Week #56

Bazinga!
Random Thought: I love hugs!

Wow so it was kind of a crazy week! I didn't leave Cáceres until Tuesday! It was a four hour bus ride back to Cuiabá and then a twelve hour ride to Campo Grande. When I got there I was told that because I would have to go back to Campo Grande anyway for a meeting on Thursday if I went all the way down to my new area, so I just stayed in Campo Grande and did divisions with the Assistants and then left Thursday night to go to my new area. It was a long and crazy week!

So a little about the new companion and area. My companion is Elder Groff and I have never met someone as fearless in missionary work than him. The way he teach and bears his testimony is amazing! More on that later. The new area is great! When I got here and for this past week it has gotten down to 53 degrees at night. THAT IS COLD! Almost 100% of the houses in Brazil are without heating, so I have been sleeping with three giant blankets and taking freezing cold showers (there is rarely heated water here either. It's warmed up a little now so it's all good.

Random side-note. I am in the same house as Elder Paredes...again!

Ponta Porã is a city that borders with the country of Paraguay and the cool thing is that there is no wall or division. We just walk from one side to the other. The really cool thing is that Paraguay is literally 60 seconds from my house on foot! Now because of this everything here is cheap! Like milk is only fifty American cents! Also Paraguay uses Dollars and Guaranies! Its just a really interesting culture bash.

So I have only been in my new area for three days but I have learned a lot and we had two baptisms on Sunday! Our goal is to baptize weekly and I am finding, that here it is very doable. Elder Groff is teaching me a lot as the Sr ZL. He looks a lot like Asa and is even a little crazier! During one of our lessons the other day a man showed up to visit the woman we were teaching and asked us how we baptize. We told him how and he just started to tell us that we were wrong and wouldn't stop, so Elder Groff just used his testimony and said,"I say to you that this is the only true church, I say to you that we have received authority to teach these things and that we have been called of God to do this work. What we say is true." The man just stopped talking about religion after that. What could he say?

Sunday when we were going around to take our investigators to church one of them (Felícia) said that she wasn't going because she had a headache and needed to wash the dishes. So Elder Groff grabbed the sponge and started washing and I took Felícia to the front door and we told her to go get dressed while we washing the dishes. So she went inside! There was no plumbing at this house so while Elder Groff washed the dishes outside I went to the well and got water and we finished all of the dishes before she got back outside!

Church was a lot different. I'm serving in a ward now and it's weird to see how different it is than a branch. The bishop here is really great. I talked with him for a little while on Sunday and he was telling me about his family and how the gospel has blessed his life. He has two brothers and they are both in prison. I told him about how my mom has a story a bit like his and he told me something I will never forget. He said,"When you look at the people you teach, look at them as if they are your mom waiting to hear the gospel and have the same happiness she has today."

I say to you all without shame, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the only true church on the earth with the complete gospel of Jesus Christ. I have authority given to me by God to testify of this, and I will not deny it, no matter what.

Alma 42:11

Com muito amor,
Elder Roman Laws