Email 03/20/17

I am great.  I do like my companion. Elder Santos is a good missionary, if I did not mention it before he is from the same place as my first companion. Salvador, Brazil.  His father is from Africa so he knows how to speak a bunch of English, but when it comes to understanding it, it´s a little different.  My Portuguese is coming better.  The Lord is making it possible for me to teach. The gift of tongues is real.  I am nearly entirely healed.  Missionary life is getting better. Brazil is great. Their laws here are almost the opposite of the ones we have in America. My world was literally turned upside down.  Bytheway, almost every house here has a dog somewhere near it.

Just to let you all know, during the time I had at Provo, the Lord provided me with many things I can´t obtain here such as a tiny Portuguese hymn book or a laminated tiny version of my patriarchal blessing.

Often twice a week we travel to the mission home. I must visit there on P-day and on other days for the district meeting and on occasion the zone meetings.  We are having success due to help from the Lord. We are teaching two families right now.  The house issue has been resolved.  I know that God allows Satan to test us with afflictions and trials so that he can work our patience. 

I love that dad is such a hard worker. I want to be just like him. Thank you both for being such good parents. I will try to have a better week.  Thank you all for your support whether that be emotional, physical, spiritual, etc.  Tchau!

Email 03/13/17

Hello everyone I hope that all of you have enjoyed your week. To start I have a new companion and his name is Elder Santos. I miss Elder Novaes a bit, but nonetheless he is where the Lord needs him to be. I had a week, seeing as I had to train my senior companion, mostly because he doesn't know the area well yet; but I am glad God gave me the gifts that I have so I can I succeed in performing the work he sent me here to do. I had a fun trial this week. My house companions had the fun idea of taking all the things we need to the other house and sleep there for the sole purpose of not having to walk a few kilometers more than we usually do. The irony of the whole situation is that we have been walking far more than we would have, during the past few days; than we would have been had we just left our things in our own house. To continue, my companions insist on returning to our own house, seeing as our food is there and they also don't want to have to walk back and forth from the Zone leader’s house, just to have the things that we need. Nonetheless I find this all fun.  I have no authority to stop them, all I can do is give them advice and do my best with the situation that I have. The Lord has been showing me why he has been allowing these things to happen.  One of the reasons is that he has been trying to get us to humble ourselves and be willing to share the things we have with those that need it. Even if the people that need our things are simply our brothers. One example of this is when I need to use my companion’s towel, because my towel is in the zone leader’s house. Nonetheless I find this all fun. The Lord is helping me have what I need after I do everything I can to get those things on my own. Other than that, my week has been normal. I attend church on Sunday, do what my senior tells me to the best of my ability.  I have healed for the most part. The Lord helped me heal quickly. The missionaries here say I need to read, speak, think, and dream in Portuguese, but they don't understand why I read in English when I do, nonetheless I will keep trying to read the scriptures in English and/or Portuguese whenever I am given the opportunity.  I hope you'll have an enjoyable week. I will try to read all your emails as I have time and opportunities, but for now, Tchau.

Email 3/6/17

I hope you all are doing well. I had an interesting week this week. First of all, it has been raining off and on for the past few weeks. When it rains it pours and creates miniature rivers in the roads. I had divisions this week, twice. I went on one of the divisions with one of my house-mates Elders Soares, during the which I walked into the glass door down stairs. I was very rattled and I got a bloody nose; also, I got a cut on my nose, but for the most part I am alright. I didn’t go proselyting that day, but spent the time in the house. I had to take a nap to recover. I later studied with Elder Soares for the remainder of the day. During the second division, I spent it with Elder Silva, one of my zone leaders. I didn’t know that I was supposed to be showing him who my pesquisadors (investigators) are and where to find them, but it all worked with the Lord’s help and plenty of walking. Other than that, it has been a pretty good week, but I am sad to say that my senior companion is being transferred to another area and I will be receiving a new companion soon after Elder Novaes leaves.

I have a few more Pesquisadors, but I am still struggling at remembering their names. I have some, but I don’t know how to explain them in full now, and a summary of these experiences would not suffice, so I will not talk about all of them yet. The Lord has been helping me by having things I need ready when I need them, especially when I am unable to do those things on my own power alone. He has been providing me with sufficient food, so that I can make it by during the week. Mostly because I can’t visit the grocery store every day. We had two Pesquisador families show up and one less active member. The language is coming better.

I wish you all well. Valou 🙂

Elder Jarrek Nelson