Back with the Brazilians

Once again I'm back with a Brazilian companion! I think Heavenly Father wanted me to learn to love Brazil especially well, because I have now had 8 Brazilians for companions. It's cool! Elder Abdom is from the state of Pernambuco and is good to work with. He has exactly a year less on his mission than I do on mine. He learns quick though and is doing great! He's a little quieter than normal, but that's fine. We're getting along fine and working well together. I sent pictures of our baptism from last week, Tom, as well as the baptism that happened a couple days ago. Pierre was baptized by his grandpa who used to be bishop here! It was a great baptism and everyone got choked up. It was sweet! We also had five baptism interviews done and all five passed, so we'll work to have these people all baptized this weekend. Things here are great! I'm working past mental and physical tiredness. I get home exhausted and go to sleep quickly, which is nice. I love being with these people so much! There's so much I can learn from them, and I'm making sure to learn it all!

This week I said goodbye to a lot of great friends, including two of my companions, Elder Palhares and Elder Vieira who I served with in Vila Medeiros and then Vila Progresso respectively. It was sad. I don't know when I'll see them again and they were truly great companions and friends. I'm just happy how much easier things are nowadays to keep in touch with people. Time is going by super fast, and I have more great companions and friends who will leave soon, and then it'll be my turn. So weird! I love doing this work though and I'm taking advantage of every opportunity I have to help people and work here as well as play. It's too fun and gratifying. I love it! I hope that everyone has a great week and works hard! Have fun and always continue strong, doing the things that Heavenly Father has asked us to do! 

Elder Ashford

Transfer Time, Already?

I've come to discover here that time moves steadily faster. I seriously can't believe that I've been here for six weeks already with Elder Jones! It went way too fast! We did great work, it just all seems to pass in a blur. I'm having to fight back tiredness and laziness (which are constant temptations!) and make good use of every second. It's SO HARD sometimes. I've been doing well though! I'm trying to apply everything that I've been learning. That's really the biggest secret to living the Gospel in our lives, learning and applying! We can learn so much in life if we keep our minds and hearts open. Then, we have to take the initiative and use our God given talents and skills (and His divine help!) to apply everything. We can't simply learn about the importance of reading the scriptures, we have to show it and read every day. We can't merely learn the importance of using our time wisely, we also have to do it! That's what I've been trying to do.

We had a super cool week! We met this one lady who was just amazing. We visited a former investigator not expecting too much. However, we invited her granddaughter Tamires who's 26 to join us as well! We taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ and how we need to have faith, repent, be baptized, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and then endure until the end of our lives. We talked about baptism and weren't scared to invite the people there to follow the example of Christ being baptized. Tamires accepted!! We left a Book of Mormon with her without explaining much and we returned to find her almost reciting the story found in the Testimony of Joseph Smith! It was so cool!!! She had read the pamphlet about the Gospel as well and loved how taking the sacrament each week was a way to renew our covenants with God and be clean again! We got SO excited!! After the lesson, I said a prayer thanking Heavenly Father for helping us find her, the type of person I had so long searched for. Too cool! She came to church and loved it!

We then baptized a man nicknamed Tom this Sunday! He had the biggest smile I've ever seen coming out of the waters. He has known the missionaries for years, and got converted about two years ago. He's been trying to get married for the longest time, but his "wife" Joice didn't want to. He battled with this for a while, but a couple months ago they marked a marriage date! They were married last Saturday and Tom was baptized the day after. Now we just hope and pray that his faith will spark Joice to really search for herself to see if the church is true! Their family is awesome, and I believe that their son, Vinícius, will be baptized as well when he turns 8!

Lastly this week, we got a call on Sunday about transfers. I'll happily be staying here in Perus for the next transfer! Unfortunately, Elder Jones will be going to a new area and I'll get a new companion, Elder Abdom. We'll see how things go! I sure am grateful for my mission and all the great experiences I'm having! I love this time so much. This day in four months will have mixed emotions for me as I leave Brazil and land in good 'ole Texas!! I hope that everyone has a good week!!

Elder Ashford

The Best Feeling

We had a great week. We're working on constantly improving and getting better. Sometimes we slip and wind up behind, but God will always show us the way to get back up again. We keep moving! We have purpose and we keep getting up, wiping off the dust, and doing what we know is right!

I don't have much time, but I just wanted to share one of the best feelings I've ever had. The other three people that were baptized two weeks ago were all confirmed and given the Gift of the Holy Ghost! It was seriously super cool. The Spirit was strong there in the room with us. The best part came afterwards. I was sitting there in the meeting and I looked around at everyone. I saw the people with whom I'd had a part in helping come to be baptized and then confirmed that day. I looked back and saw a few more people I'd had the chance to help as well. I knew that I was being used by the hands of God to help these people. I felt like I'd died and gone to heaven. I'm sure that's what the Celestial Kingdom is like. There with all these people we love and have helped. Interacting with them and working to be better still. It'll be wonderful! I was able to catch a small glimpse of heaven. I know that it'll still be much better! I can't wait to have an eternal family and then to be able to live with them forever in God's presence. Now is the time we have to prepare for that moment! I'm doing everything I can to be prepared, and I hope that everyone else is as well! Have a great week! Be prepared!!!

Elder Ashford

Walking Dead

There have been times this week that I've felt absolutely dead. Like on Sunday morning when we woke up early to participate in Ward Counsel. Even my fingers were tired. It hurt to move them. This is crazy! I keep moving forward though. I'm working hard! We walked and talked and searched and found and helped and were helped a ton this week. Unfortunately, we weren't able to baptize anyone this week, but we're working with people still and there are a lot of good people set up for this month. I love doing this work! 

I don't have much time, because we went shopping today in the center of Sao Paulo and got back later, but it was super fun today! We rode up to the top of the tallest building in the city and looked out at all the buildings. It was crazy! The work is going well here. Rodrigo got the Holy Ghost on Sunday! I found out that he had a ton of member help. The members here are great and are really willing to visit with us and help people. Rodrigo was a member's friend who was invited more and more to be around the member family. They introduced him to the truth and he accepted it! It was so cool! I pray for more great experiences like this one, where the members can almost completely carry someone to change their life through the Gospel of Christ! 

I love this work!! Have a great week everyone!