Peace In Christ and The Book of Mormon.

Hello from Brazil! About two weeks ago, we were hoping, as we were walking to church, that those that we invited to attend would be able to.  We didn't know for sure if anyone would be to church, but as we got there we saw that Sandro and another man we had invited to attend! We were able to sit with both of them at church! Also, about two weeks ago we found and began to teach a man named Cezar. He has committed to stop smoking. Also, he is married. Rita, who was recently baptized wants us to visit her so that we can show her how to pay tithing. Great joy in the little things - they make me happy.
This past week we began teaching a woman named Vanilda. We knocked on her door and went out to see who it was and smiled immediately recognizing us as Sister Missionaries. She invited us to enter and we began to talk with her. All that she had in her house was her bed that we could sit on and she invited us to join her and sit on the edge of her bed. We sat down and kept up the conversation and all of the sudden we hear and feel this loud crack. The next thing we know, we are all  sitting on the floor. She did however, mention that her bed was already broken somewhat on one side. Super awkward, yet we will try and help her get a new bed or see if the missionaries or others can help get it fixed.

We found a man named Kaue that asked us to share our message with him. He said that he has been looking for a church that isn't just created to gain money; we spoke of how our church does not pay its' clergy; moreover, all those that serve in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints do so without compensation. He became more interested in learning more after talking with us for a bit. He was on his way for a vacation. We will plan to stop by his home this week to teach him more.
Cezar is doing well. Unfortunately, he is separated from his wife. When we went to his home she was there to pick up their child that sometimes stays with him. She was upset that he would not go to her church but would visit ours. Cezar said that he knew that the things we were teaching him were true and that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. We left her with an invitation to read the Book of Mormon and go to church, however she declined but when we went to visit Cezar the next day he said that she was reading the Book of Mormon and wants to come to church with us! Very exciting! The Book of Mormon changes lives!  We will try and invite them to come to church this coming Sunday..
A man named Rafael that we have been teaching was at church this past week. He said that baptism will bring him the peace that he is looking for in his life! We are hoping to baptize him this week!

Dinner for tonight!

Rogerio has been to church two times now but keeps telling us he doesn't want to stop drinking and has some other challenges currently in his life. We will work with him on those things. Still teaching and working with Sandro too.
Remember I mentioned a multi-ward talent show. We had that this past week and it was awesome! Both Sister Melo and I sang with a teenager named Ruan that was recently baptized. We sang the song, "Peace in Christ" in front of everyone! It went well, better than expected. I never knew I could sing in front of lots of people. Several missionaries will be going to the temple tomorrow (Tuesday, Nov. 27th). I am looking forward to that. I hope that things continue to improve and we can plan to schedule a baptism or two this next week.Have an awesome week!

Sister Smart and Sister Thomson - I have not seen Sister Thomson for a long time.

Gratitude and Perseverance.

Hello from Brazil! Sandro keeps telling us that he isn't ready to fully accept what he has learned to be a great blessing; that of the Gospel  (even though we have born testimony to him that he is). He has not yet accepted the Savior's challenge to be baptized. We are praying for his acceptance soon. This past week we taught a teenager named Guillherme. Also, another teenage girl that we challenged to ask Heavenly Father by offering a prayer about the Gospel and the importance of baptism - we are hoping that even if no acceptance occurs now, a "seed" of truth and Gospel light can be nourished and grow to its potential in the future for each of them.

On the Tuesday (Nov. 6, 2018) Sister Lara stayed with both Sister Melo and I in the Vargas area. Sister Lara will soon be released as a missionary and return to her family and home. It was a very spiritual experience for me. I have learned a lot from her from the first day we met nearly seven months ago. She reminded me that when we do what God asks of us, He will always complete the rest. We need to trust in Him with everything that we have with a perfect knowledge that this is His work and He will always lead us and help us. We shed lots of tears at her departure from our apartment. It will be sometime before I see her again. She thanked me. I will miss her!
Another week ahead of us. We will continue moving forward with faith as we prayerfully seek those Heavenly Father has prepared for us.
Happy Thanksgiving to each of you in the states!

Book of Mormon, Helaman 5:12: “It is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, … it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo.”

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:“Our Father in Heaven does not wish us to cower. He does not want us to wallow in our misery. He expects us to square our shoulders, roll up our sleeves, and overcome our challenges.

“That kind of spirit—that blend of faith and hard work—is the spirit we should emulate as we seek to reach a safe harbor in our own lives. …

“Use your ingenuity, your strength, your might to resolve your challenges. Do all you can do and then leave the rest to the Lord” (“Finding a Safe Harbor,” Liahona, July 2000, 73).

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:“Your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience.

“To exercise faith is to trust that the Lord knows what He is doing with you and that He can accomplish it for your eternal good even though you cannot understand how He can possibly do it. We are like infants in our understanding of eternal matters and their impact on us here in mortality. Yet at times we act as if we knew it all. When you pass through trials for His purposes, as you trust Him, exercise faith in Him, He will help you. That support will generally come step by step, a portion at a time. While you are passing through each phase, the pain and difficulty that comes from being enlarged will continue. If all matters were immediately resolved at your first petition, you could not grow” (“Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17).

Trials, Darkness to Gospel Light!

Hello friends and family! Hope things find you well.
About two and a half weeks ago we started teaching Sandro, a man we met and approached on the street. We taught all of the lessons at his home and taught especially about the Atonement. At one lesson, as I bore my testimony, he began to cry and knew then that what I was saying was true. He said that fifteen days ago he had prayed to God asking him to show him the path that he needed to follow and that God wanted for him. Not even two days later we stopped him on the street to talk with him and met him the first time. He said that was the day that changed his life forever. He said that we are the "hands" that are guiding him into the arms of the Savior. I remember the first lesson we left with him about ten days ago and the sadness and pain I saw initially in his eyes and the last lesson we recently left with him; the "glow" and "light" that I now can see in his eyes. Unfortunately, on a week prior to this past Saturday he has continued to tell us that he does not feel ready to be baptized.
Sister Melo and I have asked and challenged him to continue to pray to receive and answer of what he needs to do. He came to his teaching appointment and later that day to attend church with us; as we were anticipating that he would have received his answer of his hearts desire; he told us that he had slept only fifteen minutes the night before because he was praying about what he needed to do to be ready. He said that God told him he needed to fix things with his daughter and that whom he had not seen in many years. After sacrament meeting and with very little sleep he left to go and be with his daughter in Diadema - which is about an hour away. He said after he talked with her he had never felt more happy; he is also trying to resolve things with his wife. We again promised him that if he prayed God would give him an answer. He is doing everything he can to feel prepared to be baptized. The Savior has changed and is changing his life.   We hope he can be baptized soon and continue to progress.
This past week we found a lady that had been taught by the Elders some time ago. She told us that she wants to have some guidance from God and desires to seek his spirit and desires his help from the Holy Ghost as she is currently having some difficult trials.  We hope that we can help her and that we can have her come to Church with us soon.
Rita, who was baptized two weeks ago, is doing well. She is excited to pay tithing and continue coming to church. She still often reminds me that she still would like to get me some coconut water because I have never tried it before😊. She makes the hard days that missionaries experience just a little bit better. She is one of the sweetest ladies ever!
I will continue to "press on" and seek those that the Savior has prepared for his Gospel. God bless each one of you! Have a great week!

 "Intermingled with the joy and happiness, one thing is certain - there will be moments, hours, days, sometimes years when your soul will be wounded. [...] My message today is especially to those who are keeping the commandments of God, keeping their promises to God, and .. are confronted with trials and challenges that are unexpected and painful. [...] Along with the bright colors of happiness and joy, woven deeply into the fabric of our Father's plan, these struggles, although difficult, often become our greatest teachers. [...] Never give up. However deep the wounds of your soul,  whatever their source, wherever or whenever they happen, and for how short or long they persist, you are not meant to perish spiritually. [...] It is my promise to you that increasing your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ will bring you added strength and greater hope. [...] No injustice, no persecution, no trial, no sadness, no heartache, no suffering, no wound - however deep, however wide, however painful - will be excluded from the comfort, peace, and lasting hope of Christ."

(Elder Neal L. Anderson, General Conference, October 2018)

"The battle will rage on, but we will face them with the Spirit of the Lord. We will not be troubled, because when we stand with the Lord and stand for His principles and His eternal plan, we are standing on holy ground."

(Elder Ronald A. Rasband, General Conference, October 2018)

The São Paulo Metro, or Subway - Companhia do Metropolitano de São Paulo.