I am here at a LANhouse in Aldeota and I’m a couple blocks away from the ocean, which I plan on passing by today since I haven’t seen it the whole time I have been here. So did I get transferred to the beach??? Ha actually.... No.

Alrighty, so how was my last week of the transfer?!  Well it was pretty interesting to tell you the truth. Like I said in my last email, the Ward Rodolfo Teófilo loved us and welcomed us really well when we were there. When it came to weekly planning Tuesday, we kinda hit a wall. Plan for which ward?!?! I really felt like I was in the middle of a Ward Tug-a-war, between our beloved Ward Expedicionários and our new exciting Ward Rodolfo Teófilo. I called the assistant to see what the plans were for the next transfer, and he basically gave us the choice. You know me, I don’t choose. I analyze and state the pros and cons, but anyways it came down to prayer. After this I really felt like I was ordained to work here in Expedicionários and even though I could see that I would have more fruits in the other ward, God chose that place for the Sisters, and it is my job now to really trust in them to do the great work instead of going there and doing it for them. Interesting thing is that the Sisters that I take care of, had 3 months of training and a senior companion and after that, they become the experienced ones, and trained the newbies that are constantly coming in. I know I am the Elder that I am because of the great seniors that I have already had, so I will really try this next week to help them with this aspect.

This week was also Zone Conference and we had the whole mission there in the chapel where we do our district meeting. It was super good. Talked a lot about desire and objectives, and how we really need to get the abilities. I have really realized that this is something I really need to work on. Abilities. As you guys know, I pick up things quickly.... or I don’t. I never have been one to really self dedicate to practicing something. I like to learn, but apply and practice is different. I know mastering this now, will really help me here in the future. Besides that, we returned back to work in our old area basically from scratch.

This week Elder Medrado was sick like I said. Last week he thought it was dengue, then a fever, then a sore throat, but it turns out it was just a canker sore. My Sisters had Dengue the worst thing they could get and this Elder was whining more about a canker. It was hard for us both. I ended up preaching everything for a couple of days. But he got better and we finished off chill. I am ready to have a normal week again.

So as for transfers, soooooo...... I stayed. But Elder Medrado was transferred.... It was a great opportunity to train Elder Medrado. I can honestly say it was a little experience of raising a real child. You really want to give them the best start that they can get so that they can achieve great things in their missions. I truly loved Elder Medrado like a son. And I truly feel blessed to be chosen and entrusted by God to have had this very important role in his mission.

And as for me, well turns out that I was designated to be a "Language Trainer" for a missionary that is arriving right now from the USA. He has already had 2 transfers there (in the US) but I will have to help him adjust to his real mission... so yeah. I don’t really have more details on that one. But for today I am hanging out with Elder Wadsworth from Grace Idaho, and it is his dream to live in Logan. Good stuff...

But that’s all for today, love ya'll and have a great first week of school!

-Elder Zachary Cetraro

Heyy Theereee....!!

First of all, Elder Medrado IS Elder Alves. I thought I updated you on that one, but if not, my bad. Alves is a name very common here so Elder Medrado is also carrying his mother’s maiden name as he serves. Elder Medrado is actually doing very well. It is crazy that summer is coming to an end already. I think it is kinda cool, the whole time you have spent on summer break I have spent training Elder Medrado. Our training ends the 19th of August, so yeah.

Alrighty, as for my week, it was amazing to see how Elder Medrado continued on really well. I think just talking all the time about the gospel with each other and with others has helped him a lot. I think it is funny I told him this week how I have always been some what of a gospel nerd (I get it from my Dad) and how I have never had the opportunity to really just blab about the gospel all day. Ha and how it will be sad when I go home and won’t be able to do that anymore.

This week we prepared for the first man we have baptized here. I don’t know if you remember Ivanilda, she is our super convert. Well all this time her son has been attending church and talking with us. Well last Sunday, he didn’t want to do it (get baptized), so it was cool how Monday night we passed by, and I extended to him the simple invitation to “Ask Help from God”, and the next day we passed by and BAM everything changed and he was super excited for his baptism. Besides that it was cool to see how every night we had some FHE’s or activities or dinners marked. No one knew about what happened with my comp but the invitations appeared.

Also, very interesting is that just about every day this week we were talking about the Plan of Salvation with someone, and like I said there were 5 deaths this week. One was the sister of our convert Eliza. The other one, the brother in law of another investigator. It was crazy how all of a sudden God placed all these situations in front of us. It has even made me stop to think, I will study the Plan of Salvation a little bit more. It’s funny because it was this lesson that I understood the best before the mission but now it is the hardest lesson for me to teach.

Also this week, just about all of the Sisters that I take care of; Sister McQuivey, Sister Figueredo and Sister Nascimento, have gotten Dengue. A deadly disease that exists here that you get from mosquitos. So I have been following up on all that and the other day we went to give them a blessing. She asked for one in English and it was super weird because I struggled to do it in English. But yeah, today I think I will go shopping for them while they all go to the hospital.

But now for more sad news for this last weekend. So Saturday we had a ward party that went to the Club of the Federal Police and had a swimming pool party. The activity was excellent, but as Bishop closed the pool and the lifeguards left, and everyone went to take a picture, there was a little 12 year-old who decided to take his last dip... and well he drowned. The thing is, this kid is a neighbor to the church, and I guess his Mom didn’t react very well and now she is blaming the church. So Sunday we had our meetings in the Stake Center due to the danger of going to our own chapel. It is super sad though because the whole ward is in shock due to the death and also the reaction. Especially Bishop. Wow, I have never seen someone so emotionally strong like him appear so worn down and in the dumps than on Sunday. He is dealing with all these problems and it’s super sad because due to the danger the missionaries are being removed from the area and so now he feels a bit abandoned. So it looks like we will still live in our house but we will work in the Sister’s areas while we are waiting for things to calm down. It is sad though to end it like this. Especially because I want to help out my Bishop, we owe him a lot but we can’t really do anything so yeah.

But Sunday due to 4 wards in one chapel at the same time and me taking care of my ward and the ward of the Sisters it was pretty crazy. But luckily everything was handled, I got the baptism organized for Patrick and also the baptism of the Sister missionaries organized. I never have had a more rushed Sunday in my life. But it ended with tranquil waters.

So yeah, for now I don’t know the details for the next week. But it will be interesting what will happen. But yeah, everything is chill here, I am happy and learning, but now I just need serve A LOT. But that’s what we are here for right? Love you all.

(Pray for my Bishop!)

-Elder Zachary Cetraro

Alright. Now for my week. Well it was probably one of my saddest. So first of all, with the district meeting we had Wednesday morning, we had the pleasure to have President Souza there. A bit of stage fright for me because I directed the meeting and gave half of the training but it was alright. It was even harder when I found out that the reason President Souza was there was to talk with Sister Bailey about her family. Apparently, her Mom got cancer when she started her mission and this next week it is kinda planned for her to die. I felt terrible. This Sister just got over Dengue (a virus from mosquitoes) and here comes the second punch, her mom is about to die. I wanted to cry. I wanted to help but I didn’t know how. I decided to fast to clear up this confusion in my head, and for her. 

Then here comes the big news. After a long hard good day of work on Friday night we get home and find out that President is coming over. I thought maybe it was to check out how the situation is with 4 Elders in a very small house, and to do a cleaning check. As we all were climbing the stairs, he grabbed my companion. I didn’t notice and when I saw that Pres. and my Comp weren’t there I went to go down but Sister Souza stopped me and told me that his Dad died......

Wow. Ouch. It was tough news. I started to cry and pray for my companion. It was even tougher to hear him coming into the room bawling. I began to cry as well. I gave him a big "Father’s Hug” him crying in my arms. But that was all that I could do. He went into his room to call his bishop and his mom and to talk with them. I personally have never had to deal with a sudden sad death like this with those so close to me. President told me that this would be one of the great lessons I will learn here on the mission. How to deal with deaths in my life and in the lives of those around me. It was real sad. President left, and Elder Medrado opened up his journal and started writing. I just stayed there by his side all night until 2 o’clock as he wrote out his emotions. He used that temple handkerchief you gave me (that was a whole lot better than the toilet paper he was using)

This death, in my opinion shows a bit of the tender mercies God has in our lives, and I tried to help Elder Medrado with this point of view. You only will pass through the death of your Father once in your life, and God has really made it sweet. For a bit of time, his Dad has had heart problems and he almost died 3 years ago. During this time Elder Medrado didn’t get along with his Dad very well and didn’t go visit his Dad in the hospital after one attack. His cousin called and told him that he had actually died, and this was a bitter moment for him, that he ended his relationship with his Dad like this. But of course his Mom called and told him it was a lie, but in this moment it really opened his eyes. For in the 3 years since, the relationship between him and his Dad got a whole lot better and they left on a good note.

It is incredible though how God prepared him for this moment. There have been various things that have happened to give him a cushion for all this. Being a missionary, you never will be alone, you always have someone at your side. All your friends are "Representatives of Jesus Christ" and he is surrounded by them and their service, and there isn’t a time in our lives that we are so close to our Savior. Another special thing, a couple weeks ago, he woke up on P-day and felt inspired to write his dad personally. That day I didn’t want to go to the post office because it didn’t fit into the schedule, but I felt that we should go anyways. His dad got to see that. Also, Mom. You felt "inspired" to write Elder Medrado instead of me and express your love to him. That was very nice and perfect timing. Sister Bailey is passing the same time and has help. There were many things in our studies together this last week that helped us prepare for this, including my study on Honor. And yesterday Elder Medrado received his Patriarchal Blessing. And also yesterday, he bore his testimony to me that he knows that I was prepared to be "His Father" here on the mission to pass this moment in his life with him.

I really saw the truth of the last words that Brother Eaton told to me before I left for the mission. "That sometimes the people that need our service the most on our missions can be our companions." I know God arranged this to be in his life and in my life. I am super grateful to be here for my wonderful companion and to really learn how to comfort when they really need it. My comp needs your prayers, and so do I so that I can continue to serve him and help him stay strong. I am super surprised to see how strong he has been since then. In the last few days he has been surprisingly strong, and hasn’t had a problem yet. I know he still has that burden but I know what Jesus said. "Blessed are those that mourn, for they will be comforted."

Well there goes my time but I am doing fine. Don’t worry about me. Elder Medrado really liked the quote I shared with him Sunday, that "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.” Maybe it may be a surprise, and maybe it may not be the flavor you wanted. But it’s chocolate, so you gotta appreciate it. Really this came to truth here, and is true for the mission. I know God is painting a masterpiece in those that serve me. I trust Him. He trusts me.

Love,

-Elder Zachary Cetraro