Family of Five!

This week was crazy.  It rained hard for 3 days which was good because we were super hot. And when I say hard I mean I couldn't see 10 feet in front of me. But it was cool because there was thunder and lighting, and there was a flash behind us (we were talking to someone on their front porch) and then BOOM - it was super loud but really cool. This week we walked a lot! But it's all worth because we baptized a family of 5! It is a mom and 4 daughters. It was so awesome to see the anticipation the day before and just before they got baptized. When we first taught them, the Mom didn't like religion at all but then we taught her about Joseph Smith and the restoration and they were a little more open.  So we taught them some more and they are now super excited members of the church and with great testimony. It's crazy how close me and my comp feel to them after just a couple weeks.  The young daughters are twins (9 yrs-old) and they are super curious and always have a question. The mom smoked and the whole family drank coffee, but quit and are still doing well with that. The oldest (Giovana) is 12 yrs old, and she took a little longer to feel that this church was true, but a couple days before the baptism she asked me if I would baptize her -- Man that was a great day! Then there's Julia (10 yrs-old) and she is a really shy little girl but is definitely a strong young lady who was always listening to us intently. Ah I just love this family!!  I really hope I don't get transferred next transfer! 

Well that's all that really happened this week that was super exciting. I´m having my Companion correct me every time I say a word wrong, and he´s having to correct me less and less everyday.  It's really exciting to see my progress. I hoping for fluency by the end of March!  

Something really cool happened this week I was asked to talk to some people that are learning English in English (a reason for me to be there and teach them) and it was hard haha! It's natural now for me to speak Portuguese!!  I was super excited for this realization! 

Thanks for the prayers and the update I´m so grateful for it!

Amo Vocês!

Elder Sharp

First Baptismo!

This week has been Awesome!  Me and my companion estamos are doing great. We are teaching 2 families right now and baptized a mom of a member Saturday!  It was so amazing and powerful....There's no way to describe the joy that came with teaching her and baptizing her!! She quit smoking and drinking cold turkey and was definitely a golden investigator (I have pics Below).

We have a family baptism next Saturday and they also quit drinking and smoking and are strong too! There's 5 of them - a mom and 4 filhas. It's so cool because when we found them, the mom didn't believe in religion porque muitas churches were corrupt and took advantage of people so she didn't believe in organized religion. Now she's super excited to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and live with her family forever! It's crazy to see the effect the gospel has on people in improving their lives and making them happier. 

I´m doing a lot better with the language. Still gotta get a handle on conjugations and making sentences, but I am improving every day and it's not so strange for me to speak it now.  Exciting stuff seeing when I say the correct words to people and they talk back and I actually understand them...usually haha. 

Well, that´s all for now! Chião! 

Elder Sharp

This Week in Brazil

This week has been awesome. We have a Baptism on the 18th! My first one!!  She is a prime example of someone who wants that change in their life! We also started teaching a family of 5, too, and they´re getting baptized the 24! It's so crazy to see the Gospel work in people's lives - from not knowing anything about the church to wanting to be baptized - it's a huge faith builder for me!

Portuguese isn´t as bad as I thought. I´m improving so much everyday and can actually understand almost anyone (unless they speak really fast) and I can talk to anyone too. I don't always conjugate the words right, but My companion is teaching me and corrects me whenever we talk. We talk a lot cause we walk everywhere. I can see how people go through a lot of shoes on a mission here. I don't mind the walking either.  We get to talk to everyone we pass and when it is cloudy, the weather is really nice here!

I´m slowly getting darker every day too - haha.  My companion is really dark so I look really white next to him. I haven't got burned yet (knock on wood).  I´ve learned why missionaries don't have cars, too. It's because no one believes in using brakes here... and the motorcyclists don't follow the line on the road. They just weave in between cars. The bikes here look nice though; I love lookin at them, even though I can't ride them. 

Well that's all the news I've got from Brasil! It's great here and I´m loving the people. As I learn more of the language, the people seem to change from foreign to normal - it's really interesting.

Amo vocês!

Elder Sharp

Me and my companion:

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My roommates :

The Shower

Before a storm - Belleza!  

Brazil!!

Oí! Eu estou aqui em Brasil finalmente! E Brasil é muito bom!..... haha just kidding I don´t know that much Portuguese right now!  :P   I´ll Have to use English. 

So getting here was interesting.  My mission president from Washington dropped me off.  We both went in to get my ticket and they filled out my visa paperwork wrong and put 2013 instead of 2014 - so my Visa was expired a year before I got it! I was crazy!!  They got it all figured out and hopefully I wont be deported=P  Anyway I flew from WA to NC and had a 9-hour layover.   I tried to sleep cause I had been up all night, and I got an hour of sleep or so.  Then we had that beautiful 10-hour trip to Brasil.  The trip actually wasn't that bad.  The plane was full of Brazilians, and we it was fun to watch with their families.  I´ve also discovered I cant fall asleep on Planes when I´m nervous about leaving the country, so I said a prayer, wrote in my journal, and tried several thing to fall asleep to no avail... but then I arrived and the Sun was coming up. I thought "OK!  New day, New country!"  As soon as I stepped foot on Brazilian soil, I knew that I was suppose to be there, and I was completely calm. I was tired beyond all belief, but I knew I was gonna love it here. 

And well...I love it here in Brasil! It is so pretty here and so far the people have been really nice. Its really cool but strange. We can clap at a door and ask for water to a complete stranger, and they will go and get us water, which is nice since it's summer. 

Me and my Companion are getting along great and we have had a lot of investigators here. My companion is 25 and is Brazilian, He helps me so much and has a lot of paciencia with me. Luckily my ears are getting use to the language more and I´m learnin' more every day.  I´m already teaching people! We have 7 people who have accepted baptism, and my comp and I are both new to this area. 

There are 3 sets of missionaries here (2 sisters and 3 other elders) and it's been great here!

That's all for now!

Chião!

Elder Sharp 

Final pictures from Washington:

A weird statue:  

Me and my companions: 

"God's Angels with Nerf guns"

 Very tired on the way to the Mission Office... about to leave the U.S.A.

I'm Alive!

Oi! I´m in Brasil and I´m doing great!  I know that I´m going to love it here, and my companion is really cool, too.  The language will be difficult, but I´m gonna have to learn patience with myself and I´ll get it. I gotta get going but I´ll tell you about the trip there on Monday! 

Amo você! 

Elder Sharp

P.s. I love the weather here -- I´m actually sweating!!