do it. GUESS WHAT?@! I'm giving a talk this next next Sunday in our ward already haha crazy stuff! 

Ahhhh I wish i had more time. I think thats cooking show is so dope with Melody and the fam, they sound like they are doing so good especially  Wade:)

Love you gotta go

-Elder Worthen

Week 8 - 10/26/15

 Selfie time! He might need a selfie stick for Christmas? What do you think??

Lets see this week had ups and downs just like every other week. We haven't been having much success because I guess the previous elder really broke the relationship with the ward so right now my job is to fix it. Its hard work, especially when you cant really understand what people are saying haha! I mean yes I'm getting better and better and praying for the gift of tongues every day but listen Portuguese is difficult!! Man oh man their is so much slang and conjugations that you GOTTA know or your just a fish out of water.

But Me and my companion  are really hunkering down trying to be PERFECTLY obedient to the rules and trying to always be worthy of the holy ghost. i love reading the scriptures when I have hard times. This week I ponderized the scripture Alma 26:27. That scripture is so good, you should read it if you have hard times. I understand now soo much more why dad would always turn to the scriptures whenever times are tough. They really are amazing. I love reading and sharing about them.

SO this week I met my first atheist, haha what a guy, it really is sad to think that some people believe that this is our life and boom over. And that we don't have a father in heaven at we are alone. That is not true at allllll. So sad I wish i could shove the book of Mormon into people brains. This gospel is so beautiful but people are so hard hearted sometimes and its really hard for me because I want to bring everyone back to the presence of our heavenly father. 

Momma, don't worry Imma keep sending letter, let me know when you get them and always send pictures of the fam bam or other things like Sadie, i lover seeing those :) Ok? alrighty.. 

Tchau!

-Love, Elder Worthen

Week 7 - (10/19/15) First full week in Rio!

 All is good in the world now!

 Ugh!!!!!! After you lose you lunch Because you saw this bathroom notice the electricity running to the shower head.

 Elder Worthen and his companion in front of his first apartment in Rio.

Ahhh Perfect. Ok where to start.... Im going to fill you in all about Rio and everything. So I met my new companion on friday. His name is elder Maia. Oh my heavens he is sooooo funny, we get along so good. He is a Brazilian from Northern Brazil and he speaks a little bit of English sometimes, mostly slang that he knows is rude and funny that toher Brazilians dont know. Like sometimnes in the street, we´ll be walking and he will look at a Brazilian and wave tat them and say "Hi, you are ugly!" Witha smile on his face the brzilians cant understand him so they just smile and wave back hahahaha. Minna nossa he is silly. Minna nossa means oh my goodness here.

So their are tons of cities inside the state of rio and we have like one the coolest its lik right next to a beach and its like in the heart of rio. Its not capcabana but its pretty dope. Its called Ilhea do Governador. The only thing that is kind of harh about the mission life is that the people od rio, like the city rio, have very hard hearts. They have a very hard time acceptinmg the gospel and believing. I dont know why but whenever we talk with someone from north or south brazil they are soooo kind and totallly willing to accept. ALSO Oh my hevans Jehovas witnesses are everywhere and they like to nothing but bible bash with mormon missonariues hha. Good thing My compoanion is experience cause Already like 5 times weve bible bashed and just destroyed them hyaha. He is really good with the bible and book of mormon. I just wish people could understand how awesome the gospel really is and how much it could bless their lives...

The language is good. Im lost buty not completely lost I have an idea of what people are saying but they talkk sooo fast and weith heavy accent and with lots of slang so its a labor of love but im praying and fasting to understand :)

Mirand is a smarty! I love her, whenever I had a problem with tech stuff shed help me out haha.  Mke sure she still chooses the right and bes a good girl and not kissing anyone. 

I will send another letter tomorrow but their isnt a post office here so I have to wait to see the mission president or have zone meeting to receive letters or boxes so if you want to send me anyting for christmas, you should do it poretty sooon , mountain dew is always accepted;))))

Also, the work here is about 50 percent reactivation and 50 percent baptizing at least right now. Its sad how many people were baptized than just left, so me and my companion are really working at it with family and otyher people to help them out. 

I love hearing about the things at home, you gotta dig some more on rileys new boo haha I need to know these things!! I want a picture os chloe and I must approve before he slaps that ring on it! Also, give him props for being a good son and having a bbq with you guys :P Anywho, |I ssent some pictures, the firls is a ton of fun, IUm loving it wow I walk like crazy fast too, I could probably walk as fast as people in america run :P Love you guy ttyl. Tchau!

-Love, Elder Worthen 

Week 5 (10/9/15) Last week in the CTM

Sao Paulo temple

oK SO HERE IS MY WEEKLY LETTER TO HOME :)

Oops already started it out wrong haha. Wow lets see this conference was soooooo good, i cried a couple time and thats how you know it was good. I got to watchin English still thank goodness but man let me tell you something... I love you mom. When Elder Holland got up and started talking about Moms and how their love is almost comparable to the love Jesus feels for us and that a mothers love is a divine thing... I was just thinking purely about you th whole time and sobbing like a baby. I want to watch that talk again with you when I get home. Lets see what else, I cant think of any other talks write now cause this prison called the ctm only gives me 45 minutes to write and I dont have my notes with me but Man the difference it made when I was dressed in my sunday best and not falling in and out of sleep when watching it was incredible. Its amazing how much more you can write and learn when your awake :) Lol.

So lets see even though this place is kindaaa like a prison I still love it. I made SOOOO many friends here, every time I walk around someone is calling me out by name and saying hey and Im just like I dont know you but heyyy partner!! Haha man this is the life, and I am loving it. I learn sooo  much like every day. THE SCRIPTURES ARE SOOOO GOOD AND THE BOOK OF MORMON HAS AN ANSWER TO LITERALLY EVERYTHING YOU COULD EVER NEED. It feels soo cool to be with an investigator and their are telling me about their problems and Im just like BOOM read this scripture in alma or something like that and right after I just bear a fat testimony of it. Spiritual nuclear bomb right there ;) hahaha Just kidding.

HOly cow I cant belive I missed Miranda dance, I bet she such a fun time with Dean, I love that kid and HOLY COW in like the least weird way she looks freaking amazing like dang in her dress she looks like an actual woman! Thats just not right. And Isabel in her birthday pictures is nuts!! She is probabçy ruling junior high, her friends look super cool!! I wish I couldve been there but than again I dont really haha I leave for Rio on tuesday and I could not be  more excited.

I love you momma, I love you dad, Im sorry the cardinals lost, Im sure theyll bounce back we got bruce aryans, hes made of steel. I love you family you are all getting personal hand written letters in the mail and dont be afraid to send me those too because those are way cooler than emails.

-Love, Elder Worthen

Week 4 (10/2/15) 1 month down, 23 to go!!

Sao Paulo Temple with missionaries in the district

MOMMIO!! Hey sorry about that I realized I should be writing you more so Im making this a pririty haha I wish I knew how to type with more than 2 fingers :P By the way I need to know did you ever get any of my letters Ive been sending so far??? Ive already sent two but I dont know how reliable the postal service is here haha.

Ahh mommio I miss you ALSO I NEED TO KNOW have you been getting my pictures ive been sending??? 

Thats so good to hear that the family is doing so good, I missi daddio and mommio and isabelio and mirandio and rileyo so much. Well Ill tell you alittle bit about my life then because it is so much fun..

TIME FLIES BY here in the mtc, I cant even explain it to you, like no joke the days feel long but the weeks feel so short, I  know that makes about zero sense but youd understand if you were here! Thanks for sending pictures I love seeing the family so much, It makes me happy because for some reason I think everything is so different back in amercia but its literally like the exact same haha... Except for the election.. I hope trump wins that :P But yolo im in brazil.

Ah now church things, Im soooo excited for general conference like Ive never been this pumped for it before I love listening to devotionals and talks by apostles an such. Also, every investigator Ive had so far Ive been able to commit to baptism and its soooo cool mom like ill be teaching and then boom holy ghost takes over and the gift of tongues kicks in and I feel like Im not even talking, words that I barely even know I just remember and use fluently when im teaching. I try to be the best missionary i can, sometimes its hard because Ive always been a little cocky and prideful just a s a human. And the exact obedience you need to have as a missionary SERIOUSLY does a toll on you if you have problems with pride, you cannot teach you cannot have the spirit and you wont enjoy your mission. The natural man really is an enemy to God and if you think your a good teacher and dont think you need to prepare a lesson because your just that confident or you think you know what you want to teach but dont pray about it... The words will literally choke in your mouth, its happened to me once and it was the worst feeling of my life. Also when that happened I started sweating profusely so it was just kinda gross and sweaty hahahahaha :P No fun. 

But, asides that, im doing awesome her, i hope your getting my pictures and letters, I love the family so much I need to write riley back I havent really had a chance to write him anything yet so Ill talk to you later, the church is true and I love it so much :)

-Elder Worthen 

Week 3 - 9/25/15

I think I sent you pictures momma! I did it from the temple cause they are like the only ones who got that wi-fi heem :) By the ay, I buzzed my head cause it was suppeeerr hort and they dont have ac here, only fans! Haha SO i decided to buzz it and I llook like pedro from naspoleon dynamite but without the wig.

I love you momma, you are so hardworking, i Pray for the fam bam every night and I just work my buttox off. I Got to go proselyting this week and the amount of hobos and drunk people in the middle of Sao Paulo was CRAZY!! Also hilarious story, I think I might have givena book of Mormom to a mentally challenged person. Im hoping he was just hifgh but he was defnitely mental and I didnt even realize till after and me and my companion were laughing about soooo hard afterwards. Momma I love my mission, make sure the dad choeses the right, I know he can get out of line sometimes.... Haha just kidding I could so see everyone in my mind how you explained them. ESPECIALLY ISABEL, Shes probaly worjing that junior high life like nobodies business :P You make me prou, I hjope things get better with work, you dont really need to worry about me. I am haing so much fun, keep me inyour prayers still though, I could always use that :) I wish I could give you a massive long hug and tell you how beautiful you are, I really miss that... But its ok, I can just hug my compoanion hahaha He thinks im so weird sometimes :P Well, goodluck have a fun week :)

-Your missionary, Elder Worthen