Batismo de Mateus and My last full week ah!

Hello everyone for the last time...

Yep that is right, this coming week is my last full week on the mission!  I don’t expect to have an opportunity to write again before I leave.  I can’t believe it either.  It went by pretty quickly, didn’t it? I think so.

Week 99 - Batismo de Lucas Emmanuel

Hello everyone,

This week we had the baptism of Lucas. His mom is a recent-convert in Jardim Massangana (my first area in Brasil).  Lucas lives with his dad Heleno here in our area. It has been a few months that we have been teaching him and finally he had the opportunity to enter the waters of baptism. He is seriously super smart. He understands the doctrines of the gospel so easily and has acted on what he has learned. What is super cool is that his dad came to church and the baptism and he really like it. We taught his dad before, but he decided not to continue on. But now he has a whole different perspective of the Church, so hopefully we can help him to be baptized too.

Week 98 - Batismo de Adailton e Ayana

Hello all once again,

This week was pretty filled with lots of things to do. First of all we had our December mission council. That went honestly super well. It was my last council. We talked about lots of big things that are happening in the mission right now. Everything was focused on how we can get this mission moving forward and continuing to achieve higher goals.

Week 97 - Missão missão missão - Building a House

 oi

Well this has been another great week with tons of things that I won’t even have time to count. So I will be pretty quick and share some experiences.

Week 96 - Thanksgiving e Batismo de Ruan Vinscius

Hey everyone,

The weeks are passing by quicker and quicker.

This has been one of the most tiring weeks of my mission haha. But it went super super well! We had a little thanksgiving celebration eating a pizza from Dominos. That was obviously great.

Week 95 - Maria Carmélia

Hey all,

This week was filled with lots of exciting things, but I would just like to share with you guys about one investigator we are teaching named Maria Carmélia. Maria is the mother of Fernanda, one of our recent-converts who was baptized with her family.  Maria came to the baptism of her daughter and when she entered into the church, she was overwhelmed with emotions. She started to cry and came over to Elder Gasparelo and started talking with him.

Week 94 - Casamento e Batismo de Beto e Karine

Hello everyone once again,

This week was pretty fast and great. We had lots of exciting events.

On Wednesday, we had something called "Dia dos Finados" which is a holiday here every year, where people go to the cemeteries to visit their loved ones who have passed on. We got to go there again this year to teach people about the Plan of Salvation, family history work, and we also got to sing. It happened in like 10 different cemeteries here in Pernambuco. We were able to get a ton of referrals and lots of people loved the hymns.

Week 93 - O milagre do Batismo

Wow gente this week was incredible. I don’t even know where to start. 

We had so many miracles happen this week and honestly, I feel so humbled to be a part of this great work. The Lord has continually blessed our area over and over and well, I just honestly don’t want to leave here ever!

Week 92 - Plano de Salvação

This week had a ton of miracles. And sadly I don’t have time to count them all!

I feel like this week was pretty centered on the plan of salvation. We taught two different families about the plan of happiness and wow they just loved it so much. One couple we taught asked about life after death. We explained lots - from the spirit world to the Celestial kingdom. And the wife says, "wow, I have gone to so many different churches and they have never ever clarified exactly what will happen in the next life. I feel so at peace now."

Week 91 - Felicidade

Hello everyone,

I am missing my hair. But taking showers this week has been very efficient.

Yesterday was a holiday so we get to email today. Yesterday we went to Alto da Sé in Olinda with the assistants and it was the bomb.

This week we had ward conference. So with that the ward did a family home evening night and a movie night during the week. During the movie night, they played "Juntos para Sempre." This was a very 80s church film with some rocking clothing and haircuts. The movie was perfect for our investigators who went. One family that went is literally amazing. I love them so much. They are an eternal family in perspective. They loved the movie and are so excited to learn about the Plan of Salvation.

Week 90 - Batismo de Marluce e a Vida Careca

Hello all,

This week was pretty interesting. First of all, last p-day, we decided that my hair was definitely not acceptable and well I shaved it all off. haha yeah seriously. And well let’s just say, I miss my hair. a lot. But it is funny because we had mission council and all the missionaries were like "what the heck Elder Waters, what did you do?" And all the members asked if we were taken by the police or if I have lice. And everyone asks me about my scar.  That is often times funny to explain because most of the people here have never seen snow and don’t really know how sledding works.

Week 89 - A week of Adventures

Well this week has been great and strange and lots of things have happened actually.

Firstly, General Conference was awesome. When Elder Eyring got up there in the first session, I felt so good. I thought about how I have gained even more testimony and conversion since last conference. I think every missionary in the world was just like rooting on Elder Neil Anderson and Elder Oaks. Their talks were incredible and I know that missionary work is seriously only going to move forward if the missionaries and members work together.  I really hope that the members understood their message. We are all missionaries at whatever age with whatever amount of time we have in the Church. Preaching the gospel is so important.  Elder Oaks made it so easy giving lots of ideas of how to get started.

Week 88 - Batismo de Claudineide e Transferências

Hello everyone!

On Thursday was Claudineide's baptism. It went so awesome. She is so cool, I just love her so much and am so grateful to have met someone with such a sweet heart. Elder Gasparelo baptized her and her kids came to the baptism.  We are working with her kids Adailton and Ayana.  Ayana already knows that the Church is true. She just needs to take another step of faith. She is worried about her boyfriend and how he will react.  But it is just another great test of faith.

Week 87 - Fogo

Dear friends and family, (if you still read these updates)

This week went pretty chill! Today we had a p-day with President and Sister Bigelow with our whole zone about exercises.  It was really great and I made some good goals to lose weight before I get home! So you can disregard the photo of the Domino’s pizza my companion and I ordered on Saturday and the Coca-Cola limited edition I found this week lol.

Week 86 - Conselho de Missão, Mãos que Ajudem, Conferência de Zona

Hello everyone!

This past week was jammed packed with things to do. First of all, we had our mission council on Tuesday. It went super well. President Bigelow taught us about becoming one as a mission. Becoming a Zion mission and not have "ites" (4 Nephi). We talked about topics of the mission and things that needed to be resolved. 

Week 85 - Batismo de Marília

This week went ótima!

We had the baptism of Marília. She and her sister were encountered by my companion and his other companion. She has been so open and accepting to fulfilling compromissos and progressing. But her sister was like the opposite. Her sister thought she already knew what is best and right.

Week 84 - Batismo de Vanessa

hey all,

Since the temple, this week went pretty chill. We had a baptism on Saturday of Vanessa, who is the mom of a recent convert. The bishop baptized her and it went super well!

Week 83 - Jardim Brasil

 

Hello all,

This week went well in my new area! In this area it has been a lot easier to encounter new investigators, which is a plus. We also have some really amazing members that I am excited to work with. Elder Gasparelo and I are doing great. We have such a great relationship already.

Week 82 - Transferências-Zona Norte!

Hello everyone!

So I was transferred!  I was kinda expecting it because Elder Omar is in his last transfer now and President wouldn't keep me for 2 more there. I was transferred to Jardim Brazil, which is the Zona Norte. I had already served here in this zone when I served in Abreu e Lima.  We are here in Abreu e Lima right now to use the LanHouse and play some board games with the other elders. It is honestly freaky being here haha. It brings back so many memories! A lot has actually changed here since a year ago.

Week 81 - Casamento e Batismo de Rosângela e José

Hello everyone! this week was awesome!

We had the wedding and baptisms of Rosângela and Zeca (José). It seriously was amazing. I don’t think that I have worked so hard for a baptism on my mission than these. Every single thing that could´ve gone wrong, went wrong. But it all came together in the end.