Week Three: Portuguese, Portuguese, Portuguese

My dear friends,

Bom Dia! Life goes on and on and on, and so does learning Portuguese. We started trying only Portuguese days with our district and they take a toll for sure. But considering the successes those days and teaching in Portuguese practices, I don't think I'll die when I get to the field. Will I be able to help my companion? We'll see. Starting tomorrow it's two Portuguese classes (6 hours) each day.

It definitely been a growth week for the district, which has been fun to see. We're a small but tight knit group, and have lots of love for each other. One of our bonding points is our love for our Branch President here, Presidente Fusco. He has a bunch of experience in the church and is super fun when speaking English (our church services are in English for some reason). But this week he spoke at the Wednesday Devotional, and we all felt bad. Because he's a good speaker in English, but in Portuguese he speaks with power. Even us not being able to understand everything felt the power of his words.

This week I spent some time pondering over prayer and what I can do to improve my prayers. One insight I had I’d like to share was adjusting the way I am grateful for things. Instead of merely rapid firing things that I am grateful for, but realizing why you are grateful for these things and wonder why you were given these blessings. Things are placed into our lives for a reason, what things do we have that aren't being used fully, or used the way God intended? For gifts to be truly accepted, we must incorporate them in our lives. That is how we show gratitude for our blessings.

Te amo!

Elder Pinkney