September 26, 2016 - Ribeirão das Neves

I see a Belo Horizonte

Well this is week two in my new area and the ward made a discovery... they know I can play piano. They don´t have anyone here that plays and this week was ward conference. So, I played piano for a choir piece, but only managed one and sang in another. They roped all the missionaries into singing in the choir and we made more than half the men singing. The director didn´t lead the music super dramatically, but I´m used to music professors and Brother Abbott. It´s hard to be more dramatic than them.

During the ward conference the stake president gave a talk and used a story where he was talking with a young man and asked him a question,"if you could be anywhere, where would you be?" The response he received was, at home. All of the elders started to laugh a little, because, first off, it is a little true at times, but we are on a mission and try not to be preoccupied by what is happening at home. Also, one of the elders was just like, "why´d he have to say that?" We all ended up laughing behind the pulpit during sacrament meeting.

We bought gas this week and I am back to eating eggs as they are the cheapest thing I can find. I will literally be perfect at making eggs when I get home. What style do you like; broken, over-easy, hard boiled, scrambled, or do you want an omelette? I´ve also learned how to make home-made pancakes in a blender, but I still haven´t learned how to cook beans.

Elder Quain

September 19, 2016 - Ribeirão das Neves

I see a Belo Horizonte

Well I´ve passed my first week in the new area. Here in Ribeirão das Neves it is a little bit hotter than my last area, but not too bad. This area is a really good area and I´m excited to get going and work here. 

My new companion is Elder Sabino. He has about three months on the mission now and is the youngest companion I´ve had until now. He is the only companion that I´ve had that is younger than me, which is a little different as all my other companions were about one year older than me. He is excited to work and we are getting along fine. He is Brazilian, so that´s pretty normal for me. I think I´ll finish the mission without having an American companion in the field.

We live with two other elders; Elder Matamala, District leader, and Elder Erazo. They are both from Chile and are the only two elders from Chile in the mission. Elder Erazo is new on the mission. They both speak Portuguese very well, but because Spanish and Portuguese are similar they sometimes will say Spanish words. I can understand and it is just a little funny sounding.

I´m learning the area right now and from what I can tell is isn´t super big. We share the same area with the other elders. It can be a little funny when we knock on a door and the people say that they talked with the missionaries two weeks ago. We have to ask a few question to know if it was the other companionship or Jehovah witnesses.

Random

* They are in elections for mayor and here they can play music as advertisement. We are hearing a lot of music right now.

* We saw a toucan this week again, but I always forget my camera

Elder Quain

September 12, 2016 - Sete Lagoes

I see a Belo Horizonte.

Well this is my last week here in Recanto da Serra as I have been transferred to Servilha, Ribeirão das Neves. I'm heading there next week, so I should have some new things to write this next week. 

Sadly, I will probably not be here when my investigators are baptized, but it is great to know that I had the opportunity to help them come unto Christ a little bit more. The decision to be baptized is a big step to take and really is a commitment, but, when someone wants to follow the Savior it is their only choice. In 2Nephi 31, Nephi asks a great question. "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, can we follow Jesus save we shall be willing to keep the commandments of the Father?" It is a great soul searching question that everyone needs to ask themselves at least once in there life if not many times. Christ was the only one to fulfill all of the commandments of God. We will not be perfect and God knows that, but that doesn´t mean that we have the excuse to stop trying. We actually have many things that we can become perfect at including; church attendance, daily study, tithing and baptism. God commands all to come unto Christ and be baptized. And when we have been baptized we have fulfilled this commandment perfectly.

This week we did have one miracle. I had an investigator with my last companion that we had stopped visiting simply because he told us that he wasn´t interested. I felt that it was time to return and visit him. We went to his house, knocked on his door and he opened it with a great big smile. He invited us in and told us that he had decided to read the Book of Mormon that morning. He is now reading the Book of Mormon, when last time it was only his Mom that was reading. It is really cool how the Lord has his own timing and knows how to move his work forward.

random

*Two of my past companions are now companions. Elder Ribeiro and Elder Gonçalves will now be companions in Recanto da Serra

*We were looking at a little snake swim through the water when a bird swooped down and ate it. It felt like the movies when you see a cute bunny and suddenly a bird carries it away.

Elder Quain

The street concert by my apartment

Our last district meeting

Carne BBQ

We had lunch at home one day and this is what I made.

The Brasilians had me teach them how to make onion rings afterwards.

September 5, 2016 - Sete Lagoes

I see a belo horizonte

This week was a pretty good week and had a few miracles.

The first miracle has to do with rain. So, it hasn´t rained for a long time here, but it decided to start pouring. We hid under an overhang and waited for the rain to pass. Unfortunately, I remembered that my bed is under a window that was entirely open. There was another Elder making jokes and saying that I would sleep with the fishes, but when we got home the only bed that was wet was his. He started a joke, but didn´t see that the joke was on him.

The second miracle is that Elder Ribeiro and I were having one of those days where everything falls though, when we had a guy wave us down. We were a little skeptical at first, but we talked with him and found out that he was an inactive member that we didn´t have on our area book as he had moved. He asked us where the church was as he wanted to return and feel the same spirit that he had felt before. We brought him to an activity and we are working with him now.

The third miracle is that I slept at all Saturday night. Saturday morning we looked out the window and saw a mobile stage being set up. I just though, there´s a storm ahead. We returned that night and it had already started, a live concert in front of our house. They played MPB, Sertaneiga and worst of all, Funky. It took quite a while to fall asleep and my companion had a really hard time in ward counsel the next morning. I took a clip to send, but forgot my camera, So I will send it next week

Elder Quain