Cariacica - Week Four

 My comp and I went to the beach!

Not really.  We had to come to this beach city to do an interview.

There isn't anyone at the beach because in Brazil, it's WINTER!

All right, so here's what's going down this week. So we had a lot to do in the zone this week. It was really rushed.

So about the zone, its pretty dang big. It's the biggest in the mission. We have 23 missionaries, nine of them sisters. The zone has like four cities, Cariacica, Cachoeiro de Itapemerin? We just call it Cachoeiro, Anchieta, and Guarapari which are beach cities. So we have done a lot of traveling the last two weeks.

This week we went to Anchieta in the morning to do an interview with a guy named Wesley. He was baptized this Saturday.

As an LZ, I have to call a lot of people. That is about it. haha. No, we do some training at the start of the transfer, that's why we had two zone meetings. We had to do it in two different cities.

This week we found a lot of people to teach. The zone baptized a lot this week as well. We could have had more, but we faced some setbacks.

We found one guy who was just prepared for us. It was really funny. His name is Edilson. We did a contact with him in the street. He's only 16 but had gone to church once by himself and really liked it, but never went back. That same day we went and taught him, his brother, and 18 year old that lives there, and Edilson's mom. It was really good. In the upcoming weeks they will be baptized. =)

We worked hard this week.

Sorry I don't really have anything super cool to share this week.

Thanks for everything fam. I'll be home soon.

Cariacica - Week Three

Well, I have noticed that I have grown a lot here on the mission. One thing that I have learned on the mission, I always thought that the mission would make you a different person. That's always what everyone says, “oh you come back different!” But what I have come to realize on the mission is that you don't change. You are still you. What the mission does is kinda filter out the parts about you that aren't that good, and helps the good things, (a.k.a. Christlike attributes) become more apparent in your life. And that's how I've changed.

One of the big things that I have come to realize as well, Like the children's songbook says, "by this shall men know ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (I guess that’s in the scriptures, too!) I have really tried to apply that in my life. I know that I'm still not perfect. I'm still the same person, just a better version of me. =)

This week we had zone meeting twice. My companion and I had to travel to another city, it was like a 3-hour ride there and back, but it was a really great meeting. The Spirit was there really strong.

Toward the end of my mission I am really learning to recognize the influence of the Spirit, the moment that he is present. And that really helps in the lessons. Our investigators know that they are feeling the Spirit too. It's really good.

We have a few investigators that are progressing, and we just got some really good references yesterday for some families that have a ton of potential.

Do you help the missionaries out? If you don't, you should. Because the work doesn't go forward really quickly without the member's help. And that's what the prophet is wanting to change. Remember Elder Anderson's conference talk: Paint a missionary tag on your heart!

We are having fun, and feeling the Spirit.

Looks like you're all having fun. If we don't do fun things when I'm around I'm leaving the family and finding another that includes me in the fun activities. haha kidding.

Love you all.  I'm doing my best here.

Cariacica - Week Two

Well, this week has gone pretty well, I guess. I'm working really hard, but we're still having a few problems here with the area, a.k.a. we don't have a big teaching pool yet. So we are walking a lot and talking to a lot of people to try and see if someone wants to talk to us.

So, last week, we helped a woman named Raquel up her hill with grocery bags. She appreciated the help, and we taught her really quickly and marked to come back. Anyway, she went to church yesterday, and she really liked it. We have been teaching her a lot, and she Knows that what we teach is true. She accepted to be baptized, but didn't want to mark a date yet. She is really awesome. And she's really using her faith because Satan is really trying to get her to not go and stuff like that. The night before going to church she had a dream and saw the church exactly how it is but people were doing weird spirit things in the chapel, and it really scared her, but she went anyway, and saw that it was nothing like what she dreamed. She was impressed by everything in the church. We have been teaching her son Felipe as well, and he will progress as well. He really likes what we're teaching him.

Other than them, we have a few new investigators, but we don't know how its going to be. I'm going to make a lot of cookies today for our zone meetings that we have to do in two different places, because the zone is really big. But its going to be good. We're going to lose a day of work in cachoeiro (another city close) to do the meetings there, but the bus ride is a few hours long. we'll spend the day doing a division with the other elders there.

We're working really hard, and the ward here is really big! I've never seen any other this big on the mission! It really helps in the bringing investigators to church part.

We also had our zone counsel this week, with president. It was pretty good. They talked a lot about how the prophet has asked to speed up the work.

I guess that's it with the mission work. We're working hard here. There are some days that I'm just super tired, but I get through it.

Love you all.

Cariacica - Week One

Well, my week has been really busy so I haven't really had time for much thinking about anything but missionary work. haha

This transfer, to my disappointment, I was called as a Zone Leader. My new companion is Elder Tavares, he's from the south of Brazil and only has 11 months on the mission, but he's really cool. We've had some really good talks about some things, and I can tell that we are going to get along. We have some of the same opinions about missionary work and about the Lord's way of leadership. So I'm kind of getting used to being a zone leader and using the chance that the Lord gave me to improve a little more before I go home. I also think that it will help me work hard until the end.

So a few things, what kind of haircut is that Zack? I can't tell if its like Mexican, or like UFC fighter . . .  Anyway, Mom, I also think that the pizza sandwich is the most effective way to eat a pizza. At least Little Caesars. Way to go Drew. Like a boss. Good job on having spiritual experiences. Now you just need to work up the personal desire to go on a mission. The Elders that are here because they want to are one step ahead of the ones that go because someone else wants them to.

Anyway, we've had a good week of work. It's actually been really spiritual. And the ward here is huge. Pretty cool.

We have been teaching a girl named Natalia, who is 15 and has been going to church for a while. She hasn't been baptized yet because her dad doesn't agree with it . . . yet. =) she told us that she had never actually received an answer about the church or the Book of Mormon. We taught a really good lesson about faith and the Spirit was really strong. I asked her if she felt a difference between before we showed up, and now. And she tried to describe how she was feeling. And I helped her see that the feelings of peace and warmth that she was feeling was the Spirit. We challenged her to pray and ask if we are representatives of the Lord and if the Book of Mormon was true. We came back the other day to follow up with her. When we asked her, she was really excited because she said she got an answer! She was happy because with the other elders she never recognized getting an answer.

We have taught some really spiritual lessons this week, and we are finding some really good people to teach. I like it here. I think it's a great area for the end. Oh and I'm in Cariacica. In a ward called Itacibá. It's a really big area, but I like it.

But yeah. I guess that's all for now. I'm doing my best, and I'm feeling the Spirit doing the Lord's work.

Have fun in the summer. It's cold(ish) at night here. Love you all.

Campos2 - Week Sixteen

Well, looks like you guys are really busy with the summer activities.

Anyway, the week went by pretty well, and we found out about transfers last night, and I'm finally getting out of Campos. unfortunately, our bus leaves at 2am in the morning tomorrow. Lame. So today is going to be really busy. That's the biggest news that I have.

This week we had a really spiritual lesson with Isla. It was one of the strongest spiritual experience that I can remember in the past weeks. We left a quick message about the organization of the church, and I bore my testimony. It was just a really good experience. I'm really happy with the progress that she has made and how her testimony of the gospel has grown.

That was basically the best thing that happened this week. We'll see what'll happen this transfer. It will probably be my last area.

Well, I guess that's it. Love you guys. Have fun with your summer activities.

P.S.  I forgot my stuff so I can't send pictures today. 

Campos2 - Week Fifteen

Making kibble--a kind of fried meat--for a service project.

Hey fam. looks like things are going great there, as always. I think Blake should have kept the punk hair. haha I guess it's pretty nice for you guys there now that summer's come. Here it's a little bipolar. There's some days that it's hot, and then others that it's a little colder.

I don't know if you've heard anything about it, but Brazil has been having some major protests here this week. It's been really incredible. I thought it was awesome. Anyway, there was little happening here in Campos, so we're all fine here.

Anyway, this week has been a little harder than the others. We are working really hard, and we're walking a lot more than normal. We've been working with those families that I told you about last time, Jefferson went to church this week, and he really liked it. He's been keeping up with the things that we left with him, and he has been keeping the word of wisdom as well. He's really excited about the help that he's getting. We'll keep helping him out this week.

Wellington didn't go to church this week because they traveled this week, but we have been able to teach him a few times this week. We talked to them a little about helping them get married, and they seemed to like the idea. They have a really good family, and I know that the gospel can do so much to make it better.

We had a baptism this week. Isla was baptized on Saturday. She is really awesome and she has a really firm testimony. She was interviewed on Tuesday, and she passed and our district leader was really surprised at how prepared she was. The day before the baptism, we found out that she stayed the night in the hospital because she had a fever or something, and our ward mission leader Andre called her to give her some support. She said that she was thinking about giving up, but after she talked to us and Andre, she decided that give up is exactly what Satan wants and that she is going to do everything to show that she is going to follow god and do what she knows is right. Well she was baptized and is really happy that she was. She told us that she knew that it was the right thing to do and that nothing else could have made her happier than being part of the church of Christ. So awesome! =)

We also had some hard news with Elba and her family, but that's part of the mission work. Not much we can do about that.

That's about it for the week. One more week before the end of transfers. We'll see if this time I'll get out of Campos.  haha

Talk  to you guys later.

Campos2 - Week Fourteen

 With Filipe

 A burned out van.

 BRAZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIL!

 Me and the comp

Hey fam, This week has been pretty good. We had to walk a LOT this week, it's kinda killer. But that's all right, because we had to walk a lot to teach some really good people! And that's the best part. We had some really good lessons this week too.

Bad news, president cancelled the fireside. LAME. But that's all right. No biggie.

All right so this week we started teaching a woman named Isla, who has had some positive contact with the church in the past, the missionaries found her, and she accepted a visit. We started teaching her this week, and she is progressing really well. The first lesson we taught about the first principles of the gospel and a little about baptism. The spirit was really strong. We asked her to say a prayer and ask if she needed to be baptized in the church of Christ. The next day we taught her again and she had a really powerful answer to her prayer, and we committed her to be baptized this week. She accepted. She also came to church this week, and she really liked it. She was amazed at how everyone received her so well. She's really excited to keep progressing in the gospel.

This Sunday we had some really great lessons with Felipe and some of his friends. He took us to teach two of his friends. The first is Wellington who came to church last week. He was really impressed with what happens at church and he really liked it. We taught him and his wife. They have a 4-year-old son too. The Spirit was really strong in that lesson too. I love pointing out when people are feeling the Spirit. It really helps them understand what they are feeling so that they can recognize it in the future. The only bad thing is that they are going to travel this week. We'll teach them on Wednesday and then only next week.

We also taught a man named Jefferson who is one of Felipe's friends. He is having a drinking problem that he wants to get over because it is destroying his relationship with his wife. We taught them with a really strong Spirit, and he wants our help. He promised to go to church this week and is really looking for some help. He is really sincere and that will do a lot for him and help him progress.

So, something that was a little fun this week was that this Sunday, I walked into church and the secretary asked how to spell my name. I asked why and he said, “Because you're going to speak today.” I said, "No I'm not, that's next week." "No, its today . . . "  "Um well they told me next week, but all right . . . "   and so I spoke in church this week. I talked about being an example as a member of the church and how we should "let our light shine forth" so that others can be led to the truth. It turned out pretty good, for a talk that was prepared in like 5 minutes. haha

That's about it for the weekly report. Happy father's day dad. Hope you had a good time. I'll buy an In n Out shirt for you when I get home . . .  maybe. ha.

The littles are so tall! It's going to be weird coming home. I always knew that I was going to be the shortest in the family. Except for Mom and Darcy. haha

Anyway, my comp cut my hair this morning.  It actually turned out pretty good. Especially because it was free. So yeah.

Hey Drew.  I like your music. Keep it up bro. That's one thing that I wish I had done. Dedicated myself to something that means something to me. But when I come back my music will be better than yours. =P and looks like you'll have to use your money to buy yourself a uke, cuz I'm taking mine. =) Love you bro! Oh and uh, being a waiter actually gets some pretty good money. Just don't go to like fast food places. Islands would be a good kind of place. You could also try getting a job at the mall or something like that. Sales bro. just go for it. Do your best. Something is better than nothing, so don't be too picky about your first job. And uh, be prepared for your mission! Love you man. I'm looking forward to hanging with you a bit when I get home.

Confederations cup started this week with Brazil vs Japan. The city stopped a bit.

Love you all! I'm doing my best, and we are doing a really good work here. =)
That's about it I guess. Ate mais!