November 28, 2016 (week 59)

Cleriston and Ingrid’s baptism

This week was good!

So here in brasil everyone has motorcycles.. and so sometimes you see a ton of people on the same motorcycle. Until this week the most I’ve ever seen was 5. Well this week I saw 7. Yes 7 people on a normal sized motorcycle, dont ask me how it was done.

This week Cleriston and Ingrid were baptized!! This baptismal meeting was super special! The young women sung a musical number in the beginning. and saulo (who baptized them) sung at the end. It was absolutely perfect!! Cleriston is the man. Literally the man, in a little more than a week he was able to stop smoking, drinking coffee, and make all the nesesary changes to be baptized, I wish i could show you guys the joy it brought him! and us! Ingrid is 15 and weve been teaching her for a while now, her progress has been amazing too! Shes never been interested in religion but she was able to receive a strong answer that the church is true and hes grown amazingly in her faith!

So thats pretty much it for this week! Ill attach a foto of one of our districts and of the baptism! Also we had transfers! I was transferred!! Im going to be an assistent to the president, which basically just means a role a little different and ill be in a new area. Im nervous but definitely super excited!!

Hope all is well!!
Elder Lawrence

November 21, 2016 (week 58)

Ruben’s baptism

Divisions

More divisions

This week was good!

Rubens was baptized!! He was literally the perfect investigator. When we taught him the word of wisdom he got up to throw away his coffee but then he asked if he could give it to someone else, then, answering his own question, he said “wait, if its bad for me its bad for others too!” and threw it all away!!! We were actually uneasy because things were going too well with him, and usually when that happens theres something wrong, but with him, it just all went perfectly! the baptismal service was super awesome too! And a few investigators even stayed to watch!

Were still doing 3 divisions each week, I’ll attatch a foto of some of them.

Well not much else to add! Im doing good here! Oh and theres transfers next week, and theres a good chance ill be transfered, so we’ll see.

Hope you guys are doing well!

Elder Lawrence

November 14, 2016 (week 57)

Rebecca’s baptism

This week was good!

Bruno, who was baptized 3 weeks ago is reading the Book of Mormon and is in Jacob already! Which definitely left us happy

We did a division and I stayed with an american from idaho and when he apresents himself he talks about how idaho is famous for patatoes hahahhahah needless to say I was laughing all day.

Rebeca was baptized this week!! She is actually someone we were teaching a long time ago (when i was with elder pimentel) but we stopped teaching her because she stopped progressing but then out of nothing she started coming to church, starting reading the book of mormon and wanted to be baptized!! Im not sure what happened but im sure it was the Lord!

So this week were working with a few people towards baptism, one of which is rubins, and wow, he is the man! Im not sure in a year of being here ive ever seen someone so prepared and ready to here the gospel! We actually talked to him on the street almost 4 months ago (again with elder Pimentel) but we werent able to catch him in his house, well by random and when i wasnt in the area, elder corrêa talked to him and set up an appointment with him. He prayed and received an answer that the church is true even before he visited!!

So we were sitting on the street about to teach someone, waiting for him to resolve some things in house first and i started reflecting about what im doing, and how weird it is that it all feels normal. A culture completely different has become my reality, to be honest i cant really imagine what it was like to be home, doing normal things. The bells ringing of people driving in the streets selling gas, the roads made of rocks, the tiny alleyways, pastors screaming in churches that are on every corner, the same hot sun every day, busses with less personal space than a high school dance, the list goes on but its normal and i cant picture something different. I realized how weird i must look.. the only american that most of these people have ever seen “blonde” hair and blue eyes, “extremely tall” dressed with a shirt and tie, speaking portuguese with an accent that theyve never heard, then the man we were waiting for got back and we started teaching, but it was weird to reflect on things

well thats all i can think of, hope you guys are all doing well!

Elder Lawrence

November 7, 2016 (week 56)

Canindé – to visit the missionaries there and give a training

Wall from Elder Lawrence’s area

Lucas’s baptism!

This week was good! and i actually have quite a bit of pictures.

So in other news a lady of more the 70 years hit on me this week haha so that was more than uncomfortable. She asked me how old I was and when I answered she said “me too” with a wink so yeah we left running haha

Also in a division with Elder Baez (american) we went to teach one of his investigators and I didnt know if they were married or not so I took advantage of the fact that we both speak english and asked him in english, in front of the investigators. The only problem is that is came out in portuguese, not english haha

In better news, Lucas was baptized!! And felipe (his brother)was able to baptize him!! Felipe himself was baptized 7 or 8 months ago and its been hard for him because his parents are always speaking bad of the church so it should be able to help him a lot! Lucas is literally the calmest person youll ever meet and so teaching him was super easy! If all goes well Rebeca, their sister, will be baptized this week!

Well I cant really think of anything else, which is bad luck cause this key board is supppper good. But I hope all is well!! Oh and I dont know when the election is but could someone let me know who won after its over?

Elder Lawrence

October 31, 2016 (week 55)

Bruno’s baptism

Well now that i just wrote the date, i realized its halloween! Happy halloween! Halloween doesnt exist here haha. This week was good! I finally got a good keyboard, but I dont really have much to write this week.

Bruno was baptized!!! He is a friend of Hyago, a member, and its been crazy to see how fast Bruno was able to progress. Hyago helped us teach him and Hyago was able to perform the baptism for Bruno. Bruno is a cancer survivor who is full of faith. When he prays, its literally as if God is there and theyre speaking face to face. He will make a great missionary in two years!! His family was also able to go to the baptism and we are going to try to teach them this week. I hope they are all just like Bruno!

So I dont really have much else this week, oh ya, we did a division (well actually were always doing divisions but i stopped to update about them) and i stayed with Elder Hoyt. Hahahahah we were dying laughing the whole day. When you put two americans together, both tall and with blonde hair and blue eyes (yes im tall here and they think my hair is blonde haha) youd be surprised at the comments you get. i think my favorite was probably a 5 mintute conversation with a drunk man who couldnt stop telling us how pretty we were, he then proceeded to ask if we have a sister that he could trade for his sister hahah

also while we were teaching a family one of the kids started to try to show me his clash, turns out they have clash here too, and yes, the temptation was real haha

Well I dont have much else I can think of. Things are going well with Elder Corrêa and we’re seeing a lot of progress here!

Hope all is well at home. Happy halloween!
Elder Lawrence

October 24, 2016 (week 54)

This week was good! Although not much to say.

My new companion, Elder Corrêa is good! Hes finishing his mission, with only 3 months left, and is somewhat dead haha. He has a desire to work hard but the mission has worn him out quite a bit and he is trunkie.But we´re excited to work together and were hoping this transfer will be good!

Also someone pronounced my name “wanderlaine” this week which is a new one for me hahah

We have some good investigators that we’re excited to work with!

Well this keyboard is terrible so i think thats all for this week!
ill attatch a picture with elder corrêa
Elder Lawrence

October 17, 2016 (week 53)

This week was good! Well I actually have a decent amount of things to write about so we’ll see how long I last haha

So we were waiting for someone to answer the door and someone who was sitting on the sidewalk started to talk to us saying that our church is one of the richest (it’s common for people to think the church is rich) and after he says “they should give you guys a car, i’m tired of seeing you guys pass by here three times per day” hahhah i’m pretty sure he wasn’t joking, but we got a good laugh.

So in one of the divisions we made this week we were able to give a priesthood blessing to a dying man. He breaths through and tube in his throat and he gets feed through a tube to his stomach. He can’t talk or eat or breathe because his tongue is so swollen that it takes up his whole mouth, he actaully can’t even close his mouth. My small difficulties were put into perspective seeing this mans suffering. Elder Giglio gave the blessing of comfort and we were able to feel a physical presence of the Spirit, I hope the man was comforted. We left with a different persepctive and with a strong testemony of God’s love for each of his children.

Also in the division we were able to teach forgiveness to a young girl of 15 years. She opened up and told us her story. She was sexually abused as a girl by her dad and her mom said that she isn’t able to really see her as a daughter, among other things. We told her that we didn’t know her pain or suffering, but we testified of someone who did, our Savior. We told he that its not us who ask her to forgive, but Jesus Christ, who literally knows perfectly how hard it is because he’s already felt what she felt and is feeling. She loves this gospel and reads the book of mormon daily, but can’t be baptized because her mom wont allow it. She said “if its what i have to do i’ll wait till im 18” We told her not to lose hope, and taught of the power she can receive from prayer and fasting. I love my Savior and His all encompassing gospel.

I was able to do a baptisimal interview for a young man who is 23, married and with a goal to go to the temple next year with his wife who was baptized just last week. He said in the beginning he didn’t accept anything but he bore his new, but powerful testamony of the Book of Mormon and how it converted him. He, and I, know the Book of Mormon is true and works miralces in our lives!

Also this week was transfers! Elder Pimentel is being transferred! my new companion will be Elder Corrêa, the trainer of Elder Pimentel and my great grandpa on the mission!! haha he only falts 3 months on the mission and is kind of dead already haha but i’m excited!!

oh and i passed the one year mark this year!! i bought some açaí for elder pimentel and I but i actually didn’t remember it was the one year mark until we were already eating, but i said it was for my birthday on the mission haha

Hope all is well at home!! Sorry the letter got a little long

Elder Lawrence

October 10, 2016 (week 52 – 1 year!)

This week was great!

The assisstents did a division with us and both elder pimentel and I were able to learn a ton! It’s crazy buzy doing 3 divisions every week, but we´re loving it!

So during a lunch one of the members daughters was wearing a utah utes shirt, i asked if she liked the team and she said yes, I was then reminded of the scripture Romans 4:15 that says “when there is no law there is transgression” i thought about using it for the message but i decided against it hahah.

Hope you guys are all doing good!

Elder Lawrence

October 3, 2106 (week 51)

Harleis’s baptism

This week was great!!! Conference was amazing, the zone progressed a ton, and Harleis (until now ive been writing his name Yarly haha but it sounds the same) was baptized!!

So first general conference. For those of you who dont know, general conference (sumarized) is where we get to listen to the living prophet and the 12 apostles. My favorite quote was “Serving Jesus is the best thing in the world, there isnt anything better!” (im awful at translating but more or less) Im excited to download all of the talks and listen to them with their actual voices, in english, but i forgot my memory card so ill have to wait till next week.

We had the baptism in between the two sessions of conference on sunday and it was awesome!! because all of the missionaries from the zone where there we had a few more baptisms than just Harleis’. A member from the ward sung a special musical number and Ryam, that was baptized a few weeks ago said an awesome prayer! I wish you guys couldve been there.

https://www.lds.org/general-conference?lang=eng&_r=1
heres the link to all the talks, watch a few!!

Hope all is well,
Elder Lawrence

September 26, 2016 (week 50)

This week was good! So from now on we are going to be doing 3 divisions almost every week, which basically means i wont be seeing my companion very much ahah, but this week I was able to do a division which two of the missionaries that arrived with me and another thats old on the mission. The divisions were awesome! In the division with elder Baez (my mtc companion) we were able to teach a recent convert that has 11 years, names Thamaires. It was a special lesson. she was sad and we were trying to cheer her up. After she started to cheer up we asked if she thinks she is able to do what the Lord asks of her. And we asked if she thinks she could move a mountain if the Lord commanded. She responded “no im super tired right now” but asked her if she thought it would be cool and she said “no thats a little boy thing” hahahah after a bit we found out shes not sure if God loves her, because she does so many things wrong. We were able to tesstify that God does love her, independent of what she does or has done. but that we do good things to show Jesus we love Him. The spirit was strong!

on a less spiritual note, if you read romans 14:2 in portuguese it says, in part, “and the other, who is weak, eats vegatables” if only i knew this scripture earlier hahah (although when you read the rest of the chapter it explains better)

hope all is well with you guys!

Elder Lawrence