June 9, 2018 letter - Salvador (Ondina)

my birthday week has been fine. they have started reforming here in the office for the new president so its just a huge mess and smells like paint smells. but it should look good once its done. the trucker strike is over i thought?? im kinda worried about it cuz almost no mail is getting deilivered and that means that the materials i ordered arent getting here which means we arent gonna have any supplies in the office!! and thats like my main responsibility!!!! looks like im slacking out here. i have had plenty to eat dont worry mom. things were gettting a little ugly like 10 days ago the grocery stores were pretty empty but we made it. the strike was about the politicians (or thieves as the brazilians like to call them) raising gas prices and the truckers not having any money to feed their kids i think.. ya know important stuff. this week we were only able to see michelle and leandro really fast because michelle got sick and they have traveled back to their parents homes in Itabuna. 

Super cool mural on the walk to Walmart

Elder Prince and Elder Davis

Monday we were able to teach another super cool family though! Matheus and Jaisa have a kid and recently moved right up the alleyway from one of our members so we made a contact and got in to teach them. We had a cool discussion about the book of mormon and they explained their problems with many orgaanized religions they see but how they are also seeking after some place to worship. Matheus is a jujistu instructor so he is super busy but we have marked for them to go to church with us tomorrow! 

Tuesday we visited a few non-member friends of a RM in our ward and had some cool lessons and some good people. Also i tried to get a CPF (brazilian id number or something like that) and they didnt let me yet. rude right? 

Wednesday we had district meeting and we had to buy some bus tickets for people outside of salvador because they dont know how to save their money for emergencies. missionaries. 

Thursday we did visits with another member Valmir and we were able to visit Romilda, a recent convert from part member family, and Reinaldo and Talita our investigators. They had a friend there who didnt know anything about the church so we had a cool little discusison and now the sisters in the area next to ours will teach him! gotta love the gospel and the way a little love and friendship can open up the hearts of the people and do some good. 

I heard a good talk from Elder Uchtdorf this week "Be not afraid, only believe" and i really liked one part of it. He talks a lot about how faith is not blindly following but truly choosing to believe and have faith!

" Implied in such a statement is another of Satan’s deceptions: that belief is available to some people but not to others. There is no magic to belief. But wanting to believe is the necessary first step! God is no respecter of persons.6 He is your Father. He wants to speak to you. However, it requires a little scientific curiosity—it requires an experiment upon the word of God—and the exercise of a “particle of faith.”7 It also takes a little humility. And it requires an open heart and an open mind. It requires seeking, in the full meaning of the word. And, perhaps hardest of all, it requires being patient and waiting upon the Lord."

Humility and patience can take us a long way in this world we live in and help us to maintain and repair relationships with anyone, friend, family, enemy, and even God. He is waiting to hear from us! knock and it shall be opened unto you!

have a good week!

Elder Prince

Elders Reinaldo and Lluberes

June 2, 2018 -- Happy Birthday Elder Prince!

Vitalina is a member in Amaralina, an area of Salvador. Sam and his companion Elder Cruz baptized her when he first got to Brazil. She had Sam and his companion over for lunch and a birthday surprise!

June 4, 2018 -- Salvador (Ondina)

Sam sent several photos!

Elder Prince and Elder Dobrao 

Sister Game and Elder Dobrao

June 2, 2018 -- Salvador (Ondina)

my week has been full of busy stuff. 

Sam and Elder Castellano

monday we took elder castellano to register with the federal police and it went so very much 110% wrong. He had to apply for visas two different times and he put his parents names on the forms differently each time as well as the names on both forms being different from the names on his birth certificate.... are they his real parents? yet to be determined. So we spent the day running around and couldnt get it figured out so he stayed and extra day and everything was resolved quicky. we also had FHE with Isaiah again!

Zone Conference

tuesday we had zone conference. my very last zone conference with president Bangerter. but it was cool we talked about the plan of salvation and the book of mormon. Then we were able to teach Reinaldo and Talita about temples and the work we do in the temples it was a cool lesson. Elder CAstellano almost missed his bus as well. All week long there was a huge strike from all the truckers in brazil because of rising gas/diesel prices. 

wednesday and thursday we spent the day with president in the office working on the mission history and preparing stuff for the new president. surprisingly theres actually a ton of stuff to do. it just feels like busy work though. We have also been trying to work out problems with a new travel system we have been asked to use by the church (it sucks) to buy flights and reserve hotels and rental cars. 

we met a super cool couple and have been teaching them this week named michelle and Leandro! please keep them in your prayers. Sadly Vivaldo has taken a trip to hs farm and is only coming back in like july so thats a buzz kill on one of our good investigators. but lately i have gotten to see a few people i taught. Vitalina from amaralina is doing really well and thinking about going to the temple in august and Haziel has been passing the sacrament in our ward lately.

Elder Prince and Haziel

Sam and Haziel

im extremely grateful for the opportunity that I have been given to serve and serve here in Bahia. I love this people. I love the Lord. 

2 nephi 26:33

May 19, 2018 letter -- Salvador (Ondina)

my week was chill we were pretty busy here in the office. monday night we had a good family home evening with Brother Isaiah, whose wife we are now teaching! he has been tired of the bar his wife runs and wants to convert her to get rid of the bar. 

Tuesday we had went visitng with a recently returned missionary james from our ward. we Got to visit sergio who is gonna start working another job in the evenings so kinda just cut us off, but we had an awesome lesson with Vivaldo Reinaldo and Carlos about Alma 40. we read the chapter together and Carlos asked some super awesome questions after/during and even bore his own testimony (without knowing) about the afterlife and preparing to meet God! 

Thursday was nothing of great notice just a couple lessons and lots of paper work stuff. 

Yesterday we had an Exposition in a little square in a busy area close to our chapel. we had some really awesome contacts! and it rained and got our supplies wet but it was still a success! today is pday.

I was reading in galatians this week when i saw a scripture that i really liked about pride.. I myself being a prideful person saw how this scripture applied to my need to turn humble without saying the word pride. Galatians 5:26

Let us not be desirous of vain glory, provoking one another, envying one another.

Don't worry about the glory and praise that other man can give us, provoking others to praise us or praise themselves. let us be humble and content with the praise of God and His love that we can feel as His Children, and not be jealous of others and how they might be richer, taller, stronger, skinnier, smarter, funnier. Be happy with ourselves and humble yourself so that you can realized the amazing things that you have already been given and the amazing person that you are. probably not the most doctrinally sound interpretation but here you are, Scriptures by Sam. 

love you guys!

May 12, 2018 -- Salvador (Ondina)

i know how it feels to be worn out im kinda dying this week after all the transfer stuff. so this week was nuts! we had our transfer and elder cantuario went home. I thought the day would never come but hes gone now. Its kinda weird to not have him here because we were comps for so long i got really used to it but things are going well here in the office so im happy. 

monday we had transfer day so we were in the bus station buying tickets and helping everyone get there buses. the most exciting part of the day was when we played basketball with president bangerter! and then the mishap with my hair. and now my head is shaved.  

Elder Prince's new haircut. One of the other elders used the wrong attachment with the clippers, and this is the result. He's clearly not happy about it.

tuesday we had training for the new missionaries after we picked them from the airport with president and sister bangerter. its always cool to go get the new missionaries and spend the day with them and feel the awesome energy they have! 

wednesday we had a normal day in the office and bought some more bus tickets for the mission leadership council on friday. We got out to visit Vivaldo and Reinaldo and theyre doing great! their niece has been reading the book of mormon to them and they were super excited to see us after traveling for almost two weeks so it was awesome to catch up with them and see their excitement to come to church again! 

Thursday we had a busy day in preparation for the mission leadership council but we got everything done and were able to get to our area. We visited a less active Luana and had a nice talk with her about how our faith needs works and how she can strengthen herself to be able to talk to her boss about getting sundays off! its so cool to hear people bear their testimonies to us and bring the spirit in to our lessons. We had another nice lesson with Sergio and he started telling us about some problems and things he did lately and we were able to teach him about repentance and how he can get himself on a better path. the lesson was going super well until a sister called us with a medical emergency and we had to go help them. after she called Sergio kinda did a full 180 and closed his mind again and decided to stay in his little funk and said he wasnt going to read and probably wouldnt go to church for a week or two. As a missionary rejection is normal but its moments like these when people lay out their lives and problems but then decide they dont want to change and help themselves. You feel true brotherly love and sadness for them because you know what they are missing out on. We bore our testimonies for him and we know he felt the spirit but didnt let it enter into his heart.  please keep him in your prayers. 

yesterday was the leadership council and it was awesome! President gave some amazing training about the plan of salvation and how we can help people to more clearly understand why we are here and truly feel that our lives have purpose and meaning, something that so many people lose or never recieve the teachings about. 

alma 34:32

For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to meet God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to perform their labors.
https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/alma/34?lang=eng  we are here to prepare and learn about God's love for us!

love you all!

May 5, 2018 -- Salvador (Ondina)

this week was alright. 

monday we were supposed to take 3 missionaries to do their first register with the federal police as part of the visa process. so we brought them in from the interior and when we got to the airport police station the system had crashed. so we had to entertain 3 missionaries (send them to areas to work) and come back on thursday to complete the register. 

we Got to visit Sergio and his family and they commited to going to church on sunday so i was stoked! We also met their friend who is a traveling pastor and had a super cool conversation about how really the important of what we do as testimonies of Christ is to talk about Christ!!! not argue about doctrines but talk about Jesus. it was a way cool experience fo rme.  São Paulo emailed me that we are gonna start applying for residency instead of renewing visas so i have spent the whole week scanning passports and birth certificates and documents to send to SP. 

Thursday we took them back to the airport and everything ran smoothly. We got to visit a new investigator a woman named Jessica who was having a party at her house when she marked for us to visit. So we got there and thought it wouldnt be a great lesson but she came out and told her friends to be quiet. they kept bugging her and making fun of her during the lesson but she paid so much attention and even defended us to her friends! shes already been to church a few years ago now shes gonna go with us again this week!!

We spent a lot of time in the office because of elder sorocaba's training. normally transfers are 6 weeks but this one is only 5 weeks and normally secretaries keep caling old secretaries to ask them for help. But elder cantuario is gonna go home so elder sorocaba cant call him. so hes gotta get it all right now!

im really happy with restarting the book of mormon this week. its been awesome to start over and remind myself of the little simple things that Nephi did to follow God and be obedient to His commandments. Our obedience shows our willingness and humility and love for God! all of us have struggles with a few different things or ideas or commandments  but what we need to do is strive to improve. that is when the Grace of God/Christ comes in to help us improve and be better.

love sam