Week in Review

Haha well there unfortunatley isnt much to review!! haha nothing really took place!! the assistants came to our area this week and I got to do an exchange with one of them. It went really well and learned alot.  This sunday will be very cool cause our ward will split!! Alot of growth here!!! We get to go to the temple next tuesday so I will email tuesday!! I love yall aton!!! Have a great week!!!

​If you can see the sweat strap..... its there......

​Coxinhas!! some of the greatest food here!! meat and cheese inside!

Great Week!

Well not much new happening this week as far as new news, but I guess its also a good thing that nothing has changed cause everything is going great. My companion and I get along great and had a great talk this week really talking about what the mission means to each of us and from that our views have meshed and are working in more harmony than before which is awesome. We didnt end up having the baptisms because of some problems that he needs to resolve but all we have to do is move the date back a few weeks so all in all everything will be fine. We have a large number of baptisms waiting in the woodworks, the only problem is that everyone needs to have something happen before the baptism. One of the biggest reasons for needing to wait is Marriage..... no one is married here!!! haha people just live together forever but never tie the knot.... but its all right It is good helping people accomplish two feats! I sent a letter this week to the family at home so mom dad and cassidy that goes into some depth on some things Ive learned since being here and also some of the things I have noticed as far as differences between here and Fresno. As I said in the skype call It will be hard for Brasil to take the number one spot as far as the mission goes. I love it but it just isnt the same! Im loving serving here and absolutely love the people and also love the language! everything is going great here and may I say it is hard to write this email cause this week went by so fast I have forgotten what has happened..... but all in all EVERYTHING IS GREAT!! LOVE YALL!!!!

My companion and I looking jacked

Feliz Ano Novo!!!!

Well I can honestly say it is shocking to say that it is 2015!!! WOAH! Time has flown by! New years was louco!!!! haha I had to have lost a little bit of my hearing!! Fireworks here are not built for the beauty they portray but for the noise they make! but none the less it was awesome celebrating with the brazilians!

The awesome fireworks here!

We had an awesome view from the balcony of the other elders apartment where we slept new years night. at 12 when the fireworks went off we all went to the balcony and it was awesome! Everywhere we looked had fireworks one of those mission moments I wont forget! No baptism this week... But hopefully we will have a couple next week! we have 2 marked! One of the cool things that happened this week was for the first time since being here I actually taught a Brazilian in English haha! He spoke really well and only spoke to me in English so it was pretty awesome! He said he is making a trip to New york next week and was super proud about it. He says he wants to live in the states... I have to agree... ;)

Beautiful Day in the neighborhood here in Ariston

For my new years resolutions I have a lot of things that I will do personally to better myself as a missionary and man for when I return but one I thought I would share that is more temporal is My companion are going to get jacked! haha not really jacked but we have started a workout schedule and are really hitting it hard! Should be great! The work is rocking and rolling here still and we are seeing alot of blessings and miracles in our area! The mission really is a blast when you are working well and have an awesome companion like I have! I love yall and hope everyone has a rock solid year this year or at least until I get home;)

Feliz Natal/ Ano Novo!!!

Well let me start by saying it was awesome getting to talk to yall!!!!!!! I know the connection was not the best but we get what we get;) and honestly this late in the mission it is more about hearing yall and getting to chat and most importantly having the opportunity to bear my testimony for yall. That really means alot to me. I want each of yall to know what the mission has done to me and for me. It has changed me beyond description. Im grateful everyday for the chance to be here in Brazil sharing this wonderful gospel. I was telling my companion the other day Brazil has turned into home for me. The first month was difficult adjusting but now Im not reacting to the differences and I dont think twice at what takes place here. Haha .

So since the skype call we had one heck of a day on Saturday. I dont remember if I made mention of the young girl who has a phobia of water. She has tried to have us baptize her 3 times.  every time she gets ready to enter the font, she starts crying and runs away... So on Friday, we passed by to talk with her about what we can do. After much prayer between us as a companionship, we decided it was time to just try and "trick" her in a sense... so we explained the fact we were going to do a practice run with her. We had Bishop pick her up and bring her to the church. We had her change, let her enter the water by herself until she felt comfortable, and then Bishop entered the font with her to merely "show her" where she puts her hands and what he says (the baptismal prayer) haha and then came the best part when /Bishop throws her underneath the water! haha Bishop made sure she went under completely! It was a miracle in itself! I am grateful she was finally baptized and the funny part is after the baptism she came up and said "I wanted to stay in!" But Im grateful for the White Christmas we had in a sense getting to baptise her christmas weekend! It truly was a blessing!! Im glad to hear everyone's Christmas went well! Im soo grateful for all you do for me and I thank my Heavenly Father EVERY SINGLE DAY for all of you! I LOVE YALL!!!

Feliz Natal!!!

Well it has been one heck of a week!! Not to much craziness has happened except for somethings that can only be described as usual in Brasil!! We had transfers this week and let me say it has been amazing having a new companion! Im with Élder Nunes from Rio de Janeiro and dang he is great. for not having any of the same background we get along great!!! Im happy to have him here working with me. What I like most is that we actually joke with one another! haha the day after transfers I woke up and told him that carley would be getting home at like 6 our time and we forgot about it. Haha then at 6 o´clock on the dot as we were walking he tells me to stop. So we stop and he asks "Elder What is happening right now" I being a bit confused said walking to an appointment... and he asks "Noooo what is happening right now at this moment....." and finally it hits me and he justs starts dying laughing its moments like that that make a companionship awesome. We went and had probably the strangest Sunday meeting on the mission... We went to church for one hour cause we went to get our investigators and they took forever!! Our mission president spoke in our ward and then immediately after the meeting our ward mission leader and some young dad in the ward got in to like a brawl outside as one of our companionships here tried to have a baptism. Apparently the young guy head butted his wife.... As i said earlier... only things that happen in Brasil... The whole story will have to wait for in person! Well it is fun having 3 sets of Elders here. We have 3 americans and 3 brazilians! haha it is weird leading everyone cause only two of us stayed and the other elder that was already here only has like 5 weeks on the mission! I LOVE THIS AREA THOUGH!!! Literally the members are soooo amazing! My portuguese isn't a concern of mine anymore which is nice. As carley can attest once you stop thinking about the language the mission is SOOOOO much fun!! but as far as logistics We are going to skype from here ON Christmas Day at 6 oclock our time here so i think it will be like 2 oclock your time there?i think i still have a list courtney sent last christmas with all your account names and stuff so i will use that to call. keep your emails open so we can communicate if need be. LOVE YOU ALL!!!! FELIZ NATAL!!!

skyping with Elder Schoen on Christmas (Cam & Courtney's call)

Transferências

Well as you all now Carley is coming home this week and as for me here in Brasil we are also having our tranfers. I will be staying here in Ariston and will be getting a new companion- Elder Nunes i think is his name... I don't know anything about him so you'll have to wait until next week to know more about him. Well for my thoughts on this past transfer it is easier to relate to a common phrase that is applicable at least one time on every missionary's mission. This past transfer was my "Gethsemane". I spent more time pleading with the Lord during this transfer than I think the entire rest of my mission combined. It was a hard one to say the least for many different reasons but as we all know there is always a sunrise to every sunset, and I am super pumped for this coming transfer. I am going to make the most out of it! I'm really proud/excited for Carley!! what a mission she served! Give her a big bear hug for me!

As for this week and as mom and Courtney saw we had probably the most special baptism thus far on the mission for me. We baptized a man who is confined to a wheel chair after an accident he suffered more than 5 years ago.

It was a very special moment for me as I truly felt and imagined the love and happiness our Father in heaven was feeling as his son entered the font with more problems than one deserves to have, but putting all that behind him only looking forward. It was a moment I will never forget. I absolutely love this ward. They are all soooooo amazing!! I look forward to these next 7 weeks serving here in this area with a new companion as we bring souls closer to Christ!! 

Christmas is right around the corner as well as well as skyping yall:) It should be an awesome next couple of weeks;) LOVE YALL!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!! WELCOME HOME CARLEY!!!!!!!!!!!

Baptism!!

We saw the miracle of a baptism this week and because of one mother setting the example by being baptized yesterday, we have marked 2 more dates for this week with two of her children! As well we have a baptism for our investigator "M" who was only waiting for clearance which was given by our Mission President! So we hope to have 3 baptisms this week!!


We have made a goal of trying to work a little smarter this week. Because of the size of our area we end up walking alot because we are having to go from one place to another and it can take a ton of time. So we are trying to set appointments that live close together at the same time roughly! We hope to see miracles from our efforts!


I was rather sick saturday and sunday and with the sickness brought the first  and second time throwing up on the mission. but Im recovering now so all is well! Not sure what i got but it knocked me out pretty bad! some brasilian bug prabably! Hope to see  a ton of miracles this week!! LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!!!

 

The awesome routes we get to take!