Oi tudo mundo,

 

    It has been another worthwhile week in the mission field. I have had three people ask me if I was Italian. I guess that means that my accent isn´t too terrible. Other people, mainly kids will come up to me and say ´´Fala Inglês!`` I usually just tell them I´m German or Italian.

   I am starting to realize the power of real goal making. I´ve made goals my whole life, but they would usually just go on the fridge or on the wall and I wouldn´t look at them for a few months. But this past week Elder Freitas and I really cracked down on our planning. We established some big goals for this transfer and we are feeling great about the progress we are making. It is amazing what you can do when you submit to the will of the Lord. He is making great instruments out of us.

     For the first time ever during a lesson I has a prompting from the Spirit to do something in particular. We were teaching a family and the whole lesson one (The Gospel Blesses Families, The Apostasyy, and The Restoration) went great. The Spirit was strong and everyone was was listening and it just felt right. Then we started to talk about the Book of Mormon. The dad then said they already had all the versions of the Bible. Elder Freitas must have explained it 15 times that the Book of Mormon is not another Bible, but the man just did not get it. Finally he caught on but said ´´ Yea, I believe in every word you said, but there is nothing comparable to the Bible, it is the one and onely to me.`` I then explained the power of prayer and asked him if he received an answer from God that the Book of Mormon is true if he would believe it. He then said that he doesn´t ask God for anything, we only need to thank. I then whipped out the handy dandy James 1:5. 

      ´´Well of course we can ask for wisdom``, he said.  

      ´´ Then you need to ask God if this book is true.``

  In this moment a feeling very powerful came over me, I felt prompted to ask him to pray about the Book of Mormon, right there. So I did. He was a little confused. I promised him that God would give him answer in that very moment. We read three verses from 2 Nephi Chapter 9 and then I asked to him to pray. ( The most important thing I want everyone to keep in mind is that is son Rodrigo was listening and watching very intently the entire time). So then the dad, whose name was ironically Messiah, said to me ´´That sounds a lot like what is written in my Bible.`` 

     So long story made short, he refused to pray. But, I know the feeling I felt was the Spirit and I believe because of what took place the son, Rodrigo, will have have a stronger will to test our words, and pray. Messiah also said that in his Bible it says Peter was the first Pope. Also, we are teaching a man named Jesus. Yep, the names here are pretty bold.

   I am feeling great. I am loving the work. The one thing I miss more than anything else is breakfast. They don´t have it here. They produce little if any cereal here and it is super expensive. I miss my bowls of cereal any time of the day. I miss other things too every now and then, but the cereal is the most prevalent.

    I love you all and I´m so thankful for all the people that helped me get here. Thank you for your example and all your sacrifices dad, your words cross my mind every day.