A P-Day in the Life of Elder Rackham

Nifty title, eh! I know you're all on the edge of your seats, waiting to see how my P-Day was last week, so I'll get right to it!

So the first thing we do is get up and get ready for the day. Now, to properly prepare for the day, we have to study. We excercise our bodies, and we also exercise our spirits and minds! Actually, study in the morning is very important to me. It gives me the spiritual force I need to work hard. Missionary work doesn't take just strong legs for walking, and calloused knuckles for knocking on doors (we actually don't knock on doors here though, we clap our hands. Long story, but that's how they do it here in Brazi). It also requires spiritual strength. So in pictures 1 and 2 you'll see me studying hard!

However, a good study desk can't go without a good desk toy! You'll notice my two desk toys in picture 3 that I actually prefer to call RAWR I'M A DINOSAUR!

So after studying, we went and bought groceries! We need lots of ramen noodles to get by! so there's me lugging our groceries back home in 4 and 5. You can see I'm so excited to eat delicious things!

After that we head out and eat! So in the picture appropriately titled Lunch, we're eating lunch! Yeah, I'm still really liking the Coca-Cola here! In the picture is me, Elder Epperson, and Elder Thomé. We live in the same house. Elder Loureiro isn't in the picture because he was taking it!

Of course it was time to play after that, so we went bowling with 4 other missionaries! Me, my companion, Elder Thomé, Elder Epperson, Elder Junot, and my old companion Elder Banks (yay reunion!), we all went bowling together! So in pictures 6-10 you'll see is together. Now for the most important part of our bowling experience, is me bowling! 11-13 shows top form and skill!

Picture 14 is our scoreboard at the end, I was in second place! Woo!

Picture 15 is all of us together.

We got back after bowling and it was ready to go and work!

It was a really good P-day so I decided to take some time to tell you all about it! Not all of our P-days are like this. I like to take naps. This P-Day will be a more uneventful one but that's okay it'll be just as good!

Take care, Love ya'all!
Elder Rackham

A good week in Horto Florestal!

As far as our investigators progressing, it wasn't amazing, but we had
a really cool experience.

When Elder Loureiro and I first got to Teresina, we went to go do a
Baptismal Interview of some other Elders. The interviews went fine,
but the next day, the baptism fell through. We never heard the
complete story but we remembered the people. It just so happens that
we did the interviews while we were in the Teresina Ward, and the
investigators we interviewed lived in Horto Florestal.

So now that we're in Horto Florestal, we remembered them and thought
about visiting them again trying to teach them again. We had
remembered this at the beginning of the week, and we were finally able
to find them near the end of the week. When we got there, the women
who was going to be baptized had actually left her home to go live
somewhere else for a few months, but she had just recently returned
home. She had returned home a little less then a week when we
contacted her! She was so glad to see us and was very receptive. It
will be exciting to see what will happen with her.

It wasn't a big feeling that we got when we felt we should try to
contact her again. And it was something we both felt. The Spirit
doesn't always speak to us with powerful feelings. In fact, all I
remember is just a thought that it would be a good idea to contact
Margaret again. I hope to stay in tune with the Spirit to have more
of these opportunties to really work -with- the Lord in His own work.
We can go out there day after day, with good intentions, but if I
don't follow the Spirit, I'm not working with the Lord. Sure I will
see blessings and success, I'm doing the Lord's work! But I won't
have the priviledge to really get to know my Father in Heaven like I
am enjoying right now.

Well, I hope everyone had a great week, and will have a wonderful next
week! I love you all!

Elder Rackham

It was a good week!

We didn't have a lot of success but it was a good week. We got to know our new area a little bit better this past week! You know how I was terrible with directions? Well not anymore! Hahah! That's right! I'm trusted with the map and getting us places!

Elder Loureiro and I worked really hard this week. We didn't have a lot of success though like I said. We worked with an investigator who was going to be baptized this past week, but she was uncomfortable about the interview and as much as we tried she still didn't feel very good about the interview. But she said okay I'll do it. However, the day came for the interview and she left before to avoid it. We'll keep working with her this week to see how we can help prepare her for this interview.

We're also working with Adrianna. She's close to baptism. She even asked how she can be baptized! We're helping her quit smoking but she smoked a lot. A lot! But she's improving and hitting her goals so her baptism will come up pretty soon. She loves to read so she's always so hungry for more things to read. We introduced the Doctrine and Covenents to her and she just gobbled it up! She said it made so much sense to her.

Things are going good. I'm safe, happy, and eating well! The lunches here are amazing. This ward has the best lunches of the entire mission! Oh it'll be a good next few months! :)

Until next week!
Love Elder Rackham

Whoa!

I was transferred! But it's not a huge change actually. I'm staying with Elder Loureiro, I'm staying in the same house, and the other set of missionaries in our house is staying exactly the same too. The only difference is that we switched our areas. They're working in the Teresina Ward, and Elder Loureiro and I are working in the Horto Florestal Ward. I'm excited because I hear the lunches are the best in the entire mission! It's going to be great! Elder Loureiro and I are really working well together so we'll hit the ground running this week!

Love you all!
Elder Rackham