Runaway Baptism

Hey guys! Another great week in Brazil with so many miracles and a lot of strange experiences as usual. 

Experiences this week:

- Had district council earlier in the week and it was amazing. That day we had so much success in the district. My comp is an elite DL

- So many people on horses just flying past us on the road out of nowhere

- Two great member meals this week (I still can eat rice and beans every day of the week)

- We are back in our broken house and the roof is still just sitting on the ground

- All the dogs are on edge in the streets so I've just been walking around with a rock in hand sometimes

- Cristiano was supposed to be baptized yesterday but he ended up running away from his home at 7:00am because he didn't feel like he was ready (bro coulda just had a grown up conversation with us) but it's okay. We're definitely not giving up on him. Addiction is a real thing. He really wants to be baptized he's just not quite ready.

- Stepped in dog poop probably 2 or 3 more times this week

- An old guy in our ward named Calé answered a FaceTime in the middle of taking the sacrament and started chatting it up with someone for 2 minutes straight even after people told him to hang up. He can't hear very well so he was literally yelling

- A guy we stopped to talk too casually pulled out three capsules of cocaine from his pocket mid conversation

- A Macumba house tried to lure us into their home to share a message and they had little figurines, a black veil and candles lit, and they were all dressed in white dress type things. They kept emphasizing that their door was open and we should share a message inside. Very wild. 

- Still trying to catch a chicken

- Had the AP's sleeping in our house for three days

Spiritual thought: 

I've been thinking about Alma 32:28 where it talks about our testimonies and our faith being a seed and if we nourish it, it will grow into a large tree with roots anchored deep into the ground. A tree also grows stronger when it is hit with wind or with trials. I love this analogy because it takes daily care and also difficulties to strengthen and grow a testimony. Reading the Book of Mormon, praying with real intent and a sincere heart every day, and attending the temple are so important to growing your testimony. Im so sad that I won't be able to go to the temple during these next two years but it makes me so grateful that they are in the process of building one here in Santos because there is so many blessings that come with going to the temple. 

Love you all so much and keep sending emails! I love hearing from yall! Keep taking care of your seeds of faith!

Roofs Are Just a Suggestion

 Messanger: I am not allowed to have messanger here so if you have been trying to send a message, you will just have to email me. 

Opaaaa! Todo bem!

This has actually been the most insane week of my life. I literally have only had 3-4 regular days of missionary work and the rest have been either a division because of circumstances or something else insane happens. 

- On Tuesday we had a great member meal and had an Orbees gun fight after but Elder Guerrero and I ended up stepping in a massive pile of dog poop and it got on both of our pants and our shoes so I had to go home and change real quick. That was mad unfortunate. 

- Wednesday we had an amazing Zone Conference but we had to wake up at 3:00am and then drive 4 hours which was brutal but I got to lead the Zone in the missionary purpose which was fun! I learned so much about how I can teach better and how I should approach teaching to invite the spirit more. We finished the conference at about 5:00pm and then got back to our house at 9:30 so it was literally a full day of conference and travelling.

- Thursday is when it got actually insane. I woke up and had a normal morning with working out, eating, showering, and then Elder Rowlan and I started our planning and studies. In the middle of our daily planning, we hear a creak outside, we look out our window and the outside roof thing, and then we watch as it absolutely CRASHES to the ground!!! Elder Rowland and I just stared at each other in shock for like 20 second. We walked out and just stared at the disaster sitting there in front of us. We called the secretaries and they told us to pack up our stuff because we were moving out of our house! We had about 20 minutes to pack up our entire house and then move to the ZL's house which is pretty small and now we have 6 elders so Elder Rowland and I are on matresses on the ground in the other Elders rooms. Absolutely insane but now I get some dope stories for my kids one day.

 Friday I did a split with Elder Slaton and it was crazy. We talked with Yvonne and she said she read the pamphlets and knew that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that all other churches don't have the fullness of the truth and this is the one true church on the Earth! It was so amazing. That same day we met a guy that was Atheist, Anti-American, was a Socialist and believed Jesus Christ was the first socialist, and had a newspaper from the day 9/11 happened but from the Brazil newspaper. Also saw a toilet in the middle of the road, and a random guy sped behind us on a horse in the middle of the road

Saturday I watched a group drug deal happen right in front of me where a guy opened his backpack and 20ish people ran up holding reais (cash) and grabbed a mysterious white powder and ran away. 

Sunday was great. We had Yvonne at church and a ward conference. It was so amazing. We had a great lunch as well (I could eat rice and beans every day of my life) and played games at a members house that night. 

Today is P-day and I have to move all my stuff to a new place now!!! I love packing up all my stuff in 20 minutes every other day!

Absolutely wild week but I saw the Lords hand so much as well. 

Spiritual Thought:

I've been thinking about the power of the priesthood this week as we did a blessing on the house of a man we are trying to baptize named Cristiano. His wife is already baptized and they have 6 kids in a tiny house with 4 kids. Elded Rowland and I sat down on the couch and it sunk all the way to the ground, it was hiladious. We were having a lesson with the family and it felt hectic. The kids were running around and screaming, the dad was getting mad at the kids, there dogs kept running in and out and it was hard to focus. We did the blessing and immediately it felt more peaceful. We finished the lesson and the dad accepted a baptism date. He is trying to quit smoking and drinking right now as well and his wife bore testimony that after receiving the gift of the holy ghost it was so easy to quit. The priesthood is so powerful when you are worthily holding it. The power of God can work miracles and the work of the Lord could not move forward without it. Im so grateful for Joseph Smith and his faithfulness and bravery in restoring the church.

Sorry my email is so long but it was too crazy of a week to not make it long, probably one of the most crazy weeks of my life. I wouldn't have it any other way here. I literally think I've had 3 normal days in my 12 days here. 

Love you all and don't be afraid to reach out!

BRASILLL 🔥🔥🔥

 Area: Porto Novo

Companion: Elder Rowland

Unfortunately I am not allowed to have anyone on my Google Photos album and I cannot join anyone else's photo album either so I'm just going to attach a few photos to my emails.

I aí carasss!!! 

First week in Brazil and wowww this place is amazing. I have never met so many people that are willing to hear messages about Jesus Christ. They are so open and friendly. We had one day where we taught 13 lessons, had 7 people say they would work toward a baptism date and we put 1 man named Marcos on date! 

My trainer Elder Rowland is actually amazing. Im learning so much and the language is coming along. I can understand some of the natives here and most all of the missionaries. I've had so many opportunities to teach and see the Gift of Tongues as well. 

 Highlights 

- as soon as we walked out of the airport, a lady stopped me and we talked about missionary work for a while and then she gave me her number so I could get her in contact with the elders near her! 

- our van broke down on the way to Santos so we sat at a police station for and hour and a half until we got picked up by another van

- saw a capybara

- saw the Santos FC training facility across from where the temple is being built

-We're in the northern most part of the mission and it is beautiful

- Had dinner at a members house and it was amazing. We ate dinner at a table made out of a barrel and a literal door

- it's been raining the 2 days

- Tried Acai

- I got to recite the First Vision in a lesson

Spiritual Thought:

I have been thinking about the sacrament this week a lot and why it is so important that we take it every week. The sacrament reminds us of Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that he made on our behalf. He didn't have to do it but he chose to do it. When he suffered in the garden of Gethsemane, he thought of all of us to give him strength to push through his anguish. When we are struggling, we need to look to him for find strength. We were teaching a lesson yesterday about the restoration to a less active member and at the end of the lesson she said that she felt like there was something missing in her life the past few months because she had not been to church and she said she would go this Sunday. The sacrament is so important to remember our covenants and remember our Savior. 

Love yall so much and hope you're all doing so great! Send me emails and keep me updated! 

I'M OFF!!!! Brazil Here I Come...

 

ha ha ha :)

Gavin saw Drake Allen at the airport!  He saw him across the way and yelled "Go Aggies!"  

Drake came over to talk to him, what a cool guy!

Last Week Pictures from the MTC....