The power of prayer is real

Família!

Well this week was definitely the fastest week on my mission.  If felt like I was looking at the back of my hand, then I heard a dog bark and turned my hand over.......... that is how fast me week was....yeah.. pretty fast.

I hope that I get the package tomorrow, we have our ZL meeting with President tomorrow!!  Yeah to packages!  And no it never looks like customs go through them. They look normal with the little catholic Jesuses on them kaiak.

And this was the hottest week I have thus experienced on the mission... crazy insanely HOT!  And there is no way out of it, except a shower, which brings me to another point.  We were without water this week.  We have water in the morning til about 10 but then it goes off till the next morning so we weren´t able to shower at night... that was a bummer.  But on the third day, Elder R filled up a caixa de agua (a big 500 liter water tank) with water in the morning so we are able to take bucket showers now, fun stuff. We think that we have a busted pipe because all of our neighbors have H2O so we will call someone.  Washing dishes is the worst.  

That is our caixa de agua on top of our house.
Elder Brown got up there to see if we had water and sure enought we didn´t.

So like I said we made tacos last pday and they were GOOD!  We get the same exact thing everyday so a little spicy switch up was great!  Our lunch fell on Tuesday so we attempted to make tacos again.  We didn´t have a taco mix so we just tried to use spices here but they don´t have to many mexican spices here.  They were so far from mexican tacos... so we called them Maine Tacos.

We went to the temple on Tuesday which was amazing!  Sitting in the celestial room I was just receiving revelation on what I need to change in my mission to live more righteously and have the spirit more with me.  It was great!!  The next day was pretty bad though, as we were making the tacos, nothing was going right and I was just getting mad at everything.  I was missing the comforts that we have in the states.  That day all of our appointments fell and I was not doing good.  Elder Brown noticed and said that we should go home and do our weekly planning that we missed during the morning.  We went back and I was still in a really bad mood.  Halfway through planning I told him that I just needed to say a prayer.  In the prayer I was trying to tell God why I was upset....... but I didn´t have a reason.  I asked God for help, and then I chose to be happy.  And when I got off my knees I was a new man!! It was amazing. The power of prayer is real.  

So we are still talking to a ton of people and teaching and marking dates... the problem is is that nobody comes to church!!! We had 3 dates marked for General Conference Saturday but all three fell because none of them came to church!  They always have stupid excuses. It is usually the same one "Eu passei mal ontem a noite"  it basically means that they were sick last night!  But they are fine and awake enough to answer the door! It just chaps my hide.  So we haven´t found any solid investigators yet.  That is what we are looking for, people who actually want the Gospel and who are searching for something.

We are teaching a really cool young couple who are married!!! How rare is that! About as rare as Jackson dunking a basketball!  We taught them but they are firm in the igreja universal.  We are hoping to yank them out of apostasia.  We also are teaching some goth sisters.  They really like us and they came to church!!!! What! They liked it too.   We´ve taught them a little about the Livro de Mormon but além disso not that much.  We want to teach them and their dad juntos.  

Church was great.  It was our ward conference so the choir sang and guess who played the piano... I did!  Well for one of the songs, "love is spoken here" I actually didn´t do that bad.  I hit a couple of klunkers but other than that I was fine. So boooooooys..... you know what I´m going to say, right?........  You need to ......(mom at this point in our reading gesture to the boys and wait for them to finish the phrase which is PRACTICE THE PIANO!) also we wore our suits!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (see picture).

The choir decided to wear suits with red ties (I don´t have one) so we wore suits too! My second time wearing it here in brasil.  We whipped it on for the choir number and shedded it off después.  Also we planned a movie night for this Wednesday!  Our ward hasn´t had an activity since 'nam so we are helping them out!  We chose three films  ... Frozen, Wreck it Ralph, and the Lego adventure and let the members vote. They chose Frozen.  The ward is really excited because like I said... this ward doesn't do activities.  But we are going to change that.  I hope everything works out.  We just have to trust in the members that they will pull through on the things we told them to bring.  We are also planning on doing a talent show here in a few weeks.  It will be great! 

I´m doing great.  I´m loving my mission and don´t want to go home. This week I had a dream where I went home with Elder Brown´s group (3 months before I should have gone home) and I remember I was with you 2 mom and dad in the back of a convertible and we were either driving in manaus or at home I don´t remember but I remember just bawling sitting in the backseat because I wanted to go back to the mission so bad.  The dream felt so real and I was sooo sad.  It was horrible.  So I´m happy doing what I´m doing.  I know that as fun as home might be it would be miserable if I was there right now. 

Words from Elder Ostler:  develop your talents.  Take time to get better at the things you like, whatever it may be.  uke, magic tricks, bull fighting, computer hacking, PIANO (obrigatório), LAX, public speaking....... quick words from me.

Mom I hope you are able to atingir your meta of steps; I believe in you:)  And thank you for that trunkitizing count down.... kaka I´m just kidding.  I´m glad your excited that I´m coming home not very soon but I still got work to do:)  I love all of you, talk to ya next week!!

Elder Ostler

Living the Dream . . . in the JUNGLE!!

Família!"

Wow... my parents are AWESOME!!! Mom I´m just gonna thank you for the fast that you will be doing this Sunday.  I love you.  I fasted this week and IT WAS HARD>   When you fast here you aren´t even hungry.. your just DYING OF THIRST.  Walking around all day up and down hills in the blazing brasilian sun... you just want a glass of water when you get home.  But I believe in you mom!  Vai conseguir!!  Dad... YOU TAUGHT SEMINARY!!! That is one of the coolest things I´ve heard all week!!! That is so awesome!!  You are the guy... cara.  Makes more sense in portuguêse.  I dyed laughing when I read about the dumbell.... my dad is ripped!

Nossas Colegas

So about Presidente Castro. He is so different than Pres Klein.  He is a lot calmer and he has a HUGE emphasisde on baptizing the right way but still baptizing a ton.  He is great.  We had zone conference this week and he talked about D and C 20:37 qualificações para o batismo.  He says that anyone who baptizes someone with out a broken heart and contrite spirit or someone who is breaking a commandment is in apostasia!! and he said that he will wash his hands of the blood of the baptism and the condemnation will be on the missionaries head!! It was strong but it was Awesome!!!!  He is big and teaching with the spirit and teach families.  He is closing some of the interiors to focus more on Manaus.  He is the best.  But most of his trainings are very similar.. obedience, qualifications for baptism and teaching with the spirit.  But I love him.  Always smiling.

We see him about 3 times a transfer, our zone leader meeting and conference or interviews... last week he came to our chapel for church but didn´t stay for the meeting.  

So I´m with Elder Brown!!!!!!! This picture explains him very well.. he is HILARIOUS!!

Today he was talking in a hick accent with a lisp, one of the funniest things I´ve heard.  His humor is a lot like Benson’s humor.  I get a good ab workout eveyday from just laughing!  He is from SC, USA and is a lax bro like I said.. so we talk quite a bit about that .. man how I wish I could get a stick in my hands…… he is the bomb.   He is really good at contacts.... well he just doesn´t have any fear.  We just talk to people now like it is nobodies business.  We talk to a lot of people and teach a lot of the first but then after that most of them choose not to go to church.  Like we go to their house on Sunday morning and either we don´t able to wake them up or they just don´t come.  Sad.  But we found a rapaz this week.  He is promising.  We taught him and his dad and it was great.  He didn´t go to church because he had a ji-jit-su competition which he won!  But he will go this week.  He is great.  I got your letters too thanks a ton!!! Did you ever get mine I sent you when I had the toe surgery? It has been awhile.

This week I had a great study.  I was in one of those moods and I was studying alma 50.... WAR!! (I love the war chapters) verse 19 caught my attention.  It tells how God will ALWAYS keep his promises (if we keep our side).  That scripture hit me and I thought of my baptismal covenant and my temple covenants.  God has made promises with me that he HAS to keep (assuming I keep my side)  I´m promised his spirit and other wonderful things. So that was the week.  So now just for some random stuff.....

So we live in a legit house.  Like there is a wall around it and it has two bedrooms a bathroom and a big kitchen and a big entry way.  Biggest house I´ve lived in on the mission.  We keep it pretty clean for the most part.  We still eat the exact same stuff, rice and beans and chicken, but this area isn´t terribly poor so sometimes they mix it up with steak or fish or mashed potatoes.

Right now the lan house we are in is just full of muleques (little boys playing world of war craft..... get a life).  The ward I´m in has very little primary and youth.  There are like 5 YW and one of them LOVES US!   Sometimes random girls on the street will whistle at us or yell at us... fun stuff.

We are hot.   Right now is the heart of summer right now so it is unbearable hot.... well I´ve gotten used to it now but it is still extremely hot!  Me and Elder Brown also sometimes speak in literal portuguese translations.  We speak in english but with the word you use in portuguêse   ex........

"have keys?"

"have."

or

"Have will to make a wewe."  just fun stuff like that:)

Well that was the week.  Love you guys and hope that everything goes perfectly this week!!!  You guys rock!  Keep up the scripture study as a family!

Elder Ostler

Living the Dream.... in the JUNGLE!!

1 Year in Brazil

Well that was pretty awesome to hear from all of you guys at once... I´m just awe struck by how awesome my family is. Sometimes, when I ask the other elders about their siblings and stuff and they tell me I just think "wow, that sounds good,,,, but it is nowhere close to what I got!" kakakakak  You guys rock.  

So lets talk a little about the week..  Well lets start off with today.  My comp got transferred... a little sad about that.  I´m with Elder Brown now.  My first American comp back to back!  Him and Elder H were comps in the MTC.  They are very similar.  HILARIOUS.  Elder Brown is from South Carolina and plays Lacrosse!  We are going to have a good time together.  He served in Spokane for about 6 months.  When he got here to Manaus he got put as a ZL. Elder S is still in the house and his comp is now Elder R.... he has 2 transfers left.

So I learned something this week. I was reading in true to the faith and I was reading about the reino terrestre.... the middle one.  I learned that the people that reject the gospel here but that accept it in spirit world will inherit the kingdom terrestrial... I don´t know why but that really hit me hard.  The people that I teach that don´t accept the Gospel here but only in the next life can only inherit the middle kingdom. I always just figured if you accepted it there you could still go to the kingdom celestial.  That puts a lot more pressure on us as missionaries to teach these people de tal modo that they can understand and accept the gospel.

I remember teaching an old guy this week from another church and he just wasn´t getting our lesson.  He just wanted to talk about how great and powerful God is.  "Yes God is powerful but right now you need to know that HIS CHURCH is here on the earth."  He just didn´t understand and I got sad... really sad that this man wasn´t accepting and understanding what we were teaching. 

One thing that I love doing is testifying of O Livro de Mórmon.  It is our proof.  Everything rests on its..... binding?  (it doesn´t have shoulders...)  If it is true then everything else is true with it.  There is NO ARGUING THAT POINT.  And my question to you is how is it not true?  Tell me please Mr. investigator how this book isn´t true?  I know it is and I love telling other people that it is.  One guy asked us this week how we knew we were "right" (talking religion)  I pulled out O Livro de Mórmon and said "because of this book, do you want to know too?"  read ponder and pray.  

So all of our investigators are being super flaky.  We are just dropping them left and right.  Nobody can ever come to church so that sucks. Oh and Be, that I told you about last week... well her boyfriend returned so she didn´t get baptized.  But now we are going to get her married so everything is still good:)

Right now we have like 4 investigators...........  that is very very few.  Me and Elder Brown have got to step it up and get to work to find news that are ready for the gospel.  Please pray that we will be led to those that are ready and that we will have the courage to talk with them.  I need more courage that is for sure.  I don´t know why but I just don´t like doing contacts.

So I´m the pianist again.. wahooo.    I also am playing for the ward choir.  I´m playing "love at home" and "love is spoken here" at choir this Sunday. The choir guy told me we needed to do one more song for the choir about love so he chose love is spoken here.  I opened up the child´s song book and started playing.  I only got the right hand down.  He gave me his keyboard so I´m practicing in home now when ever I get a second.  Boys!  Practice your piano right now while you can!! Because once you are on the mission the time for practicing is over and the time for playing in sacrament meeting has begun!!! Just do it you won´t regret it.  And don´t just learn hymns, learn all types of music. I wish I knew more songs but all I know is crazy frog and the beginning of pirates of the caribbean.  Practice practice practice.  

This week some important event happened.  I made one year in brasil on the 10th!  wohoo 1 offically brasilian.  Elder E made a year in the mission on the 11th.  We burning a shirt to celebrate and had açaí.  Then on Saturday was Elder H's birthday... more açaí! And I made brownies. Our oven sucks so they took 2 1/2 hours to cook.......  be thankful for our THREE ovens.

Before we burned the shirt

No mom I´m not having any pains or anything. My knees kinda hurt but hey, they should after walking all day and taking a 30min run every morning.... it´s good for me:)  I hope you guys know how much I love each of you and how much I appreciate your support.  It is like nobody else on the mission gets.  Keep having fun.  I love you all til next week!

Elder Ostler

Living the Dream

After our daily morning run

"Is this even cleanable?"

Família!!!

I can´t believe you guys already went on that trip again. Last time you went on it I was in the MTC...  I can´t believe you guys believed that!!! akakakak that is tooo funny!!!!!    

Well I´m not gonna lie. I´m really really really upset right now.  I just deleted all the pictures I took in the past month.....ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.       Kinda a bummer a big one... a really big one... but I guess I´m not here to take pictures, I´m here to serve so I should be alright...... ahhhh.  But I had some really sweet ones.... it is a long story on how I did it... I´ll tell you in a year....

So about the elders here.  My comp is from Fresno.  He has 2 more transfers then me on the mission. He served his mission in Spokane for 10 months.  He got here in brasil in April of this year.  He is tall and skinny and really awesome.  He is a great missionary.   The other dupla is Elder S and Elder E.  Elder S has one more transfer than me on the mission.  He is from Ohio.  He served from 6 months in Maine waiting for his visa.  I was in his last district.  We went to his house on pday and had a BBQ.  Remember him???

Then Elder E has one transfer less than me.  He is from Texas and one of the funniest people that I know.  He was serving in California until now.... almost a year.  He got here 2 weeks ago.  I´m the only one out of the 3 of them who did not serve in the states.   I´m the youngest age wise.  They all graduated in 2012.  We have so much fun together I can´t even explain it.  Last night we made scones...... they were amazing!!!  Elder H found a recipe on line last pday and we made them.  So good.  I even bought strawberry jam to put on them.... yum. Yes I´m still a zone leader and our zone is pretty big.  Well not really we have 7 duplas.... for Manaus... that is big.

Us 4 in the house are really good at keeping the rules.  That is like one of the first things you ask when you get a new comp, "do you keep the rules"  well we all do. :) I'm happy about that.

So like I said Elder E is hilarious.  It is funny watching him get used to brasil.  He went in to the bathroom to pee and lifted up the toilet lid and said "eww!  is this even cleanable?!?"  I almost died laughing.   

So now on the mission I´m actually felling like a missionary. I feel like I know what I'm doing. I know that might seem weird after being out for a year but it is true.  Like when we are sitting in a lesson with someone I actually know what to say now and what to teach.  I am a lot better at just talking to people now.... speaking of people we just dropped almost all of our investigators.  They just aren’t doing anything. Like we met this guy on Friday night (that is actually a cool story which I will tell in a sec) and we taught him and he said he would go to church. We passed by on Saturday real quick just to confirm that he was going to church.  So on Sunday we go to get people and we pass his house and he was there.  He said  he had to get ready still.  We said that is fine because we were going to get someone else and then come back by and pick him up.

Well we go to get this other person (who did not come) then we go back to get the guy.   Well his front door is locked and there is nobody home.... he just ran off.  So we are just going to start fresh.  I think we might keep 2 or 3 but the rest are history.  We do have one who has a date from this week. Her name is Be.  We taught her and her boyfriend (living together) on Monday night as part of an FHE with a member family.  Well the next day her boyfriend just left her and she was really sad so we taught the expiação.  Her date is pretty firm. I think she will be baptized this week.  

So Elder S is a beast.  A beast.  He loves to work out.. especially cardio.  So this week, every day we went on a 30 min run then we do abbs afterwards.  It is great but the first 3 days I was dying.  We live on a hill so the last stretch is up hill... kill me..  it is hard but always satisfying.  Then we always make breakfast.  We are buying a lot of fruit. and I love it.  abacaxi, maracujá, banana, abacate, manga...…  it's good.

So my argentino comp is serving across the river in manacaparu.   He is fine. I miss my old area but I´m just realizing that whatever area I´m in I just love it. It doesn´t even matter.  Here our sacrament meeting is about 65 but that is because there is some government homes called Viver Melhor.  It is like apartments.  It sits far from our ward but it was part of our ward.  The stake presidente came to our ward last week and announced that the members of Viver Melhor would now frequentar another ward.  That is where Elder E and Elder S are working.  So they are living with us and have to take 2 buses every day to get to their area.  Kind of confusing but good.

Sometimes on the mission I´m just exhausted.... just exhausted.  Especially after lunch.  I just don´t want to do anything.  I don´t want to leave the house.  But then we do and I love it when we are out working.  The days are going by a lot faster.  Not like weeks but like 630 to 1030 seems faster now.

That is a massive bummer about the mowers. That has got to suck. How is AJ doing? I´ve been thinking about and praying for him all week.  I hope everything is going great for you guys and you are enjoying the fall... college foot ball.. I heard BYU clobbered Texas.   Go cougars! 

Have a great week!

Elder Ostler

no pics :(

3 New Americans

Dear Família

As you can imagine and probably already guessed, President Monson came to tour the mission and he personally asked me to be his translator.... it was an honor.  We went and did a conference in all of the zones............ kakak I´m just messing.

On pday we didn´t have internet in the barrio and then tuesday and wednesday we didn´t have time to email.  Don´t worry I have permission to be here just real quick. So yes I got transferred to terra novo which is in the north part of manaus.  3 new americans showed up which caused the transfer.  I´m living in a house with 3 other americans, my comp Elder H from cali, Elder S (remember him) and Elder E who has been serving in the states for 10 months.  It is a party.  We spoke only Portuguese for the first week but then on Sunday we broke and speak a mix of Portuguese and English.  It is quite funny.  

Dad, I wish I could have been there when you taught that lesson.  AMAZING!  Those boys need that.  They will be tempted with that for the rest of their lives.  Here pornography is horrible. And dad I know that you did amazing.  I´ve heard that Elder Holland does the exact same thing after he speaks.  He gets worried that he was too harsh or didn´t say something.  You did awesome. Those boys will never forget it.... never.

That is horrible that AJ got in a car crash just horrible I´m praying for him.

I´m doing great and loving the mission.  Love all of you and talk to you in a couple of days

Elder Ostler

Seekers of Truth

Wow.... I just spent a good 2 mins just starring at that picture.... ahhhh.  My family is the best.  I miss you guys a ton and it would be awesome to be there with your guys..... but I´m not homesick. If that makes sense.  I know I need to be here and I love being a missionary and I can’t imagine my life not being one.  Yesterday me and Elder Sirdão took off out plaques and looked in the mirror.... it was weird..... too weird....  So I´m loving being a missionary:)  And I had no idea that Jackson and Kind Katie were up there with you guys... talk about fun!

This is the picture Elder Ostler is referring to above

So let's start out with Elder Maynes.......  let´s just say I have a new favorite apostle....well he is almost in the quorum of the 12.  He was with Elder Mazzugardi. He is in the brasil presidency. Before they spoke we got to go up on the stand and shake their hands.  As I was about to shake Sister Maynes hand she looked at me and said "we know you!"  I was so thrilled that they remembered me.  Elder Maynes said he still remembers the day that I went over to the Hansens house to do hometeaching and he was there.  He kept saying "you look great!"  to me.  It was sweet.

Elder Maynes talk was absolutely amazing!  He talked about a couple of things with us. (I wrote it all down in my notebook, let´s see how much I remember).  He talked about how as God´s children, God has high expectations for us.  We are expected to someday inherit kingdoms.  The part that I liked the most is when he talked about baptism.  His wife is a convert.  She called herself a "seeker of the truth."  Elder Maynes converted her.  Elder Maynes told us that we need to be looking for these seekers of truth.  He said that anybody here is open enough and will let us in to talk to them because every body loves to hear the word of God. True.  But he said that we need to find the people who are READY for our message and who will accept and keep compromissos.  That was one of his big points was about commitments. That is the word in english.  People who will do what we invite them to do.  He said that not everyone is ready for baptism or even wants to be baptized.  When he said that I thought of what a lot of missionaries here say, "everybody needs baptism.  We have to baptize everyone."   We have to find the seekers of truth.  He said we can´t just convince people to be baptized but we have to convert people to be baptized.  He gave an example.  He said something like  "You can´t trick people into getting baptized. That is wrong.   You can´t say  'Do you love your mom?'  'Yes'   'Then you should get baptized'   OR   'Do you love Jesus?'  'Yes'   'Then you should get baptized' That is wrong"  I know missionaries that have done that...He is truly inspired and knew exactly what to say.

He also talked about our group of investigators that we have.  He said that some missionaries like to keep their teaching pool they have and not drop anyone and just keep them all because if they drop someone they have to find new people and that means work.  He said the ideal is to have to many investigators that you don´t have enough time to visit them all.  When that happens it forces you to drop the people that aren´t progressing, the people who aren´t cumprindo os  compromises.

Afterwards he grabbed me and we took  a picture real quick. He is so awesome. He is truly called of God.  He also was speaking spanish for parts of it and I understood all of it!  But he had a translator who translated in Portuguese and the translator was the translator for Pres Monson for General Conference!  So that was the conference.

This week I did a division with my district leader.  He is from colombia but lives in canada so he is fluent in english, but we spoke Portuguese.  It is hard for me to speak english.  He taught O* at our last lesson.  He was one of the Milagres that happened last week. He was the one that just randomly showed up at church.  He is 19. When we went to teach him for the first time this is what he said "I want to be a mormon, I want to be baptized and I want to serve a mission!"  This guy was heaven sent.  We taught the restoration and the spirit was so strong as we told him of Joseph Smith.

As we were walking home afterwards, Elder R kept saying "oh my, the spirit was so strong.... did you feel the spirit?" and stuff like that.  When we got home and after planning I asked him what he thought of the division.  He told me that being with me that day was one of the first times in 3 months that he has felt the spirit.  He told me that he liked being with me and he was able to feel the spirit.  It was really awesome to hear that from him. It let me know that I’m doing alright as a missionary and as a leader. 

Before I forget Feliz aniversário Benson and Saydi!!! and Feliz Aniversário MOM and DAD!!  I hope your wildest dreams came true.  

One thing that I love about Elder Sidrão is that he has no fear!!   One day we made a goal to do 6 contacts each in a day.  Elder Sidraõ had 2 and I had 0. We were walking down the street and there were two girls sitting on the sidewalk.  He looked at me and said... your turn.  I said.... ahhhh, I´ll talk to someone else.  He said Ok and walked up to the girls and did a contact!!! No fear this guy.  He is really teaching me a lot!

So like I mentioned last week we are now teaching the atonement as the second lesson and boy is it awesome!  I love teaching about the atonement!   It is helping me see how I can use the atonement more in my life as well.  I don´t really know how to explain it. It is just really awesome. The spirit is always really strong when we teach about it.  

We have 4 dates marked for this Saturday.  O* & L*.... the two people that showed up randomly at church last week.  And Lu* and C*.  Lu* is friends with the other rapazes that we are baptizing and C* has been to church alot.  His siblings are inactive so we are going to try to activate them.  In the photo is the baptism of JR. A priest in our ward did the baptism.  It was his first one.  He is Yl*´s son.  C* and Lu* are on the far right.   The baptism was great.

So we are putting a bigger emphasis on family history work.  Pres Castro asked us to do our own family history work by asking our families to send us names to take to the temple.   Sooooo, I would love if I could get some names for the temple. This is mainly a job for Jefferson Benson and Wilson.  I would love some family names to do the endowment session.  Also I´m filling out one of those "my family" pamphlets so I need a few dados:

I just got on family search and found out that most of the information that I need is there but a few things I don´t know….

I know that Wilson and Jackson were both born in March but I don´t know the day.  I also need the full names and birth date and place of all of your siblings mom and dad. So there is your homework for the week:)   All the missionaries are filling out these pamphlets so that when we give a pamphlet to a recent convert they can look at ours and see how it is to be done:)

So that was my week in a nut shell I hope you enjoyed:)    Have a great last week of summer everybody… I still got another year of it kakakakakaka!!!!  This week was beyond hot...... beyond!

Love you all

Elder Ostler

Semana dos Milagres

Família......com Hermana Ostler esta vez:)

That is just mind blowing to think that Saydi is actually HOME!  So minds blowing. Don´t worry I´m doing fine.  And what you said mom didn´t make me homesick or anything.  It is good to know that you guys love me..... but if I would have read that during my first two transfers..........oh baby there would have been some water works at the lan house that day:)kakaka

So....saydi... acabou.   terminou, acabó.   Did you ever think this day would come?!  I know that for me it feels like that day will never come but I´m alright with that because like you said mom.. I still have work to do.

I´ll just get on with my week... I want to entitle this week "Semana dos Milagres" Everything just happened in our favor this week..  This week we had 3 baptism dates marked.   For Vi*, N1, and N2.  When we talked with N1 about being baptized he told us that his mom wouldn´t let him be baptized because she never let him be baptized in the other churches.  He lives with his sister and his brother in law. He is one of the boys that we play futebol with. MILAGRE#1  we called his mom and she said that he could be baptized!!  Just like that…. boom!  

On Saturday morning we went around to our 3 dates to let them know that they would be interviewed that afternoon.  When we went to Vi*´s house her cousin was there.  She had been filling Vi*´s head with a bunch of false stuff about the church, like that we worship Joseph Smith and stuff like.  Her cousin said that she was going to take Vi* with her to stay with her for the week.  We told her that Vi*'s mom (she is the one that we gave a blessing to her baby last week) had authorized her to baptize.  The cousin said that she changed her mind.   We tried to persuade her to let her get baptized but it didn´t work..... baptism fell.

After that we did a little division to do interviews, our DL came with me into our area to do our interviews.   Another thing, somehow ALL but one of out baptismal white jumpsuits disappeared.  Some Irmã must have levou them para casa para lavar e nunca desenvolveu.  So we were with out macacões...  MILAGRE#2 While we were waking down the road to do interviews we saw Vi* out in front of her house waving us over.  We went.  She asked me this "ainda posso me batizar?"  Can I still get baptized?   OF COURSE!!!  She said that her mom didn´t let her go with her cousin and that when we and her cousin left she started crying because she wanted to be baptized.  She ran all over the bairro looking for us... even ran up to the church!!!  My DL interviewed her and já era!  Her mom, said that her cousin couldn´t say whether or not she could be baptized because it was the choice of Vi*.....

My DL did the interview of N1 and tudo deu certo.  While he was interviewing I called the bishop of one of the wards in our stake and asked to borrow 2 macacões (white jumpsuits to baptize in) MILAGRE#3  he said we could use two of his but that we had to go and get them from his house!  But that didn´t matter because at least we had macacões!!!  It was such a relief!  That had been stressing me out a ton during the day. We were asking all of the members if they knew who had them. What a relief. Right when I hung up the phone I bowed my head and thanked my Heavenly Father for being to good to me.  

When we went to look for N2 he was nowhere to be found! disappeared. He had told us that morning that tal vez he would go to an interior that afternoon.   Well he went. We told him to stay but he evidently didn´t.  That was a bummer.  We ended the division and me and Elder Sidrão started to buscar the people.  MILAGRE#4 our pres of the RS made us a cake for the baptism!!!  We got everybody up to the church and when we passed by N2 house... MILAGRE#5 HE WAS THERE! We got everybody up to the church and we had another DL that is closer interview him.

But then we still had to walk 20 mins to get the macacões from the bishops house....ahhhh.  MILAGRE#6 Irmã Auribel was at the church!  She is our neighbor that we live above!  We asked her for a ride and she said yes!!  She saved us 40 mins!!!!  We got back to the church and did the 3 baptisms  MILAGRE#7

The baptism... N1 is the one in the jumpsuit.  N2 is the one with his hand on N1's head.
We only had 2 jumpsuits so after N1 was baptized he switched and gave it to N2.
I lost my white pants so I wore a massive jump suit.
The two in front are JR and J who have dates for this Saturday:) 

MILAGRE#8 At the baptism we marked two more dates!!!!! for JR the friend of N1 and J* the friend of N2!  The spirit was really strong at the baptism because Elder Sidrão gave messages about the power of the Expiação.  It was really good!  After the baptisms we helped clean the church....... that was pretty fun.  I took pictures:)  

MILAGRE#9 so as you know my toenail that I got taken out is doing fine but now on the same toe but the other side it is ingrowing ... grrr! I asked an irmã at church that I knew did nails if she could help me.  She said come to my house after lunch and I´ll take it out....  I went and she did!!!  It was awesome, she said that it won´t ingrow again.  I got pictures too and boy are they funny.

Me getting my ingrown toenail taken out

At the end she opened up an antibiotic pill and poured the powder from the inside on the infected part
(only in brazil).   Then she had to put my sock on because if I would have done it the powder
would have spilled off..... I was laughing soooooo hard!  This picture kind of captures the moment...

That was the week.... well kinda:)  On Wednesday we did a division with the District leaders of the other district.   They are both Gaúchos which means they are from Rio grande do Sul which is like the brasilian version of Texas. These two did not want to do the division…. but in the end we did the division.  We also went to the temple on Wednesday which was awesome!

This Wednesday there are two members of the 70 coming to Manaus to talk to the missionaries.  One is  Elder Mazzagardi who is the 1st counselor in the area of Brazil presidency and .... ELDER MAYNES!!!!  Kristina Hansen´s dad!! The one I hometaught and I met him!!   I´ll try to get a photo with him and send it to ya to show to her... :)

Also last Tuesday we had mission counsel with all the ZL.  President Castro said that the second lesson that we would teach will now be the Atonement.  We can still teach and should teach the Salvation plan but with a MASSIVE emphasis on the atonement. I loved it!  I know that it will help a ton in the conversion of these people!

One thing I love about Elder Sidrão is that he takes the initiative. I´ve been the senior comp so I´ve been the one that has to do the stuff and take the initiative and be in the lead.  But Elder Sirdão is an animal and just works and does stuff!  I love it!

Like I said at the beginning I´m really glad that I still have 1 year because I´m not done yet.  I have so much to improve.

Well that was the week.  I hope you guys have a great time this week with SAYDI who is now fluent in spanish... kakakak  almost as good as being fluent in Portuguese kakakak

Com amor Elder Ostler