Sharing in São Paulo: Washington Week 3

Hey everyone! Hope all is well. This Thanksgiving week was pretty good :) I got to eat with a Family known as the Walhquist's, and Sis Walhquist is a sweet old Filipino who is the Relief Society President. She cooks really good food! After that we got to listen to her sons play the piano; one is six the other is 18, and they are really good!! It makes me wish I could play haha!

I checked my Visa status, and I think it says it's in -- sooo I may not be in America for Christmas!! Which is super exciting cause then I won't be cold anymore and get going on my Portuguese!

Everything here is great though. We got someone named Micheal on date, and he's really cool - about my age AND he's a wrestler, too! What're the odds, huh? It's really cool to see how the Lord works in people's lives. He was unlikely to accept, and we met him one night passing him on the street, and he agreed to have us over! Now he's accepted baptism!

My companion and I are teaching/learning from a lady from Natal, Brazil, and she speaks more Portuguese than English, but she's patient with us and corrects us on our Portuguese all the time. It's really good though because she's teaching us how Brazilians are and how to be polite with them, which is perfect for us for when we get down there! She's got a Portuguese Book of Mormon and English one too. She is gonna use it for better English skills, and she's really interested in the church, so it's all working out right now!

This week we also did exchanges, and I got to go with Elder Muir and he taught me a lot about following the letter of the law and spirit of the law, and how you gotta find the balance. I can definitely feel the love from him as he leads us (he's ZL). I also learned something while with him (not exactly from him). I learned that I hate bashing and anti and have decided that I will not participate in it! I know that no good can come from it, because the basher is madder at the church and my testimony is attacked by the basher and Satan. I also learned the best antidote for it is to read the scriptures A LOT, and then pray and Heavenly Father reassures you and gives you another witness of the truthfulness of the Gospel.

I know without a shadow of a doubt that this Restored church is true, and I know that Joseph Smith is a true Prophet of God, and that he did translate the Book of Mormon by the power of God and did seal his testimony with his Blood ( D&C 135). I love this gospel and want everyone to know about it! I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Amo Voces!

Elder Sharp