1st Week in Barbacena: Faith in Jesus Christ Leads to Eternal Life

Well another great week in Barbacena. The people here are considerably more open than the people in Rio, The Catholic church is considerably stronger here, so we are having success. The only problem is that the chapel is in a rather inconvenient spot, and we didn't have investigators at church.

But, hey! This week we are going to do a big event in the middle of the city with a bunch of members and we will be handing out pamphlets, copies of the Book of Mormon, pass along cards, and talking to every one who passes by.

This week we taught one of our investigators the Word of Wisdom, and he has simply vanished. We aren't able to talk with him, as he isn't picking up the phone. When we go to his house his father says he isn't home. We are praying that we can encounter him again and that his testimony will out weigh his desires to continue smoking.

This week we had several of those days where nothing happened, but while walking one street we felt like we should start knocking doors, and on that street alone we started teaching and gained baptismal dates with three families. Now we have to see where this leads and pray hard for them.

Thursday we were heading to lunch when we had a man stop us and try to burn us using the bible, and I decided rather than burn him like I usually do to try and speak with love. It didn't make that much of a difference for him, but for me I felt considerably better then I usually do after something like this happens.

Sunday I gave a talk in sacrament meeting about the Gospel of Jesus Christ and more or less tied everything to two points: Everything starts with faith in Jesus, and leads to eternal life.  

Also Sunday we had a M.M.T.C. (member missionary training center) where we talked about how the members can better fulfill their part and help the missionaries. 

Have a happy Monday (and for you missionaries happy p-day) 

Stay firm in the faith!

Moroni 7

Corinthians 13

or just go do a thorough study about Charity.

Elder Lindsey

Sempre Fies 

New Area: Barbacena

Welcome to my new area!
 I'm in a small ward that has a lot of problems, but they are working hard to overcome.

Barbacena is even smaller than my old area Barra Mansa and is extremely Catholic. Every day at six o'clock you can hear "ave maria cheia de graça... " being announced throughout the whole city sounding from every single Catholic church (which aren't few)

The city here is a bit cooler than Barra Mansa, and I pulled out a long sleeve shirt for the first time since Petropolis.

Saterday we had a "festa junina" and had a good number of non-members show up there and we had our own "barraca" and were giving out pass along cards, pamphlets and copies of the Book of Mormon. 

This week we will be doing an exposition in the city to do the same thing with everyone else but it might be a little hard as we wont receive materials and will more or less be handing out pass along cards.

So this week we are teaching a man 22 years old who is really awesome. This week he went to church (at 9 AM), and took his girlfriend there (we didn't know he had one). 

The last time we visited him he started saying that he didn't doubt, but that he didn't yet know, so we shared with him Alma 32 where it talks about the seed.

We were then talking to him about baptism, and he talked about how he felt that in order to be baptized he should be free of addictions (he smokes, and we haven't yet taught him the word of wisdom!!) 

Also at the end of priesthood meeting we asked the men in the ward if any would be available to do some visits with us this week, and two men, the bishop, and this investigator said they would be available, but our investigator said he would like to know a little bit more first. (yeah he is really awesome)

We are also teaching a young woman, who at the "festa" saw that the people serving food were behind, so she jumped in and started helping. She also has introduced us to her mother, grandparents, and her mothers boyfriend (her mom is separated). She goes to all of the activities in the church, and is making friends with the members of the ward.

Well I love you all and pray that you are blessed, and have the stregnth to resist temptation.

1 Corinthians 13:13

Elder Lindsey

Prayer is Real

Transfers are this week and I am being transferred!


This week we spent plenty of time in a neighborhood which has rarely been worked by the missionaries (that same one that we started working in these days). We have been having a lot of success there, as of yet we have worked on only 2 streets and gained 5 baptismal dates with these people. 

     So this week we had divisions on Tuesday. We worked to contact the people we had already contacted and  we succeed in finding several new investigators.

     We taught one man whose family is against the church, his mother took the Book of Mormon from him and hid it, and gave it to us as we were leaving-- but we saw him on the street and returned the it to him.

     We found a man who lives in humble circumstances who doesn't even have a chair in his house, but is receiving the lessons. Though he has little time, he seeks to complete the commitments we leave with him.

     We taught an elderly woman who doubts that God calls prophets again, but managed to convince her to plant the seed, and if it grows let it bear fruit. (aka read and pray)

     We had an elderly woman go to church this week who we had been teaching about 3 months ago. She told us that she felt like she needs to get baptized, but is still a little uncertain.

     This week we visited a member and had a family home evening with them, and her friend passed by as we were starting and was invited to enter and hear the message. We briefly resumed the Restoration lesson(she has already received the missionaries) and talked about how we, like captain Moroni, Amon, Alma, Paul, Peter, (Alma Chapter 48) can build our foundations on Christ (Helaman 5:12) by faith, hope, charity, love, humility, patience, virtue, diligence, knowledge, and obedience. At the end of the message she asked to come to church with us (sadly this week she had promised a friend that she would go to church with her) but this week she will go to church.

     This week I had a cool experience with prayer. On the mission I have learned to be direct, as when we are direct we act with faith and authority.I decided to pray by being direct. I decided not to ask for vague things like bless me that i can find people to teach, but more about where should I go to find those who are prepared to hear. Also with questions about the gospel, for example, "what does this investigator need?", or  "what will this help this investigator, and satisfy his needs?". 

     Doing this I received clearer answers, and had an immediate knowledge that God had heard my prayers. We teach our investigators that prayer is a conversation, and I have learned it is.

     I know that Jesus is the Christ, that He lives, He has restored His gospel through the prophet Joseph Smith. He guides us today through a living prophet. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints is the true church, and the Book of Mormon, as surely as if it had been writen by the hand of God is true.

     And i know that God loves me.

     May He bless you all

-Elder Lindsey, your brother in Christ