Barreiras

The area in which I'm currently serving is called "Barreiras". This, in Portuguese, means "Barriers". While the people here are amazing, and the branch is very strong, there are indeed some "Barreiras" here:
-the Church has only been here for four years
-much of the people live far from the church, some without cars
-there are only four Elders to work an area about as big as Provo and Orem combined, without a car
Despite these "Barreiras", I love the work here. As I said, the people are great. They are so willing to help one another and the branch exemplifies this. There are some members who will stop us on our way to give us food or just words of encouragement. The Church is just starting here, but I know it will overcome the "Barreiras" and grow into a great work.

A Great Fireside

Sister Degn, the CTM President's wife, gave the fireside last Tuesday. In it, she acted like an investigator and asked the missionaries to answer her questions or statements by testifying of revealed truth. I got to say the following: "I know that Jesus was more than any man. He had divinity in Him, because He was the Son of God. And I know this by prayer and by the Holy Ghost."

This is my conviction. This is what I'm here to teach. I hope all men can accept Jesus as our Savior, and feel of His love.

Spiritual Treasure

Our lessons are going great. Both the "investigators" I have are starting to try to be tough on us. I guess they figure we know enough of the language now to stir things up. Which is fine, I like the change. There is so much to learn, though, I know that I won't really be able to do everything right without the Lord's help. And, that's really great, as I know the source of my strength.

Personal study has become much more meaningful for me. I've found that using Preach my Gospel really helps in learning the basics, or gaining a firmer testimony of them. I was reading about faith, and the spirit just washed over me so strongly. It's funny, because I had been trying to study faith just from the scriptures, and it didn't work so well, but then the passage in Preach my Gospel just gave me everything I needed, including the right scriptures.

Getting Settled

Hello Blog friends,

I have three minutes left. So, this week was great, again. The neighborhood here is fun to go around in, which those in the Provo MTC can't do :) I got a free cookie last week for being on my first week.

Also, the language is a lot of fun to learn. Of course, you already know I love learning. But it's better because I get the help of the Lord as I learn here, so it comes so much faster than anything I've done before.

Also, the gospel still rocks, in case you've forgotten. I know that my Savior lives, and that through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, we can all return to live in His presence again.

Bom dia!
     Elder Ortega

First Taste of Mission Life

     My companions are Elder Winn from central Utah and Elder Ferreira (Pronounced "Feh-hey-rah") from Anaheim. The first is a pro-rodeo'er and the second surfs. Well, they did anyway. Both are great companions who want to live the mission rules and are willing to work hard, which you know is just what I like. We also get to spend a lot of time teaching lessons, in Portuguese. They aren't super great, but they're very instructive and our teacher is amazing.
     I can't put everything in that I want to, as I don't have a lot of time, but I also want to say that I've acclimated quite well (we'll see about the heat in Salvador, though); the food is good, the weather is fine enough, and I really enjoy the people. Also, I have a superb district. We have a great time together, I've learned to enjoy basketball more, and we all work quite hard, which is a welcome surprise.

Welcome!

Welcome to my mission blog! I'm not gone yet, but I will be soon. Tuesday is the day. My sister will be updating this as often as I send her whatever ends up being posted. I give no guarantee of consistency, as I will have other priorities, but I will try to spare time for updates here. Also, my sister will be checking comments, so questions you have about or for me can be passed on through here. Thanks for checking in on me, and I'll see you in a couple years.