95th Week Out, Week 5 Horizonte, "We Baptized on Christmas!"

Dear Family and Friends,

                This week was the best Christmas ever!  To start of the week we had a Secret Santa with our entire zone and celebrated Christmas! Then 1 of the missionaries in my house went home. He wasn’t actually an Elder. He was just a member filing in for one, He lives here in Ceara, and my mission president sent him home to be with his family for Christmas and the new year and he won’t be coming back. So now I am in a Trio! Elder Rands is now with us! He is an American from Missouri. He has 1 year and 2 months on the mission. Christmas morning I made cookies! We baptized on Christmas!!!! I’m never going to be able to do that again! We baptized a boy named Gabriel and a woman named Marta! We have been working with her for a month now! She was literally a miracle! We met her 1 day walking down the road and we just felt prompted to talk with her. After the first lesson she told us that she felt really good about our visit, she said it brought her happiness she had never felt before. We found out the she had an addiction to drugs so she kept going to church but she wasn’t able to be baptized because she was addicted. Over time we were able to help her be free from this drug and she gave it up! Then to top it all off Saturday night before her baptism a bunch of people from another congregation showed up at her house telling her lies about Mormons, talking bad about us, putting pressure on her to not be baptized. Our branch president happened to be walking by the front of her house when this was happening (because they live on the same road) and he heard them talking bad about us, creating lies. Sunday afternoon at church he showed up to us and informed us of his discovery, and he explained his concern that he did not think she would be baptized today after all that he had heard. But sure enough, Sunday afternoon Marta showed up at church and was super excited for her baptism! This woman is powerful! She is an example to me! She has a daughter and 2 sons. She is divorced and cares for the family all by herself. She has a small humble 1 room house that they ALL 4 live in. she has a rent of $100 Reais (which is $35 dollars) for month because she can’t afford anything much expensive. She makes a living selling “doce de mamão”. It’s so sad sometimes to see how people are living here, but she doesn’t complain! She is happy with her life! It really opens up my eyes! I am so much more grateful for my life, I never would have known or understand the depth of the gratitude I need, if it weren’t for my mission here in Brasil! We all should be much more grateful for the blessing our heavenly father has given us! I hope that the focus of our Christmas this year was Jesus Christ and not Santa Clause! I thank you for all the love and support!

Impressions of Horizonte Brasil

-Christmas is not a really big deal here, it’s rare to find Christmas lights on houses, and I have never saw seen real Christmas tree here in Brasil. Basically people don’t have money to buy Christmas presents.

94th Week Out, Week 4 Horizonte, "No Water in the City for 3 Days"

Dear family and friends,

Another great week! This week we had our mission conference for Christmas! This week there was no water in the city for 3 days… sooooo that stunk… we couldn’t take a shower.... I was called to give a talk in our branch this Sunday, my companion was called to be the other speaker haha. We had a baptism this week for a boy named Breno! He is 15 years old. I think Breno would be my name in Portuguese. Anyways This is how we found him; We contacted a man in the road one day and we marked with him to pass by his home 1 day and leave a message, then we went to his house and met his little brother and we started teaching his little brother as well and 1 day when we were teaching his little brother Breno showed up! Breno was very cool! Accepted all of our invites! He loved church last week! Saturday he was interviewed to be baptized and we found out that before we started teaching him he was atheist. I know that in missionary work there’s always a purpose! I know that sometimes people will not accept our invites but maybe heavenly father put that person in our path because he know someone that we need to know that’s looking for the truth. I love you all and wish everyone a FELIZ NATAL!!!!

Impressions of Horizonte Brasil

-The water that comes out of the faucet is brown because of how much chlorine they put in the water! And many times the city will cut the water without warning anyone!

93rd Week Out, Week 3 Horizonte, "Taught over 50 lessons this week and 13 came to church Sunday!"

Dear family and friends, This week Elder Tozin and I did a made a BUNCH of new investigators! 100 actually! 13 of these people came to church with us Sunday! We have made a goal to meet 1,000 people in my last 2 transfers! We only need to meet 849 more people! We are just using our time to the maximum! We taught over 50 lessons this week! We also made a HUGE map of our area this week! We had to print out over 200 sheets of papers to make it! We are going to know this area like no one knew before! I found out my 1^st companion Elder Hwang, who trained me, started his mission here! Our goal is for this branch to be a ward before I go home! Let’s see if we can do it! I thank you for all the love and support!

Impressions of Horizonte Brasil

-I was in the city bus looking out the window and I was passing down a mainstreet (with many people) and a man just pulled down his pants and started peeing on the sidewalk in front of everyone! WOW

92nd Week Out, Week 2 Horizonte, "Branch Meets in a Storehouse"

Dear Family and friends! This week was great with Elder Tozin he is the best companion I have ever had on my mission! I don’t know If I mentioned But before when I had known elder Tozin 6 months ago we had always wanted to be companions! So we are both stoked!!! I wouldn’t have had it any other way! Here in Horizonte it’s not a ward. It’s a branch that meets in a storehouse! Some of you will get a kick out of our little church building here! And church here on Sundays is 4:00 in the afternoon! Until 7:00 at night! Theres no paved roads here its all rocks! This week we had to travel to a house here in our zone to clean it up because elders were coming to open up a new area! It’s been a while since elders have been in that house we went to clean because the area had been closed without elders! When we got there were plants growing inside the house DANG! It took us a whole day to clean that house up! But I am doing well! Thank you for all your love and support!!!

                Impressions of Horizonte Brasil

-it doesn't rain in the winter! Its just hot hot hot! 24-7 365 days a year!