42nd Week Out, 22nd week in Juazeiro, Fortaleza

SOOOO transfers came...... and I did get transfered.... Im now a Zone leader here in Juazeiro so looks like I get to stay a little bit longer!!! Oh im so happy I just love this people here! Im so blessed to be able to stay! And im excited to my new responsibilities as a Zone leader! we have a super nice phone now, usualy everyone other than zone leaders has terrible phones. So Im not about that terrible phone life any more! My companions name is Elder Azevedo hes a Native Brasilian from Sao Paulo. He has 2 transfers left in his mission, he might end it here with me. He was my zone leader before, We lived in the same house! so I just moved upstairs in our Huge house. Did I mention we have a HUGE house here, in fact its the nicest house in the mission and EVERYONE knows it! why because whenever the mission has conferences they will be held either here in Juazeiro or all the way in Fortaleza so for a mission conference theres a lot of missionaries that need a place to stay for the night so they will stay in our house theres like 12 beds and spots for like 10 hammocks, 4 bathrooms. We literally have the nicest house all to ourselves now! my companion Elder Correa was transfered to fortaleza and they wont be sending more Elders to our house for now. When I got here with elder Hwang there was 6 elders staying in this house and there was still plenty of room. But 2 areas of elders were closed here, now its JUST me and Elder Azevedo! and our area is HUGE because we took on the area of the other elders that left its like 2 hours by foot ( missionary speed) to get from one side to the other. its great we have plenty of people to teach! We had a baptism for this week for a man nammed Reginaldo, this man moved his life 100%. In the begining he was drinking smoking, etc but now we always pass by his house and run into him reading the book of mormon! he has been free of drugs and alcohol for a couple weeks and has no desire to go back. He was so happy the day of his baptism! He was allready baptized in the catholic church and it was hard for him to understand why he needed to be baptized again? As it says in John 3:5 only he that is born of water (baptized) can enter the kindom of God. I know that ONLY and I mean ONLY the church of Jesus Christ Of latter Day Saints has the authority to baptize people so they can enter the kingdom of god. Anyone can know for themselves that THIS IS the church of Jesus Christ and that we have the authority to baptize EXACTALY how Jesus christ was baptized by John the baptist. Pray and ask heavenky father for yourself, thats how I know.I love my life, I love this gospel, I KNOW KNOW KNOW it to be true! and nothing or noone can take this knowledge from me! I love you all and thank you for all your love and support!

Impressions of Brasil:

-whenever you ask people here whats new in their life? they almost always respond with "Its super HOT here" or "Its hot isnt it"?

I lost a good amount of weight when I was sick so I will be eating a lot to gain it back!

41st Week Out, 21st week in Juazeiro, Fortaleza

Dear family and friends;

Transfers should come today so your going to have to wait till next week to see if I stay here.  As for this week..... well I don't have anything to talk about and that's because... I was sick all week.  I was SOOO bummed.  I was home for 4 days!  And as a missionary you don't have no smart phone to sit on or television to watch.  I caught a virus/ Infection but I'm all better now so MOM you don't need to worry!  The people in the hospital here took good care of me!  I'm great and looking extra forward to getting back to work this week!

Impressions of Brasil

People have cloth lines in the streets here! like everyone just leaves their clothes in the front of their houses!

-During church everyone uses like a paper or something to fan themselves because its so hot!

Address:

Rua Republica da Armenia 765

Agua Fria

60821-760 Fortaleza-CE

Brazil

On an IV in the Hospital

These monkeys are everywhere here!

This is right near our house..... just nothing haha

This is what everyone makes their houses out of here, these bricks that are hollow and weak!
but they make everything with these!

40th Week Out, 20th week in Juazeiro, Fortaleza

Dear family and Friends;

This week was a special week. I now have 9 months on my mission!  Times flying!  I have had pizza for the last 4 nights!

So this week we reactivated a member here and this member wasn't just like all the others.  He was a leader in the church here, but he fell away.  We got to his house and he had just about every book, pamphlet, movie, card you name it he had it all!  He is a very intelligent man.  He was a leader in the district here which is like a counselor in the stake presidency.  He is married in the temple with his wife and has 2 little girls, but his wife and girls are all active.  Just him that went inactive.  We stopped by and we talked with him.  Me and Elder Correa knew we didn't know as much doctrine as him so we went in and simply bore our testimonies how we KNOW this church is true.  The spirit in that lesson was so strong! I know he felt is as I looked at this man tears running down his face.  He thanked us so much for stopping by, and Sunday he was a church with his wife and 2 little girls!

This Sunday I also had the opportunity to watch my recent convert Cicero baptize 2 of his kids; Rafael (25years old) and Fernanda (9 years old).   We have been teaching his family about eternal families and that it's our goal for them to be sealed together 1 day in the temple!  I know that ONLY through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, families can be together forever!  This is why I came, this is why I'm here.  Oh how lucky am I to have these experiences.

Thank you all for all your love and support!

Impressions of Juazeiro Brasil

- People here don't stop at stop signs, they just honk when their getting close to let you know their going!

Address:

Rua Republica da Armenia 765

Agua Fria

60821-760 Fortaleza-CE

Brazil

(Note mail in Brazil is regulated as you might have heard, packages and even letters have a high chance of being opened if you do not cover the letter or package in pictures of Jesus and Catholic Mary. Shipping takes about a month time sometimes longer.

-- 

Elder Brennen Horton

elderbrennenhorton.blogspot.com

39th Week Out, 19th week in Juazeiro, Fortaleza

This week we had a baptism for a man named Janio!  He is a midget and is 21 years old!  He is such an amazing man!  He reminds me of the midget from the film "17 miracles" literally!  Cicero was confirmed this Sunday and also recieved the Arronic Priesthood!  I did an exhange with my district leader Elder Larson and that day everyone rejected us! haha people were like... "YOU? You are a representative of Jesus Christ? um no!"

I know I am a representative of Jesus Christ and I know this is his church.  As Joseph Smith said, "This is his message and not mine."  Jospeh smith suffered so much more persecution than I could ever suffer!  I'm so greatful for this oportunity to preach the gospel.  I KNOW its true!  I AM a representative of Jesus Christ.

Impressions of Brasil

• Brasilians Love giving Thumbs up for lost of things! its like what you see everyone doing

Address:

Rua Republica da Armenia 765

Agua Fria

60821-760 Fortaleza-CE

Brazil

(Note mail in Brazil is regulated as you might have heard, packages and even letters have a high chance of being opened if you do not cover the letter or package in pictures of Jesus and Catholic Mary. Shipping takes about a month time sometimes longer.

38th Week Out, 18th week in Juazeiro, Fortaleza

This week we had mission conference in Fortaleza with the whole mission so we had to take the 10 hour bus ride there and another 10 hours back again but it was really cool to see all the missionaries I knew! 

This Sunday Bruno was confirmed a member and he also received the Aaronic Priesthood. We had a baptism Sunday for a man by the name of Cicero. I have been working with him now for two months and he finally made the decision he wanted to be baptized. I found him one day as I was passing by houses of less actives and he had moved into the house.  He let us come in and share a message with him.  We invited him to church that Sunday and he went. After that we started passing by but it was difficult, he wasn't at church because he got a new job working as a motorcycle taxi driver.  He was on call so we couldn't never find a time he was home.  We found out that he was there in the mornings, so this week we passed by every morning, sacrificed our studies, and taught him.  He received an answer to his prayers in a dream.  His dream was that he was in a chapel (the exact chapel here which he had never seen yet).  He was looking for me but he had forgot my name.  He found me in the middle of a group of people and he said I was waving to come.  

I know he received an answer this church is true. I know he feels in his heart this church is true and asked me to baptize him this Sunday.  He has his wife and 6 kids and he is determined to bring them to the truth of this church that he now has.  I know that everyone receives answers in different ways, not everyones answer comes in a dream, mine didn't. But it definitely comes. I 'm grateful for the knowledge I have that I to KNOW this church is true.  I love you all and thank you for your love and support!

Impressions of Juazeiro Brasil

• They don't have trash cans here for the garbage man, sometimes there's small crates but just about everyone here makes a pile of trash in the middle of the road.

37th Week Out, 17th week in Juazeiro, Fortaleza

This week I got to experience miracles! 1st things first our emailing time has been changed I know only have 40 minutes to email instead of 1 hour and 30 minutes so I'm sorry if I don't email back! This week I taught English class for the first time to try and find more people to teach! I had a class of members and non members. I taught how to pray in English! So this week Our Mission President told everyone they needed to baptize this week! So me and my companion did everything possible to have 1. we worked incredible hard, fasted, and prayed for miracles. Sunday morning started the 1st miracle when 1 of our past investigators showed up at church. her name was Marcia, we had dropped her about a week ago because she didn't want to hear anymore and just doubted everything we said. We spent hours and weeks with her. She yelled at us some times and I would get up and say Marcia I'm not here to fight, I will leave if you just want to fight. I gave her a blessing, she was the first person I ever gave a blessing here in Brazil in Portuguese, I didn't even know how that day, so i had asked my companion if he knew but he didn't know either, so we were siting there looking through the missionary handbook to know what to say. Sunday at church she told us how sorry she was for all the work she put us through and she told us she had received an answer to her prayers that she knew this church was true! and she would be baptized! So that night she was baptized and we had another baptism planned that night along with her. His name is Bruno and hes 21 years old but he didn't show up for the baptism. we called him after it was 7:30 and told him we were still all ready and everyone was still here waiting for him but he said next Sunday... so we started walking home and almost got there, it was 8:00 when Bruno called us and told us he wanted to baptized tonight still, so we RAN all the way back to the church, told everyone to stay because by that time everyone was leaving, we planned another baptism and Bruno was baptized that night! the spirit was so strong! I know both of these baptisms were miracles. My faith grew so much and I know if we have faith we can do all things! I love you all and thank you for all your love and support!

Impressions of Brasil

-Every restaurant has a picture of "the last supper"

Bruno and his girlfirend who is not a member as well but she is investigating the church.

Marcia Baptism, also the first person I ever gave a blessing here in brasil in portugese

36th Week Out, 16th week in Juazeiro, Fortaleza

Hello;

This week transfer calls came and my companion was transferred.  Then I found out I would be training!  I traveled to Fortaleza by omnibus.  The trip was 10 hours there and another 10 hours back!  We had a training there and I met my companion.  His name is Elder Correa.  He is a Native Brassilian from Porto Alegre North.  He is the only member in his family!  His parents are divorced.  He is 19 years old.  I love the kid!  He has a big heart!  I'm so excited to be training already!  I know I will learn much from this experience!  

We only worked 2 days this week because we were in Fortaleza all week, but we managed to have 6 investigators at church!

I love you all and thank you for all your love and support!

Impressions of Fortaleza Brasil

• Onibuses here Double the maximum capacity of passengers! (ex maximum 100 and theres like 200 people on these buses!)

Address:

Rua Republica da Armenia 765

Agua Fria

60821-760 Fortaleza-CE

Brazil

(Note mail in Brazil is regulated as you might have heard, packages and even letters have a high chance of being opened if you do not cover the letter or package in pictures of Jesus and Catholic Mary. Shipping takes about a month time sometimes longer.