More Mighty Miracles

So this week was full of miracles.

From monday to thursday we worked really hard, contacted about 30 families but not with many results. 

Friday we got a member reference of two people that need to get married (one is member already) and the wife really wants to get baptized and everything! They have an ice cream shop and you can bet all the elders in our house pass by there frequently.

Friday we also taught a woman that called us over from accross the street. I guess she was really needing some support. She accepted a baptismal date and everything! she really looked like a golden investigator.

Saturday night we were super tired and about to head home, but a lady called us from accross the street AGAIN! haha. It was a woman who had given us her address but we had never found the house. It was an awesome lesson, she told us about all the difficulties she had been passing and we taught about repentance and baptism. She accepted a date to be baptized too!

Sunday:

So the two people who accepted dates, one wasn't home and the other canceled with us... BUT at church the wife that needs to get married brought her friend and she LOVED the church. haha. 

Now when I pray, I pray that the Lord will give us miracles and help us do his will. I know it will always work out if we just do our part. He blesses us so much in our work and we have 3 people with baptismal dates now. Now it's just keep them on track and hopefully I'll have some awesome pics for y'all next week.

Love,

Your missionary 

Elder Wallace

Cold, Cold Showers!

This week we were pretty sure the earth was going to be baptized by fire and the second coming must be near, because it is super hot here! 

Because our house is one of the best of the mission, we have two bathrooms, and one of the shower head-water heater things broke. So basically the bathroom with the cold shower has been mine, all mine. The other elderes are still taking hot showers, I don't know how they stand it.

Some missionaries put a wet towell on the bed to sleep or even put ice cubes on the towell to try and get some sleep. But we're lucky, there are parts of brazil that are even Hotter. But here's probably one of the driest.

This week we worked really hard. We talked to everyone that passed us on the street, knocked a lot of doors, visited the members to get references, everything that we should do as missionaries. We even had an investigator get a testimony about the book of mormon and accept to be baptized, but she will move Monday... haha. When we got to saturday night I prayed and said Lord it's in your hands now. We need people to come to church so they can be baptized, if it be thy will bless us with a miracle.

Saturday to sunday was the Dreaded DAY LIGHT SAVINGSSSSS and we lost an hour. So all the families we had to bring to church slept or it didn't work out. The member that was with us to give them a ride was starting to get frustrated. We went to the last house and I was super happy to see that the mom already had all the kids dressed and up! But then I heard the yelling inside the house and knew that something was up. Turns out her brother got drunk early that morning and told her she wasn't going anywhere, she had to go to his house and make lunch for everyone.

I was pretty down because we sift through a lot of people to find the ones who are ready, if someone doesn't come to church the first or second week we almost never visit them again, because we have to move on to the people that are ready to come. It's something that I never understood before the mission, but now it's part of life.

We got to church pretty down.. But in the middle of Gospel Principles a member brought a visitor in: Maria moved here from the Bahia and has attended church for like 3 months already! She needs to get married but she wants to be baptized and said the whole family will come this next week! 

I thought the Lord chose an awesome miracle, seeing as our golden investigator moved to another state, a golden investigator moved here and came to church in the same week.

The church is true, this is the Lord's work. If we keep the commandments and do all the Lord asks of us, we can be happy and grateful NOW and will receive life Everlasting.

Thanks mom and dad for always keeping your covenants and raising me to the Lord.

Love you all,

Elder Wallace

Me elder Bruno and Elder Casafus, our DL. 

Pequi popsicle in the office.

Elder Wallace's Epistle to the Family in Roosevelt, Salt Lake, and the surrounding Areas.

Hey Family!

So how are you all doing? 

This week week we worked real hard. Almost died fasting because it's really hot Here! Serious I've heard stories of missionaries that walk into the shower with their clothes on, get soaked, and then leave to work because they get dry in a half-hour.

I wake up everyday at about 5:45 because the sun is already up and burning! The suns not supposed to be up until way later! I have to stay in bed though because it's a rule now to not wake up before 6:30. haha. I guess to many missionaries were waking up to study or to work out... wierd problem right?

I'm reading Jesus the Christ, I started a month ago and I'm halfway through now. Mostly because I would read it while I was waiting for Elder Almeida to come out of the shower. and he takes FOREVER in the shower! haha. 

Elder Bruno got an email today from his girlfriend that their sealing is marked for January 10th, 1:00 pm... Haha. We're seeing the symptoms of being a little trunky but he works super hard, I admire him for that. 

This week we had about 12 people that said they would go to church... Unfortunately it didn't work out for them I guess. It was also The second round of the presidential elections AND "children's Day" I guess it's like father's or mother's day. You give presents to the kids and make popcorn and popcorn with that pink sugar stuff, and cotton candy. Needless to say all the kids in the neighborhood were all hyped up on sugar, and our lessons had to be short.

We're finding lots of people, just need to find the ones that will baptize! Luckily everyone here is real open. When we get someone that is not receptive, we just treat them well or say a prayer with them. Instead of trying to teach or argue with them, I try to set them up for the next time they meet the missionaries.

Super Jealous you guys saw meet the Mormons. Even if people talk bad about it, it still gets the church's name out there. John Tanner was converted because he went to denounce the missionaries for an anti-poster he saw, and ended up being baptized!!! Are we related to him?

Have a great week, 

Love you all!

Elder Wallace

Conference Rocks!

That was definitely the highlight of the week, General Conference. We got to watch all the sessions, I watched in Portuguese. including priesthood that was from 9-11pm!!!  We had a member to drive us home so It was fine. I loved Elder Godoy's talk especially about how we need to do our part for our patriarchal blessing to be fulfilled. The members loved that he spoke in portuguese! Elder Aidukatis talked about that here in Goiânia. I loved all of Pres. Uchtdorf's talks. Super good! The only down side of conference was that they turned all the lights off, and I dozed off during a session for a bit.

My new companion is Elder Bruno. He's a 27 year old convert, has a great conversion story. He's got 5 weeks of mission left, His wedding is marked for January 6th... haha. I'll still be in the mission! He lives in Iguaçu Falls, and that's where he'll get married. He speaks what I call "video Game English" that he learned playing xBox and watching Movies. so basically he whips out phrases like 'game over' 'level up' and ''let's head back to base Elder'' pretty funny. He's helped me learn some cool words in portuguese.

He's graduated in Information Technology and Computer Networking... He knows how to use that black window with the white letters to make the computers in the office do tons of cool stuff. 

Yesterday was the Presidential Election... Wow. Crazy stuff. 

This past month there have been cars playing advertising music and candidate jingles. People throw papers all over the place with the candidates voting number. Everybody has to vote here, Sunday morning we went to school for the Brazilian Elders to fill out the exemption form. There are like 12 candidates for president. It was interesting to see how that works. I'll attatch a foto of the sidewalk, the gutters fill up with the papers.

Also here are the fotos of Jaca as promised... Sorry it took so long, I finally found a good internet Café. Jaca gets WAY bigger than this. Inside It's white and fibery, and there are these big seeds covered in Yellow slime. Basically you get the seed and suck the slime off. It's got a banana-ish flavor and the texture is like a chewey sluggish thing. After we ate a bit we put it in the fridge to save for later.... Let's just say that was NOT a good Idea, and I took one for the team, put it in bag and chucked it after day 3.

Love Y'all and We'll keep fighting the good fight here, hopefully have some baptism pics here in a bit!

Elder Wallace

Elder Ashby my greenie!

Elder Bruno, my companion.

Jaca 

Two guys from Rio Verde at the Transfer. Elder Hopkins, Elder Wild. 

Election papers

The big caterpillar bus.