Olá família,

Yesterday we had one of the beat district meetings I have had my whole mission. Our focus was the Restoration and how to teach our investigators this wonderful message in a powerful and appropriate way. I told the missionaries that when I started my mission, I only studied the lessons.
Day after day, week after week, month after month. I studies what scriptures to use as I taught, I studies what questions I needed to use, I studies when I needed to change mt tone of voice and after months and months of slaving to prepare to teach what I though was a great first lesson I made my way to a district meeting on a Tuesday morning in Campinas (this is more than a year ago). So, I arrived at the district meeting confident in my teaching skills and half-way through the meeting, my companion (Elder Wilson) and I were called to practice the first lesson. ´´Great I thought, I will have a chance to put in practice what I have studied these last few months.``
After what I thought was an impeccable first lesson the time came to get my feed-back from the other missionaries. ``you gave way to much information´´, said one Elder. ``I wasn´t sure what you meant to say with that question,´´ was another response, and finally ´´that scripture didn´t fit right´.´´
I felt terrible. Months of studying my brains out every morning on the same simple principles and I still couldn´t teach them clearly.
I then realized that I didn´t need to change the way I taught, I needed to change the way I studied. The way we share the gospel reflects clearly the way we study the gospel. Many wish to study information just so they can pass it to others, I learned that an effective teacher first applies what he studies to himself and then after those principles are sacred and valuable to him he can pass the information with love, sincerity, and conviction. He is not simply teaching a lesson, he is carefully and clearly passing something of great worth to him to someone he knows will be blessed if they apply unto themselves what the teacher first applied unto him.
Once I finished telling this story yesterday I felt inspired that we should hold a small testimony meeting. So there we were in a small rental home in the middle of a city of Pouso Alegre, six missionaries each one giving testimony to the other of the the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The spirit was strong and I learned once again how important it is to bare sincere and loving witness to others that our message is true. That Christ lives and leads this church. The Joseph Smith saw God the Father and his Son, our saviour. That families can be together forever and that this live has purpose, real and lasting purpose. I have come to love this gospel out here, before I new it was good, but now it is precious to me and though I may be filled with imperfections I am grateful the Lord let me be here in these latter days to be a part of this great work. I love you all and I love this gospel.

Abraço forte,
Elder Nothum

Hey mom and dad,
Things are picking up here in the area. We found a bunch of great families and are doing a few new things to find investigators and it is going well.
I was really sick last week and we didn´t get to work very much. I stayed in bed almost three days straight and I threw up a ton, then I took this medicine that made me extremely tired and I slept about fifteen hours straight. But, the good news is that we are working now.
I don´t know what else to write, I feel like saying ´´I´ll tell you when I get home``.
Oh yeah, While I was in Campinas this week President let me pass by one of my old areas and I went to visit a couple Elder Rowley and I were teaching that was never baptized. There names are Fernando and Jociane, and now they have a baby boy named Enzo. When I showed up at the front door, he didn´t believe it, he gave me a big hug and invited us in. He explained that ever since he stopped going to church that things got bad, they nearly separated. They live together but are not married, like most Brazilians, so they can´t be baptized until they seal the deal.
After we talked for a while, Fernando gave the opening prayer and he said something along the lines of ´´Lord, I am so thankful that you sent Elder Notung here again. I am sorry that I stopped following your way, but I accept this visit of Elder Notung as a sign from you that I need to follow you as I was in the past...`` It was a beautiful prayer and it brought tears to my eyes.
He has a strong testimony of the Book of Mormon and the restoration but he stopped investigating the church after we were transferred because things got busy. He said that they were talking about the Elders a few days ago. I love them a lot, and I loved to see them because they also love us... and it feels very good to be loved by someone you teach, it is probably the best feeling in the mission, no it defiantly is the best feeling.
Well, I love you all and I CAN wait to see you, but I am excited.
Love,
Elder Nothum

CHURCH TRAVEL CWT DATE 13SEPTEMBER11
50 EAST NORTH TEMPLE ST AGENT VH/SD BOOKING REF 4NYWPQ
SALT LAKE CITY UT 84150
TELEPHONE: 801 240-5111 NOTHUM/STEPHEN MATH 173960-R
FAX : 801-240-5115

MISSIONARY TRAVEL
BRAZIL CAMPINAS MISSION

SERVICE DATE FROM TO DEPART ARRIVE
_____________________ _____ ______________ ______________ _______ ______
DELTA AIR LINES 14NOV SAO PAULO SP ATLANTA GA 1035P 530A
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SEAT 28B NO SMOKING CONFIRMED

DELTA AIR LINES 15NOV ATLANTA GA ST LOUIS MO 905A 956A
DL 1570 TUESDAY HARTSFIELD JAC LAMBERT
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NON SMOKING NON STOP
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AIRCRAFT: BOEING 757
SEAT 39C NO SMOKING CONFIRMED

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NOTHUM/STEPHEN MATHIAS 173960-R
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It´s the Fam,

Let me guess Henrietta, Lucy, and... Max! I just want to let you know that ´´I´m doing the work, I´m not a slacker, I´m need I need givie give!``
It was a great week here in São Geraldo. A refferal from a member, Daniala was baptized last Sunday. The branch received her well and she cried after she came out of the water. She is super firm and her testimony is strong. It was Elder Da Rosa´s first baptism and he was the one who baptized her. If everything goes well this week we will baptize a member´s mother. We taught her yesterday. She can´t read so we asked to pray right then and there if what we were teaching is true.
Well, stood up and prayed and asked Father in Heaven if all that we taught was true and she had a vision. In her vision she saw a pillar of fire fall from heaven which came to the roof of the home and stayed there for one short second but then left and went back up into the heavens. She felt the spirit very strongly and she feels that these things are true.
She is extremely poor and humble, but she is very willing to follow God´s will and not her own.
I am happy and we are working hard.
Pray for me that I can have strength to give my all these last two months.


Abraço,
Elder Nothum

It´s the Fam,

Let me guess Henrietta, Lucy, and... Max! I just want to let you know that ´´I´m doing the work, I´m not a slacker, I´m need I need givie give!``
It was a great week here in São Geraldo. A refferal from a member, Daniala was baptized last Sunday. The branch received her well and she cried after she came out of the water. She is super firm and her testimony is strong. It was Elder Da Rosa´s first baptism and he was the one who baptized her. If everything goes well this week we will baptize a member´s mother. We taught her yesterday. She can´t read so we asked to pray right then and there if what we were teaching is true.
Well, stood up and prayed and asked Father in Heaven if all that we taught was true and she had a vision. In her vision she saw a pillar of fire fall from heaven which came to the roof of the home and stayed there for one short second but then left and went back up into the heavens. She felt the spirit very strongly and she feels that these things are true.
She is extremely poor and humble, but she is very willing to follow God´s will and not her own.
I am happy and we are working hard.
Pray for me that I can have strength to give my all these last two months.

a picture of Daniala´s baptism
a picture of Elder Da Rosa and me
a picture of me buying my favorite thing, which is extremely expensive in Brazil, but thanks to my loving parents I splurged

Abraço,
Elder Nothum