This Week's Letter

Thanks, Mom, I love you too!  I´m doing great.  I´ll admit at the time the rules in the home were annoying and didn´t seem realistic, but it's really how a home should be. I was really blind to that in high school (good satan for ya) and I know that I made a lot of decisions that weren't the best....I think I have felt a part of that here as I see families that have a rebellious son or a less active member I taught that started to drink again -- I really almost cried. So I hope that my siblings follow the example I´m showing now and not the one I set in high school.  I pray that ya´ll are strengthened, and it looks like based on your email, Mom, that my prayers are being answered.

I just want to bear my testimony that I know this Gospel - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints - is true. Jesus Christ really suffered for us more than we can know and because of that suffering we can change our lives for the better. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and powerful. This message really is the reason we have hope for the future and why we can still have joy in our afflictions. I´ve seen people here who had nothing to hope for in the future smile for the first time because of me sharing my testimony. Thank you guys for your love and guidance. I don't know where I´d be if weren't for you... but I know it would be a terrible place.

Mom, for your co-workers ask Heavenly Father to help you see them how He sees them and for help to share a part of the gospel they need and you´ll be amazed at how much your eyes will open! They will look to you for hope and thank you in the future for your light and happiness they have from the gospel. It won't be the first person but keep sharing and someone will feel the Spirit and want to learn more. "Success is to continue trying with the same enthusiasm no matter how many times you fail until you succeed."

Hey - Dustin!  AHHHHH!  STOP GROWING!!

By the way, I get to stay in Embu Gauçu Another transfer!!!! WOOHOO!  It will be 6 month in Embu. I´ve been here the longest of anyone in my district hahaha, AND we go to the temple this transfer!!

I love y´all!

Elder Sharp

Happy Easter!

That's awesome about your trip to AZ, mom! Sounds like fun! Crazy the smallest things that you realize are so important that that you didn't realize till it's gone. Glad to hear you had a good time!  :) If you have any questions for me, feel free to ask them cause I have no idea what to write haha! 

I´m doing great here! Elder D. Silva was transferred emergently and I'm here in Embu Gauçu with Elder De Jesus (from minas gerais).  Yup I´m serving my mission with Jesus! haha That's about all the excitement.  Oh and the family we were teaching (Erasmo) they went to church this week and we didn't do anything to get them there! I´m so happy that they went!  It made my week for sure!

Anyway, my new companion is really cool and a really good missionary. As we walk, we talk a lot and he´s made me think about things in way that I had never thought about them.  He´s helping me a lot with my confidence and teaching people on the street. I can't wait to see what else I will learn. Also, because of the transfer, I have been able to see how much I´ve learned and progressed. It's really great!  God definitely answers prayers!

I love you guys! 
Read your scripturs and pray DAILY!
Elder Sharp

Waking to lunch in the only area in my mission that is like this.

My new companion and I. 

Us in the house of Erasmo with his family. 

Faith

That's awesome that Kody's that focused for football.  That´s really all it is for being good at a sport -  focusing and doing your hardest! I´ve been thinking a lot about that here and about how I was in sports and realized that if I had been more diligent I would´ve been a lot better... Like for how I was for wrestling my senior year. And now I think about here and how I´m doing.  Everyday I´ve started to look back at the day and say, "Have you done your hardest today?"  I´m seeing improvement everyday, too!

This Sunday was testimony meeting and all of the missionaries for that ward bore our testimony (4 companionships).  I was last, so I was praying for help to feel the spirit as I bore it and for the right words to say for that ward.  I started to talk and I realized that the words were super easy to come and I didn´t feel like I had an American accent.  It was really spiritual and for the first time in long time my eyes teared up from something in Portuguese. (It's difficult to feel the Spirit when your translating.) It really helped me realize how far I´ve come from the last testimony meeting! I´m super grateful for that boost in confidence and for my companion Elder D. Silva for correcting my accent! (even after I´d get annoyed with him because of A LOT of correcting)  After the meeting an old man came up to me and congratulated on my Portuguese. It was super awesome for me! 

This week we have a Investigator that actually taught us something about faith. She´s got a son that's been through a lot and during carnival he got stabbed in the side and his lung too! He got to the hospital and was dead and Maria (the mom) couldn't go see him because of work.  She had to work to take care of her other daughters, and she received a call that he was dead. She Immediately went to her knees and prayed that when she went there she could hug her son again and talk to him.  She had a day off the next weekend.  She went to São Paulo, and saw him and he was fine (hurt and not in great shape, but living). They hugged and talked. She was super grateful to God, and said,  "...But I don't want you guys to think I went to God because of my problem. I´ve always loved to pray and Sempre have God with me.(or something like that).  But ya, she´s going to be a great member and will be baptized on Sunday!  She´s quit smoking and said she could never stop for more then 2 days and today will be day 9! She super excited about that, cause she´s already tried to quit lots of times!

That's about it for this week! 

Love you guys and thanks for the package! Tell that lady that she has no idea how much Packages mean for a missionary and that I´m really grateful for her help in getting one here!

Elder Sharp

Here are the pictures from the baptism a couple weeks ago, where the inactive father was contacted and his family joined the church.  

The story can be found HERE:

They drink green milk here! 

(avocado, sugar, water and milk)

Yup - it's good!!  Really sweet and avacodo-y

Conference!

Hey!  So anyone can email me but there's no guarantee that I´ll answer immediately because I only have an hour and a half to write you guys and the mission president 

Speaking of mission president, mine was called to the Seventy! Pinho is my president!  He´s being released in July and called to be a seventy! Conference was good.  I watched in Portuguese, so I really didn´t learn much, but I´m downloading some of the talks on my memory card for my camera. 

Oh and I know something I need - thumb drives are really expensive here like 30 reais ($15).  If it's not gonna cost more then that to send me a few, please send me a couple! It's how I can have videos from here and save my pictures... because sometimes the computer erases all the pictures on our cameras, so it would be great to have.  If not, don't worry about it; I´ll buy wherever it's cheaper haha. 

I had a baptism on Sunday!  The lady came to church this Sunday on pennies and dime (but in Brazilian money) to be baptized! It was really good! She knew the words and said them while I was baptizing her haha! She´s really good! I hope she stays firm in the church - she really needs it. It's crazy how hard Satan tries to keep people from watching General Conference! We had a lot of people who were excited to come but never did.  One was coming and passed a bar and started drinking again and another was coming with his girlfriend and they started to argue so the went back home.  It was really annoying, but the ones that came liked it a lot! 

This week we also did a lot of service.  It was really cool because I´m learning a lot from the service - like now I know how to put in a concrete floor or how to weed with a hoe and the people we help are gaining faith because we bring members to help and show that we really practice what we preach. 

That's about all that happened -- lots happening here!  Time is moving really fast! I have 1 year and 6 months left and that's it! Crazy!

Love y'all

 Elder Sharp