God's Plans

3/23/15                                             Breaking out the long sleeves

A common saying here is "I make plans but then God makes others" and in some ways I think that's very insightful, but I'll get more to that in a bit. 

38 degrees C = 100 degrees F = Freaking hot
on the bus on the way back from District Meeting

Yesterday (the 22nd) makes 1 year and 2 months on the mission yea! Can´t really say now another year to go now (just 10 months ooo). I remember that I wrote a few weeks ago that I thought it would stop being so hot here... yea I was wrong at the moment. On Tuesday after our District Meeting we had to walk probably a kilometer to get to the bus stop carrying a box with 25 hard cover Book of Mormons (super heavy) in the solão! (freaking hot sun) When we got on the bus we saw that it was 38 C! (100 F) so that was rough, haha. But this weekend the weather has done a full 180 and we are going into fall weather. On Sunday we even broke out our long sleeve shirts because of the cold wind that was blowing all day. (of course relatively cold probably 12 or 15 C) This weather is my favorite :) I'm having lots of flash back memories about a year ago in Urlandia starting out the mission in this weather and also of holidays like Thanksgiving that happen in weather like this back home (a bit weird right?). 

Anyway like Mom was telling me this month really is March Madness but not because of basketball, haha. Last week went by I think the fastest any week has gone by in my entire mission. And this week looks to be even faster. As the title of the message God has his plans for us here in São Pedro and plans for our investigators too, we just need to do our best to carry them out. 4 of our investigators are ready for baptism this Saturday! Dion & Fran, Frederico, and Kelvin. The others are still on their way but will need a bit more time. So now we are in the count down for Saturday getting everything ready. Today we are getting all the details done: finishing up paper work, getting people on the list for the bus to Santa Maria,  and planning with the bishop of the chapel where the baptism will happen for the timing of the baptism and everything. (back story for going to Santa Maria for the baptism: At the new chapel here in São Pedro the only water pipes to fill the baptismal pool (yea it's a pool thing) are outside of the house and everyone in the street walking by can see and it is getting cold and so yea) 

Our District

Wedding invitation

Tomorrow as always we have District Meeting and we'll have to go to Santa Maria. Wednesday and Thursday, review teaching and baptismal interview questions with everyone to make sure they're ready. Friday is a mess, our District leader will be coming in to do the baptismal interviews and we have Dion & Fran's wedding! They've already given us the invitation, the picture they used was the first picture they took after the first totally happy day that they had together so that was really meaningful for them and it just makes me happy too :) the gospel changes lives.




Saturday we go to Santa Maria again for the baptism and Sunday will be the confirmations. The Lord's work is moving forward. It's been quite miraculous to see how God's plans unfold for every one. Not always is it what we expect or when we expect it, but it always is right in the end. 

BIRTHDAY  SHOUT OUTS to Tanner and Gitta and Julie and Cameron this week! 

Love you all and have a great week!

Elder Pierce