No Quake! (Week 53)

Hey all!

It was a great week here in Three Hearts in the state of General Mines. We worked hard this week and were blessed with the baptism of Sanderson, a young man of 29 years who really is an elect. He used church clothes the very first Sunday he went to church and really is very close to God and the spirit. I will always remember him and he will always be really special to me - truly a friend for life. We are excited to work with him this week.

It was a week of a lot of bus rides. I went to Belo Horizonte on Tuesday at 1 in the morning and had a really great meeting with Pres. Fortunato. It was very inspiring - he spoke a lot about being an example to the other missionaries. It was also really edifiying to talk with some of my friends that I had served with in Contagem and to hear about how they are doing and how my investigators are. I was so happy to hear that Selma and Giselle who Elder Sloan and I baptized are doing well -I was really so happy to hear that. Then later on, we got a call from the assistants saying that the ramo in São Lourenco had a man who asked to be baptized and that I was to go to that city and interview him. So on Saturday, we went there and I interviewed him and it was amazing. He really is very strong and will be a great asset to the church. The bus ride there was so cool - the South of Minas is really beautiful. So green with a ton of hills and fields of corn, coffee and wheat. They even had some hills that almost looked like mountains - so that was fun to think about Utah and remember how beautiful the Earth really is.

I know that the Church is true. I am so grateful for the many times during the day that we get to teach the 1st lesson about the Restoration. Everytime that I teach it, I feel the Spirit testify that this is the truth. I know it. I am so grateful for the fact that God called prophets in our days and that we have the truth of the gospel in our lives. No one can talk enough about how important the gospel is. I know that the Spirit of God really touches the hearts of men and I am so grateful for our Heavenly Father who loves us! I love you all and hope that you have a great week!

Elder Jacob

Well hiyah! (Week 52) ONE YEAR MARK!!!

Hey all you that I love! Okay, I am getting cheesier every week....

I do love you all though, so that is a fact. I am a defender of the truth so gotta be honest right?

This was a great week - I feel like every week I learn more and more about my Savior. I really feel His love everyday and I am so grateful for the gospel of Christ because it really does bring true happiness.

Donizete was confirmed yesterday and is really happy and excited. We have a mother and daughter that will be baptized this next week - the little girl already wants to be a Sister missionary! She´s only eight but reminds me a lot of the girls when they were younger. It is really awesome to help people accept the gospel.

Elder Sipião continues to be a great companion and we are learning a lot about diligence and patience together.

We had branch conference yesterday and it was neat to sustain all the leaders of the Church. I heard that Sister Monson died. That is sad. I know that President Monson is strong though and he will continue to lead the true Church alright.

Let´s see what else - not really a ton to say today. I am happy and doing very well! I really love being a missionary and have a ton to improve but I am so grateul to be here! I know that God lives and that He called prophets on the earth. I love reading Our Heritage because when I read the stories of the early members of the church who gave everything to follow the Prophet, I feel the Spirit very strongly. I want to be like them - firm and faithful in all difficulties.

I love you all!

 

Elder Jacob

You just call on me brotha, when you need a hand! We all need somebody to lean on! (Week 51)

Hey amily! The key that makes the letter between e and g doesn´t work on this keyboard so sorry about that.

This letter will be quicker and shorter since I eel like I just talked to all you guys - oh wait! I did! I will just say that it was wonderul to hear rom all of you and to hear your voices. Man, that was wonderul. I am so grateul for the amily that I have!

Donizete was baptized yesterday! He is such a humble man - he´s smoked since he was 7 years old but the Lord really blessed him and he had enough faith that he completely stopped! It has been more than a week than he has smoked! He is so humble - he doesn´t know how to read very well, but he has a great desire to read and understand the gospel so we wrote a ew scriptures or him to read in bigger letters and he has been studying them diligently. He is someone that I will never forget.. I am excited to work with him this week.

No news about transers or anything. You´ll just have to wait until next week!

I will dispense with the personal replies today because I want to reply to Aunt Colette´s and Seth´s email but please know that I love each and every one of you individually and I think and pray or you always. Sam - I Know you will dominate the APUSH test keep the aith and keep happy. Annie - you are so wonderul and I hope that you know that I love you so very much. Be happy! Ellie - keep smiling and being great! I love you and hope soccer is wonderul this week! Mom - I hope that you had a very happy mother´s day and I am so grateul or the wonderul wonderul mom that you are. Dad - I love you and hope that you are happy this week as you continue to work and support our amily and ward. I love you all so very much! Keep the aith because I know that God lives and He loves us all!

Yours always,

Elder Jacob

Brown Paper Packages Tied up with String . . . (Week 50)

Hey family!

Another great PDay and another opportunity to read your wonderful email. I am really so happy to be here serving the Lord. It is a wonderful thing.

We worked hard this week and have one man named Donizette progressing for baptism on Sunday. We taught him the Word of Wisdom yesterday and I was impressed by what he said when we invited him to stop drinking coffee. He said, "Coffee? I didn´t know that was bad to drink." "Well Donizette, will you stop drinking it?" "Of course! I didn´t know that it was bad. I´ll stop today!" It was a really cool thing to see someone with enough humility to accept something so willingly. We are excited to work this week and help him and others progress.

I got mail this week! As a missionary, there is such a special feeling when you get mail. Sometimes you forget that there is another world out there and it really is joyous to hear how other people are doing. I would like to thank all my friends and family who sent mail because really it means the world - I wish I had time to respond to everyone! Please know that I am keeping every letter that I receive and if I don´t respond soon, I will eventually! Thank you!

I read the final part of Elder Ballard´s book, Our Search for Happiness, today and I was really struck by what a blessing it is to be a member of the Lord´s Church. You could list all the blessings but what I was struck by today was the overriding spirit that comes from being a member of the Lord´s Church. You have a peace that exceeds understanding (Philipians 4:7) knowning that through the Atonement and your faithfulness to the gospel you can be one with God again. I have felt that Spirit very strongly here on my mission and I constantly feel the great responsibility that I have to share this message with others. It sure is overwhelming at times to think about how many people there are in Tres Corações that don't know about the gospel but I trust that with the Lord´s help, we will be guided and His work will progress according to His will. Man, we are so blessed. I am so grateful and happy.

I love you all! Keep close to the Lord!

 

Elder Jacob

If I Were A Rich Man‏ (Week 49)

 

Good morning family!

 

Wow! It was great to get your email today! Thank you so much for the wonderful news and exciting stories! I am so grateful that you are all well and happy!

 

I am doing well here too! We were really blessed yesterday with the baptism of Leonor Aparecida. She is a older lady who lives basically alone and she´s a neighbor of a member. She was really worried about not understanding everything about the gospel before her baptism so she wanted to wait to be baptized until she understood everything. With the help of some of the amazing Relief Society sisters here in the branch, we were able to help her understand that she didn´t have to understand everything, she just needed to understand the importance of baptism and living the commandments. Once she understood that more clearly, she accepted to be baptized. But she was really worried about the water being cold. She´s older and has had a cold for a while. (The chapel here doesn´t have a water heater and it´s starting to be winter here in Brazil so the water isn´t exactly warm.) We invited her to be baptized anyway and to have faith that the Lord would provide. She went to church and entered the waters of baptism and was baptized. Afterward, she said that she didn´t feel cold when she was baptized and she was so happy and bright after she was baptized that I really was taken aback. I know that the Lord wanted her to be baptized and He helped all of us overcome all the difficulties to make it so she could receive that blessing yesterday. It was a wonderful day for all of us.

 

I am still here in Três Corações and loving it. The branch is wonderful and we are really excited to work this week and find new people to teach and baptize. I don´t know how much longer I will be here but it really doesn´t matter because I am happy and it is great to be here serving. Elder Sipião and I gave talks in church yesterday and it went well. I am really grateful for the Spirit - when you are teaching or explaining a gospel principle and suddenly you feel the Spirit touching your heart and teaching other people, that is the best feeling. I am grateful for my merciful Heavenly Father and all that He gives to me.

 

I don´t know anything about the Mother´s Day Call. I think this week I will learn more because we are going to have a Zone Meeting on Thursday.

I read Mormon 9 today and I really want to understand that chapter better. I really want to improve and increase my faith so that I can be a better servant and missionary. I know that faith is what we need to see miracles and the promise in Mormon 9 about asking in faith, doubting nothing, in the name of Christ is real. I know that God lives and loves us all.

Keep the faith! It will all work out!


Elder Jacob

Para Para, Paradise! (Week 48)

Hey Family!

First of all, I love you all very very much. Second of all, we are so very blessed. The gospel is true! Thirdly,  it is yet another beautiful day here in Tres Coracoes - you should see the sky!

This week was good, hard and helpful. We had one investigator progressing who chose not to be baptized yesterday, but we will continue to work with her and I have faith that she will be baptized on Sunday.

We had district conference yesterday in Varginha, a neighboring city. The district where I am serving will be part of the Brasil Juiz de Fora Mission as of July 1, 2013. I really don´t know anything about if I will stay in Missão Brasil Belo Horizonte or be transferred to the other mission. If I am here in this area in July, I think I will be transferred to the other mission. But I really don´t know anything. But, I am calm and know that it all will workout. I´ll be serving the Lord no matter where I go!

 

I am really grateful for the time that I have every single day to study the scriptures and learn more about the gospel. It is one of the best things about the mission. I have grown to love the scriptures and everyday I realize how much more there is to understand and apply about the gospel. It never ends the gospel! And I am so grateful to know that it is true!

I am working on being more charitable and patient with the investigators. Sometimes it is hard when you have people that can be rude or ignorant, but then again, we are all rude and ignorant sometimes and Christ still loves us and wants us to be happy so just gotta keep being loving and patient!

I know that God lives. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. Read the scriptures and you´ll be blessed! I know it!

Elder Jacob

You've Had a Birthday, Shout Hooray.. HOORAY! (Week 47)

Hello My family! I just called...to say....I love you! Gotta let a little Stevie Wonder into your life.

First of all, your email was a blessing! Thank you so much! I love you all! We had a really wonderful week this week, thanks for asking. We worked hard and played hard also.

Most importantly, we had the baptism of Fluvia on Saturday and she was confirmed yesterday. It was Fast and Testimony meeting and she, without being invited, stood up and bore her short sweet little testimony and everyone really liked it. We are excited to keep working with her this week and help her make the full transition into the church. Bruno and Salomão were confirmed yesterday also and are excited to start going to Seminary and the activities with the young men. The members here in the branch are the creme of the crop - they are such examples to me and I am so grateful for them. Man, it is a blessing to be on a mission. I really am happy. :)

Saturday was Elder Sipião´s birthday. I got up early and put a bunch of posters with birthday messages around our apartment, gave him a tie and a letter and made him breakfast in bed. Gotta keep the Jacob birthday tradition of breakfast in bed alive! He thought it was different, but I know he liked it. I haven´t gotten the birthday package yet but it´s all good - when I get it, it will be my birthday again! Haha. Today Elder Sipião said he was going to make me a Brazilian dessert I really like here. I think I´ll get some extra pão de queijo also. But the best birthday gift was emailing you guys! Thank you so much for your great email - that really made me smile.

We are working with Dona Aparecida for baptism this Sunday and we have a goal to really find a lot more people. It is really really great to serve a mission - I honestly love it. You gotta have fun you know - you gotta believe that it is fun to knock on doors because you never know what will happen. You gotta believe that people will listen and let the Spirit touch them. You just gotta believe and then it is great!

One funny thing that happened, we were walking on the street and I stopped to talk to a woman that was coming towards us. She seemed interested but then, apparently, she realized who we were and threw up her hands and said, `ewwewew!` as if we had leprosy or something and walked away. I had to laugh and I honestly hope she finds the gospel someday soon.

We were practicing the 1st lesson today and I was practicing the part about the 1st Vision. I felt the Spirit testify that Joseph Smith really was a prophet. I am grateful that Heavenly Father is good enough to always confirm the things that are true to us, even after we receive a witness of them. I know, because of the Spirit, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I am so grateful to be part of the true church. It brings me great happiness!

Can´t believe I am twenty. It is weird - I am old. But that´s alright I guess! Just gotta keep going! Like Bro. Wardrop says - today is the best day of my life! And it is just going to get better. Have a great day you all, you all deserve it!

 

Elder Jacob