5/26/14

Week 20

Hello people! This week was pretty good!! No baptisms, but still a pretty good week. So I decided i should take more pictures and send them to you, so this week I tried to send more to yall. Anyways this week, we did service at a members house, 3 hours walking distance. All 4 missionaries here in Sinop went. We were super tired, but we still made it fun. 

This week we focused on Less Actives and Recent converts. At church, we had 10 less active members and recent converts. We didnt have any investigators, but i know this week we will!! 

So Saturday night and Sunday morning it got really cold! And by really cold I mean 60 degrees! haha I thought it was cold enough to wear my sweater to church. Haha I thought I would of never worn that during my mission. Ohh and I got my Elder Hall plaque. Because I never want to forget my Grandma and she told me to make the Hall name well known down here in Brasil before i left for the mission. haha

Yesterday, President and Sister Reber visited the Branches in the north of the mission to have a meeting with the leaders in each branch with their assigned missionaries. They came to Sinop at 6 last night, and he talked about how us missionaries and the leaders of the branch need to unite in missionary work. Here alot of times the leaders give a list to the missionaries and the missionaries take care of it. President Reber wants us working together. Oh President Reber changed the goals for the mission. We used to be really focused on finding new investigators, but now he wants us to focus on less actives and recent converts too.

This week was kinda slow, but i loved it!!!

I love yall!

Elder Marstella 

 here is a pond we walked by on our way to do service. 

5/19/14

Week 19

Hello friends and family! This week was really good!! So Wednesday my companion went to Cuiaba for a couple days for a district leader training. While he was there, Elder Smittenaar and I were companions again! It was good to catch up and see how he is doing. On Wednesday we did service at the Branch Presidents house. I sent a picture of us after. He is getting part of his house redone, so we pretty  much threw out all the trash and stuff. Haha I love doing service!

Then Elder Pacheco returned Friday morning. Then Saturday, I went on exchanges with Elder Hatch. He is another american, from Arizona, and he has been here in Brazil for 4 months. I love him! He is awesome. We can actually relate on pretty much everything, and he speaks ENGLISH! Haha so that was alot of fun. We didn't know everything people were saying and when we didnt we would just look at each other and laugh. But we actually got alot of stuff done. 

Then yesterday, we had a baptism!! I baptized a 8 year old girl. She is so cute!! When we back to go into the fount, she started crying because she was scared. it was adorable. So I got on my knees to get eye level to her and I held her hands. Then the branch President talked to her and calmed her down, then he said at the end ´´Elder Marstella will protect you.´´ I loved it! Everything went well after that. 

This week was really fun and I loved it! Elder Pacheco and I are getting along and no arguments. He is pretty cool! He loves soccer too so we talk about that alot. 

I love all of you at home and i hope you guys have a wonderful week this week! I love yall!!

I love you mom!

Elder Marstella 

    

5/12/14

week 18

Feliz Dia Das Mães! 

So I just talked to my family yesterday, so this email probably wont be as long, but here is what happened this week. We made a goal with Erotilde to stop smoking for 24 hours. And guess what... she did it!! And then she said she hasnt smoked since!! She did it!! And to make it even better, we had her baptism yesterday!! The spirit was so strong!! Ahh, I love it! So before I talked to my family, I baptized her, then I got to talk to my family!! I love them so much!! Its only been 4 months, but I miss them dearly! So my Ecuadorian companion doesnt speak any english, so my portuguese is probably going to get alot better since we have to talk in it all the time haha 

I love helping people become an eternal family so they can experience as much joy as my family! I hope we have another baptism this saturday, Erotildes daughter, but we will see! All is well here and the internet is really slow right now so im not sure if ill be able to send the photo of Erotildes baptism. 

I love it here and brasil! And i loved talking to my family yesterday, i hate saying goodbyes!! But in 7 months ill be able to skype them again! So long away haha.

I love yall so much. Thanks so much for all the emails! 

Elder Marstella 

5/5/14

week 17

Oi Friends and family!! This week was pretty good! To start, we had another baptism yesterday! Her name is Ester and she is the grandma of Hyrum, the boy i baptized a couple weeks ago! She has been smoking most of her life, and we taught her about how Christ can help us overcome addictions. After 2 weeks of smoking less and less each day, she stopped!! How wonderful is that? We told her dont stop smoking for you, but stop smoking for Christ. 

Herotilde needed a little more time stopping smoking, so her baptism is this Sunday! When we first started teaching her, she smoked almost 25 cigarettes a day! Saturday, she said she only smoked 2!!! Miracle for sure! Her daughter is going to be baptized too this Sunday! Woohoo!  

This week was fast and testimony meeting in church here. Its pretty cute with a branch becuase usually the same people go up everytime and the youth love to bear their testimonies. I did as well! I like to see my progress every month when i go up there. Sister Grant told me to bear my testimony every fast and testimony meeting on your mission, and thus far, i have! 

Today is transfers! I am staying here, but my trainer is leaving to Sorriso to become the new Zone Leader. So he is my zone leader now so ill talk to him all the time still haha. He was awesome. My new companion is getting here tomorrow at 8 am. He is from Ecuador so im sure ill learn a little spanish while im working with him! 

This week I studied mainly on the life of Christ and one thing that I loved was, Peter asked how many times should we forgive someone, 7? And in my life i know that 7 times is alot! Forgiving over and over again can be hard! But Christ said even unto seventy times seven. wow! Its hard to forgive, but i know that when we forgive, we build humility, a characteristic of Christ, and start looking at ourselves and see how we arent perfect either. 

My portuguese is still getting better, and over these next 6 weeks itll probably get even alot more better because my companion probably doesnt speak english!

I love missionary work and I love this gospel!!

Next week is Dia das Mães so ill be skyping my family and my mom!! Im not sure the exact times, but look for emails saturday and Sunday morning! 

I love you guys and i love you Mom!

Com Amor,

Elder Marstella