feb 15 2016

me and seth. Freaking love this kid so much! #bffs.

lunch with the gang!

me and my old companions :)

Well, here we go again at this computer! So this week should be better than last week´s email. 

This week was another week in the work of the Lord that is for sure. We found some really really awesome people. So the investigator that is the coolest is Lidiane. She is 16 I think. We actually found her two weeks ago walking in the street. We passed her and her mom and didn´t talk to her. Afterwards we both felt like we should have stopped her. Luckily for us an hour later after our visit we were walking and they passed us again so of course we stopped her and her mom. They were both super receptive and accepted our visit. We went there and taught the restoration and she liked it and went to church last week after the first visit. She loved church (which is surprising because no one was there and it was testimony meeting lol) and accepted our visits this last week. When we tried going to her house she wasn´t there but her mom called us and told us she was at her aunts house. We called her and she told us to visit her at her aunts house. We went there and couldn´t find it, so she came looking for us! It was incredible. No one does that to be taught. She was dying to receive the Book of Mormon and now she is reading like crazy. We also call her an investigator of gold because she has already given us 3 references! Saturday she called us and told us she was at the park with her friend and that we should meet her. So we went there and taught both of them in the park. Her friend turns out to be the cousin of the stake president that goes to our ward. So when she should up at church with us yesterday, they were super happy to see her there. So exciting. We have there baptisms marked for this Sunday, so we are working towards that this week.

Our other investigator that is progressing a ton is Mayara´s mom that was baptized last week and received the Holy Ghost yesterday. Her mom is super cool and has problems with coffee, but we went there and taught the word of wisdom and she accepted to live it. When we went back she told us she hadn´t drunken coffee yet! But unfortunately everyone and there dogs offer coffee upon entrance of a house, supermarket, store you name it, and she broke and drank one day. But she is improving tons! It is such a great feeling when investigators chose to follow Jesus Christ and give up the things of the world. Even though she has troubles, she is getting better everyday and we know she´ll be baptized as well :)

This week was also Elder Benedetti´s birthday so he got lots of treats and goodies :) it´s always good when a companion has a birthday because you both celebrate :) hehe. Oh! something I forgot to say last week is that dengue is really making lots of people sick here. Those little mosquitos are soooo annoying, but they bug bombed our city. Or in other words, trucks with these turret like things in the beds drove around launching a smoke/poison into the air to kill all the mosquitos... Crazy stuff here in brasil! haha, I couldn´t believe it but I saw it with my own eyes. :) But all is well.

So today we had our zone activity. It was a lot of fun. We went to a members house that has a really nice bbq place and a little soccer field, so we went there and had a bbq today. I will send some pics in this email, no worries! But I´ll tell you what, when I get home, I am going to make a big brasilian bbq for all of us :) It´s actually funny because they think we are all so weird we eat hamburgers and hot dogs as part of our bbq´s. Because theirs is just tons of meat and a certain dish of beans with coca-cola :) so funny.

But, I just want to end saying how grateful I am to be a missionary. It´s so great and such an honor to be here. I learn so many things every day and my testimony is strengthened every time I put on the badge and leave the house. It for sure is not easy being a missionary, and actually, it´s probably the most stressful thing I think I have ever done in my life to worry about the salvation of other people. Its incredibly sad when someone rejects us or tells us not to come back because they want to continue in there church. But the happiness that comes from finding the few souls that are looking to follow Christ is incredible. Something I have really thought about lately is eternity. This life is sooo short and we are sooo imperfect. Looking at how imperfect we all are is a bit overwhelming knowing that nothing impure can enter into God´s presence. But that is also why I have really tried to understand more about the Saviour and His infinite Atonement. To me it´s something so complex and so complicated that it´s almost impossible to understand or comprehend. But I do know that Christ did suffer and die for all of us and all these people here in my area. That´s why this work is so important. And being able to help others recognize him and know him is amazing. I love you all and hope you all embrace the atonement and apply repentance more fully in your lives, because it´s absolutely necessary for our eternal happiness. I love you all and pray for you all as well daily. Have a great week! The Church is true and the majority of my ties are blue! (#redheadproblems) Loves!!!

com amor, Elder Patterson