1- Viadutos. We started the group out in Viadutos. Well, we arrived, and the house that we were planning to use was full of people. When we inquired as to what was happening, the response was that everybody was waiting for the new pastors to arrive *(us)* well, we had 33 people attend our little sacrament meeting. With the Rap/Funk that was playing on a boom box from a nearby neighbor, we had the most spiritual meeting that I have ever had. We went on splits with some members of the ward, so I went to Viadutos while Elder P. Souza went to Erechim.
2. Our incredible investigators Paulo and his family have yet to be baptized, they are waiting for him to stop smoking. Pray for them
3. The Ward has all of a sudden realized the urgency of new members in our ward, so they are bringing literally all of their friends to church and giving tons of references. It is incredible and a miracle, but we are getting run ragged running from appointment to appointment, one side of the city to another, because people in this city work a LOT. so they only have a little time each week to recieve us, so we have to be there when they are available....very complicated schedules
4. Tons of datas for batismo, but few are actually going to happen. When I said we invite on first lesson, yes, we already always do that, but to try and mark a baptismal date the first contact on the road is difficult, strange, but fantastic.
5. We had a family home evening with a family who is very against the church, their son is a member, but it almost destroyed the familywhen he told them. He actually ran away from home to be baptized...but things are getting better. We made sloppy Joes with them (build repor) and watched the Testaments with them (always brings the spirit) which was incredible. We gave them a book of mormon and the mother said that this time she will actually try and read and pray about the truthfullness of these things. I have a lot of hope for them :D
6. Last night we visited a reference from a member, we arrived, and the family was super happy to have us. Aparently they have tons of friends that are members and awesome examples for them. The father started out by bashing literally every church I have every heard of by all of their faults and how they are all created by man, and how. He then turned to me and told me quite literally, that he has no idea how to bash our church, well, we steered him in the right direction, and told him that there are a lot of things that people say about the church, but we have to use the spirit to discern what is true and what is not. He was fascinated that we actually teach the members of the church to pray and ask God for answers, not the pastors, and that we are to act by the whisperings and promptings of the spirit. We gave them a book of Mormon and invited them to be baptized and read and pray, they accepted, and while we were drinking chemmarrao afterwards *as is custom in their house* the son, (age 18-ish) read the entire chapter that we marked *(alma 36) and pointed out some of the verse that he liked, especially about repentance and the feeling of joy that accompanies this righteous act. I am super excited for them (they've already been to church one time, and they will come to general conference this weekend. ) YEAH!!!!!
Anyways, It was fantastic to hear about the trip to NYC, Enjoy life
Te amo, e A Igreja é verdadeira
Elder Eliason
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