This Week

Wow!  That's awesome! Para Bems Dad!!! (like happy birthday). 

This week was really interesting.  We had a whole bunch of investigators new and had to cut all of them but a couple families (From Mom: Wish I could have asked him to explain this!). We had a baptism, too! I want to send pictures but this computer is being stupid! 

That's a really big trampoline y'all got! I hope it still works when I get back haha!  That's cool about Davin and learning piano! I hope he keeps at it!  That's something I learned this week is we learn and improve by doing the same things that´re right over and over again. 

I hope Dad will get better...Has he recieved a blessing of health yet? 

I´m doing great here and always have you guys in my prayers!  My Portuguese is improving so fast this week, too!  It's crazy what God gives with a little faith and confidence! 

Fico Firme! (Stand Firm!)

This week we learned a lot about being diligent in our work.  We walked to a lot of appointments and 2 out of the 6 we try to visit are home - and this is normal, haha!  But it's a different story when you walk a long way for each one and there´s no one in the road to talk to. My companion has a cold and I hadn´t slept the night before so we were really tired and just didn´t have energy.  Another one of our appointments fell through, so we sat down and drank some water and decided we gotta do something different, so we prayed and asked for help with our energy and that we could keep working.  At first nothing happened, but we kept walking towards our next appointment, and then I started getting more energy and was more awake!  We passed a house and talked the people there and taught a great lesson about the restoration then kept going towards our appointment and people were on the road!  (That's not normal in Itararé) and we talked to them.  None them accepted, but it was great!  I know this story sounds dumb, but it truly was an answer to our prayer!  I know that when we pray with real intent Heavenly Father answers our prayers!  But only after we start doing something and working for what we pray, for because "faith without works is dead." 

That's what I learned this week - keep working diligently and Pray for help then work some more and God will help with the rest!

I´m doing great this week.  Everyone in our apt. has gotten the cold but me (knock on wood).  I hope I don't get it! I´ve been drinking more water and some Emergen-C - so far so good! 

Congrats on the Missionary moments, Mom!  Every time we teach any lesson we always say, "Don´t believe in our word because we´re just men with a beautiful message and we´re imperfect but read this pamphlet and pray on your knees to know this is true  and you will receive an answer." Its really crazy but we seriously are just vessels.  We really don't do anything but guide people to the gospel and the after that we just answer questions and love the people. It's really all about God and the Investigators -- we just introduce them to each other.  However, the investigators have agency, too, so there's always that frustration because people won't read or pray.  It's like Moses with the brazen serpent. 

So that's something else I learned this week haha ;)

Love y´all and thanks for the prayers and support!

Elder Sharp

Isaiah 41:13

This week was pretty great.  We´ve started working in areas farther from our house, which makes curfew really annoying because we have to leave for home sooner, but it´s worth it. We found a family of 8 (with SIX KIDS!) that we are working hard with the father is an inactive member and the mother is being difficult but the kids are really excited and the father is getting more excited after we had talk with him. Super excited about that!

We had a baptism too.  Well not me and Elder D. Silva, but we taught them first and decided to let the sisters teach them because they have more patience with people who live together for 10 yrs but don't want to get married. But the son was baptised yesterday and he chose me to baptise him! It was really exciting to see him get baptized.  I was a lot happier since when we last saw him. 

This week I read Isaiah 41:13, and it really helped me realize the I don't need to fear about my language or anything because My Heavenly Father is on my side and loves me and the people I´m teaching and won't give me anything I can't handle!

The temple was really good.  I didn't understand all of it, but I understood a lot!   I got to focus on the Spirit better! I´ve decided to start memorizing more scriptures to be a better scriptorian. Teaching WITH scripture, not using scripture to prove my words. It's a difficult route, but the spirit testifies through you better because your using the words of the prophets. I found a lot of comfort in Psalms 91:2 and Isaiah 41:13 they´re really good for understanding that God is with us always! 

Embu-Gauçu is on the outskirts of São Paulo.  It has a lot of trees and well it's kinda like Murfreesboro actually...huh never thought of that.  It's basically a Brasilian Murfreesboro. There are a lot of poor and rich and working class people here.  It's all kind of mixed up - kinda cool! This weekend started carnival, so a lot of people are resting during the day, so we don't get to talk to people on the road.

Sorry I don't have more to say but that's all the excitement from this week haha. We´ve decided to work in Val Flor and Santo Isabel which is really far from our house (about 30 min walking there directly) but there are so many people there and so much work we can do there!  Elder D. Silva and I are trying to make a Val Flor Ward, which will be really nice for the members that live there and the recent converts that don't have cars.

I love you guys! Glad to hear all is well! I hope dad is doing well and that the neurologist will know what is going on!

Com Carinho

Elder Sharp

Treinamento Demais!

This week was full of a lot of training! We had the regular meeting on Tuesday with the Zone.  Then the next day we had a training about how to plan.  The next we had a training on being good missionaries or something like that -- I´m translating it haha. It was really great though, because I got learn a lot.  The president of the mission (President Pinho) loves practicing for every principle that is taught so we practiced a lot too. It's really good though, because I get to see how much I improve every time and it's also getting easier to understand everyone! 

This week I read a lot about patience during the my personal study and different attributes of Christ.  I learned that I gotta remember that God has a plan for me and that all things will come in HIS time not mine.  It's a difficult thing to learn, but he´s definitely teaching me to be patient for His time and now I´m not so stressed.   Me and my companion are getting a long way better now that I´ve realized that I gotta be more patient a relax and Just be me! 

This week I taught about the restoration more than usual.  When I talked about Joseph Smith and his experience, I felt the Lord telling me, "Elder Sharp, this actually happened!" and I know that Joseph Smith really did restore the Church of Jesus Christ again here on Earth and that everyone can know through prayer and study with an open heart and a willing mind!

This week will end my 5 month! It's so crazy how fast it's going! I´ll be home way too fast! That's really cool about the Book of Mormon class Wednesday night you are having there.  We had that too in Washington and we would invite everyone to it. It was really good because if we had investigators that didn´t want the lesson but liked the class they´d go to the class.  The teacher of the class let me and Elder Lowe teach the first lesson. A sneaky way of doing it but whatever works to get them to hear it. 

Tomorrow we are going to the temple!  I was wrong  - we actually go every 3 months if we stay in the same zone.  My companion was very lucky and got to go every month for his first 6 or 7 transfers because he´d get emergency transferred.  I´m really excited for tomorrow! 

Today I going on splits with a member! Aagh I don't feel ready and was SUPER stressed yesterday but then I read about the Army of Helaman and that they were willing to go to battle and had no fear or doubt and they had NEVER fought in their lives... and now I feel peace and that Heavenly father will help me understand what the investigators say and help them understand me. It was really good for me! 

That's about if for news....oh we had 150 baptisms this month as a mission! 

Love y´all and I am prayin' for y´all every day

Elder Sharp

P.s Read the Scriptures and pray everyday!

I made a cake in the microwave!

Coco e Cocô

Well this week was pretty crazy! It started out really hot! Then bam rained for 3 or 4 days straight! It's raining today, too! I´m really glad it is because people are in a better mood now that the weather isn't super hot.  On Saturday, we were walking to our last appointment. and when we arrived the mom of the family was really surprised that we came at all and was saying you guys are all wet!  We said, "Ya, it's kinda raining a lot!" haha but She looked at us differently because of it and I think she realized how important they are to us. 

We started teaching this family on Tuesday and every lesson a family member doesn't want to be a part of it, so we´re just down to the son whose name is Douglas.  I think that after his baptism the rest of the family will come around eventually! 

This month and next month our mission is doing familia de Sião (families of Zion) and it's really cool.  Each companionship has a goal of finding 3 families to teach and working with members, part-member families and less-active members to have strong new members.  (We should be doing this already but that's what the focus is haha) We have 1 and a half right now (half is Douglas and his family) 

I get to go to the temple twice in my mission if I´m lucky! haha We are a little further away though so it understandable.  This week was a struggle for me teaching the Plan of salvation. I don't know why but I keep complicating it in my mind and it's not good, but I´m working on it and my comp fills in what I forget.  Mom, your email helped me out, too. This morning during personal study I read Alma 29 and 32 - they´re really good!  I don't know why, but I can speak Portuguese fine with other missionaries and in conversation but not when I´m teaching... just gotta practice more!  

And the title of this email:

Coco is coconut and Cocô is poop... and yes i mixed them up and I´ll let you figure out my embarrassment  :P

Any way... Amo Você! Tém uma bom semana!

Elder Sharp

  "Blessing from God"  (A view from our apartment.  That is our church building.)

My district with a member: 

Transfers!

Well Transfers came, and I´m staying here in Embu Gauçu! What a blessing!  We have 2 families we´re teaching, and my ward has a goal of 50 men with the priesthood so we can split the ward and have a Cipo Stake!  Pretty exciting things are happening. 

We also had another baptism on Saturday. It was really weird because the girl is REALLY shy and didn't want anyone there but her family and the members that had to be there (bishop, Ward mission leader). It was a very small baptism but still just as powerful.  The next day (Sunday) she received the Gift of the Holy Ghost!  Rodrigo (last week's Baptism) received the Priesthood and got to pass the sacrament.  He was so excited and his family finally has a priesthood holder in their house! 

This week was really hard for us because my comp was sick, I had allergies, and it was HOT all week, so our numbers weren't that great, but as we looked at the results of our work, we were really happy with it and know what we have to work on to improve!

Chião!

Elder Sharp

First Coconut Water!   (It wasn't as good as dad described - Ha!  :P)

The pizza is delicious!  It has chocolate in the crust - I love it!

   My district

  

My Zone

Fevereiro Já!?

This week was hot! We walked so much, but it's a great opportunity to ask people for water - (ya we can just ask random people for water) and then after we drink it, we invite them to here a message or visit the church with us next Sunday. It's a really good opportunity. 

This week was good.  We met one lady named Maria that wants to get baptized but has a crazy schedule so it's really hard to get into contact with her in person.  We also had another baptism on Sunday. His name is Rodrigo, and he´s the son of our first baptism in January. After her baptism, he asked "How can I do what you guys are doing?!"  We answered, "Uh, get baptized, quit smoking and drinking, and follow the commandments... then you can start preparing for being a missionary...can you do that?"  He replies "Porque não é facil não?" (translated it is:  Why not it's easy, no?)  Haha, It was really cool!  He´s super pumped to get the priesthood and start preparing to be a missionary! 

We literally have rice and beans everyday but the members get creative with it, and we usually have chicken, too. We have to always eat with our utensils... it's hard to do with a chicken leg!

That's about it as far as exciting things this week. 

Amo Vocês 

Elder Sharp  

Picture from last week when there was a baptism of Solange and her four daughters.  

Rodrigo's Baptism