25 April 2016

Bom dia!

What a week! The work is going well here, this week we found a lot of new investigators with great potential, particularly young people are the most interested and we are going to have a family night this week and get them all to come. The members in our ward are great too and help a lot with missionary work. Portuguese is going well and continuing to improve. Last night was the craziest lightning storm I have ever seen. There were constant huge flashes of lighting for hours it was like a firework show. It was a little freaky but really pretty and it poured so hard we were in the street and got drenched. Then it continued all throughout the night. I think it is supposed to start cooling down here in the next few weeks too. Mom, Dad and Daniel, your trip sounds and looks awesome! I´m glad you guys could do that and hope it was fun. Thanks for sending some pictures. I enjoy recieving pictures from you all. Congrats Nathan and Amy!! I am so surprised that it is another girl but that is awesome! I hope the name Sarah is included as an option in the name selection process :) I hope everyone is doing well. On mothers day i will be able to skype! I´ll try to send more details next week, but make sure you have skype accessible. Tchau boa semana

18 April 2016

Oi familia! Matthew: PARABENS!! Feliz anneversario! I hope it is a good one. So we found out about transfers and Sister Moraes and I are both going to stay in santa Rosa!! We are so surpirsed, but so happy. I love this area. And I am getting to know the members and area a little better now. We did not have a baptism like I hoped, but there is a lot of potential here and we are going to work hard. This week I ate some pizza that had chicken heart on it. Chicken heart is really popular here and it tasted pretty good. I really liked reading this week in Morni chpater 7 especially about charity. When everything seems to be going wrong, remember that ``Charity Never Faileth´´. That is a promise in the scriptures that I know is true. Your trip next week sounds great I hope you guys have fun! Eu amo vocês!

Tchau

11 April 2016

Oi familia. This week was my companion´s 20th birthday so we celebrated on p-day (photos included) We also did a family night and bought a cake and candles for her and I took a picture with just the 2 because it was my 2 months. One of our investigators is a 10 year old girl and she really wants to get baptized, but her father won´t let her, so that was sad. But we found an ``eleita´´ on tuesday, a 17 year old named Cristian who was so ready to hear the gospel and he is probably going to be baptized this sunday! We also found a few other great families this week to teach.  It was really hot again this week, we saw the tempurature one time and it was the equivalent of 107 degrees fereinheit so who knows if it was hotter at other times. And it is atumn here! A little scared for next summer. Next week are transfers and either me or my companion will probably be transfered which will be sad to say goodbye. I´m also a little scared if I stay here and she leaves because I still don´t know the area and the members and everything very well... We shall see! A scripture i thought about this week was Mosiah 2:17, remember that God answers people´s prayers through the service of others. Amo vocês tchau!

4 April 2016

Ola familia! I just started writing this letter in portuguese and then realized it was not english and started over, so i guess that is progress. Portuguese is getting a lot better, but this is the first week i think my english is getting worse, so i apologize. yesterday was my 2 month mark! earlier this week i had my first divisions with the sister leader trainors in Cruz Alta. It was a 3 hour bus ride and then we spent the night and I got to see my friend from the CTM so that was good. My ward is small and the people are really nice. It is funny, in relief society all the women sing an octave lower than we are used to and it sounded like priesthood class from outside the door. 

I got to watch general conference (only in portuguese) and it was amazing! Except the power went out during the saturday afternoon session for a while. Apparently there is something about a new section in D&C?? can someone please explain this to me (in englsih please)? The new temple in Belem Brasil is close to where my companion is from and she was really excited. I liked how simple the talks were and how a lot of them focused on the gospel basics that missionaries teach every day, it is always important to re-learn the basics of the gospel. Mom, my favorite talk was also Elder Hollands, I especially liked how he said to never let satan make you think that you can´t progress and improve. Only he can´t progress and he wants to make everyone miserable like unto himself. I also liked how he said that God loves US with all HIS heart, might, mind, and strength. It is comforting to know that no matter what, no matter how many times you mess up, God will always love us unconditionally. We can´t do anything that will make Him not love us anymore. I also really liked Paul V. Johnson´s talk about how all of our infirmaties, physical, and emotional, are already cured. Because of Christ, we will be resurrected with perfect bodies, with all certainty. Mom, i got your package, thank you so much! there was no fee to pick it up. Love you all, tchau!