Five Months

Bom dia todo mundo,

First of all, I want to wish all of you who started school again a great year! Good luck and remember to study your scriptures too!

On Terça and Quarta (Tuesday and Wednesday) we had two different exchanges so it's been kind of a busy week. Exchanges is when we switch companions for a day. It's always fun to do something that mixes up the routine and I love seeing how other people teach. 

I had a pretty fire lesson this week that I'd like to share. It was with this lady named Rafaela. She is married to a member who reactived recently. She's super sick, already been to church, and the members love her. And she's already met the missionaries before but they moved around a couple times so it was difficult to settle into a ward. (Basically what I just described is the ideal situation for a missionary haha). The only problem is that she's pretty busy so it's difficult to schedule stuff with her. But this last week we finally scheduled a lesson with them and we had planned to teach them the Plan of Salvation.  We had heard from an inside source that Julio (her husband who ALWAYS looks angry and like he wants to punch you, seriously, look at the selfie below,) was a big softie for eternal families so you already know we were trying to tug at some heartstrings.

And the spirit in that lesson was palpable. When I got to share about the Savior's atonement I could feel the holy ghost working through me because I spoke the best Portuguese in my life. A couple times I said words that I had never said before. But yeah it was super sick and we brought the branch president too who's also a big softie for eternal families so we had a great discussion about families and how cool it is we can be together for ETERNITY. And Elder Silva and I knew the moment was right so we launched right into lesson 3 about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and baptism. So I extended the invitation to be baptized in A Igeja de Jesus Cristo and she accepted! Haha we even taught her a few of the commandments and she's pretty much ready. By far the best lesson I've had on the mission and it's incredible to see how God prepares people to accept the gospel.

My life here in Brasil is full of miracles big and small, that was one of the bigger ones here are some smaller ones:

-Elder Freitas fixed our toilet! I've been bucket flushing for about 2 months now. 

- I ate a X-Tudo for the first time. It's a burger that has literally tudo (everything) on it. Patty, cheese, tomato, lettuce, bacon, ham, egg, tiny little French fries (Batata palha), this special mayo, and even corn. I have no idea why but they put corn in random foods here haha. It was very good.

- I got a Cuia! It's a cup that you use to drink this mate called tereré. It's a big part of the mission culture here.

One more thing, if you want to find the way to a brasileiro's heart, all you gotta do is makes them my mom's baked oatmeal. Guys, my comp freaking loves it haha. The first day I made it we immediately went to the store and bought a kilo of oats so we could eat it every day haha.

I was studying chapter 1 of PMG again this week and I was reading John 15:

5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing

6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned

As disciples of Christ, we are extensions of Him. We strengthen ourselves and others through our relationship with Him. I have been helping a less active member who unfortunately believes that as a part of his spiritual journey he needs to remove himself from the church. There is only one way to remain firm in the faith and that is through Christ. We are all united as branches from the same vine. Satan wants us to feel alone and separated. He's trying to break us off from the vine. Seek daily to strengthen your relationship with Christ and help others to do the same.

I love you all have a great week!

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