Giving Thanks

Hellooooo minha família!

This week has been a week! A week is a series of seven days, consisting of the English names Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, now standardized in our Gregorian calendar system. If you would like more information on this subject, refer yourselves to the one hit wonder ´It~s Friday´ performed by Rebecca Black or that other song performed by the Black Eyed Peas. Anyway, sorry for that really useless detour from this spiritually enlightening email. Just in case you were wondering, the slightly cooky Parker is still here.

But seriously, this was another week for the memory books! I ended my last email saying that I got the call that Elder Robison would be transferred and I would be training. Well, it happened. When I got the call, I seriously was a little bit more excited about returning to Juiz de Fora to get my greenie than anything else. It~s hitting me now that I actually have a new missionary who I need to train. For more information on this subject, refer yourself to the animated favorite, ´How to Train Your Dragon´, or the children~s favorite animated story, ´Are You My Mother?´ Hahahaha, the cookiness is building. Anyway, Elder Robison went away early Tuesday morning, and I got stuck in wild anticipation for a day in trio with Elder Pereira and Elder Romario (who I live with). I left that afternoon for Juiz de Fora, alone. Luckily, no one tried to attack me or kiss me, so I was safe. I got there that night and got to chat it up with Elder Alexsandro. He~s doing great, and the area is, too. My recent convert, Lia, introduced her friend, Ruth, to the missionaries, and she got baptized! Also, they are going to baptize Marcello who Elder Alexsandro and I found together. That night was particularly special because I got to talk to Irmão Geraldo. He was my ward mission leader in Manchester. He came by that night because the missionaries had been at his house and he was dropping them off. I spent 10 minutes or so talking to him. He said a lot of really nice things about how he thinks very highly of me. He was saying that he and his family still pray for me. In that moment, he got a little emotional, and so did I. I am so grateful for the chance to meet such good people here, to love them and to feel their love in return.

The next day we went to the stake center to get some training on how to be good trainers. Elder Kenning was also there. Then we met the greenies. One of the greenies was an Elder Wolfgramm who also went to Salem Hills HIgh School. We found out who we will be training. I am now training Elder Barbosa from Fortaleza, Brasil. He is a small, skinny elder who is 22-years-old. He is willing to work and walk at my pace. His legs are hurting now, but I~m sure that they will get better. We have been working hard in order to help God~s children. I forgot how hard training can be. I am trying to improve myself personally so that I can assure a very good experience for Elder Barbosa in these first few months in the mission field.

I read in 3 Nephi 18 this morning. It was great! One verse that really stuck out to me was verse 25. Realmente, we can come unto Christ. HE invites us to come and feel and see. This invitation pertains especially to the Book of MOrmon. Come unto Christ, feeling and seeing your way through the words of the prophets and the influence of the HOly Ghost. I love you all. Stay strong. Stay faithful.


Love, Elder Ayer

PS I didn~t do much for Thanksgiving in the way of food. In fact, it was my first THanksgiving fast. We were fasting for a brother in the ward who was supposedly undergoing surgery. When I asked how it went on Sunday, he told me that he didn~t even have an exam, hahaha. Oh well, I was glad to be able to show my gratitude to God through my willingness to sacrifice for his children. :D