Matt # 12

Well Im over whelmed right now... The E-mails I read each week bring such a spirit I cannot describe, Thank you all so much and remember I love you all very much. This week was especially hard for me. The Lord really threw some tough curve balls at me to strenghten my testimony and my ability to preach the gospel in portuguese. But I worked hard and I endured another week and it was great! :) This week was super crazy for me Ben I just need to tell you to keep hanging in there and pray always! I thought of that primary song a lot this week that goes :Heavenly Father are you really there do you hear and answer every childs prayer, some say that heaven is far away but I feel it close around me as I Pray: I know I kinda skipped around in the Song but thats what I repeatedly sang over and over again this week because I needed his help.... and he responded. Ben I love you so much and miss you like crazy! Do you remember that one time in sacrement meeting when I was saying jokes to you and you got upset at me and you turned and looked at me with a serious look and said :Matt STOP acting like a GOOF ball... and after you said that we both couldnt stop laughing. haha :) I miss you and love you with all my heart. Well this week has been crazy, Its was around 90 to 100 degrees without humitity added to that tempature. When you go on the internet and look at the tempeture for são paulo remember to add an extra 10 to 15 degrees on it because im in an area called the Baixada and its hot. We are surrounded by mountains on all sides which keeps all the heat in and it hasent rained once this week haha its crazy HOT here. Yesterday when I went outside to proselyet my clothes instantly burst into flames and I had to go back inside and change haha :) its crazy but I love this weather and heat its great! This week was a little tough for me... I tried to only speak all portuguese and it was tough I feel like the Sons of Mosiah right now (Alma 26:27) My afflictions are great but with patience the Lord will give me success. Theres nothing like missionarie work, Ive never been so tired in all my life Physically, mentally, Spiritually, and Emotinally and the language is a frustration Ive never experienced in all my life. Its so painfull when your heart is full of spiritual words but your mind is full of little portuguese haha but I did a pretty good job this week I wont lie thanks to the Lord. Im going to try it again this week and see how well I do. But something I realized this week that I need to share with everyone is its not about me learning a language out here anymore... but about helping bring people unto christ. The Portuguese will come on the Lords time Im not worried about that anymore. My biggest concern for this week is focusing and learning a much harder language, Its called the Language of the Holy Ghost. Its so important as missionaries that we learn to listen to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost when we teach our amazing investigators. I know with time things will come as long as I turn everything over to the Lord. The Lord promises that he will never forget his rightouse follows and how true that is. Thank you everyone back home for love and support. Its means everything to me you have no idea! Letters and E-mails rejuvinate me each week its the best. I love you all and remember the Lord loves you all even more. One incredible story I want to share that happened with us this week was my companion and I were walking to an appointment and for some reason all of our appointments were falling threw. But we decided to go back to our last appointment which was very far away that just fell threw and try again to see if they were home. When we got there.... they werent home. haha So we walked away very sad about our progress for the day and even more sad as to why the Lord would give us the impression to return when no one was home... Then a man pulled up in a Taxi. He said he had been looking for us all day and for some reason he had a feeling to wait in that area, the same area we had a feeling to return too. He had been crying and said he needed God in his life. His name is rubeans and we will be teaching him this next week. We hope things work out with him. The Lord prepares all his children for the Gospel and im so glad I have the chance to be apart of this incredible work. :) I love you all so much and thank you for everything. Also I will try and write letters but its hard haha I love you all and remember I never forget about any of you in my prayers! :)