Prisoners of Azkaban

Everyday here I become more and more grateful for my friends and family back home. While you're out here trying to help people, you see a lot of people struggle and see a lot of people going through trials of their own. It brings me introspection about my trials and struggles and just how much the gospel has blessed my life. I see people who are held prisoner to their own addictions which stops them from changing their lives and stops us from helping them make the changes necessary to help their family. Addiction to anything whether it be drugs, alcohol, pornography etc. really does block people from their full potential and stops them from becoming the best person that they can be. We've been given agency from God and the option to make choices and when we do things that are addictive we choose to give away this sacred gift. It really is super sad to see throughout my area the people who call out for help, who we try to help, but can't because we can't choose for them to stop drinking or whatever it is that they are doing...

On a completely separate note, this week was a good one! We got a lot of work done! We are constantly making contacts with people on the road and giving them handout cards. We have some pretty steady investigators as well. We had one lady ask for a pamphlet at a stoplight, which I thought was super strange, but I mean, I'll give out pamphlets to everyone who wants one! We had one investigator ask why we don't have the gold plates and then they basically explained it on their own using verses in the bible. She talked about Moses and the ten commandments and used a verse in Hebrews 11:1 (SHOUT OUT to Abby Bernard for showing this verse to me before my mission). It was a pretty neat experience for me cause it just strengthened my testimony of how well the Bible and the Book of Mormon support each other. 

In other news I'm becoming more and more fluent everyday! This Sunday I had to do a division with my companion and some people in the ward to get all the investigators to church that wanted to come. So, I was on my own in the Portuguese speaking world in Brazil! Surprisingly I was able to hold my own in a small conversation (it took some time) BUT I DID IT! It was a real confidence booster to know that I can speak with people if they talk slowly! I couldn't have learned this much without the help of a loving Heavenly Father and the gift of the Holy Spirit helping me to learn this language! I love you all! Hope you have a great week! 

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardary

I don't know if you all know yet, but I really love Harry Potter! So sorry about all the references, hahaha! This week I am finally starting to understand the work and understand this new world that I've been placed in. The people aren't all speaking gibberish that I don't understand, at least not ALL of them are! I can slowly, very slowly respond now!. Elder Shawkey and I have some investigators now and they are so full of hope. We marked 3 baptisms this last week and we are hoping to keep them all set. Two of them are boys ages 10 and 12 who really really want to be baptized and are super smart, but we have to get permission from the parents who are both very set in their ways. The other baptism we have set is for a mom of a member who we love sosososo much. She is the nicest lady and is always smiling when we teach. Her family is super excited for her to get baptized and it is amazing to be part of that happiness too! God loves all his children in a way we cant comprehend and as a missionary I get a very small taste of that love for the people we are serving. The language is coming along and the gifts of the spirit are very real! I can testify of the gift of tongues and all it has done the past 2 weeks for me here in Natal. I can speak Portuguese more now than I ever thought was possible. I can understand about two thirds of what everyone is saying around me. I've only been here 2 weeks and there is no way I could do this without the help of the Holy Spirit. This is the best work in the world to be apart of! I am so glad to be apart of this magical world. Hope everyone has a great week!  

Here are some pictures from the week!

1st: My first set of companions at the MTC

2nd: My second set of companions at the MTC

3rd and 4th: Us at the beach

Out of the frying pan and into the fire!

Oi! I finally made it here to Natal and my companion is great! His name is Elder Shawkey and he is from Orange County, California. We get along really well which is really awesome. Its been nuts trying to understand everything that's going on all around me in Portuguese but I am learning! Everyone here is super nice and talks slower when I'm around so I can understand more or less...mostly less, but hey its only been a week so I'LL GET THERE! This week we've been doing a lot of contacting everyone we see on the road because we are opening a new area called Nova Parnamiri in Natal. 
Its really hot and humid here everyday, but there is a very nice wind chill around these parts. The part I'm in is actually pretty wealthy for Brazil and all my meals have been amazing! The people in the ward here are really really nice and provide for my gluten allergies, so I am super blessed here, that is for sure! The mission president is super cool! He speaks very little English, but with my Portuguese skills and his English skills we can have a slow conversation. Everything is going well, its been a long week because we've been doing a lot of the leg work for this new area. We are making contacts and walking all around our area trying to talk to everyone in sight to find some investigators. A lot of people are out of town for Carnaval, so the investigators the other missionaries had already contacted are all out of town, so its all footwork for us. The work is hard, but its worth every step. Hopefully this next week we will have some more investigators and find some more contacts!!! I cant send pictures from where I am...so sorry!!! I'll find a better place to email from next week!!! WAIT, I found a way!!! The 1st picture is of Natal, 2nd is me and my comp and 3rd is my District at the MTC celebrating Elder Barros birthday! I'll send more next week!!

Natal!

Week # 5 3/4

I just made it here in Natal and it reminds me a lot of the climate of California! And it looks a lot like Australia, so that's pretty neat.  Everything is going well and I am breathing. Thanks for all the support ! This is where it starts to get difficult! I'll write again soon!

The Boy Who Lived!

February 2, 2018

Week #5

This week was the last week in the MTC! I'm finally going out to Natal! I'm super excited and soooo ready to get out of the MTC. Its nerve racking and I don't know the language SUPER well, but I WILL SURVIVE!!! These past 5 weeks have been crazy and such a great experience for me to grow. Its weird thinking that I wont be getting up and going to classes to learn Portuguese anymore. I've just got to talk talk talk. I'm sure I'll learn quickly and have a blast once I get there though!

This week we had to go to the police station and get our fingerprints done and a whole bunch of identification done here in Brazil for whatever reason. Let me tell you, it is not just the US government that works slowly! Taking about 50ish missionaries to do that...man it took forever!!! We've been memorizing soooo much stuff here and its been super hard to keep up with all the stuff I've got to memorize, but I'm doing it! Its sad that I'll be leaving my instructors here at the MTC cause they are super fun, but I'll be emailing them too about my adventures up north in Natal. Also one our instructors is trying to get a visa to the USA for school and to learn English and I think he is going to college here to first to learn more English, even though his is already stellar! Then he is going to be going to BYU! Hopefully he does! So who knows, maybe I'll be able to see him again! 

This week has been pretty nice now that I'm used to the MTC life, but its all going to change for me here in a second! Today was the last day at the temple which was sad cause I can't go for 2 years, but I'll be doing the Lord's work so, I mean, I guess that's a fair trade. I love all of the people here and its strange how everyone gets along when we have a single purpose in mind. We are blessed in more ways than we realize! Talk to you when I get to Natal (and hopefully this time with some pictures) Tchau!