Mission Week 9

Christmas season is right around the corner! there are many decorations up here in Brazil and Santa Claus going around The city in a big bus full of lights blasting music and Santa driving firetrucks with a train of motercycles of cars honking. Super happy people and its funny to see Santa Parading the streets. 

BIG NEWS! I Bought a Guitar!! Super hyped about that and hope to play Christmas songs with people. I love playing the Guitar. Music has a Power to it that can corralate directly and work with the spirit.

We finished teaching Pastor all the Lessons and He was Baptised on sunday!! He was a new man in the meetings prior to his baptism. He was Beaming with a smile that could be seen for miles. He was soo happy. A changed man who had a change of heart and found The one thing that brings true joy. He now could enjoy the true joy of the gosple. Very happy day and he even brought his mom who we had never been able to reach! She had seen her son change for the better. She wanted to feel this happiness and joy she could see now in her son, so we will be teaching her soon.

It is Crazy how many people we met randomly had such a powerful expeirience. We would share a prayer with them and share a short spiritual message and many times they would tear up and they felt somthing. They felt the spirit, but they also felt peace and hope! It felt soo good to share this hope and feelings with them. 

Zone conference was dope, lots of missionaries and friends came together. It was fun to see everybody! But we didnt do anything after haha apperantly our President does it a little different and doesnt want to do games and stuff after zone conferance becuase we can use that time for missionary work. Valid reason i guess haha, cant argue with that. 

Oh ya a little random but as we were walking through nieborhoods some guy passed us in a car honking and yelling "Go back to yo country boy!" Pretty weird but funny. 

We had an exchange with a missionary named Elder Woolley. Was pretty dope and got to learn from a slightly different perspective and they were both training me. as we went about the day we bought some waters at a gas station and continued on our way, a few moments later a man on a motercyle pulled over honked and smiled, said a few words we couldnt hear and handed us money to cover the cost of the drinks we had just gotten! Definitely one of the other 3 Nephites, jkjk. Super nice dude! During this day i did an English fast, it was super difficult becuase i still dont know a lot of words but i did it, and it helped me improve a ton! 

We had the opportunity to visit the Curitiba Temple! It was awesome! Soo many missionaries that i know were there including some of my good friends in from the CTM! 

I dont know what it is about people on motercycles stopping us but it is awesome! Another random person pulled over as we were walking to speak with us. He said he needed to return back to church and he wanted it for his family as well and that he was a lost inactive member, but he saw us and realized he needed to come back. Super cool.

I had my first chance to cut someones hair! We borrowed a haircutting kit and tried to get to work with the buzzer and atachment for length on the sides. We had a little success but it was not working too well. It wasnt cutting the hair very well. So i grabbed my scissors off my desk and a comb said a quick prayer to not kill his hair and mess it up, and i got to work. We didnt have a lot of time but somehow i managed to quickly cut it and even it out. I was pleasently surprised that it turned out alright haha.

We have continued to find many more investigators by public contacting and knocking doors. By the way instead of knocking doors here we just clap. Lil different. We have had pretty normal people up until this one house. It was such a cool looking house! It looked like a log cabin design but modernized and decorations everywhere and statues in the yard. The lady who answered heard that we were missionaries for the Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints and to our surprise welcomed us right inside! The inside was even more intresting, cool and stange than the outside! There were statues and paintings and more crazy things that looked legit like artifacts. NOT JOKING! It looked like they robbed some local museum. The whole house was covered and every surface. It was like the place was an ancient house. She sat us down on the couch and called her whole family down to hear us. it felt a little off though. We taught the restoration and the grandpa started crying and getting super emotional. Halfway through he asked us to pray for him so we did. We continued to teach about Peter, James and John visiting Joseph Smith to restore the preisthood but i think the family did not understand. The grandpa lost it and was balling and got down on his knees bowing to us asking for forgivness. The family calmed him down and sat him on the couch and they still did not understand. They legit thought that we were Peter, James and John in the flesh visiting them. The mom started crying and stuff. We tried to close it up and finish and ended with a prayer. The family really wanted to have us come back and learn more but we felt pretty uncomfortable about it. We just put on a smile and said bye. The crazy thing was that if we had invited them too be baptized right then and there they would have done it 100%. They thought we were angels sent to visit them. It was wild. But we are sending the other Elders to try to teach them. 

I had the Rare oppurtunity to teach someone in English! Our friend in the ward had a friend and so we taught him and it was awesome! I was able to actually say what was on my mind becuase it was English! Felt the spirit super strong and powerful and I am super excited to be able to do that more and share more of myself in the future, but in Portugues. I know i will get it.

A few things that are a little diffrerent here in Brazil than home i have forgotten to add in other letters becuase they just feel normal now. One is that there are stray dogs everywhere you have to be wary of. Gotta Hang dry your cloths which is relatively normal just no dryers. And ya Lunch is the main meal of the day instead of dinner. 

During the week i came up withh this Story/analigy/idea/symbolism i dont really know what to call it but i though it was cool. I'll share in in Portugues and in English.

PORTUGUÊS 

O Livro de Mórmon é a pedra angular do Evangelho de Jesus Cristo. E literalmente a chave! Você pode segurar esta chave fisicamente em sua mão! Mas para virar esta chave e usá-la você tem que ler O Livro de Mórmon. Então leia! Depois de girar a chave, você ainda precisa abrir a porta, orando sinceramente e ouvindo o Espírito Santo. E para passar pela porta você deve agir de acordo com a resposta e a revelação pessoal que recebe do Espírito.

INGLES

The Book Of Mormon is the keystone of the Gosple of Jesus Christ. And quite literally the key. You can hold this key physically in your hand! But in order to turn this key and use it you have to read The Book Of Mormon. So read it! After you have turned the key you still need to open the door. To open the door you must sincerely pray and then listen to the Holy Ghost. And to walk through the door you must act on the answer and personal revelation you receive by the Spirit. 

I know that this Gospel of The Church Of Jesus Christ is true. I know that you can know of its truth too by using this key, The Book Of Mormon. And by the power of the Holy Ghost you may know the truth of all things!

God is good yall he is soo good.

Deus è Bom! Deus è Ótimo!

Until next time

-Tchau!