Yo

What´s up people

Ill be honest i don´t even really remember what happened this week... The mission is a blur. It was a good week i think? José and Josára are progressing really nicely we are working really hard to keep them animated to get married, stop smoking, and get baptized. We were able to find another 30 new investigators this week through our own efforts one named Carlos who came to church and accepted a baptismal date! Wahoo! Now he just needs to stop smoking! Im getting really good at stop smoking psychiology. You can do it! Keep trying! All right! Your the man! Jesus loves you!!

What else... Caio continues to be the man. So much so that i almost feel bad for using him so much. EVERY sunday we do a division without even setting it up. And without fail at least two other nights in the week. Last night he called me to see if i wanted to stop by and eat dinner, as he always does when we are in the neighborhood, and will drive us 40 minutes tomorrow morning to see an investigator. We share the same birthday on sunday and with certainty I should have a big cake there waiting for me. Its such a blessing to have a member thats willing to work.

The branch division continues to go slow and unfortuantley the ward meetings continue to fight. This is the last week of the transfer and we are going to work super hard to convince President closes this area is not an option. I cant think about how i would feel if it did and all my hard work was in vain. I wont let it happen.

Basically thats it. Today we made delicious tacos WITHOUT RICE OR BEANS. I love American food. And piment. Sorry i cant remember anything and this email is short. The pictures are of our district and the other great whore of all the earth, in Canela, that lights up at night!!

Love you all!! I am thouroughly convinced that we are the Lord´s servants here on Earth. Let us all be worthy to stand in front of him one day and be able to say we did our best. The Church is True.

--

Elder Alex Allred
Terra de Gaúcho Tchê

Caixa Postal 13008

91010-971 Porto Alegre-RS

Brasil

Relief Society President is the Worst Job Ever

E aí galeira

I hope you all enjoyed the ranch as much as it tortured me not to be there... Just kidding i actually rarely even thought of it, i was too busy answering ridiculous calls about nothing from Sisters, trying to keep my progressing investigators from COMPLETELY losing it, and trying to make people understand that this gospel was RESTORED!!

I don´t even remember what happened this week, so I´ll just give the highlights. Friday was sick. I went to Porto Alegre for a leadership conference with all the District and Zone Leaders. I got to see all my good buddies on the mish and got some great instruction from Pres Pavan and others. Then our secratery bought one less ticket back to Caxias for us, so i went with the LZ´s to Gramado instead! Gramado is one of the biggest toursist cities in all of Brasil and I´ve always wanted to go there. I didnt get to spend too much time there and it was too dark to take pictures but i slept there and it was sick.

Saturday was as depressing as Friday was awesome. We literally got our faced slammed every door we knocked. And lost SEVERAL investigators who got scared off by the stupid Quandrangular church. Sunday was also not so great. We had the most unfortunate excuse of a Leadership meeting with all the leaders in the ward to discuss the new branch that might happen. Ive never been in a meeting where i felt such a lack of spirit. It was a complete chaos with everybody fighting and wanting power. Me and 3 other people walked out. It is becoming so apparent to me how essential leadship is in a ward, and when you dont have it, the spirit does not reside and nothing gets done.

Dont get too sad though people yesterday was chique demais! I knew it was going to be a good day just from lunch. So the member puts on a movie during lunch (calm down ex missionaries it was On the Lord´s Errand) that talks abou the life of Thomas Monson. So im fully immersed when suddenly who pops onto the screen?? None other than Fwayne Chamberlain!! I nearly jumped out of my seat screaming THAT´S MY GRAMPS!!! No one believed me, i had to prove it. My grandparents are rock stars. But it only got better after. We rocked 7 lessons before our family night we marked, only to get a call that it was canceled. So we went to tell this family, he (Caio, ill tell you more about him some other time, best member ive ever had in my mission)) wouldnt have it. He called up a couple that i thought i´d lost, and told them he was cooking meat, and he´d be there in ten minutes to pick them up. Made all the difference in the world. It was an awesome family night.

Just to end i should tell you about this couple. José and Josára. Let me back up. Sunday night. I go there with Caio on division. AWESOME lesson. We teach law of chastity, word of wisdom. Invited them to stop drinking, smoking, drinking coffee, and to get married. They were so excited. We stole all of her cigarrettes, and all of his coffee. Re marked for thursday where we would share a message, and then go together to mark their marriage date. Im stoked. But as usual Satan is a punk. The next morning i get a frantic call from Josára saying José was freaking out, didnt want to live the law of chasity anymore or follow the church and kicked her out of the house. She asked if i could stop by but i was working in a different neighborhood way far away that day. Little did i know my family night was going to fall, and Caio was going to invite them to a visit they desperately needed. They are back on track and everything is good. Oh how the Lord uses us in little ways that we never imagine.

Im so grateful for my mission and the little miracles like this that bring me so much joy. Im so grateful for my wonderful family, that taught me the things im teaching today. I´m so grateful for my many friends that influenced me and are out doing the same thing im doing on the other side of the world. This is Christ´s Church. Of this I have no doubt.

P.S. District Leader of Sisters is very comparable to Nursury leader of Eli.

Ranch Sadness

I say to you all with a gritted smile and false sincerity... Have a great time at the Ranch.

Honestly i had a great week. I worked my firm yet well shaped little butt off all week and really saw the Lord bless our area. The ward is on fire here to help us create a branch out in my area, and i have been praying to find potential leaders this week, because that is what we are lacking. The Lord did just that and literally guided me to 2 elect families... That we found through a simple visit to an inactive family when we had nothing else to do. "It is by small means that great things come to pass."

Other things... I´ve been incredibly sick all week. I caught a very bad cold. But no biggie. I felt really good about my last district meeting, i went back to the basics and we discussed our central purpose as missionaries. And then i related it to Jacob 5, and we went through the parable that it contains. Very cool. I also think i witnessed a murder Thursday night. Not so cool. We were walking to the bus stop late at night when i hear blood curling screaming of a woman saying stop, please stop. 2 minutes we listening trying to figure out what to do.. what suddenly it just stops and everything goes dead quiet. So we call the police, and what do they do? Hang up on us. Shocker, nice going Brasil.

I also ran into another unfortunate problem here in Brasil, after i did not accept two members talking about how the stake president is corrupt and doesnt receive revelation. That was responded with "With all due respect Elder this isn´t the United States." I have seen way too many ex communicated bishops here, way too many wards where no one has trust in the leaders. I testify that I am representing the same church that exists where i live, the same one that receives modern revelation. If it doesn´t, we are the same as every other church, that doesn´t.

But enough of the bad stuff that happens here honestly it was an awesome week and we´ve all got fire in the bones to work!! I gave a talk Sunday that i though went well. I gave 3 suggestions to the member on how we can prepare for a mission and also improve daily. I shared 2 stories from my life. The first a riding experience with dad, where i was stuck, and needed his instructions to get up the hill. All the while knowing he was standing at the top, worrying and making sure i was going to succeed. I related this to prayer. The second, breaking a rule not to go sledding during basketball season, and breaking my wrist, suffering the consequences. I related this to learning to be obedient.

PRAY FOR THE BRANCH ANA RECH!! IM GOING TO MAKE IT HAPPEN. HAVE SO MUCH FUN AT THE RANCH. ILL DROWN OUT MY SORROWS WITH A TRIP TO PORTO ALEGRE FOR LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE. I LOVE YOU ALL!!

--

Elder Alex Allred
Terra de Gaúcho Tchê

Caixa Postal 13008

91010-971 Porto Alegre-RS

Brasil

Helloooo

Hey Americans, how´s life in Paradise where Coke is refillable and people don´t LOVE taking pregnant photos...

So i don´t think i mentioned the best part about living with Zone Leaders... A washing machine!! Never again will i wash my freaking clothes by hand!! It is so great. Elder Halford and Feller spent the night with us Tuesday to do a division with the LZ´s. It was a lot of fun. We bought pizza from RIDICULOUSLY expensive Pizza Hut and shared some good laughs.

It was a great week full of sucess and failure. Its just so funny how the Lord´s waits to bless us. ALMOST always on the mission it just seems like he waits until we fall flat on our faces, and get back up to try again, that he rewards us. I have definatley felt that here. Its when we give ALL we have and THEN a little bit more, that we start to see the little miracles in our mission/life. This area is tough, EVERYONE here is a member of Nossa Senhora. They have A MILLION santos in their house, little images of Mary that they worship. It makes for some tough teaching, but its been a good experience. Something funny about this neighborhood... EVERYONE believes the United States is just full of conspiracy. Most have never met an American, and they don´t believe the 9/11 happened, or that we went to the moon, or that we killed Osama!! It is SO funny... seriously.

We had an awesome visit last night with a couple we are teaching Andreia and Zilmar. We watched the 20 min restoration movie and testified of its truths. It took a serious detour when the member we brought mentioned we dont drink coffee... (i almost killed him, members.) but i quickly avoided that and went back to the restoration. Haha the member made up for it by driving us home and buying us pizza! That same night we also taught a great lesson to another couple we are trying to get married. José and Josára. They had a FULL on fight right in front of us when we got there, and it got really ugly. But i asked if we could say a prayer and start teaching and the spirit was very strong. She testified of the problems she has had, (her son was killed by drug dealers last year, happens every day here, her other son is a complete alchoholic, also normal, and her ex husband beat her..) And she told us how much better things got when she found the church and the missionaries started coming. She has a real testimony. Now we just have to work with her "husband."

I love you all so much. I was so full of gratitude this week. I went to do two baptismal interviews this week in one of the poorest areas ive seen and just couldnt help but to swell with grattitude for the blessings i have in my life. Seeing the sadness of others tends to do that here. The church is true. Love you all.