It's beginning to feel a lot like SUMMER

ITS SOOOOO HOT!!!!! haha like seriously.... Im sweating like a pig.... but all is good cause im dropping weight;) Haha during this week it rained super hard one day and was a little chillier outside, but the following day I legitimately thought it was a joke cause when we walked outside from a lesson it was pouring rain, but the best part was that the sun was still shining... like seriously there was like three clouds in the sky.. and it was pouring!!

But it is good that it rained cause we are in a drought here. Well we had a pretty good week this week for the most part. We were out of our area a ton helping other people but when we were in our area we were trying to find some people to teach. We are a little small in our teaching pool. But we did find an awesome guy who is all about turning his life around. He has a problem with drinking but he is doing everything we ask him to do, so the Lord will definitely help him quit. My companion and I are doing great still. It is kinda funny cause we are a lot different and think about things differently but for some reason we have yet to fight or let our pride stop us from resolving something. I think honestly it is because we have both been on the mission for so long we just know how to work with one another. We painted an entire gym for a children's school here. It was a great service. I love brasilians kids, they are soo funny and sweet. They just remind me of cassidy when she was small. Super happy and energetic ALL the time!;) Not much by way of stories this week.. sorry yall. But my companion and I are getting prepped for christmas. we have a christmas tree set up and oranments are getting put on one day at a time. Christmas music is being played constantly in the apartment;) We have transfer calls next week and we are both really hoping that we stay as companions for christmas. Two americans on christmas will be nice;) Hope you all have an amazing week!!! LOVE YALL!!

1 year, 1 month

Its been a good week this week. Not to much news happening here. The work is still moving on unhindered! We did an activity as a zone this week in one of the harder areas in our zone. All the missionaries in our zone went to São Bento and we gave out Book of Mormons to the people there. We gave out close to 140 books of Mormon! it was great! But one cool experience that happened this week happened yesterday. As my companion and I were doing some finding yesterday in the Centro (the center of the city) we felt the need to talk to a man sitting alone on a park bench. As he walked up he started smiling. We asked if he had already spoken with missionaries before and he said he had already been baptized. We then asked if it was in our church, and he politely said no. He went on for awhile talking and we could tell there was something wrong so we simply asked if he knew of his purpose in life. He began to cry and vented to us that he had been looking for some time for a way to change his life around. He told us of the addictions he has and how they have cost him everything. He is living on the streets right now but we have set up a time to meet with him tomorrow in the same place we met with him yesterday. The funniest part was after we left we went a little ways off and were talking to someone else and as we looked back at him he was walking around the courtyard showing the Book of Mormon we left with him to all the other people sitting around there. haha it was definatley an experience that I will remember! Well yesterday my companion and I sang in church! haha it went well, no harm done! we sang "When I am Baptized" the first verse in english. it was awesome! we got a ton of compliments. This week should be another good one! Love you all!!!

a little boy who loved cameras and wanted me to take a pic of him

then the little boy wanted to take my picture

That's a lot of meat!

Brasil

Então, Boa Semana!

Well as I am sure you are all wondering how the new companion is, he is great. We are having a lot of fun together! He has been here for 10 months already so he speaks really well already. He has a year and 6 months on the mission and he was waiting for 6 months in Cleveland. He is a good missionary and he is helping me a lot with learning the language and how to say some of the slang and some of the different sayings. We were working hard and found 25 new investigators and set 3 baptismal dates. We are working in one of the harder areas in Sorocaba because our area covers the richer side of sorocaba/trujillo. but none the less we are working on helping the people here come unto Christ! I was studying pretty in depth the gospel of Jesus Christ this week. In my studies and using the scriptures I came to a very important realization. If you look throughout the scriptures, especially in the Book of Mormon, and look for any scripture regarding the gospel of Jesus Christ you will see an important part of the Gospel that is often overlooked- that of the principle of Missionary work. Take 2nd Nephi 2: 6,7 they speak of the power of the Atonement and the need of Faith in Jesus Christ, and then comes verse 8 which tells of the importance of making these things known unto the inhabitants of the Earth! I will not say I am adding another principle to the gospel only merely stating the important fact that as a part of Showing our Faith comes the need to open our mouths. I had to wonderful opportunity to speak in church yesterday! I spoke for 20 minutes on the importance of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It went very well and I was grateful for that opportunity to 1) share my testimony with the members and investigators there and 2) practice my language ability;) Haha I love you all so much and am growing more and more each day in to many ways to name;) I am continuing to pray for each and every one of you! If you need anything more please let me know! I love you all! Tem uma boa Semana! Have a great week!

Guess Who in Portuguese

Gringotts Bank

You know it's hot when...

This goat wanted to be friends

shoes before (worn out soles)

shoes after (only $15 USD)

Hahaha

Dad would be totally jealous, these candies taste just like Key Lime pie.

Pink house, maybe an option for Cassidy?

Oi Família e Amigos!

So sorry about this week but i wont have time to respond or even read your emails from this week. We went to the temple today in Campinas and it was much needed. No better place to feel the spirit of the Lord stronger than the temple! This past week was pretty uneventful except we did have conference which was awesome! The only thing that wasnt awesome about it was that i had to watch in portuguese which was rough, i understood about 50 to 60% of what was said but i will just need yall to send me a copy of the ensign with the talks! Sorry this is super short but next monday you can expect a long email to all of you! :) I have to lead our area tomorrow with another missionary coming over for the day so please pray for me... Also We have president interviews tomorrow which i am super excited about! I will talk to yall more on Monday! LOVE YALL!!

Então, Que uma Semana!

Haha well it has been one heck of a week! The language is coming ever slowly but nonetheless surely! I am making progress which is comforting;) It is difficult for me because I am coming from speaking the majority of the lesson to only being able to share bits and pieces of lessons here... super humbling. It is weird to hit my year mark this thursday... kinda crazy to me because it has not felt like a year.. time just flies. Haha we have been working like crazy. On tuesday we found 11 new investigators and had 6 investigators attend church. We are struggling getting our investigators to commit to baptism but we are working fervently to help them.

Elder Schoen loves the scriptures! Even in Portuguese.

"A Brasil delicacy," says Elder Schoen

I´ll be honest this is super hard coming from one mission to another that is completely different. I didn't think it would be as hard as it has been. But I can honestly say that I have grown so much closer to my Savior and I can testify of the comforting power the atonement has. Working here in Brasil is taking everything I have and by the time we return home at nights i am exhausted- physically mentally emotionally spiritually! Haha i am feeling the effects of hard work all throughout my legs;) Brasil is beautiful! the people are awesome and the language is.... fun;) I am working on bettering my studies here because I have been a little distracted so i will hopefully have a good week of studying. I am sending a letter to yall this week so look for it in the future. As I come up on the year mark and subsequently hump day mark I look back as well as ahead and see such awesome experiences that I have had and will continue to have! thank you all for the love support and prayers! I have definitely needed them! Have an awesome week!

Estou no campo finalmente!

Haha so i wont write in portuguese partly because it will probably be a little wrong and take me forever but the good news is is that the language is coming along quite nicely!

I made it to Brasil!

Haha i live with my companion and two other elders. my companion is from cape verde (islands of the cost of Africa) and the other two are native brasileiros então it truly is baptism by immersion with the language! But none the less it is sweet!!!

My companion and me

I love being here! My companion is sweet! He doesnt speak a lick of english and so i am teaching him english and he is teaching me portuguese;)

Our apartment over looks our entire area. My new area is Trujillo em Sorocaba.

view from our apartment

My ward is huge and we meet in the stake center which as you can see in the picture is set up on a hill so everyone can see!

I spy with my little eye...our church!

Better view of our church

Haha everything is different here! everything! for example church starts with priesthood and relief society and then sunday school and then sacrament meeting. the parking for the church is underground and the church building is protected by a huge gate! The people here are soo friendly! We can talk to anyone and they all are sooo nice.

Sao Paulo Brazil temple

so much graffiti

Well like you all know all i eat here is rice and beans for every single meal;) but luckily they always have a meat with it! and i love rice and beans! as you can tell by all the exclamation points I absolutely love it here! Haha I have soo many stories already that i will share when i return... Haha so i found out that the transfer that will most likely be my last happens in august.... dang haha i didnt even get to celebrate my hump day!! oh well!! I will hit the ground walking (because we literally walk everywhere...) seriously our area is probably the equivalent of walking Keller ever day!! its huge haha i will let you know when i am in need of new shoes which will probably be soon;) Maybe some dr. martins in honor of courntey:) But everthing is awesome here! I love my mission president i love my companion and i love being here in brasil! these next couple of weeks/ months will be difficult but they are soooo worth it!! cant wait to be speaking with ease!

My companion and me again.

The Bro is in BRAZIL!

My parents got an e-mail from Dallas' mission president this week...it included the  following info.

"Thank you for sharing your son with the Brazil São Paulo North Mission. We love him already and feel so grateful to be serving with him at this sacred time when the Lord is hastening the Work of Salvation."

Sincerely,

Presidente Timothy and Sister Linsey Farnes