I am doing well here in Riacho. We worked hard and found some great people to teach. The difficulty we are facing right now is getting them to church - there is always an excuse whether it be work, sleeping in, etc. I really enjoy teaching and have a lot of things to improve - one of them is being more concise and direct. Elder Sloan is a superb example of this and I am grateful to have his guidance. Our goal this week is to be missionaries the Lord can trust because we can't do this work without His help. Last night during weekly planning we had a great talk and it was cool to hear his input on how I can be better. It was a great experience and I hope to learn to be as good a companion as Elder Sloan is someday.
Riacho is an area with about 5 bairros or neighborhoods in it. These neighborhoods are part of the city Contagem which is a city close to Belo Horizonte. The people here are really great and I enjoy learning and adopting the Brazilian way of thinking, speaking and living.
Yesterday I gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting. My accent was as big as Brazil but I hope they all felt the Spirit. We tried to be firm and motivate the members to do missionary work too. This is something I did not understand before but I understand much better now - the members make all the difference. If the members are solid and welcoming, the converts will stay in the Church. I read in Preach My Gospel that we should all pray and fast for opportunities to share the gospel. It is a commandment to share what we know and the good news is the Lord will help us as we do our part. I am very grateful to be serving this mission - I really am so grateful to be here. There are hard days and ups and downs but it is all good - all good!
Funny thought I had the other day - Remember those days in Misawa when we didn't have roofs? Man, I am grateful that the Air Base in Pearl Harbor has roofs because those were some rough days - with the snow and all.
I am really enjoying reading the Book of Mormon in Portuguese. The coolest thing about it is that I understand the same stories and verses in a different way - it is like relearning all the cool things about the gospel. I am really grateful for this tender mercy.
I am happy healthy and excited to work this week. Hope all is well with you!
I re-read Pres. Bensons talk about the Book of Mormon being the Keystone of our Religion and it is amazing. I really am so grateful for the Book of Mormon and I hope that you all are reading it together everyngiht - I miss those great, sometimes crazy, times when we read the Book of Mormon together. I love you so much and really am so grateful for your example in my life.
Have a wonderful week family! You are the best and I love you!
Elder Jacob
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