July 29th, 2013

Hello hello! I hope you are all doing well!! Carson and Jonathan it looks like you had fun at bear world... I want to go there someday!! It looks like fun! And Connor congratulations for the wisdom teeth! Its a shame you werent crazy like I was.

Grandma I recieved the package that you sent me with the hankerchiefs! Thank you so much! I loved the message that you put in their too! Thank you so much Grandma! By the way Mom and Dad, if you could, Elder Menezes is trying to learn English, and he said he would give me money if you could send a mini English hymnbook in the next package you send! If you cant its okay, but you dont need to hurry or anything, just whenever you get a chance!

Anyways so here In Capão do Leão things are going good! This week I was a little sick! I wasn't sick enough to stay in our house, but I definately wasnt feeling too good. Im all better now, but it was a little rough! On ething that we have been finding is a little difficult is that everybody we talk to on the street seems extremely interested and so we mark another day to pass by their house, and then they run from us or ignore us er something! Its been a little bit harder to find people to teach! But yesterday, um member Deginir was called as a group leader, kinda like our bishop and so we will work with him and I think things will improve!

We had a zone conference and so the picture attached is me, Elder Harris, and Elder Wilkinson! We were in the same district in the MTC but e are super tight. Haha Imtrying to convince them to come to ASU when we get home haha. The other picture is us with Neiva! The ward had a party becasue it was a big holiday saturday night, Festa Junina er something. But Neiva played musical chairs haha she is 80... she rocks!

Anyways thats my week! I love you all so much! Thanks for everything you do! Tchau!

This week we will have the opporutunity to baptize a girl named Ketlen! Her mom, Angela, is a member but was less active for a long time. We found her on a ward list and have been teaching her two daughters for a long time, but only Ketlen wants to be baptized. She is 9 years old, but is super smart and really wants to be baptized! Im excited becasue she will be able to grow up with the happiness that the gospel can bring! We just need to get permission from her Dad, but he is super awesome and I am 90 percent sure he will let her!

My Português is improving slowly... ha very slowly! But its getting there! People can understand almost everything that I say to them. The hardest thing isnt words but knowing the phrases that they use to talk becasue the translations dont really make sense in Enlish... But M working on it!

Neiva is awesome! She is doing super well and was going to give a talk in Sarament meeting yesterday, but got really sick! I got pretty nervous becasue she is so old and got sick, but she is getting better! Thaynara is awesome too and today I am going to paint a picture of the temple to give to them!

 

 

The Baptism of Thaynara!

Hello everybody, how are you all doing! It looks like you had so much fun in Washington! Its so awesome! And Connor driving a Mustang!!! Minha Nossa... haha! I wish I could of been there, but Im helping the Lords work!

This week was really cool, but really... really.... reallllllly cold! Ah in Rio Grande do Sul it gets pretty warm in the day but freezing cold at night and so I always guess the weather wrong and end up wearing too much or not enough jackets! But yeah!

This week we were able to baptize Thaynara, the grandaughter of Neiva!! She is so so awesome, she is 9 years old and has a little problem with ADD, but she was so excited for her baptism becasue she knew the Holy Ghost would help her with her her problems! She is awesome!

But her mom, Nara is having some issues. She was progressing for a long time and we could see that she was happier becasue she wasnt drinking, was trying to stop smoking and wasnt using drugs. She was so happy, but the night before Thaynaras baptism she used all of the above and tried to call off the baptism, but we already had everything ready and convinced her to let Thaynara be baptized. I really really dont like drugs and alchohol. Its so sad becasue they really ruin lives. 

But one thing cool that happened this week, A week ago we talked to this woman named Jane and scheduled a date to meet with her and her family, but she said she is really hard to get ahold of. She said that her husband is even harder to get ahold of but already had a Book of Mormon and was reading it and liking it! Anyways, this Saturday night we were walking and I was feeling sick, it was cold and it was rainy, and we were walking about to catch a bus to go home. We passed her house and I had the impression that we should talk to her. I said to myself, nah she isnt home on the weekends... But clearly clearly recieved another impression, go to that house! So I told Elder Menezes, and we went there and found Jane and her husband at home, with their family, and they really want their two sons to grow up in a religion. Wow what a miracle! We will keep working with them!

 On a side note, transfers are coming up and Elder Menezes will probably be transferred, but I will most likely stay here! But yeah thats what happened with me this week! I love you all so much, have a great week!

 

 

 

20th birthday!

Hello my family! I hope you all had a great week!! My week was a very good week here in Brazil! But first, Jonathan and Natalie, it looks like you ahd alot of fun at Bear World. Haha I didnt know that place existed... but it looks awesome! Connor, mom says you are doing very well at volleyball, congratulations! Keep up the good work!! I loved the Birthday video so much!!! Thank you so much!!!:)

Anyways this week was soooo cool. We got to baptize Neiva this week! We moved her baptism forward because this happened...

We have been teaching her, her daughter, and her granddaughter, and they are all super super great people. Her daughter, Nara is awesome, but smokes alot, drinks, and did some pretty heavy drugs in the past. Anyways, we got a call from Neiva that Nara was having medical problems, and the next day we went over and found out she was having seizures during the night. Poor Neiva, barely slept and was super sad. We explained that after baptism the Holy Ghost helps to comfort people, and as we were teaching Nara had another seizure!!! We ran in there and gave her a blessing and she stopped!!! She hasnt had a seizure since! (What a miracle, honestly I love that I get to see so many miracles!). But Neiva was pretty upset, and we asked if she would want to be baptized on the 13 so that she could have the Holy Ghost comfort her, and she became extremellllllly excited and said yes!!!! 

So Elder Menezes baptized her this Saturday, and she was so happy. She said thank you my sons for showing me the truth, and it made me feel amazing! The next day on my birthday, I gave her the gift of the Holy Ghost, and she satrted to cry becasue she felt so happy. Ahhhh she is amazing!!! And we are teaching her grandaughter who wants to be baptized on Saturday, but we need to talk to her mom!

So that was awesome, about Oscar, we found out that he really has no intention of coming to church or anything about God... He lied to us about stopping smoking, and so that kinda stunk. He was awesome. But we can only invite as missionaries, we cant force him. Pretty sad. But yeah.

About Regiane, she told us last week that she didnt want to go to church anymore. We didnt know why, and I was pretty upset, but this week we talked to her and found out that she still wants to go and knows that its true, but her husband doenst want her to go. We are going to work with him and help her to come to church! 

Oh I almost forgot! We started teaching an English class!!! We talked to this school, and now we are filling in for an actual professor haha... Theyll let anybody be a professor here... haha but yeah!! Super cool! We only do it once a week, but so far so good!

Anyways, yesterday for my birthday we woke up and had a mini party, and Elder Wilkinson gave me a piece of leftover pizza which was an amazing gift! We went to church and at night we had dinner with Jean and Bianca, the second counselor to the bishop that is super awesome! Every Sunday night we have dinner with him, but he gave me a pair of Grêmio (a soccor team) socks and my friend Lucian that is leaving on his mission on Thursday gave me a little Rio Grande do Sul case to wear on my belt for money and things like that! But anyways thats my week! I hope you all are well! Thanks for everything!!!