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

March 10, 2014- Cory has a new companion!

This week my first Brazilian Companion left and I got a new companion, he is from Texas and likes basketball and has been serving about a year. He’s been in Brazil 6 months and served in Missouri for 6 as well.

I think all the visa waiters are now going straight to the São Paolo Mission Training Center now when their Visas transfer through, I will not lie, a refresher on the basics of Portuguese would have made things easier, but I am grateful for all the experiences that I have had.

At church this week all 15+ people that we invited and said they would come to church all did not go to church, it was sad, but all we can do is invite and the rest is up to them.

One thing we did more of this week was teaching the restoration and inviting people to be baptized. :) :) :) :) :)

One guy we are starting to teach is fun to teach because he is excited to learn things and we have already invited him to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it; when we knocked on his house he ran out and set up a time for us to teach him again, it was cool! :)

We had a neat family home evening with some people too where we taught about the Holy Ghost, it was cool because people shared experiences of the Holy Ghost helping them out!

Com muitos sorrisos! :)

SIncerely, Élder Vernon

People are starting to understand me when I speak Portuguese!

February 17, 2014

Oi Meu Familia! :)

This week was awesome like every other week always is! :) Know what, I think every week is always awesome! :)

It rained some at the start of the week which was nice, it actually made it so it felt a little cool since I was wet all day. It is also a little cool at night and in the morning sometimes but normally it is hot and humid and sweaty like the rest of the day. :) Sometimes we walk from one end of the city and then back and then to the other end of the city and back again because we cover about half of the city so I think about 20,000 people are in our area where we proselyte.

One cool person that we met this week an older man who really likes gaúcho stuff; he came to church with us too which was cool; 

Also I gave a talk in sacrament meeting about the convincing power of God (3 Néfi 28:29). It was amazing! I talked about how when I broke my back it was an opportunity to learn and grow and also related how difficulties in life are actually blessings in disguise for our benefit and growth. I then talked about how we need to share the things that make us so happy and peaceful like the Book of Mormon and having a living Prophet and other cool stuff. I also talked about how doing little things daily are needed if we want to learn and grow consistently, just as we need food to be nourished physically we need spiritual nourishment too; and I did not even prepare to talk about that part when I prepared my talk! But then I went over my allotted time to speak so I had to bear my testimony and end early! Afterwards my companion and a bunch of other members and people told me parabens (congratulations) and that they understood everything I said and that I did not make mistakes in talking! I have only been in Brazil about 3 weeks so I know it definitely was the spirit and not me giving the talk! I love how the Lord always helps us out when we act in faith! Another funny thing is that before church the Sister missionaries called us and asked if I wanted to give a shorter talk, and I was like, NOOOOO, I want to give the longer talk, I need to open my mouth and invite the spirit more! Thus I gave the longer talk and was blessed like crazy doing it! :)

Tchau Tchau Pica-paus! Com muitos sorrisos! :) :) :) :) :)

Sincerely, Elder Vernon

A big bowl of popcorn that we had at a church activity.  

First full week in Brazil......I got my luggage back!

This week was awesome; although I do not understand very much I can sometimes understand things which I think is really cool and the spirit helping me out. :)

I was a little sick this week with a headache which did not feel very good but I kept working anyway; I think it is just adjusting to the hot weather; some members here said that one day was 48 degrees celcius. The Brazillians comment about how sweaty I am, I think they are impressed (if that is the right word for decribing it). :) It is funny because in the middle of the day when it is super hot we are like the only ones working while the people sleep or eat or work indoors.

I got my suitcase back too; it had flamin hot cheetohs in it so there was much rejoicing, as well as a bunch of other stuff.

The people here are really generous too! They always give you their best. 

Going to church we went on a  bus with a bunch of members and their friends.

One thing that is inspiring is my mission president down here in Brazil as a kid growing up would walk to another town (over a mile), take a bus (about an hour), and go to church every Sunday while his Dad stayed home and his Mom supported his father but worked extra to pay for their bus fare to church.

I bore my testimony in Portuguese during sacrament meeting and I think that the people actually understood me!

The food is really good too!

Com muitos sorrisos! :)

Sincerely,

Elder Vernon