God is in your church

Família!

Feliz Natal!  Wow that was sweet talking to you guys on natal.  And it was great.  I had the same feelings as you guys.  We didn´t get to talk about much but it was just fun being together!  So Fun! And Jackson and Jefferson were making faces at each other just about the whole time.  So yes it was good.  Elder Pothier´s skype was good too.  While he was skyping I played the piano in the chapel and then made him his Christmas present..... piano flash cards.  I drew the staff on them and then put each note on each card.  Then I drew the keyboard and I still have to finish coloring the corresponding note.  He wants to learn the notes because he really wants to learn the piano and he practices after we do language study at the church everyday.  He has already mastered sweet hour of prayer.  So skype was great.

So yes, I might have been a little jealous of Saydi getting food and stuff but today SHE can be jealous of ME!  We spent the whole day today at the MISSION HOME!  Sister Klein called us yesterday and said that the office elders (6 AP´s and 4 secretaries) were coming over today to have lunch and joga esportes.  So it was me and Pothier and all the office elders.  IT WAS SO FUN.  I don´t know why but we got to play soccer.  It was just on a little cement court but still fun.  And I´m not as bad as I thought I was at soccer.  We also played tennis and I rocked it.  I still got it from Freshman year.  And yes Jackson, I accept your challenge to play when I get back.

Then we had almoço!!! holy crap!!! President Klein and his two genros did a churrasco.   Remember the day before the CTM when we went to that Brazilian grill?  Well it was just like that but better because we were actually IN BRAZIL!  He just had like 10, three feet skewers FULL...... FULL of meat.  It was so good.  Sausage, chicken sausage, steak, more steak and chicken hearts.  So good.   But as we were eating a huge storm rolled in and forced us inside.  The wind was blowing soo hard! And the wind never blows here.  We went inside and had dessert.  When the storm stopped we went back out and continued play.  It was a great day!  I ate so much meat!  Just brought me back to that Brazilian grill when Jackson and Christian had the thing on red until something they liked went past and then they would flip it to green really quick:)

So that was today.... really fun.  Another highlight of the week.  On Wednesday night we were on the street just talking to a less active girl that Elder M baptized. We always walk right past her house during the day and she and her siblings and cousins (members) are outside so we stop and talk.  We are trying to reactivate her.  She is now reading the Book of Mormon everyday so that is a step in the right direction.

Anyway, we were just talking and it was dark and we saw a guy down the road tirando mato from the side of the street with a hoe.  I told Elder Pothier we needed to go ask him if he needed help.  So we did.  He denied and said we would get to dirty.  I said we would come back tomorrow morning and help.  He said ok.  His name is JD.  We showed back up and eventually found him.  (Some guy gave us some ice cream while we we waiting.... take that Saydi!)  Anyways he got there and he told us something like this.  "So I understand if you guys don´t want to do this because this is going to be hard work.  You guys are preachers and your work is easy.  Your hands are delicate and I don´t want you guys getting hurt or dirty." It was funny.  All we did was put all the weeds he already pulled in bags.  It took like 30mins. We asked if we could come back and help sometime (because he still had weeds to pull) he said no because it was too hard for us.  Don´t worry, we will definitely be going back.

We were talking to him afterwards and asked if we could come by sometime and teach him (he already knew about Josè Smith and stuff).  He said yes and he said he lived on the road Belo Horizante and he told us which house....... it sounded familiar.... the place he was describing.  Then it hit me... That is the house of An*!!! (Remember her? the girl we were so excited came to church last week?)  I was like, "Are you the dad of An*?"  He said yes.  What a coincidence!! So crazy!  So now hopefully we will be able to teach their whole family!  God works in mysterious ways to bring the gospel to families, even promptings to help some random guy on the street pull weeds :)

Oh yeah I forgot to tell this.  The day before Christmas we made Chocolate chip cookies and on Christmas (after skyping) we went and delivered 10 plates of cookies to people in our ward and some investigators.  It was sweet and so much fun!  We even delivered some to the Kleins!

So new years eve will be the same as Christmas eve.  We can stay at the house of a member till 10:30. And at midnight it is going to be crazy!  That´s all I know.

So that is just about every thing that is happening here.  Doing great! Oh yeah..... And A* has a date for this Saturday!!! He is crazy prepared!  In gospel principles this week the teacher was gone so right before Sunday school bishop comes up to us and says "You guys are teaching."  I was going to just teach the next chapter which was "Our Heavenly Father" but then Elder Pothier was like "we should teach the third lesson, the Gospel of Jesus Christ."  So we did because Elder Pothier is smart and has good ideas.  It was great!  It was A*, Ma* (that guy we baptized when I got here that still hasn´t received the holy ghost, he was going to get it yesterday but then he left right before sacrament meeting... NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!)  and an18 year old boy that someone brought to church.  He is totally ready and we are going to try and baptize him this Saturday with A*.  Anyways back to A*'s awesomeness.  He pretty much taught the class.  He had so much insight on Fé, arrependimento, batismo, Dom doEspirito Santo, e preservar ate o fim.  So we are excited for that this Saturday.

Another fun story.  we were walking down the street yesterday and we were passing a restaurant where we sometimes eat lunch when we get money for lunch.  It was night so it was closed.  There was a guy outside washing his car.  We had seen him a couple of times there at the restaurant.  As he walked past he said "Ohhh, the restaurant is closed."  It was funny.  We went over to talk to him.  He asked if we would pass by sometime and teach him and his family........ WHAT!!!??!?!?  He actually said that!  Then he said "we are frequenting the evangelic church but we don´t think it´s right.  All of the churchs, evangelica, catolica.. God is not in them."  Then he pointed right at my name tag where it Says Jesus Cristo and said "God is in your Church."  We marked to come back and walked away just in disbelief.  We were like" What the freak just happened?!?!"  It was so sweet and we are excited to go back and teach them because they WANT to learn more and come to church with us.

Well it sounds like you guys are having just a blast at home.  Christmas time is always fun.  Are you doing a new years eve party?  And good job on the eagle Jefferson!   ("They´ve almost got their Eagles"......"Mom´s almost got her Eagles")  Fun stuff.  Enjoy this week off of school and if I´m not mistaken I think you guys are going skiing again this week...  if so then Benson will be by far the best because he is using my skis.  I trained them well.

Anyways.... I love you guys and I hope you are having fun and getting along.  I´m excited for Cosmo to join the family here in a month!  So crazy!  I´m doing great here in Brasil!  Love you all! 

Até o próximo 

Elder Ostler