Oi! (Week 92)

Hey all!

Sorry that this email got to you all later than usual.  We spent the whole PDay today with President visiting a really cool cave about two hours away from BH and we got back just now.  It was really really cool.  It is huge, goes down 18 meters, is really long and huge.  We took a bunch of pictures, I will try to send some today.  It was all the staff - President and Sister Fortunato, the Assisstants and the Secretaries.  It was a blast.  We went to a great Brazilian barbeque afterwards and I ate a ton of great picanha ( a really delicious brazilian steak.)  I am feeling really good now.

It was a very very busy week with a lot of work to do.  The best part about our week this week was that we got to go out of the office for a good amount of the week and work in our area.  We have some great people to bring to church tomorrow and I am excited to really get things going in our area and in our mission. 

Elder Sonnefeld is a great companion - we always wanted to be companions together and so it is a great blessing to be with him now. We are waking up early everyday, doing exercises and leaving early to do street contacts before we study in the morning.  Things are looking up and going well!

Sister Fortunato and President send an oi to you all!

Well, that is about it for the week! I love you all and hope you have a wonderful week!

Heyah Family! (Week 91)

Heyah family!

Well it was an amazing week with a lot of ups and downs. But a really good one.  Here´s what went down.

On Monday we had a ton of work to do in the office so we stayed there working hard and anxiously awaiting President to reveal the transfer.  He finally did at about 5:30 that night so we had a lot of work to do to organize the logistics of everyone getting to the bus station on time and everything.  Elder Lima was really sad the whole week because he went home.  He was really pensive about everything which made me a bit sad too because it is hard to stop working after giving so much of yourself to this great cause.

On Tuesday, new missionaries arrived, full of energy and excitment.  It was good, we had the usual lunch with President and Sister Fortunato, gave them a training about the mission and it went well.  We got 5 Americans that had been waiting 6+ months for their visas so that is exciting that they finally arrived. 

Tuesday night, we called all the missionaries for the transfer.  We did it differently this time- we just told them all to go to the bus station and we would tell them where they would go and with whom there.  They all were a bit annoyed but it turned out well. Wednesday morning we went to the Bus station and it was pretty crazy for about two hours but we got everything sorted out alright and everyone got transfered without a problem.  

President called an amazing elder to be the next Assistant.  He is Elder Sonnefeld, a great friend of mine that I met when I was in Três Corações.  He has one year and three months on the misison and he is really excited and an extremely good, obedient missionary.  We are really really excited to work together - WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A LOT OF SUCCESS! I KNOW IT!  and he is an amzing example to me and we are good friends.

After the transfer on Wednesday, we went to the President´s house for lunch with the six missionaries that were going to end their missions that day.  It was a sad, spiritual lunch.  Elder Lima, Elder Munson, Elder Clark, Elder Childers, Sister Bisognin and Elder de Almeida all went home.  They all were great missionaries and it was sad to see them go.  We took them to the airport and sent them all on their way.  It was hard to say good-bye to Elder Lima, he was an amazing companion and I learned a lot from him.  I am so grateful for the chance to be his companion.  

The next day, President called us and asked us to go on a division to João Monlevade to help animate the elders there so we went they yesterday which was a lot of fun.  We found 3 new people to teach who accepted to be baptized.  It was a really cool experience actually.  Right after lunch, we were walking down the street heading to contact a reference that the sister had given us.  As we were walking, we passed a house and I felt like we should knock that door.  We knocked and told the lady that we felt like we needed to share this message with her that God wanted her to listen.  We shared the message with her and it was a very spiritual lesson.  She told us that she was really confused in her life and wanted to know what church was the true one.  She cried a lot and accepted baptism with her daughter-in-law who was there too.  It was a tender mercy of the Lord and I felt so grateful that the Lord blessed us with that lesson and these wonderful people during the division.  The Lord was really merciful and good to us.

Well that about sums up my week! It was a great one and we are really excited to rest a bit today and then hit the pavement at 6 oclock!  It´ll be great!

Hope everyone is well and happy! Share the gospel today withsomeone! We all need the gospel in our lives!

Elder Jacob

Heyah folks! (Week 90)

Heyah folks! It´s me again!

It was yet another great week.  Started out really inspiring.  We had one of the best leadership councils of the mission I have ever been to.  The Spirit was so strong and we all learned a lot and felt the responsibility that we have as missionaries and representatives of Christ.  We showed a Video that we in the office made together about the work of salvation and it was really powerful.  I am so grateful and happy to be a missionary!

After the counsel, we went to some zone meetings in the mission to see how the Zone´s are doing.  Then on Thursday, President called and told me that I would go with him to Curvelo - a city about two hours away.  We did divisions with the Elders there in Curvelo.  It was awesome.  The division was really great and the best part was that I got to learn with President Fortunato in the car.  He told me and taught me some wonderful things that will help me for the rest of my life.  It was a wonderfully spiritual experience.  I know that he is called of God and he is guiding this mission as he should.  I really am so grateful for my mission president.

Yesterday we did divisions.  I stayed in our area here in BH with an elder from Ecuador.  He speaks a lot of Spanish still but I was able to understand him (even though the investigators couldn´t)  and it was a good day.  But I am tired.  Good and happy but tired. But I am going and I am very very excited and happy and grateful to be here!

I know that God lives! I know that the Book of Mormon is true! I love the work!

Have a great week!

Elder Jacob

Happy Groundhog Day! (Week 89)

Hellloooo my family!

Well hello! It was another week of blessings and hard work.

On Monday we drove 4 hours to Pirapora, a city where the missionaries arrived just six months ago.  Things are going well there.  We did two divisions there with the missionaries and found some new investigators.  It was very fun, but a very hot city.  I liked it.

Then we went to another city called Montes Claros where there are 3 branches.  We had a Zone Conference there which was really great.  Afterwards, we divided with the Zone Leaders and I spent the afternoon with Elder de Almeida from Alagoas.  He is really a funny crazy guy and we had good success because we found a less-active who told us that he was really wanting to go to church.  He is 19 years old so we are hoping to activate him fully and then send him on a mission.

After Montes Claros, we had a Zone Conference in Pampulha, my home sweet home!  It was wonderful to see so many missionaries that I love - Elder Stadler, Elder Droguett, Elder Meadows, and many others.  We had a wonderful conference with President Fortunato.  I got the word today that yesterday they had a combined baptismal service with Florença, Veneza and Metropolitano with 80 people in attendance, 30 investigators and a total of 6 baptisms.  I was so happy for them.  They are doing a great work there.

Yesterday we had a meeting with all the District Leaders of the mission.  I gave a training on how to do a baptismal interview and Elder Lima gave a training about how to have a District meeting.  The best part was President Fortunato giving a training about what it means to be a District Leader.  They have great responsibility.  It was great.

And after the meeting I said to myself - it already is Friday?  The week just flew by and now it is Saturday.  Things are going well and I am so grateful for the chance to be a missionary.  I know that Christ lives and that this is His Church.  I know it. 

Love,

Elder Jacob