I'm Teachin' a Deaf Girl!

Thanks for writing me what you could (my letter to him was shorter than normal).  There are moms who aren't even writing their missionaries - so thanks so much for that! 

So this week was really interesting.  We´re finally starting to find people to teach! I have missed teaching a lesson in a house so much haha! We´re teaching a family that has a Daughter that´s deaf, so I´m trying to learn how to do BSL (Brasilian) but it's really cool, and we´re teaching the mom too.  She´s have trouble understanding my Portuguese, so I´m having to speak really slow, but it's good for me to learn how to say the words better and pronounce better, too. 

Being a district leader is fun, too.  I´m getting to learn a lot and actually help other missionaries. I feel I´m finally fulfilling my Patriarchal Blessing when it talks about my mission. I finally doing everything it says that I would do! 

We also had someone come up to us and say that they want to get baptized, but sadly his mom is a hard-headed catholic.  After we taught him, we left and his mom said a lot and he couldn´t stay strong (he´s 26 but thanks to his mom he´s more like a 13-14 year old) But as I thought about it, I realized I did everything I could, so there´s really nothing that could´ve been done and remembered Jacob 1:19 and I know that one day he will receive the gospel!

That's cool about Guilherme emailing you.  He's a great kid and can teach really well.  He already knows a lot about the scriptures.  Actually, all of the youth here are really awesome in this ward!  They are like super humans haha.  They´re actually a lot better then most of the adults, which is kinda funny!

But ya that's this week - I love this work!!

LOVE Y'ALL,

Elder Sharp

Lots of Changes

Wow so this week was so crazy!! It was like I made a decision to just go super from now until the mission is done and what happens? My companion has to go to physical therapy, and I had go with him.  Then the next day he had so much pain from the therapy that he couldn´t (it's something with his feet).  The next day he was transferred to be closer to the doctor (he has to go 10x and that gets expensive using the bus 10 days!) So he was transferred, and it was really sad because I loved working with him.  He was one of the better companions I had. We were great friends and laughed a lot and taught well together... but God has a different plan for me.... so we went to the Mission office and Pres. Dalton asked if he could talk to me.  I was like, "Sure!"  We went to his office and he said,  "Elder, this is a little earlier then I was planning, but God´s ways are higher then our ways. So, Elder Sharp, you are now the District leader of your district......"  I was like WHAT!? Haha it was crazy!  I really do know that Heavenly Father has a sense of humor because every time I start to get the hang of things, He throws in something new or a new responibility... haha but ya, so now I´m a District Leader!  It's really cool the feeling of peace I have with me.  I know that God has a plan for me and has things that I will teach and also learn from this calling. I also live with the Zone Leaders and they´re helping a lot! haha Other than this, I really don't have anything exciting!

That's about all for this week.  Sadly we didn't get much work done this week. But this week is a new week and it's gonna be a great one too!

I love y´all!

Elder Sharp 

My new companion

PIZZA!!

First baptism that I did the interview for.

 I found the announcement that changed my life!!

Sò batismo!

MY MISSION!

Diligence and Faith

This week we had a training with our mission president. He said that there are a lot of missionaries that didn´t have a lot of urgency in their work, and that there are a lot of people getting "sick" an we have had our record low in baptisms. So he gave us a training on why we should work hard and how we can baptize more. He talked a lot about Faith, Family and Temples. These three things he always talks about! I love his trainings so much! He has a scripture for this mission now - it´s Alma 26:22. I won't talk a lot about it, but read it.  It is a scripture that explains a lot so simply! He also helped me a lot with my diligence (haha) because now every time I feel really tired or I don´t feel like talking to people on the street (those days of disanimation) I hear his words: "The Hour of the Lord is COMING."  

These words a like my nos-  haha I get fired again.  This week I worked harder then I've ever worked on my mission, and I was super tired at the end, but I never felt more satisfaction for my work. Sadly, we´re not findin many people to teach, but I have this feeling that God is testing my Diligence and Faith -- that He will send us to the people that I need to meet in my pathway! I´m super excited to see what´ll happen this week! 

I`ve been changing a lot this week and have been learning a lot about Faith, and I've started studying everyday for a week an attribute of Christ (PMG Chapter 6).  It's been a really great way to learn more about Christ and the attributes I want to develop. It's really cool because it's like Heavenly Father opened my mind! I love it!

I love you, guys!  Thanks for the update.

Elder Sharp

Elder Pina and I at the Sao Paulo Temple

TEN MONTHS!!

Cake!!

 A baptism

 

Something cool I learned to do with my camera. 

Another Week!

This week was really awesome! The Temple was great and full of inspiration.  It was really cool because basically every question I asked in the temple after the session was answered! I now feel like I have a direction so that I can progress more spiritually! That's really cool about marching band this year!  I´d like to hear their music when I get back.  I love Brazilian music! That's crazy that they´re already starting school! Time flies by here! 

This week we had a baptism! The Dad of a kid Elder Pina Baptized before I came here in Jardin Clementino! It was a great feelin to finally baptized someone that I had a part in teaching! I missed that feeling a lot! I would´ve put up pictures, but sadly I left my Memory Card at home. But I´ll send them tomorrow!

Yesterday we taught a new family, and they´re married legally! We taught them about The Plan of Salvation! They paid close attention and accepted to be baptized in two weeks!! I´m really excited about this family.  The dad is a truck driver, so it's gonna be hard to teach them everything, but we'll win this battle! I´m really excited for this week for sure! 

I love y'all!

Elder Sharp

PS:  Please thank the ward for the cards.  I got them this week! Thank you sooooooo much!  It was really great to see the support I have back home!!