Heyo sorry for not sending an email for a long time, but here I am again! This email is going to talk about 3 things obviously so let's get into it!
The Sad
Two weeks ago some members who lived in a favela had their houses destroyed. Because it was technically and invasion (people invade the property of another and live on it without paying) the true owner told them all to leave and bulldozed the old houses. This happened over the past 3 weeks. During this time we were struggling to help them find a new place to live because 5 families were affected and these are 5 families with teens, little kids, and babies. We passed by and brought them food and personal hygiene products to help. We also helped some build new houses in another area. It's been tough and very sad because as of right now they still don't have water, so we are trying to see what we can do to resolve this problem. This complication in their lives has not stopped them from going to church. Every Sunday they have been to church with high faith that the Lord will continue to help them and protect them. They are true examples of disciples of Christ and true warriors.
The Good
Julia and Crystal got baptized this Sunday! Julia is a friend of some of the youth in the church and they invited her to go. She showed up to some of the activities and then asked us if she could be baptized! It was awesome to have this wonderful experience. Crystal is a Venezuelan who has been passing through some tough times. She came to church a few times and said that things began to change and that she wanted to be baptized. It was really cool because we saw her faith in Christ against many difficulties. We also have Alessandro! Alessandro is a 22 year old man who we found many weeks ago. He came to church and began coming to the activities. He said that his life was very sad and not enjoyable, but after we began visiting him his life changed. He left drinking, smoking, and other things to be baptized next week!
The Awesome!
We got called by President who asked me to accompany Luiz Thiago from Ponta Grossa in the temple.Luiz Thiago has been called to serve in the Brasil Recife Norte Mission. I'm not sure if you remembr Luiz Thiago from about a year ago. I wrote about him quite a bit last year when I was in Ponta Grossa. His story is quite amazing kind of similar to the story of Alma the younger and the sons of Mosiah. It was such a cool call because I was able to go with my mission son Elder M. Cutler to the temple. It was so cool because I got to see so many people for the beginning of my mission. It was an amazing experience that I will never forget.
Sorry for the short email, but a lot is going on. I'll keep y'all in tune. Até logo!
