Farms and Friends

Bom dia para todos!  Hello to everyone!  I´m excited to write about this last week, it has been a very good one for sure.  As well, a long one due to the fact that last P day was about 11 days ago.  

This week consisted of a lot of adventures out of my actual area.  After last Wednesday, we spent a lot of time trying to figure out more about our area and how we can better our work.  It´s something that me and Elder Oliveira have talked about a lot a lot a lot.  On Friday I went on an exchange with the elders that also work in our ward.  I was happy that I got to see a lot of the area, and now I understand to a fullness about the ward.  One of the crazy things about the other area, is Rochina.  Rochina is the largest favela in Brasil.  And that's saying a lot. We only went in a tiny part, and still it was completely full and crazy.  I love looking at the artechture of the favelas, because frankly I am always in awe to see how so many houses and businesses are stacked on such small surface area.  

But then Sunday was a great day, we thought we wouldn't have a lot of people at church, and then the family of Ivan, Veronica and Ivan Jr. came in at the end. (More of them later...)  It was great, and afterwards we got to eat lunch with President, cause he's a part of our ward.  Then that night at about 10PM, me and Elder Oliveira were off to Macaé on a bus, which is the farthest zone in the mission.  It meant we got in at about 2AM, and it was dead quiet in Macaé.  

We were in Macaé from Monday-Wednesday, and I loved loved it!  It was such a different experience to go from being in Copacabana and the downtown of Rio to Macaé.  The day that I went out to work with the Zone Leader was Monday.  We went to a town called Virgem Santa, which was basically a farming comunity.  It was so quiet and chill.  And the people were so nice to us!  This couple of women offered us tangerines when we were doing our contacts.  So nice.  We were also very close to the beach, which meant that it got cold at night.  Also, Macaé is home to the best Ice Cream I have ever eaten in my life.  So shoutout to Calebitas.  

Then on Wednesday we went to the 2nd farthest zone, Cabo Frio to pick up Elder Martins!  Me and him took another bus that night back to Rio and got in at about 12AM.  So it has been an exhausting week!  

I loved my time with Elder Martins.  He is a very open and personable guy, so I had a lot of fun with me.  We also got a lot of really really good work done.  At lunch, the Sister that gave us lunch said that we give a gift from our spirits.  Even if we don't feel it completely, there are people that see it and feel it.  Me and Elder Martins spent a good while talking about that, how at times we feel completely normal, but to people who don't have the gift of the Holy Ghost, it is such a big difference.

THEN we were sitting at a bus stop to write a note in a Book of Mormon when a woman came up and we naturally started talking.  She said that she has been asking about why we have so many churches as well.  And she began to ask a lot of questions.  We gave her a Book of Mormon and promised her many blessings.  As she left, she said, "You guys look different.  You are angels.  You have a light about you, that is different from anyone else that I've seen. It's not just the clothes...it's something else."  

Well, we left walking on clouds!  A great blessing from God. 

The other blessing came that night when we had a lesson with Ivan, Veronica, and Ivan Jr. (remember, the family from earlier?)  They are hispanic, and we had another member family hispanic come in and teach them as well. We taught them about the 5 steps of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Faith, Repentance, Baptism, The Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End.  We had talked before about marking a baptismal date with them before the lesson, but during the lesson I kept having these feelings of doubt. Then everyone bore testimony, and it was my turn.  I honestly don't remember what I said, but I remember that we marked dates for baptism for them on the 26th!  I'm very excited.  

And now Elder Oliveira and I are together once again!  Just in time for transfers next week, which means we got a lot a lot of stuff that we got to do next week!  So keep your eyes peeled next week!  

One of the scriptures that was shared with me last week from my question was in 3rd Nephi 11, when Jesus Christ appears to the early americans.   In verse 15 it says, 

15 And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and ^adid feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.

I love this because it shows the way that Jesus Christ supports us.  He supports us one by one.  He sees us as the beautiful individuals that we are!  

Until next week, 

Elder Moss

RJ, Brasil