86th Week Out, Week 18 Pacatuba, "Interviewed by a General Authority"

Dear Family and friend

This week my new companion showed up! Elder Arias he is from Columbia! Yea that’s right! Now you have an American and a columbium together, trying to speak Portuguese. It’s funny because he has a Spanish slang and I have an American slang so we never understand each other.  He is 20 years old he has 1 year and 1 month on the mission! He is the youngest in his family and his family is members of the church, his brother already served a mission. He was a singer before the mission! So he’s always singing!  A cool thing about my companion is more than a year ago when I showed up here in Brasil, I was going through training in the mission office and the first elder I met was Elder Arias, he was being sent home that day! He passed 8 months at home and decided to come back on the mission! He would have gone home with me had he never left but now he has 11 more months, but I’m so happy that he came back so that we could be companions today! He is a good guy and we are becoming the best of friends! 

SO this week you will all never guess what happened to me! Elder Basset a member of the 70 gave a mission conference this Thursday for our mission! AND Wednesday night before the conference I get a call from the assistants informing me that my mission President received inspiration that I will be interviewed by Elder Basset! I was FLIPPEN OUT Like IM GOING TO BE INTERVIEWE BY A GENERAL AUTHORITY!!!! THAT DOSENT HAPPEN AND WHO KNOWS IF IT WILL EVER HAPPEN AGAIN?! I started thinking what did I do wrong? Nothing! Did someone in my family die? I hope not! Is he going to offer a calling to me? A million things were going through my head! As I sat in the chair outside his office to be interviewed! But in the end it was just a special opportunity to be interviewed. My mission president chose 1 other elder and 3 sisters to be interviewed out of 160 missionaries!  He explained to me the importance of marriage and many other things of deep doctrine! He gave me the opportunity to ask him questions also! Such an amazing experience! I would like to write everything he told me but it would take too long! But I do have it all written down!

SO a funny thing I saw this week; the photo bellow shows the front gate of someones house, Here in Brasil the average house has the width of 2 cars and is super long! Its like a line of bedrooms that all conect you look in the front door and you can see all the way in the back of someones house in the 4th,5thrd room! But anyways normally theres no room for a car in your house so people get creative. This person in the photo restyled his front gate to fit his car in! 

This week we had another miracle baptism for a girl named Emilly. She is 12 years old and her mother is less active. So Mondayof this week we had no one to baptize. So what many missionary’s do on Monday (Preparation day or P-DAY) is also having a P-NIGHT and after 6 o clock they plan a Party family night at someone’s house, and don’t work the rest of their P-Day. Because Preparation day is only until 6:00 then you go to work! So these last 2 weeks Emily had been to church but was never able to catch her at home! And we could have easily had a “P-night” at a member’s house but we decided to work and I know heavenly father blessed us for our efforts! Because Monday night we went to Emilly’s house with a friend of hers who is a member, we were already thinking she wouldn’t be there… AND she answered the door! We had a super spiritual lesson an invited her to be baptized that Saturday! She accepted! That week we passed by teaching her the lessons and Saturday night my new comp was able to baptize her! I love you all and thank you for all your love and support!

Impressions of Pacatuba Brasil

-It doesn’t ever rain here, but when it does it only rains SUPER HARD for 5 seconds… You feel like it’s going to rain all day but then after 5 seconds it passes.

Special Post "Elder W. Mark Bassett Letter to Mom and Dad"

From: W. Mark Bassett <bassettwm@ldschurch.org>
Date: Sun, Oct 23, 2016 at 12:35 PM
Subject: I found a powerful young man in Brazil!
To: "4kevinhorton@gmail.com", "4lindahorton@gmail.com" 


Dear Brother and Sister Horton,

I just finished a tour of the Brazil Fortaleza Leste Mission. While there I had the privilege of interviewing your son.  I expect that you are very proud of him. You should be! He has a beautiful countenance and he exudes strength and testimony. He loves the people, looks healthy and is serving well. I also want you to know that President and Sister Leite love him. They are powerful leaders here in Brazil and your son is blessed to be under their capable stewardship.

Thank you for raising such a righteous young man. I pray that you will recognize the blessings that are yours as you watch your son serve from afar. Your sacrifice does not go unnoticed.

With love and admiration,

Elder W. Mark Bassett

Sent from my iPad








Elder W. Mark Bassett was serving as a member of the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy in the North America West Area when he was called to be a General Authority Seventy at the April 2016 general conference.

Elder Bassett received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Brigham Young University in 1991. Upon graduating, he began his career in the wholesale auto auction industry. Recently, he functioned as CFO and co-owner of West Coast Auto Auctions, Inc., operating automobile auctions throughout California, Oregon, Nevada and Idaho.

Elder Bassett has served in numerous Church callings, including full-time missionary in the Guatemala Guatemala City Mission, Young Men president, bishop, high councilor, stake president, president of the Arizona Mesa Mission from 2007 to 2010, and Area Seventy.

William Mark Bassett was born in Carmichael, California, on August 14, 1966. He married Angela Brasher in December 1989. They are the parents of five children.

Recent articles, addresses, and speeches

For Our Spiritual Development and LearningOctober 2016 General Conference

84-85th Week Out, Week 16-17 Pacatuba, "Asked to Extend my Mission by MP"

Dear Family and Friends,

SO transfer calls came this week my companion Ended his mission. He was SOOOOOOOOO trunky (“trunky“ means  giving up) I have been trying so hard but he has been killing my battery.  I said goodbye to him today, He was a really good guy though! One of my best friends, Even though he was so trunky, I will miss him! I will be staying here in pacatuba AGAIN! Man I never was a missionary that gets transfered a lot! I only have 3 areas here in Brasil until now! And I have 1 year and 8 Months on the mission! I am now waiting for my new companion to arrive, he will get here tomarrow so I dont know anything about him yet.  This week I also made a really big decision, I was informed by my mission President that I could stay 1 more transfer if I wanted to...That would mean that I serve for a little more than 2 years! President does not give many missionaries the oporunity to stay either... I know he told many missionaries that they cant stay another transfer. So after Prayer and a long talk with President leite I will be staying another transfer! Im so greatful for this oportunity and I know it was the right thing to do! I love being here on a mission, Its so hard and chalenging but its making me a better person! I thank you for all the love and support!

Impressions of Pactuba Brasil

-Women will breastfead their child right infront of you!!!  Sometimes im in the middle of a spiritual lessons  testifying and they just pul down their shirt and YUP.... AWK 

Photos

1-We had zone meeting here in the best zone in the mission! the name of our zone is Maracanaú

2-A stadium here for soccer very famous called castelão look it up!

3- throwing down gang signs for the soccer teams here! Im sporting Ceara and my companion is sporting Fortaleza

83nd Week Out, Week 15 Pacatuba, "Patience is A Blessing!"

Dear family and Friends,

This week was great we has 2 miracle baptisms! the First was for Wesley! he is 15 years old and he eat and sleeps soccer! I had contacted him over 2 months ago! but he could never make it to church because he was is soccer season and he had games EVERY Sunday! SO I patiently waited for his soccer season to end and the 1st week it ended I showed up at his house and Invited him to church! last week he went to church and he loved it! so We invited him to be baptized and I baptized him this Sunday! His mom even came to church to support him and we are going to be working with her now as well! The second baptism was for a Woman named Rosicler. She is 45 years old, the mom of Raiani ( A recent convert, that I baptized here 2 months ago) and her other son is preparing to get married so he can be baptized as well! She is one of he very first people I met when I showed up here in Pacatuba. Before the missionaries started teaching her, she had a dream of two men in white shirts and ties , so when she first saw them she couldn't help to stop them. When I started teaching her she was living together with another man and she used MANY  drugs because of her strong Depression because her first husband committed suicide. But as the time has gone by these last 3 months here she started to go to church she started to understand the message we have to share and she has completely stopped using all her drugs for depression! she has a dresser in her house, loaded with all the medicine she was taking, but now she is free of it all! she has become a second mother to me here in Pacatuba, Every single night she makes food for me and my companion, LITERALLY every single night! she always takes care of anything I need! I love this woman and last week she separated from this man that was living together with her so that she could be baptized! I was so happy for her! these past couple of weeks had been tough, so many baptism that had fallen through!  during these past 4 weeks I had prepared 8 people to be baptized, taught them every single message, they were interviewed and all  8  of these baptisms gave up... I know it was heavenly father testing my faith to see if I would give up the fight or keep on trying and I know he blessed me for my efforts! We are all here in life to learn, if we never faced trials we would never get better. There is opposition in all things! But please don't give up , I KNOW THIS is the true church! If you don't have a testimony of it yet you can borrow mine until you get one! I promise you that you will find success I thank you for all your love and support!

Impressions of Pacatuba Brasil

-There is always something burning, literaly theres a fire ever day! but since the houses are made of brick and cement. no on ever has to worry! People always start brush fires to clean up because they are to lazy to weed! I can count on my fingers the times I have seen a fire truck! and many people call fire trucks just to fill up their water reserves when the water in the city is cut.

82nd Week Out, Week 14 Pacatuba, "Mission Counsel"

Dear Family and friends,

This week I got no sleep! Monday I had to get up @5:30 to go to the mission office to get materials, Tuesday I had to get up @5:30 because we had a mission counsel with President Leite, Wednesday We had to get up @5:30 to travel to one of the areas in our zone to do a division that is 2 hours away! Thursday we had to get up @5:00 to get back to Pacatuba because we had to give a zone meeting, and ONLY Friday I was able to sleep until 6:30but I was so used to waking up @5:30 that I woke up at 5:30 on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! I´m a lot more greatful for sleep! I now have 1 year and 7 months on the mission! DANG! its crazy to think I have been here for more time than a sister serves a mission!  I feel OLD! but Im not even thinking about time anymore! Im just living it up! Thanks for all your love and support!

Impressions of Pacatuba Brasil

-EVERYONE thinks my companion is german because he is blond with blue eyes!

81st Week Out, Week 13 Pacatuba, "Mormon Helping Hands"

Dear family and friends,

       So this week transfer calls came and I will be STAYING here in Pacatuba! my new companion is Elder Wedekind! He's and American from Colorado! thats right 2 americans together speaking Portuguese! he is 21 years old and this is his last transfer! so maybe I will stay even another transfer after this! This week I had my very first Mormon Helping Hands service project! it was super cool we handed out papers about Dangue; its a mosquito Virus very dangerous here and we passed out procedures to reduces the chances of Dangue here in the community. It was very cool for people to have a different Kind of view of us missionaries as people to help the community, not just the people who are here to baptize you! But My companion is super awesome, I already knew him back in Juazeiro! ands looks like this is going to be a good transfer! I thank you for all your love and support!

Impressions of Pacatuba Brasil

-people are always asking what time it is! in the stores in the streets EVERYWHERE! like people will be waiting at their front door for someone on the street to pass by and they will be like HEYYY what time is it!? like go buy yourself a watch!

79th Week Out, Week 11 Pacatuba, "Loaded the Onibus for Church"

Dear family and friends,

This week it was stake conference and the stake center is father than our church building and our church building here is already super long for the members that live in "Horto". So our ward payed for a bus to pick up all the members in Horto and bring them to stake center and bring them home after, We loaded that onibus! we are focusing on this city and literally all week long, all day long we are now only working in this city! I thank you for all your love and support!

Impressions of Pacatuba Brasil

-No ones Blond! for real, its been SO long since I've seen someone blond! many people die their hair blond but naturally blond is not a thing here! No one thinks I'm american at first because I'm not blond, so I fit right in! LITERALLY everyone thinks my companion WHO IS BRASILIAN is american and I who am an American am Brasilian!

Picture 1- Indians here in Pacatuba!

Picture 2- motorcycle of an investigator

Picture 3- The indians water reserve that no one else can use!