Irma Regina's Baptism!

April 22, 2014

Ollo! :)

I wrote a written letter since nothing was open on p-day that says more about the week. Also I got my first package and it was awesome! The pictures are of Irmã Reginas baptism, some cookies I made, and my hand with flaming hot cheetoh stuff on it.

Irmã Regina was baptized and confirmed this week! She was so excited for it that for both her baptismal interview and her baptism she was about an hour early! It was also cool talking to her during the week because she has already noticed how life is improving and her family is becoming more united just with her decision to be baptized.

Easter was good too! Bunches of people came like they said they would! It is really exciting when people keep their commitments that they make with the missionaries and the Lord. People gave us a bunch of chocolate stuff that we promptly ate joyfully. 

There was a drunk guy that asked for our help that we helped walk (it was more like we carried him) several blocks of the city to a house he said he lived at. It is sad how people destroy their lives with stuff like drugs and alcohol. But it was the house of his Aunt who didn’t want him there, and when Elder LaPray handed me the drunk guy *thud* I accidently dropped him. Eventually the drunk guys brother came and picked him up.

Love ya family! Com muitos sorrisos! :) :) :)

Sincerely, Elder Vernon

Steve the Frog and other Frogs

Steve is small, but the frogs we see on the road are huge, they are like the size of plates almost (lots of them are road kill too).

April 2014

April 7, 2014

Ollo! :)

This week started off with P-day, it was a little different than normal because President and Sister Parrela visited our apartment to make sure it is clean and to give us stuff (like new mattresses). They liked our house so much that they gave us frosted flakes (essentially, they are a little different and from Uragary).

One highlight of the week was with Tainá; he prayed about being baptized and roughly translated into English what he said is as follows: When I prayed and had a conversation with God he told me that baptism would be a good thing for me. It is really neat to see people when they receive answers to their prayers, especially when their faith is growing! :)

For General Conference (two times a year when the prophet and other people called of God by priesthood authority tell us--the world-- what we need to hear and do and stuff!) all of the American missionaries in Rosário do Sul made treats for us to eat while watching it. It was in English and live too which was cool (though in Portuguese for the Brazillians). It was spiritually awesome! I really liked how it seemed to me like one theme of the conference was how obedience and agency (choice and accountability) have the ability to help us amplify ourselves and help others as well because of what Jesus Christ did and does for us. I also liked how they talked about God being our Heavenly Father! :)

Irmão Aúreo went to Conference too and he loved it! It was cool talking with him between conference sessions because he said how much he liked what the prophet President Thomas S. Monson said!

It was sad that none of the approximately twenty other people we invited individually to come to conference did not come, but we invited them and followed up with them between sessions and stuff. We just cannot force people to do the stuff that will make them happier and help them out with stuff in general. So I pray for them! :)

There is always more to write than I have time to do and want to say! Anyway, if anyone has questions or stuff for me about anything I am always happy to try and help out (even if I am always behind on letter writing!)

Com muitos sorrisos! :) :) :) Sincerely, Elder Vernon

April 14, 2014
Ollo Família! Como vocês estão! Espero que vocês sempre são ótimo como normal! :)

I got transfers and I am staying in Rosário do Sul with Elder LaPray! Transfers are normally every 6 weeks but this transfer is 4 weeks and I think next transfer is 7 weeks.

This week Elder LaPray and I started doing family home evenings with people in an effort to try and meet new people and to work with people more. I shared about the articles of faith in one famaily home evening that went well! :)

We also went to the main plaza of the city and (fizermos contatas) talked with a bunch of people  with the Branch mission leader. It is funny seeing the different reactions people have when you go up and talk to them as a missionary, because soem literally run away, others are happy but keep walking away, and others will talk and be freindly. :)

I went on Exchange with the Zone Leaders in São Gabriel (another city about 1 hour by bus away from Rosário do Sul). It is always fun to see how other missionaries are working; I bore my testimony in one lesson about how our answers to our prayers are normally small and almost unrecognizable if we do not look for them.

At church was crazy but good because some families we invited came! it basically turned out being my companion and I babysitting the kiddos as they ran around the church and stuff like that. It was tiring but good, the kids are learnign slowly but surely how to act in church! :)

There should be a baptism next week if all goes well!

Com muitos sorrisos! :) :) :) :) :)

Atentamente,

Élder Vernon

So this is Steve the Frog, he lives in Cory's bathroom, he is Cory's friend.

This Frog was in the road outside. Sounds like there are lots of Frogs in Brazil!

A Big Moth!

Doing well in Brazil!

March 24, 2014

This week we did an activity for the two branches in Rosário which was a dessert competition. I made a permutation of French toast for it that I dumped sugar and sweet and condensed milk on; it tasted pretty good, it was just strange. The activity turned out really well! Everyone enjoyed the yummies and everyone won a prize for something; we also related it to the gospel because the fruit of eternal life like in Lehi’s dream of the tree of life is the sweetest thing we can have and share with others. Some of our investigators were there and they brought a friend too!

Then the people that were at the activity came to church too! The friend they brought Luis said he wants to be baptized and he missed the bus to church so he walked all the way there!

I ate capybara again this week, it is actually pretty good! 

March 31, 2014

Ollo Família! :) Como vocês estão!

This week we kept working and inviting people to come to church and be baptized! I think we invited 10 people this week to set baptism as a goal!

After church Elder LaPray and I went to the branch council meeting. I did not understand very much but i think it was cool to see how they held the meeting with almost the whole branch in attendance. It is crazy the differences between how many members of the church live in Utah compared to home and then home compared to here in Brasil.

There was one guy we talked to on the street that had a bunch of questions and was excited to be talking to Americans who spoke Portuguese; we talked through practically the whole restoration and gave him a book of Mormon and talked about the plan of salvation with him.

We try and do visits to people with members in the ward which is always good too.

The meat is yummy, but sometimes I get meat stuck in my teeth until at night when I floss or brush my teeth.  There are street vendors, small shops, and big supermarkets. We normally shop at Nacional, the Brazilian version of Wal-mart because it is open during the lunch hour of 12-1.

The bread people feed us is normally dry white bread that is in the homemade style, but sometimes it is sweet like cake and every once in a while is like cornbread. One time me and another elder (Elder Rogers) made banana bread and ate it.

I finished reading the Book of Mormon in Portuguese all the way through for the first time! It was Awesome!

Com muitos sorrisos!

Elder Cory Vernon