Hey family,

So it was a crazy week.  I´m glad that the week ended and that we are on a new week.  It was super stressful but had some really good parts.  We were finally able to comfirm our baptism that was baptised 4 weeks ago.  What a relief.  

So Elder Clayton, his wife and Elder Carmargo talked to us in person.  We combined with the other mission but only the elders in Salvador got to see it.  It was so good!  He talked a lot about how we need to baptise more people but people that will stay firm in the church not the once that will enter and leave in 2 weeks.  He also talked about the importances to reactivate people.  One of the things he talked about it if we ask them to do harder things they will be better investigators.  He was like ask them to ask God if the BOM is true in the first prayer/first lesson.  He also talked about planning for the future.  Seems like there are a lot of missionaries that have been going home and don´t know what to do.  He was like make something of your life have a plan.  If you are poor its because you didn´t try to make something of your life...or about that.  He said that this was what the Brethen had told him to say..everything he taught.  It was super good i liked it.

So we used his advice and are asking péople to ask if the BOM is true in the first visit.  It has paid off.  Rafaela and Aline can be baptised any day but their parents wont give them permission to be.  In our lesson with them we had Rafaela pray and ask if the BOM was true.  She was praying fast and then asked God if the Bom was true.  The spirit was so strong that she stopped praying for like 10-20 seconds.  It was one of the strongest times i´ve felt the spirit on the mission.  What a great experience it was for me.

So I guess the members like me here.  I got another B-day cake!  This Sunday we had lunch with a super cool member.  And she made me B-day cake.  She was sorry its late but its for your b-day.  I was happy and super appreciative.  

So I´m planning on calling home around 7:00pm sunday. 

In our house we have 3 Americans and 1 Brazilian.  Also the kids that I`ll be going to Vegas with are from St. George.  Or one of them is and the other is from Boise area. 

 

Well I´m glad to hear that all is well and things are getting better for everyone.  Today we went to the Levador a tourist area.  We toured a lot of catholic church´s.  I´ve got some crazy photos i´ll show you all when I get home.  It was super fun though.  Went with my old comp from Eunapolis.

Well love and miss you all,

Love,

Garrett

Hey Family!

So guess what i´m still......in the same area.  Haha.  I think President forgot about me here.  Oh well also i´m with the same companion.  Things are getting better though with him so thats good.  I´m sad though because my friend one of the zone leaders that lived in our house got transfered.  It kind of sucks.  He saved me....we helped each other out because we both had bad companions for a long time.  But his companion misses him as well.  But we´ve already planned before he left after the mission we are going to go to Vegas together us 3.  So that will be fun.  Go to some concerts!  Anyways.

So I got the birthday package today.  It got sent to El Salvador first...so it just got here.  Its crazy how good the mail system is.  Oh well.  Thanks so much.  I loved the picture book and man granola bars.  I forgot all about those but they were delicious and the other candy as well.  

Oh my glasses.  I´m not a fan of them.  I don´t think they know how to do things here in Brazil.  They are alright but the quality is just so much crappier than my other ones.  I´m want to get another exam when I get back.  I´m pretty sure the exam was paid for by the mission and then i bought the lenses with some reserve that I had so i´ll just get better stuff on the plan when i get home.  They should hold up for the rest of the time that i´ve got here, or at least I hppe so.  

So this week we found 2 really cool investigators.  One of them Tacio and man had bought a book of mormon.  We were like well we give them for free so you bought it from a non member.  But he hadn´t really ever read it because people said bad things about it.  When we explained what the book of mormon was he got super excited.  He was like a book that compliments the Bible!  I love the bible and to have more knowledge...who wouldn´t want that!?  I was like that is a good question but many people don´t want it unfortunately.  But he´s super stoked to read.  Only problem he goes to college in another city and is only here every other weekend.  Other investigator Robson.  He is great as well.  We explained the book of mormon to him and gave him some homework to do.  He did it and the next lesson was awesome.  He was like I know that its true and i´m working towards baptism!  So we are stoked about that.  They are blessings for sure.  Hopefully we can find more people like them.  

This week should be awesome....well at least Thursday.  An Apostle is coming to talk to us.  He is in the presidency of the 70!  There will be 2 zones from our mission and 2 from the other mission here in Salvador that will get to watch it.  I love hearing and learning from these things!  

So crazy story.  This week we were walking and some guy starting asking us a question.  He was like are you guys from the same church as Mitt Romney?  I didn´t understand how he was saying Mitt Romney at first but then I got it and was like yeah.  He was like awesome I hope he wins!  I love the USA and its great that they have someone running that puts God first.  We also got a return appointment to talk to him.  I´ll talk to anyone that loves the USA....haaha..jk but its a plus.  But its crazy how Mitt Romney running is making the church´s name get out not just in the USA but in the World.  Great news.

I love and miss you all,

love,

Garrett

Hey family,

 

Wow so it was a week and a half.  I think everyone is just stressed out in the Branch here.  We get burned every week fro something or other.  But at least we have a majority of the people on our side now.  We will just have to work to get the rest on our side. 

This week I was able to go on a division with my comp from Eunàpolis!  It was awesome.  Great to talk about the old times and our old investigators.  Also today we were together all day because I´m getting my glasses.  They´ll be done here in a bit.  Hopefully it will be a lot better.

So i´m not sure if the packages came yet.  I think the other Elders passed by the office today to get some stuff.  But I got cake for my birthday and today i´m going to a party for my birthday!  Should be fun.  I´ll get another party or at least cake if i stay here in this area as well at another members house.  So thats nice to know that at least they like me enough to make me cake...haha. 

So this week the other Elders baptised 3 people and one of them we know pretty good.  He is 9 and we´ve helped them out a little with him.  He is super smart and always talks about going on a mission.  But the other sunday he was in our ward and i was sitting by him.  He was like why did you cut your hair like you did.  I was trying to explain that I didn´t like the way they cut my hair because no one knows how to cut hair here but he was like it makes you look super old!  But if you did a Mohawk it would look super tight....why don´t you do a mohawk and he was trying to stick my hair in a mohawk in the middle of sacrament.  I had to laugh...he´s s funny kid.  The first time he saw my companion he asked him if he was from Mars.  My comp was like why....because you have the face of E.T.  It was a little funny.  The little kid is burning the older people.  But at their baptisms the church ran out of water, so we had to bucket water in from the sisterns out side of the church.  It was crazy.  But they got baptised in the end.

 

Well I love and miss you all. 

Love,

Garrett

Hey family,

Wow so what a week.  It started out awesome.  We were having success and things were going well and then it blew up on us in the end.  3 of our baptisms fell.  2 becuase the parents would sign the form and the last one because she doesn´t want to change some things in her life, but knows its true.  And then the one that got baptised wasn´t comfirmed because she left with her dad for the day.  And to top it off my wonderful companion got us into a bunch of trouble but i´m the one that took the burn.  So right now our teaching group mainly consists of girls because we have only been getting references from girls from the ward.  Not by my doing i´d rather teach men.  So i guess someone made a comment about this and my comp was like yeah well you got to do what works...or some stupid comment like that.  Making it seem like we are stokers only looking for girls.  Anyways the President of the Branch called the mission President and now we´re on tight watch because of the misunderstanding.  The most annoying part is after this incidents my comp is like i was just kidding....i just want to say well your sense of humor sucks and its been getting us in trouble.  This isn´t the first time its happened.  I can´t stand him anymore...i´m praying that I get a cool companion my next transfer.  I would like to leave here as well but i might stay because its probably my comp will leave because the mission prez is mad at him.  what can you do?

So yeah we have been mainly finding our baptisms by reference.  We knock doors but they usually don´t last that long as investigators and the ones that progress are the references of members.  Its crazy how its never just one thing bad that happens but its like when something bad happens the snow ball effect happens.  I´m praying it gets better.  It´s been a very stressful week and my companion doesn´t help the process.  I´m ready to not have this stress anymore.

Well changing the subject.  Still snowing there that is crazy.  Its starting to cool down here a little.  Its not super super hot just hot now.  Hopefully it will cool down even more.  We will see though.  

Sorry if this email just sound like i´m complaining.  I be better next week.  Thanks for the pictures!

Love,

Garrett

Hey family,

  I don´t know what you consider cooler but it feels a little cooler at times.  Actually i just thinks its because the sun goes down so early.  Its like 95 during the day but the sun is down by 5:30 which is so awesome.  Makes this place bareable.
Is it flooding there like that one year it was really bad or just flooding in spots?  Sounds like it has been a messed up year.  Or messed up spring there.
So we had 2 baptisms that were planned this week.  Unfortunately they both got cold feet.  They will be baptised though this week.  I´ve got faith.  One of them we needed the moms permission because she is younger than 18.  When we got there she was completely against it.  Just closed heart all the way.  But i was able to explain why we were there and why baptism is important.  In the end she accepted to sign the sheet.  It was all the spirit on that one because she wasn´t having it in the start.  It was a testimony builder for me. 
Conference was good.  I enjoyed it.  We were able to get 5 people there, that was a huge blessing and we are super excited about that.  We are finally starting to have success here in our area.  I´m so stoked about that.  Hopefully it will continue to go that way.  The only thing that could make it better is a cool companion but we don´t always get what we want.  Well it should be a good week.  We could have 5 baptised this week if no one falls but i´m thinking only 3 will be baptised.  But we will pray for all of them. 
Well have a good week.  Love and miss you all,
Love,
Garrett