Progressing Investigators and Mission Council

So this week we had a really cool experience! A man showed up at seminary and the teacher took his address and passed it to us. We visited him the next day, and he has a baptismal date! The next day he went to institute and he went to church! He understands the lessons well, and is excited to learn about family history work.

Right now, with the exception of the investigator mentioned above our investigators are progressing slowly. We encountered an investigator who we haven't been able to talk to for a while, and he said that his work is short several workers right now so everyone is working double and he hasn't been able to go to church because he is currently working Sunday morning.

Since Elder Dias was temporarily out of commission this week, I went to mission council in his place, and I learned a ton there. All of the stuff that the zone leaders tell us is little compared to what they talk about in mission council. Then again the next day I had to pass a part to the zone which really wasn't too bad.

Elder Dias is doing a lot better, and is back on his feet working hard, but we have another missionary in our zone that has caught dangue. What fun.

Well another normal and wild week in Brasil

Elder Lindsey

He's Training!

Well this week was great! Elder G Correâ was transferred to Novo Friburgo, which is in Teresopolis. I had to go to Juiz de Fora to pick up my companion and receive a training then we came back home (about 9 hours of traveling.) We started work on Thursday an all if our plans fell through, but we managed to knock a few doors and find some new investigators. Elder Cruz (my new companion) assigned a baptismal date in his first lesson in the field!!

Friday was weekly planning and a little less successful than Thursday (we still had 4 lessons but we cut a lot of investigators.) 

However, we did teach one man and his girlfriend and helped them learn about the Restoration.

Saturday was pretty normal (except taking an Elder to the hospital) but we did have several drunkards stop us on the streets.

Sunday we walked clear out to a neighborhood called Km4 (because it is at kilometer marker 4 (I'm pretty sure its already in São Paulo) then headed to Ano Bom where we went to the house of a member and talked to our families for Mother's Day, and then headed home.

I've returned to be Assistant to the Zone Leaders because one of them is sick and the responsibilities is way to much for one Elder. I will therefore have to journey all the way to Juiz de Fora again tonight.)

This week I have started asking a lot more questions and now I'm getting good at having the investigator let himself be taught by the Spirit. It's a much more effective way to teach! The sad part is that several times I have seen the investigator know that it is true, or at least know that he can know and still turn down happiness.

Our efforts have been exceedingly more effective and we have been spending more time on lessons and walking a lot less!

We have also had the opportunity to give several blessings this week and it is amazing to feel the Spirit guide the words that come out of the mouth of the person giving the blessing.

The new elders in my district are pretty cool, we have two in training, and a pretty awesome new Zone Leader

well I love you all and I will write to y'all again next week!

Ask and ye shall receive knock and it shall be opened unto you.

Elder Lindsey

Happy Mother's Day Next Week!

Sorry but again I am running out of time (I've been using more time to talk to individuals and as such my main letter is suffering...)

This week was great!

Yesterday we were looking for a less active, and it appeared that the address didn't exist. As we were going to leave a set of staircases looked familiar and we saw the right number (530 came after 532 instead of before)

 We then had an amazing spiritual lesson with a woman who accepted our message and looks like she has great potential in being baptized! She also told us where her son (less active) is living Agora.

This week we started getting crazy amounts of referrals and we don't have the time to talk with everyone! But hey I've learned it pays to work with members. Visit them, share a quick lesson, help them with something, and then they help you!

Anyway I love you all!

and I will talk to my family on Sunday (and they can tell you more)

Also this transfer was only 5 weeks so-- new transfer! I will be staying, but Elder Correa is being transferred!

Obedience brings Happiness!

I used up most of my time sending individual letters but here is a little about my week

 Obedience is the first law of heaven. also see D&C 130 (i think 18 and 19) There is a law irrevocably decreed.... upon which all blessings are predicated, and it is by obedience to that law that we receive any blessing of God (sorry if the quote is not perfect, I am trying to translate into English) 

As we obey we are happy!

Wednesday we had Zone Conference (President and Sister Cascardi came and talked with the zone) President said that if we are happy in the work he couldn't ask for more because of this principle. He then went on to tell us some rules the mission needs to improve on obeying but hey if you're happy you are obedient!

Sunday evening we passed by the chapel and saw a member sitting outside waiting, so we stopped to talk for a little, and ended up receiving a boatload of referrals (members kept showing up and everyone ended up knowing some less actives who strangely aren't on the ward list, or had a referral  for us so we have our work cut out for us this week)

Well sorry I didnt write much, but I love you all

Dog vs. Hand

I had a very angry dog try to get a piece of me.... and well thankfully I managed to move my hand, but my pants were a little too slow (he didn't get flesh, just my daily planner)
Anyway Fora Disto this week was awesome.
We didn't exactly have stellar numbers, but there were a lot of random miracles (like the fact that I felt like I should look at the dog a half a second before he went to bite me).
Hey could everyone pray for elder Cordeiro, he is in the hospital right now, and it is unlikely that he will be able to return to the field.
We have been teaching an investigator who is really close to being baptized! He wants to be baptized, but he thinks that since he has only known the church for 5 weeks it's a little fast for baptism.
This week we had a really cool experience, when we had 8 appointments and their alternate plan fell through we went and were passing to see if we could move an appointment forward an hour to try to move to another part of the neighborhood, when I stopped in front of a street and asked my companion if he had ever knocked doors on this street. He said no, so we went and knocked the first door and to our surprise we found the son of an investigator (who had never taken part in the lessons with his parents)  and his friend! We had a highly spiritual lesson and gave them baptismal dates.
We had a lot of people want to have appointments with us on Wednesday with us and of course Wednesday is zone conference so we will be in Petropolis.
Well I love you all and remember you often in my prayers!

avante avante meus irmãos 

Insert Subject Here

**His letters are getting to be a mix between English and Portuguese..so good luck reading this. :)

Well this week was awesome!
We had a lesson with a referral, and that went well but the only problem is that she works for "carama" and only has "fogo" one Sunday per month, so it is hard for her to be able to go to church.

We spent almost the entire week in Vista Alegre. We dropped an investigator who lives on a farm another forty minutes walking, so I'm not going to die this week.

We now have a ward mission leader, so I finally had a reunion with our LMA (ward mission leader) and it's great because his wife is the Relief Society President so she helps us a lot too (and made dinner for us). 

This week I talked with three types of Jehovah's Witnesses. First, the type that rudely says no.  Second, the type that will talk to you for a while and then politely say no. And last, the type that lets you teach them. (sadly they didn't accept any challenges or commitments so if we return it will probably be our last lesson for a while with him.

My English is terrible, but I'm trying to teach my companion English, so we are usually talking in the streets in Portuginglish.

Sadly because I'm out of time I've gotta log off!

Te amo!

Para frente e para alto

General Conference

General Conference

Well this week was a little slow, and we had some divisions but GENERAL CONFRENCE WAS AMAZING!!!!

So Saturday was pretty cool.

We went to lunch with a member who lives way far away and rather then have us be late to conference we watched with them. Also they are way rich, like their house is bigger than mine, they have a swimming pool, four cars, and tal. but anyway we watched conference with them, then worked in the neighborhood then watched conference, then came home.

Sunday we went to the stake center and watched there (and since i was watching in Portuguese my. 

Sunday morning was awesome, the spirit was strong, and it was cool to hear about all the temples.)

General conference in a few words: fasting marrage easter Atonement