Olá olá olá meus muchangos!!

Olá my familia I hope all is well with you! So this week was a great week! Brasil is awesome and its getting better and better every day. I think im getting pretty good at Português fimally! It took some time but now Im getting the hang of it. Every morning before we study I write a short story using more Português words and it helps alot to learn more words! I think God saw that I was trying to be Proactive and decided to help me! So thats awesome!

Im so glad that you all had a good week! Its weird, tomorrow is 6 months on the mission! Weird right? 1/4 done! Its going by super fast! Mom, your story was hilarious about the hotels at one in the morning... Haha it made me laugh! I love hearing about how things are going at home! Natalie, congratulations with your art show! Your paintings are awesome, like seriously. No, like seriously seriously. Seriously. Haha Jonathan thats awesome you played at the University of Utah. Stop being famous. Forever Ill just be the brother of a famous person. Or brother in law. Actually, I accept this, as long as you both buy me a car.

Anyways so this week was really awesome! We walked to the Cerro das almas a few days ago becasue we talked to a really cool family that lives up there. So we walked for 1 1/2 hours and didnt find the family... so we started walking back and a car drove by (oh by the way it was raining and freezing cold) and stopped, backed up, and offered to give us a ride. Normally we would say no... but it was cold, and the guy looked normal. So we got in and started talking and turns out he has a great family. We marked a day when we could start teaching him! But it was super pretty up there, cold, but pretty!

Anyways, we baptized Ricardo yesterday!! He is so awesome! That kid is so awesome. The very fact that he is the way he is is a miracle, becasue his mom used to live on the street, he never knew his dad, and heis stepdad is a drug addict. But he never smoked, never drank, never used drugs, had faith in Christ, and everything. Such a miracle. The baptism was awesome, and I had the opporutunity to confirm him. Very very cool. He is going to be awesome!

So we are working alot with Arlete and Vilmar! They are doing so good! Vilmar might be baptized this Saturday! Arlete is a little nervous still, but we are helping her the best we can! They will be so cool!

Sooo the bishop talked to the stake president and.... he authorized that we start a branch here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So we just need to find a place to rent, fix it up and yup, there will be a branch in Capão do Leão! I hope I am still in this area when it opens!

Anyways so thats about it from here in Brasil! And I dont think the snake was a pit viper, it was just a tiny little thing like a garner snake er something! Não sei! Oh Im obsessed with a fruit called ameixa that grows here on the trees, and I ate my first real live fig yesterday! It was good, but I wasnt crazy about it. But yeah thats that:) I love you all! Have a great week! Attached is a photo of the baptism, and the Cerro das Almas! Oh and the mission has a blog if you want to see, type blog Missão Brasil Porto Alegre Sul in Google! Tchau!

Mais uma semana no Frio Grande do Sul!

Hello! So this week was very Very cold! I never knew it could get so cold! Here in Pelotas it is the 2nd most humid city in the world (Dont know if thats true but thats what everybody says) and so when it gets cold it gets COLD!!! But then when it gets hot, it gets really hot! There is like no middle ground! Anyways yes it snowed in some cities here in Rio Grande do Sul but not here! Thank goodness!

So first of all. Taco!!! Haha he is afraid of black people!!! HAHAHAHA I pretty much died laughing! What a crazy dog... He always has something weird going on... But yeah... I miss him. Scouty too! But I got some letters from you in the mail this week with the Big Foot air freshener and the stickers! I was hoping that he was Big Foot scented but Pine scent is good too haha! I thought it was hilarious thank you! I got a good laugh from the stickers too! Thank you!

Connor congratulations with Volleyball thats so cool! I cant wait to here how you do during the school season and whatnot! Congratulations! Carson I hope school is going good! You are going to be pro at piano when I come home! But yeah! Jonathan, I hope your snout is well groomed. 

So my week was really good, and some really cool things happened. We have been working with this family Arlete and Vilmar, and they are super awesome. They attended church for one year in a different ward without being baptized becasue they feel like they arent prepared. We have been working with them alot and helping them resolve the doubts that they have and they are progressing alot! They are so awesome and know that the church is true they are just nervous to make that step in their life. 

RICARDO RECIEVED AN ANSWER!!! So Ricardo, the guri that we were teaching has been praying and reading the book of Mormon, trying to find out if it is true. And he has told us that he still hasnt recieved an answer, but that it has to come eventually. The Book of Mormon makes a promise that everybody that reads and prays with faith will recieve an answer and so we knew that he would, but for the whole week he didnt recieve an answer. 

Anyways, we were talking with him yesterday before church and he said that his step dad, this big scary looking drug addict, that beats Ricardos mom and is just full of problems, said something to him. He said, "Ricardo I think its really good that you are reading and going to church. I think its really good of you" Something that he would never say in a million years! Ricardo recognized that as his answer. BUT! Heres where it gets crazy.

We watched a talk with Presdent Eyring that said missionarios work under apostolic keys, and if we speak a prompting of the spirit it is as good as scripture, and it will be done. When we taught Ricardo we promised him, that the more he read the scriptures and searched for an answer, things with his family and stepdad would improve. Wow. What a miracle huh? So he decided he wants to be baptized on Sunday! So cool! I cant wait!

Anyways thats my week! We are famous here in Capão, they put our picture in the newspaper! Also there is talk about starting a branch here, not just a group!

 

 

Week of Miracles!

Wow. This week was amazing. I cant wait to tell you about it! But first, I will wait to tell you about it to respond to your emails! Mom thats crazy about the midget wrestler... and the deflated eyeball... Never even knew that was possible. Carson! I am glad that you are liking Greenfield! It will be really good for you! Just be yourself and you will make lots of friends. You are the kind of kid that I would want to be friends with in Junior High! To respond to your email mom, I live with Elder Menezes, Elder Wilkinson (an american that was in my MTC district) and Elder Queroz. This week Elder Mendonça was transfered (the old companion of Elder Wilkinson) and yeah. The sad thing is that both Elder Mondonça and Elder Queroz are very disobedient. Its hard for Elder Wilkinson, but not so much for me becasue I dont really need to deal with it becasue Elder Menezes is good. My President, I dont see very often becasue I am 4 hours south of Porto Alegre, but when I do get to see him its awesome. He is a great guy!

Anyways! First of all! This week me and Elder Menezes were talking and decided taht we needed to pray for specific blessings for our investigators so that they can progress. We read in D and C 4 that missionaries in the work can ask, and they will recieve. So we put it to the test. Anyweays that is some background. 

So remember Maristela and Eva? We met them in the Cerro do Estado and Maristelas husband passed away? Anyways last week they didnt go to church because the mother in law of Maristela has cancer and is in the hospital, and Maristela was taking care of her. We decided that for her to go to church, her mother in law needs to improve. So we prayed asnd asked, and RECIEVED! We called on Saturday and they said that the mother in law improved so so much, and Maristela didnt need to stay in the hospítal with her! Miracle!

This week we met this kid named Ricardo, and his mom Rosimeri, and they loved the lesson we gave, but said it would be hard to go to church becasue Ricardos stepdad is a drug addict and gets crazy sometimes. So, we prayed that the stepdad would improve so that Ricardo could come to church. And boom, we went to Ricardos house yesterday and he was wating for us and told us that his stepdad improved and that he could come to church! Woah! Miracle! 

Nara, the daughter of Neiva uses drugs, and its really hard for Neiva becasue she constantly worries, even to the point where Neiva gets sick becasue of worry. Its dangerous becasue she is so old. So we prayed that something would happen to improve that house. The daughter of Nara discovered that Nara uses drugs, and now Nara is in rehab to stop using drugs! Miracle! 

We met this girl named Dienifer when we taught the English class, and had a good feeling that she was ready to hear the gospel, and marked a day to visit her and teach her, but we never found her in the house. Anyways, Wednesday, we were walking and one of our appointments fell, and we went to go to the house of this guy named Carlos. But, I had a super strong feeling, NO GO TO DIENIFER! So we did... and found her at home for the first time in like 3 weeks! Miracle!

So awesome. This week was amazing and I felt overwhelmed with blessings. Ketlen was baptized yesterday by her uncle! It was so awesome and I think that her dad will be baptized too soon! Neiva spoke yesterday in sacrament meeting! It was really good! She got up and said a prayer first and gave her talk! I guess its never a wrong time to pray! We saw a snake yesterday that was cool too! Anyways that was my wonderful week of Miracles! Hope you all are well! Love you all! Tchau! Oh, the first picture is all of us with Elder Mendonça, second is the cool snake, third is Ketlen with Marcio, and the last is us debating if we should go to the passo do descanso, or pass of rest... we didnt go there... but we really realllly wanted to.

August 5th, 2013

Óla minha familia! I hope you are all doing well! This week was a great week! Carson and Connor! Good luck with school! I hope you guys do well! The new couch looks so nice... I miss couches haha. But its all good! Haha thats crazy that cousin Miriam is married! Dad thats awesome that you are working in the temple! After my mission I want to go to the temple often, I love it there. Its so peaceful! I really miss it! The last time I went was in Texas! I really have a testimony of the temple and how sacred it is!

But this week was a great week! First of all, I bought some AWESOME soap called red berries and rainbows... and now I smell like a granny every day... So thats fun haha! Today we found out about transfers and Elder Menezes will stay here for another transfer! That will be 9 months in the same area for him! Louco! But its awesome becasue we are good friends and work well together!

We are really trying to be an obedient companionship which is awesome. The sad truth is that ALOT of missionaries in my mission are disobedient... But I have been trying to hard to be obedient. At the zone conference last week me, Elder Wilkinson, and Elder Harris were talking and Presidente Castro came up to us and said, "I have alot of trust in you. Prepare yourselves to lead in this mission very soon." Crazy right! So I am trying extra hard to be the best I can be!

Yesterday Donna Neiva shared her testimony! Seriously, the one of the best moments on the mission so far! I got all teary eyed becasue shew shared how much we helped her and she explained things about her life that we didnt even know about, but helped in some way. She is awesome! I cant tell you how good I felt! That was so cool!

Ketlen wasnt baptized on Saturday becasue her family was super busy and nobody would have been able to come. But I think this Saturday will work! One cool experience that happened! Sorry this email is super long! But we have a part of our area called Cerro do Estado, which is really far from the main part of Capão, but we had the feeling that we should go there. So we went there and it had some houses, but nobody on the street. So after some time we started walking back to the centro and Elder Menezes had the impression to knock on one door. We did and a woman named Maristela came out. We started talking and turns out her husband passed away 4 months ago. We taught her and her daughter on a different occasion about the PLan of Salvation and the Spirit was so strong! I think they have a ton of potencial!

But yeah that was my week! Right now I eat a peiace of cheese with doce de leite every morning becasue its amazing and you should try it. Haha but I hope you all have a great week! Oh mom thats so awesome you met that guy from São Paulo! I hope I meet people from Brasil when I come home so I can still speak Português! But Yeah! I love you all so much! The Photo is me and Elder Menezes with our "rich" Hankerchiefs haha. I wanted to take a photo with them becasue it was part of the gift that Grandma sent!! I love you all! Tchau!