Tongue Tied in my Native Tongue; Mission Weeks 72-73?; Area: Guaraituba, Boa Vista Zone

 Hello everyone! Welcome back to another email from Elder Hyatt, let's jump into it because a lot and not a lot has happened these past few weeks.

“Wait, you're American?”

Well I was greatly surprised when two weeks ago I ran into some Americans. Well I do need to correct myself, two americans and a boy who lived in America named Gabriel. The two Americans, to my surprise, were the sons of President Bikman, my mission president. You can imagine the fun shock that I had when I realized that, however, that didn't stop my missionary senses because their friend is investigating the church. So of course I wanted to know what his thoughts were, and it was at that moment that I learned that Gabriel, the 15 year old boy, had more knowledge and intelligence than me. Taken aback at first I wanted to get to know him first and get a basic understanding on what he believes. As the conversation progressed I discovered that he doesn't truly believe in God. Elder Peabody and I began to teach a little about God and his plan for us. Gabriel was asking questions and was actually interested, but when the conversation ended we thought that was it…we were wrong. The next day I got a message from Sister Bikman relating that Gabriel really enjoyed getting to know Elder Peabody and I. I was happy to respond and tell her it was a great honor and privilege to have met and taught Gabriel. Then came my surprise when I was sent the phone number of Gabriel’s mom and told by Sister Bikman that the family wanted Elder Peabody and I to teach them more. That message was immediately followed by a message from President Bikman saying that we would be teaching this family and could mark any day and time to do so. After that shock we sent a message to Gabriel’s Mom and marked to pass by Wednesday. When Wednesday rolled around we got an Uber to their house, or should I say gated community. When we got to the gate we could see through the fence to some of the nicest houses I have ever seen. We walked in and began walking down the road of two to three story houses until we finally arrived at the beautiful home of Gabriel. I can't describe perfectly how it looked, but I can for sure say it was one of the nicest houses I've seen in my life. We met Gabriel’s mom Juliana and his younger brother Noah and we had an American Egg, bacon, and waffle breakfast for dinner. We taught them after the food and returned home. We returned to their home on Saturday where we were greeted by a surprise that had my heart shoot up into my mouth for a second. The person who opened the door for us this time was Sister Bikman. Obviously we weren't expecting that, but that didn't stop us from making pizzas with the two families and then giving a wonderful lesson about who Jesus Christ is. Then Sister Bikman gave us a ride home because it was getting pretty late. It's been a great experience and very strange and challenging to talk and speak in English. Never thought I'd be struggling with my own native tongue. I'll keep y'all updated on this wonderful family.

Alessandro

Alessandro finally got baptized! I don't remember if I already talked about him, but he is an amazing guy. Found him about 2-3 months ago when I first got into this area. Back then he struggled to go to church, he struggled with smoking and drinking, and just wasn't happy. Well finally, after working with him, praying with him, and playing soccer with him, Alessandro was baptized and confirmed a member of The Church of Jesus Christ! It was such a great moment for him because his mom also went to church for the first time and loved it. At the end of the day on Sunday we also had a family home evening at Alessandro’s house with his whole family and some members of the ward. It was such a fun and laugh-filled experience. We all had a great time and we are so proud of Alessandro. Our goal is to send him on a mission as well, so let's get going!!

Fun Things That Happened:

- My companion Elder Gonzalez got bit by a pit bull

- Uber keeps stealing my pictures and pamphlets of Jesus Christ…I guess they've been needing it

- I passed out in a lesson

- A teen showed me a judo takedown and knocked me to my butt

- Tereré Erva Black is amazing

Pictures finally!

The Sad, The Good, The Awesome; Mission Weeks 69,70, 71?; Area: Guaraituba, Boa Vista Zone, Brasil

 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!

A Great Work (7/22/24); Mission Week 67-68?; Area: Guaraituba, Boa Vista Zone

 Hello, happy Monday everyone!

I hope you all are doing well! These past two weeks have been pretty good so let's get into it!

Fernanda

Fernanda is the mom of one of our friends Mihael who was baptized a few months ago. She actually has been going to church for almost a year, but because of some complications she wasn't able to be baptized with her son. She was one of the first people that I visited when I came into this area, and we were always asking one another, “What do we teach her?” That question over a period of many visits led us to an answer. Elder Gonzalez began to ask her questions and we found out that what was stopping her in the past had been resolved for a while. With that news we helped her everyday up until her baptism. The whole Ward was so excited and happy for her. I had the opportunity to baptize her and it was a very special and spiritual moment. It will be a baptism that I'll never forget.

Temple Trip!

We have been taking our recently baptized friend to the temple every week! This week we had the chance to bring 10 people! Now let me tell you that it wasn't easy. We don't have too much time in our day to go to the temple, but we make room. The Temple sits on the other side of Curitiba, which is about an hour drive by car. Imagine if we took a bus over there and back? So because we don't have cars, nor the time to take everyone by bus, we ordered Ubers for everyone. That was the biggest headache of all, but it all went well and everyone loved it! It was super awesome to help so many people go to the Temple and enter as well. There are all excited to back and we will be marking another time to take them all again.

Temple? Worthiness?

Do you know what a Temple is? Have you ever seen one with a golden angel on top? Have you ever stepped foot on the Temple grounds? How often do you go to Temple? Well the Temple is the house of the Lord. Imagine if you take a piece of Heaven and put it on the Earth, that is the Temple. It is a sacred place where members of The Church of Jesus Christ may make special promises with Heavenly Father and in return He promises to bless us and protect us forever as long as we stay worthy. It is also a place where we are able to help our ancestors as it says we should in 1 Corinthians 15:29. However, to enter into the Temple you need to be at least 12 years old and you need to have a Temple Recommend, or in other words you need to be worthy to enter. Because “No unclean thing can dwell with God” (1 Nephi 10:21) neither can it enter into His kingdom. In order to be clean the first step is having Faith in Jesus Christ. Faith is not having a perfect understanding, but it is believing in Jesus Christ, that he loves and will forgive you. It is not only believing because it requires action. I can believe that I can be a successful doctor in the future all I want, but if I never get off the couch and never go to school that is impossible. It is the same with faith, we need to believe and trust in the Lord that he will help us and save us after all we can do. Second step to being worthy is repenting of your sins or errors as I like to put it. Repentance is not a bad thing, though it is commonly thought that way. It is the process of doing better. That is the simplest way that I can put it. Repentance requires that you recognize your errors, feel sincere desire to change, confess to the Lord, and promise/strive to not do the error again. For the Lord has said “But as oft as they repented and sought forgiveness, with real intent, they were forgiven.” (Moroni 6:8) Everyone can make a change. You can turn your life around. You can have the presence of the Lord constantly with you and helping you. I know and promise that it happens. When you have repented fully this makes you ready to be washed clean both spiritually and physically, and that's where the third step enters. Baptism is when we are cleansed from our sins, well kinda. I say this because multiple times in the scriptures we find where it says “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5). So baptism by water is half of a baptism, or in other words, without receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost you just took a bath. The scriptures are clear on this subject because the water cleans you while the Holy Ghost purifies you constantly. “For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water; and then cometh a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost.” (2 Nephi 31:17) “Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.” (3 Nephi 27:20) Now I could go on and on about this, but I'm talking about the Temple! When you are baptized, you covenant (or promise) with God that you are willing to take upon yourself the name of Christ, serve others, stand as a witness of God at all times, and keep His commandments throughout your life. These steps are what makes you worthy, and those promises are what you need to keep in order to remain worthy of entering into the Temple. I invite all to go visit the Temple nearest to you. You don't have to be a member to walk around and look at it. If you go to the Temple, I know you will have peace unlike anything else. That peace is the presence of the Lord. Try it out one day.

“Oh! You're almost done”

That is the most annoying thing to hear. I am at a year and 4 months on the mission and everyone keeps telling me that I am going home soon. I still have so much time and so much to do. I have had people talk about doing things after the mission like watching movies, playing games, going to college, and etc… Basically so many distractions and “I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down” (Nehemiah 6:3). Many people have said that I have changed…good! I am doing a great work and I will not stop! The things that I have learned, the spiritual experiences that I have had during this short amount of time has changed not only my perspective, not only my life, but also my final destination. I am a child of God, a disciple of Jesus Christ, and a missionary called of God to help all people come unto Christ. Miracles do happen and will continue to happen according to your Faith. Heavenly Father hears and answers all prayers. All people can be cleansed and have a new life, you just need to follow the steps of the Savior.

The whole world could stand against me, threaten me, hurt me, but I am doing a great work and I will not come down. I bare my testimony that this work is the work of the Lord. I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ is the True and Living church today. I know and I leave these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amém.

Last Birthday (7/8/24); Mission week: 65-66; Area: Guaraituba, Boa Vista Zone

 Thank you everyone who wished me a Happy Birthday!! It was really nice to receive all the messages! Let us drop into these last two weeks…

Zone Conference & Family time

This zone conference was very similar to the others. The main difference was that rather than have a presentation and explain how to do things, Elder Gonzalez and I did an example in front of everyone. Elder Hogge was our friend who we taught and he didn't make it easy on us. At the end we have the rest of the missionaries practice. We do practices on how to listen and help people. Nothing is planned out before nor are there memorized scripts that we have. We learn how to ask questions that will lead us in the right direction for the Holy Ghost to tell us what to teach. Anyway after that we had a split with the Assistants. I went with my good ole buddy Elder Rodrigues, and man was it an awesome day. We had so much fun talking and working together. We actually saw quite a few miracles that day as well. One miracle in particular was stumbling across an amazing family. Edinéia is the mom who is a member of the church for many years, and she lives with her 6 kids (Alan, Gean, Ruan, Luana, Raiane, e Luan). They are all so much fun, and I truly enjoy passing by to get to know them better. In particular, yesterday was an awesome time because they gave us cake and we had a moment where we were really able to connect with them and feel like part of the family. 

Baptisms!!

We had the baptism of Edson last week and this past Sunday we had the baptism of Josué! Honestly two big miracles! During Edson's baptism the font wasn't heating up. We ran to the heater and didn't see a flame. I ran outside to the propane tanks and learned that one was completely empty, so I had to change the tanks. Luckily they always have two tanks so that wasn't a big problem. We ran back in and restarted it and it began to work. The only downside was that it takes about 2-3 hours to fully heat up…and we only had 45 minutes before the baptism. So what did we do? We got pots from the kitchen and started boiling water, yep we actually did this. We spent the whole 45 minutes boiling water and throwing it in just to get the ice cold water to be lukewarm. When the baptism rolled around Edson said that the water was good, so we both relaxed after. For the baptism of Josué we left the heater on for a little too long and the water was super hot! In the end it went perfectly. 

22 Birthday!

So my birthday fell on a Wednesday which meant that you work even harder. I split with Elder Hall and we went into a Sister area called Bacacheri. As some context, Elder Gonzalez and I challenged the Zone this entire week, the challenge for Wednesday was giving out as many Book of Mormons as possible. Elder Hall and I took that to the literal and filled our bags full! While we were in Bacacheri we both ran out and asked the Office if we could be sent more. Well we got two more boxes full and by the end of the day we would give out a box and some. Just in that day my Zone gave out over 350 Book of Mormons. So if you have yet to receive a Book of Mormon just ask for one because we give them out for free for everyone. It is amazing and has the power to change your life. Anyway that was my birthday.

Special Visitors

Yesterday, at church, I was surprised by a couple of visitors.  One was a man named Sirlei.  He came up to me and told me that he had been baptized by my dad in 1996, when my dad was a missionary in the Brasilia Brasil Mission.  Sirlei has since served a mission and is married.  He was super nice and it was a privilege to have met him.  Then, same day, there was a family sitting behind me in the chapel that I didn't know.  They got my attention and told me that they were there to meet me because Regina was one my mom's best friends growing up in the Brasilia area and that her husband, Rogerio, had been Elder Coelho and knew my dad when they both served in the Brasil Brasilia mission.  Come to find out, they live in my zone.  What a small world.

Random:

Did splits with Elder Peterson and he made me cookies!

Did splits with Elder Paramore where we laughed the whole time

Did splits with Elder Lima where we saw many miracles happen

We ran out of water in our house so we spent the night with Elder Carneiro e Elder Filetti

Had a crazy dream…

That's basically it!

Here are some pictures!