Boa Tarde!

Hello!
 how is everyone? Thanks for the Emails!
This week we had transfers. Much to his dismay, my companion "ficou" haha. We never know what will happen with transfers. All of the people that have a lot of time here stayed, and BOTH of our zone leaders were transfered! (Elder Cain and Marques that were living with me and Elder Castro). I'll miss Elder Cain, we worked alot together in Barra do Garças.
Arrived: Elder Peterson, from California, our new zone leader. The suprise is that normally we have 2 zone leaders, but Elder Peterson will be zone leader AND train Elder McClane (fresh from Provo). Needless to say he has a full plate. Here's a picture of them, and a picture of me and elder castro with a weird water tower close to our house.

Today I'm going to make cookies for Elder Castro! Wish me luck because I couldn't find the equivlant of shortening, and I bought a solid rock of brown sugar that I will grate like cheese. His birthday was this week. A family made a churrasco (bbq) and a delicious cake for us. It was the first time I ate chicken hearts here in the mission. They were even better than the chicken hearts we ate in Tucanos (Maybe because the chickens here are more loving). I can't help but think that for every one I eat a chicken died.

It's nice to be helping Elder McClane with the language, it helps me see how far I've come. He is learning WAY fast!

So, I'll share a miracle today that happened this week. We were returning to our area after doing baptismal interviews.

I got on the bus and the guy that collects tariff called me over. He was really excited to see the Elders and started telling me about a film he watched recently, the Lord's Errand. I found out he was baptized some time ago in Rio de Janeiro. He moved to Uberlandia 4 years ago, and has been keeping busy with 2 jobs and his 2 kids. 

Turns out that he didn't know the church existed here in Uberlandia! I got his address and passed it to the missionaries that work in his area. He's lived here for 4 years but wasn't able to find the church! He got pretty excited and asked me to send a book of mormon with the missionaries that will visit him.
His daughter and son are more than 8 years old, and they can get baptized. The Lord is putting people in our path if we just open our mouths to talk to them.

This week we should have two baptisms, with another marked if we can help this couple get married!

Thanks for your prayers and all you do!
Love Elder Wallace

Boas Noticias

Whew!

We just got back from parque Sabia. Really neat place here in Uberlandia, we played beach volleyball! It was pretty great. Here's a pic of me with some of the wildlife.

This week was really good. I see a lot of miracles here, here's one in particular I want to share.

Saturday we fasted and prayed that we could find a family. After we finished fasting on sunday, we were making contacts and talked to a guy leaving a supermarket. We got his address and marked to meet with him on tuesday. We went to Guilson's house on tuesday, and clapping (because you only knock sometimes haha) a woman came to talk to us. Turns out that Guilson gave us the wrong address and he doesn't live there, but we taught the woman (Andreia). She was super elect! 

Another visit later and we were teaching her, her 4 kids and her husband, her husband and the kids committed to come to church with us. 

   Saturday I passed by with elder Marques (one of the zone leaders) We found out that Andreia is actually a member and was baptized 7-8 years ago! 

We called them Sunday morning and they were excited to go to church. We found out later that Douglas (the husband) was traveling for work, and he was going to drive them all to the church. So Andreia got all the kids up and ready and they all walked there by themselves.

That night we went by with a member and marked baptismal dates for August 24 with the two kids that are old enough. 

     

It was really a miracle finding Andreia and we are excited to help her come back to the church.

Other highlights of the week include.

Marking baptismal dates despite a drunken mother-in-law. She was really pretty funny but wouldn't stop talking!!!

Teaching the first lesson to a family we met on the street. the End went something like this 

"and we end this lesson in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

 "amen"-everyone

-Grandpa- "Great message, Let's give them a hand!"

Everyone starts clapping. haha.

Well Tranfers will be tonight or tomorrow and Elder Castro is dead certain that he will be transferred. haha. 

I'm excited for the people we met this week and we have a family night planned with a bunch of them tonight, Family nights are really great here. There's a sister Vani who will do anything for the missionaries, and we'll be holding it in her house, much to her excitement.

Oh one more thing. Everybody stay far far away from drugs. Holy cow we visited a family that had a bit of trouble in the past, and the Dad had a relapse this week. I've never seen anyone so broken, weeping uncontrolably. We gave him a blessing and will get him some help with the programs the church has.

The church is true and I love all of you.

Elder Wallace.

E-mail Semanal

Whew! time flies, it really does.

Thanks mom and dad for the emails, and thanks friends that are emailing too! 

Mom I love getting pictures from you so keep sending them! (I'll buy a camera this week, haha.)

So here are some experiences of the week.

I talked to a guy in the street sunday afternoon. He was receptive and we said we'd pass by his house in an hour. We taught another lesson and went to his house. I should have known he was on his way to the bar when we met him! We started to talk to him and he was ''bebedo''. We said that we'd pass by another day and he was like, "no no, let's go inside." then we watched him try to stand up for a few moments before telling him it's alright, we'll see you later.

You'd be suprised how many drunks stop us in the street and how well they know the scriptures!

One of them stopped us and insisted that we share 'a word of God' with him. We never stop to talk to them but this time Elder Castro opened 1 Corinthians and read the verse that our body is a temple. Opa! The drunk loved it.

We met a Young couple (our age) that were recently married and moved here. Jonatan and Geovana! They are super good. Jonatan has tons of questions and understands what we teach! I'm excited to see them again this week, it's just tricky with his work schedule since he works afternoon and sleeps until noon. The fulbecas slept in on sunday! But we'll get them this week.

So sunday is my favorite day, especially when we have people for the first time visiting. Sunday morning we call everyone by payphone since we can't with our phone. We knock on their doors and then we head to the chapel. After we bring that group to the chapel we get a ride with a member to get the rest. We're pretty much like one of those little annoying dogs that keep trying to bite your foot, we stay right on their heels. (I was bitten by one of those dogs here already.)

The zone leaders are doing a really cool program with super heroes, I'll send you some pictures next week!

Love Elder Wallace

Hey Family! Que Frio!

This week was really good. Can you believe we actually left the house with suits one morning?!? it was chilly! Really weird, all of a sudden we had three days of wind with a humid chill. I slept with a jacket, shorts, and socks.

Gelo' is a vejetable, or so I'm told. You all know I'm not a picky eater, but this was terrible! I was excited to try some new things at a buffet and I put some on my plate. Ugh! Very bitter! But I ate it all because you pay extra if you waste food (they should do that in the US in my opinion.)

So this week we're all out of money, haha. I'm learning to budget well and eat cheap. The diet of a missionary here consists of Bread, eggs, milk, bananas and oranges (oranges are super cheap but not quite as tastey).

My expenses for food for one week $9.00. Thanks to all the wonderful sisters that feed us so well here in Uberlandia.

This week we met lots of people, since we've been talking to EVERYBODY! My favorite was Paulo, who is taking a course in theology to help him decide which religion to join. But he didn't show at church, we called everyone and passed by their houses to confirm, but this week again we had 0. 

I always feel super bumbed when this happens, on the flip side I get super excited when we bring people to the church. 

So a couple days ago I was thinking about what we could do different to help people keep commitments. I prayed, saying I know we still have a lot to learn and we don't deserve it, but I want to see a miracle. We'll talk to everybody please help us find some.

And after church my prayer was answered. I we walked clear to the end of our area to contact a lady we met in the street, Tatiane. We met with her and her daughter Nicole. It was a Miracle. I think nicole was one of the first people I've met that really understood what Moroni's promise meant, and the difference that the answer would make. 

Both of them accepted to visit the church this sunday and to be baptized.

We also contacted a lady named Kelly that I met in the fair (I'll talk about this in a bit.) She was really good to, she also accepted to be baptized.

On tuesday we carried a big table clear down to the fair and set up an exposition. The bigger neighborhoods here have fairs every week where you can buy fruit, veggies, clothes, and all sorts of yummy stuff. I like the churros. In a couple hours I had the addresses of 15 people to visit. It was great to change up the routine and see it work. President Prieto said "If you want different results do something different".

I'm starting to understand our role in helping the ward here grow and I'm starting to teach more naturally, which is a relief. Before I was worried about hitting every point in the lesson, now that I'm starting to know the lessons better I can converse with the person and teach to their understanding.

Love the pictures!

Love you all 

Elder Wallace

Uberlandia

Hello hello!

Whoo! time flies when you're busy. I'm starting to know the area and the members here which is just great. One thing I'm really excited for is the deal that Elder Castro and I won't let anybody pass us in the street (except young kids and people sooo drunk that they aren't walking straight.) Actually, the drunks love talking to us, and quite a few of them have more scriptures memorized than I did before seminary. haha.

So this week we met president Kuceki and family. He is amazing and will be great for the mission. He's already passed a few programs that will help a lot, with more to come. He's praying to triple the number of baptisms here in the mission!!! I have complete faith that it will happen, and were doing the works to realize that goal. He taught us that we have more power than we think, in a way that just blew my mind.

Here's something cool that he told us President Monson said, translated more or less. "The only reason God let the internet be invented was for missionary work"

Whoa.... 

That said I challenge everybody to go out of your way to use the internet this week for the reason it was allowed to exist. 

This week will be a week of finding new investigators. The 2 families we had in the church are starting to give excuses, but we'll give a lesson of power and call them to the church this week again.

We're already seeing the blessings of talking with EVERYONE. Remember We bought a pizza on the 4th of July and the lady asked if we had a pamphlet? We said even better we have a lesson that will explain everything. Since then we've taught the 3 kids. Returning there later I met the dad. Guaran.

He's from india. He opened the door and said "I don't speak portuguese!" I just smiled and started to talk to him. He and his wife met doing courses in England, were married in india, and moved here about 4 months ago.

It will be interesting teaching a family that speaks half portuguese half english, and the dad is Hindu! haha I'm super excited.

We also met an indian that is very lonely recuperating from a surgery, that is an elect of the Lord. The other night I talked to a guy smoking and he has a family of 5 that we will teach today. I talked to a guy that is taking a Theology class to help him decide what church to join. mwahaha! 

It really is a miracle how many people the Lord has prepared and put in our path.

Oh. I ate Gelo´ this week for the first time. It's a green thing that has an absolutely abominable taste. maybe Bro Nelson remebers it. Man it was nasty but I was eating at a restaurant that you pay extra if you waste food, so I ate it all.

Also this week I ate Canjica! The stake here had a "Festa Julinha". We brought an investigator there. There was a kind of square dance deal, lots of popcorn, cornbread, and caldos (kind of stew but not). Canjica is like a stew but really sweet. It has corn and peanuts and cinnamon! Man it was good!

Anyway love you all have a great week. Bro Nelson send my love to the mission prep people. Enjoy the waffles or cereal!

Christ is our Savior

The book of Mormon has soooo much truth and knowledge!

The Priesthood and all the keys are here, and will never be taken from the earth again.

Love you all!

Elder Wallace

Novo Presidente!

Na verdade, ainda nao conhecemos ele... mas ouvi muitas coisas boas!

He didn't visit us yet. But today we got an email saying that the new goal for baptisms for a companionship in a month is 12. woooh! haha. It was 6 before.

To tell the truth I have baptised not many people here. I got transferred from goainia and Barra right before the baptisms. I want to baptise! haha. Elder Castro and I met 2 families this week, Rogerio and Zilda, that came to church with us. 

  I'm really grateful for the members that help. It's a bit awkward if you are trying to make friendships for them if you are asking people to stick with your investigators.

   Rai, one of the members here  is 20 years old and waiting for the 1 year mark after his baptism to serve a mission. He loves the missionaries and being a missionary. We were eating lunch with him and he was talking about people looking at the new people but not greeting them, " the sign says visitors welcome! so run to them, shake their hand and say, good morning!!!" haha.

The language is coming along. I've been doing splits with elder cain and elder Marques, the zone leaders that we live with. I'm seeing that I will always have something to improve when it comes to teaching people. The best way to teach if you really want them to understand is to almost say nothing. Ask questions and show them scriptures to teach what you want to say. People understand WAY better when you do it this way.

Basically President prieto said we need to memorize the points of every paragraph in Preach my Gospel. I'm seeing now that it's good to do this because if you know all the material it's a lot easier to draw from what you know to adapt the lesson to the person. 

Other than that I'm just loving life here in Uberlandia. It's hot but not as hot as Mato Grosso! Sorry Elder Kennington!

Love,

Elder Wallace

Perdoa-me!

Alright,

So last week I was transfered the same day that everyone went to Goiana for the last conference of President Prieto and Sister (which was very very good). I was called the night before at 10:40 to pack my bags. That's how tranfers work here, haha.

I was a little sad to leave Barra do Garças. Well, a lot sad. Thiago and Erika got married, I got to sign the Marriage contract! haha. It was pretty cool, Less than an hour to sign the paper, trade rings, and then everybody went home and will party later. 

Erika was baptized this saturday. Thiago baptized her. When the elders met thiago he had been inactive since being a deacon, living with his spouse. He started to come back on his own, AND brought Erika with him. He was ordained a priest after the wedding so he could baptize her. I won't forget them!

Now I'm in Uberlandia. Cool name huh? It's a LOT cooler here than Barra, which is nice. And we have a chapel, looks like I'll still be playing the hymns though (thank you mom for hounding me to practice! I should have listened more).

My companion is Elder Castro, from Sao Paulo. I'm happy because they speak portuguese very well there, hopefully he can help me kill my accent a bit.

He has some great strengths like working with the members and teaching with the spirit. He teaches very clearly. I'm looking forward to using the strengths that we both have to work here. 

This week we baptized Sergio, an investigator of Elder Castro. I confirmed him.

One thing We do a lot here is stop people in the street, something I had a hard time with in Goiania! But surprisingly It's me that's making a lot of the small talk with people. 

Another good thing is that we always have lunch here! wooh! the members are great.

Also In our house is elder Cain, who was in Barra with me.

(Still no camera, but I'm sure it'll arrive before christmas! hahaha.)

Love you all tons,

Elder Wallace