October 17, 2016 - Ribeirão das Neves

I see a belo horizonte.

Well, first thing this week. Márcia got baptized! I got the notice from Elder Ribeiro and Gonçalves that this week she decided to take this step and be baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was a little bummed to not be able to be there, but it was great to know that I was able to help her in her search.

Also, There was an activity to raise money for the young women to go to camp and we were invited to do a presentation. It turned out rather well and we sang two songs. The first was a us singing 'I Can Be a Missionary Now', and the second was the Primary song"My Heavenly Father Loves Me," but sung to the melody of 'Clocks' by Coldplay. From what we heard the people enjoyed it and we don´t sing to bad. I´ll try to send a video if it downloads fast enough.

Other than that we went to a chocolate store where we found chocolate tabs of different intensities of cocoa. So, naturally I had to buy one of each and try them all. I´m not sure which one a liked best, so I might have to buy them all again..haha.

Elder Quain

 Acai       Cherry Coke

  Chocolates

Jorge, Marcia, Elder Goncalves, Elder Ribeiro

Elder Ribeiro, Marcia, Jorge, Elder Goncalves

October 10, 2016 - Ribeirão das Neves

I see a Belo Horizonte

This just seemed like a pretty plain week. We worked just like normal.

This week we had interviews with President Fernades, so we had to go to Belo Horizonte. It´s about one and a half hours away by bus and is the closest that I have been to serving in Belo Horizonte. While we were there we decided to look and see what they had in their larger supermarket and we found a can of Cherry Coke. I know that doesn´t seem like much to you, but I haven´t seen one in over a year now. They are doing a special limited edition to see if it sells. Well, they sold two to a happy American missionary. Now I just need to find root beer and ginger ale.

We are teaching quite a few people right now and the work is moving well. We even had a investigator give us dinner. It made me think of something that Elder Ribeiro always said," You can tell that someone likes you when they start giving you food." The phrase is pretty true. My companion and I, being polite missionaries offered to help. This ended with grape juice spilled on my shirt and the investigator telling my companion to stop washing dishes. People here don´t let you wash dishes a whole lot. We always offer anyways.

This week we started using a great message that we call Noah´s ark. Noah was a prophet and was commanded to call repentance to the people and warn them of a coming flood. He was really trying to save them and invited them to enter into the ark. If we were Noah, who would we invite into the ark? As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints we are in the ark and we should invite all to know more about Jesus Christ and His restored gospel. As you do this you will see the blessing that will come and the people that will answer the call.

Elder Quain

October 3, 2016 - Ribeirão das Neves

I see a Belo Horizonte

Well, this week was pretty full. We had three days of conferences. If you thought two days wasn´t enough, think again. The conferences were great and I´ll give a little insight.

The first was Zone Conference with President Fernandes. He talked a lot about working with the members, but the part that stuck out the most for me was how we should teach. This was a good, better, best relation. He talked about the first lesson that we leave with our investigator where we introduce the ideas of living prophets, the Book of Mormon and baptism. He told us that this is what we need to teach so that people can know that the church is true. But, he invites us to teach along with this faith, repentance, and baptims.  The two paths will lead to baptism, but for different reasons. the first for the knowledge that the church is true and the second because of our love for Christ. When these two paths are brought together someone can truly be converted. The other part that stuck out to me was the pizza and açaí.

Second was the General Conference. It was a great opportunity to listen to a prophet, apostles and leaders in the church. I have really come to love conference and it passes very fast. Unfortunately, there are so many good things at once that many times I forget a lot of what was said. Because of this I find it very useful to study these messages individually afterwards. These are scripture for our days and we should treat them as such. One thought that I had that I will share comes from the priesthood session. The Prophet, Thomas S. Monson spoke for only about five minutes and spoke about the word of wisdom. Why with the short time and limited strength that he has would he choose to talk about a health code?

This week we had a really tough day, where we were not being able to teach anyone. At 8 o´clock at night we had ran out of plans and ideas, except for an investigator that we haven´t found at home the entire time I have been here. I was needing to teach and said a silent prayer that they would be at home and let us in. It was the first time that we found them at home and we were able to teach. It is great to know that Our Father in Heaven hears us, answers our prayers and imports with what is important to us.

Random:

*This week we decided to do something new... and we bought a giant tub a creme de açaí. I´m not sure if it was 10 liters or 10 kilos. But, we are getting close to the bottom already (with four elders).

*I arrived at general conference on Saturday and sat down to listen. In about a minute, I noticed that it was in English. One of the members came up to me and told me that the translation audio wasn´t working and asked me to translate. I did the best I could and luckily the translation started to work after doing this for only one speaker, but it was definitely a new experience.

Elder Quain

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