Hey People

We had a good week. It was a slow week, and we ran into a lot of barriers, but it was good. Im really starting to feel the chaos we are creating in our new neighborhood. There have never been missionaries there and we are really making noise. You can tell by the people. The walk by us and whisper and i heard one person whisper that we were dangerous. I ran into a few colorful Jehovah´s witnesses and had almost all of the book of mormons i gave returned. Someone is really worried about losing money.

Again i dont really remember what happened. I just remember yesterday. Our lunch fell so we lunched at Caio and Alba´s. It was great as usual. But we walked FOREVER yesterday cause we didnt plan well and had lessons in three different neighborhoods. But most of the lessons went great, we marked three baptism dates and had a family night with Diego, Marcia and their three kids we will baptize this week. They are such an incredible family, literally willing to give everything when they have nothing. I love them. The only visit that wasnt so great was the last one. It is a couple named Mauricio and Sueli. We are trying to reactivate him and baptize her. But they have been complaining of bad spirits in their house and their three year old girl has been seeing things. We offered a dedicatory prayer but i had a hard time feeling the spirit there. The spirit is quite important in missionary work. Sabia?

Other than that im not really sure what happened. I just know that im working my butt off and learning a little bit more every day. I love this work I love this gospel. But most of all I love most of you. Depending on who is reading this. Just kidding.

Oh yeah and the message on the glass is of our apt floor. Some chicks wrote a message to us saying they want the "hot missionaries" I couldnt resist but to snap a photo.
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Elder Alex Allred
Terra de Gaúcho Tchê

Caixa Postal 13008

91010-971 Porto Alegre-RS

Brasil

Hey Gente

Olá from Brasil. I send you my love.

It was a fantastic week once again. I´m starting to realize the feeling of thinking you cant work any harder or do better, and then doing it. Interesting to see that the Lord doesnt go without blessing us when we do that. We now have 11 investigators with baptismal dates. And I am just loving life. Let me tell you a little about the week.

Wednesday was terrible. It was going as one of those just awful days. People hiding from you, no one home, raining until the alma, people spitting on us and telling us to go home, i felt like crap. Finally at about 6 when we had not taught a single lesson i stopped in the road and bore my heart in prayer. Something, Anything, PLEASE. No less than 5 minutes later we found the house we had been looking for. We taught a sick lesson, and marked 3 baptismal dates. Mikael, Tásiane, and Ellen wil be baptized next saturday. They are kids of an inactive family we found and are reactivating. What a great family. After that we went to Cleberton, who basically told me to shove it the last lesson, and freaked out when I told him Santos (Saints) dont exist. What a change of heart. He raved about how fascinating he thought the life of Joseph Smith was and wanted his wife to be able to watch the film we passed. Complete change of heart. After that we taught one more lesson to a progressing family of 4 we have. Awesome day.

Thursday and Friday were rough as well. We ran into some sticky stiuations and lost José and Jussára. They are passing though some really rough times and frankly need more help from the police than the missionaries. We will continue to visit them but more cautiessly and udner the dirtection of our mission president. Saturday was so legit. We had an activity with the youth where we went to a really busy corner and handed out more than 3000 pass along cards!! It was so much fun!! Sunday was equally awesome. We did our normal division i went with Caio in his Car like normal and ended my night eating lasagna on Alba (Caio´s wife´s) stairs and arguing about whether she needed to buy me more pimenta. Love her.

Yesterday was just a spiritual feast. Zone Conference with a seventy! Elder Itchinose. Poweful beyond belief. Ive never met someone that could quite literally snap their fingers and bring the spirit, that could tell us we are crappy missionaries but do it with love. It was an experience I will never forget. Passo Fundo was there! So i got to see all my best friends! I sent pictures. AFter we trecked out to Ana Rech to contact a reference from a member. It was pretty good. It was an awesome day.

I love you all so much. Thank you for supporting me in this incredible work. The Lord is pushing me to my absolute limits and in turn molding me to be the servant he needs. I just need to do better at letting him do his work. He is preparing me for future things. I know it. I pray for you daily. Pray for me and my investigators.

P.s. The picture of the TV is Wayne if you cant tell. Every time someone puts on the film "On the Lord´s Errand" I cant help but to scream VOVÔ!! (GRAMPS!) when Wayne´s part comes. Its great. Miss that guy.

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Elder Alex Allred
Terra de Gaúcho Tchê

Caixa Postal 13008

91010-971 Porto Alegre-RS

Brasil

Hey pessoal

Alright.. Sorry but this is going to be short. When i dont write stuff down i completely forget what happens. It was a great week filled with little miracles and unblievable frustrations.

So things i do remember. We are really starting to gain the confidence of the ward, they are seeing how hard we are working and for the first time here we have a few references! Unfortunately we still have TONS of problems here with the stake presidency. There is a lot of apostasy here and its starting to look frighteningly like an anarchy.

Basically the whole week i ran around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to hold together the marriages/baptisms of Eduardo/Silvana and José/Jussára. We are planning a HUGE party and doing the two weddings together but lots of bad stuff is happening and its sort of all falling on me. So now it got delayed and if i dont mark it by thursday it wont happen this transfer and then probably wont happen at all. Plan for them

I also found a lot of new people and fought with the Sisters. What else is new.

Im running out of time I am having the time of my life and absolteluy working my butt off. I know this is literally Christ´s church on earth and the only way to find real and lasting happiness. I love you all.

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Elder Alex Allred
Terra de Gaúcho Tchê

Caixa Postal 13008

91010-971 Porto Alegre-RS

Brasil

God Bless America

Hello people.

Let me start off by telling you all how much I love my country. Seriously. No... SERIOUSLY. It rocks. If you don´t believe me, come to Brasil for a while. Just kidding I love Brasil too. But its not America. Happy Birthday America, and me! Im 20 now...

I had an incredible week. I literally am witnessing the hand of the lord bless this region and the members here. I can feel this place being on the verge of explosion, and it feels so good to have to work we´re doing be recongnized. There is so much area here and people that haven´t heard the gospel. The only thing that lacks is the huge distance to the chapel, about 30-40 minutes by bus depending on the day. But we are trying to fix that by creating a branch there. Basically it was summed up by my favorite comment of the week by my favorite guy Caio "You´ll come back here in 5-10 years and see this a ward, with maybe 2 or three duplas of missionaries, knowing that you started it all" That right there is the essence of why I´m here. And I love it.

We have a baptism this week! Its going to be such a load of my shoulders i´ve felt really pressured by the ward and people and its been a while. His name is Carlos, and he is legit. We also were able to mark a marriage/baptismal date for José and Jussára. And while they still fight like two mice over a piece of cheese they are excited. The last couple we are working with is Eduardo and Silvana. Eduardo is an ex-active member that has drinking and abusive habits with his "wife" that desperately wants to be a member of Christ´s church and have an eternal family. We are trying to do damage control and get them married too.

This week we found a lot of great people that i have a lot of hope for. Its too early to tell you about them because Satan always finds a way to screw up my investigators that i think will be golden. It REALLY sucks to return for a second visit to find them there waiting with the Book of Mormon to return. Someone is not playing nice with us... Lots of Anti Mormon crap here. But im stoked and i think we will have success with some of these people.

I love this church. I love my family. Im praying for Wayne. Im convinced that this is the only true source of happiness. As i commented to my comp yesterday we literally talk to people all day that tell us how crappy life is, and how many bad things have happened. I remarked that I don´t really remember anything REALLY bad happening in my life... its not cause im American or cause im Rich or lucky, its because we have the gospel, and we make correct choices that bring happiness, not sadness.

Im so grateful for that. I love you all.
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Elder Alex Allred
Terra de Gaúcho Tchê

Caixa Postal 13008

91010-971 Porto Alegre-RS

Brasil