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