Don't let me DOWN

"I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God. Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things; yea, behold, many mighty miracles we have wrought in this land, for which we will praise his name forever."

Alma 26: 11-12 

This week hands down has been the most miracle-filled week of my Mission so far. Straight up impossible to say the events of this week happened without the hand of God guiding and helping us each step along the way. I saw his love and tender mercies so much this week, and I'm amped to share what all went down with you all! To give an overview, the 2 biggest events of the week were the legal marriage of two of our investigators, and the baptism of our friend Christiano.

THE MIRACLE MARRIAGE

     We've got 2 friends named Pedro and Amanda, who have been living together for a couple of years now and decided to get married, baptised, and start their family in the Gospel! Wanting to help them out with the legal/paper portion of the process, we arranged a day to meet at the notary office, which just happened to be Tuesday, the same day as transfers. Tuesday morning, I met up with the new comp Elder Johnson and he was like "alright do we have any visits planned for today?" and I was like "lowkey we got 2 people to marry" and he was like oh word. Later we arrived at the house, dropped the bags, ate some quick lunch, and started heading to Pedro and Amanda's house. It was like 1:30 and the notary office is open until 4 o'clock so we were a lil worried about time but didn't think much of it. On the way to the house, Elder Johnson was like "hey do we have 2 witnesses for the marriage?" (Not positive about the states but that's a necessary part of the mariage process here) and I was like "ya you and I are gonna be the witnesses." He was like "dawg I'm pretty sure they've gotta be from Brazil to be testimonies" and I was like "pshh nahh" but alas, upon further research we learned they did in fact have to be Brazilian. So great, we've got 2 hours to make this marriage a success and we've gotta find 2 people out of nowhere to be the testimonies, and who the heck is gonna be free midday on the Tuesday? We said a prayer on the side of the road, asking for direction and help with the situation so that it can all work out, according to God's will. 

     We started again on the path to their house, and out of nowhere a car drives on past honking like nuts, and this lady in the driver seat introduces herself as a member of a different ward. She was like "where you guys headed to?" In the car, we told her about the sitch and asked if she'd be free to be one of the witnesses. Unfortunately, she said she was unable to, but she gave us a lift to Pedro's house which was super nice and helpful. We arrive, and Pedro and Amanda were all ready to get this show on the road with their little couple-month-old baby. We told them we didn't think we could be the testimonies, and had to find 2 willing natives to come with us. We sat on their porch, brainstorming ideas of who could it be.

     **Keep in mind: the day of the transfer is a mess when it comes to Technology. Everything in the systems was still transferring over, so Elder Johnson didn't have PMG, couldn't login to Uber or 99, and for the cherry on top, Elder Bertoch and I had forgotten to do a backup of all the WhatsApp contacts the night before, so when Elder Johnson arrived and we logged out to log him in, we had no contacts saved and no message history. Keep that in mind for the story.** 

     While brainstorming, an idea hit me like a bolt of lightning. This transfer changed the setup of our living arrangement, and so it was Elder Johnson and I, and 2 other Brazilian Elders. I quick dialed them up and asked if they could help us out with a miracle. Being crazy goated, they said yes, ran back to the house to grab their legal identifications, and waited for a ride to the notary office so that they could help out. Sweet, 2 witnesses, perfect. How the heck are we gonna get there. After like 10 minutes of Elder Johnson trying to login to Uber (to no avail), I rummaged around in my backpack to see how much money I had in cash, which was basically 40 reis. I asked Pedro if he could call the Uber, and when we got there I could pay the driver in cash, to which he said yes. There's our ride, now how are we gonna get the other Elders there as well? Over the phone, I told Elder Almeida to log into MY phone (which I'd left at the house) and to see if Uber would work there. He checked, called an Uber, and by some miracle I'd already added my card, even though I'd never remembered using Uber on my phone before, and they were on their way to the notary office as well. At this point, we were heading to the office at like 3-3:15, so I was sweating bullets. But I'd knew God was with us in this effort! We had gotten this far in spite of challenging circumstances, and we were gonna see this to the end. 

"But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is. Amen."

1 Nephi 9:6 

      We arrive at the notary office, which is totally packed, we get our number and take some seats to wait for our turn. The other Elders arrived shortly, and I was feeling great about the progress we'd made up until that point. I didn't even know for certain we were gonna need the testimonies right now but I figured it was a lot better to have them there than to not right. Anyways after like 30 minutes of waiting, our number is called. The couple sits down, and us 4 missionaries are standing crowded behind the desk. Elder Johnson and I were trying to understand the questions the worker lady was asking, but because the place was so noisy it was tough. Thank goodness the homeboy Brazilian Elders were there to translate and set everything smooth, fatty shoutout to Elder Almeida. 

     At thus point it's like 4:15-4:30. Nobody left in the notary office and the couple is wrapping up information. After all the paperwork was done, they went up to us and they asked if we could help pay because they were in a troubling financial situation (we had known this) and I was already ready to put that law of consecration to work and help pay the tall bill. And as we walked up to the pay counter, we saw a sign that caused us to fill with dread. A sign with 4 simple words that meant we were absolutely cooked. "No credit card accepted." What the tar were we gonna do, no missionarys got dough outside of credit cards, especially not hundreds of Reis! I had my personal debit card, but debit card from outside Brazil transfers over into credit for whatever reason so it didn't work out. Elder Johnson and I started to panic. The office was basically closed already, we didn't have time to run to an ATM or anything like that, we didn't know what we could do. 

While us Elders were brainstorming for options of what we could do, I said as a joke "let's just call President and ask him for help" and as I was snickering, the others just looked at me expectantly. Alright welp time to call the president of the mission and ask him to help us out of the hole we were in. The office didn't accept Credit, but they did accept something called "Pix," which is basically the venmo equivalent. I don't have a Pix account, but Elder Almeida does, regardless of the fact his account is completely empty. Our plan was to call President, and ask if he could send the bill for the payment in Pix to Elder Almeida, so that he could pay at the notary office. Out of options and out of time, I stood at the back of the office, ringing President Ribolla as a last resort. He answered, confused why I was calling him out of nowhere, and I told him about the situation. I said we've got no other way to turn, and if he could help pay through Pix we could pay him back. I was basically positive he was gonna say no, but by a miracle of generosity and the attentiveness to the Holy Ghost, he said he would HELP US!! Holy cow you guys, you don't know how much I was losing it. I was like my gosh this Gospel is so real. The other Elders told me they had NEVER heard of him doing something like this, and it was an amazing testifier to me of two things: 1) That our President is in attune to the spirit. Even though he hadn't been in the situation along with us th entire day, I'm sure the Spirit wispered to him that it was necessary for him to help in that moment. And 2) That God does not put a task before us without first preparing a means to accomplish it. Look at how many freakin obstacles there were in that story, you think that unless being guided by divine means we could have accomplished that? As the scripture I shared at the start of the email stated, I know that this miracle of marriage happened not because of our own wit, strengths and efforts, but because he were acting in alliance with God's will. I'm so grateful for this experience, and for the lesson I was taught to never doubt in God's ability to accomplish something. As long as we keep trying and keep putting in the work, he'll do the magic. I know that this whole experience was inspired without a doubt in my mind. Pedro and Amanda were so grateful and happy too! Their ceremony should be in a couple of weeks, and their baptism shortly after! I'll include a photo of them here as well, they're an amazing family.

"What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it? And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost."

Luke 15: 4-6

CHRISTANO'S BAPTISM

     As  you all are likely aware, this week was General Conference week! Galll it was so good, I got the chance to listen in Portuguese with all the other Brazilian members and it was so special! Had to give like 110% brain power to keep up but it was a memory for sure. Anyways though anyways, for some context on the story, our mission president said that each investigator we had with us watching a session of conference, counted as going to a sacrament meeting. He figured that the doctorine you learn, spirit you feel and the testimony you gain through watching conference was like going to a session of sacrament meeting (minus the sacrament ofc). But anyways, because there were 4 sessions we were watching, that meant we had 4 opportunities to super accelerate someone's testimony, and count them the same for sacrament visits. So this week, Elder Johnson and I were searchin' for someone ready to be baptized and who had the desire to be a testimony of Jesus Christ. If we could find someone ready, even if they didn't have any sacrament visits, they could be baptized this week if they went to 3 of the 4 sessions of conference.

     Everyone remembers Emilly, Riana and Nazareno right? That amazing fam we met a couple of weeks back, and their whole fam joined the church during the last transfer. Well on Thursday, we were passing by their house to accompany Nazareno and the others to relearn all the principles of the Gospel, but when we got there Rose said that none of them were at home. She said that the only one at home was another brother, similar to Nazareno's age, named Christiano, who whenever we were there usually didn't show very much interest in the lessons. As we were turning to go, I felt an eensy impression that we should converse with Christiano and see what he's all about. He came to the door shortly later, and we started talking a bit. I was like dude I met you since I met the rest of your brothers, but it doesn't seem like you're all that interested in the message we have to bring. He responded and said that since the baptism of his siblings, he's felt a difference in his home and has been trying to visit the church too. Only problem is that they can't leave the house empty, or someone could come by and snag stuff, so while everyone else was going to church he was holding down the fort. What he said shocked me. I had totally counted him as uninterested, but the reality of the situation was that he WAS seeking to follow Jesus Christ and WAS interested in our message. I looked at Elder Johnson, and we started talking about the first 5 principles of the Gospel. We talked about faith, repentance, baptism and recieving the gift of the holy ghost, and I asked him how he felt about the principles. He was following along great, and showing a genuine interest in everything that we were saying. I got the strong impression that he was ready to make a commitment to follow the savior in a larger way.

       While listening to General Conference, I recieved an impression during one of the talks regarding when someone is ready for baptism. If someone has a GENUINE desire to repent, to change and to better themselves through faith in Christ, they are ready for baptism. Looking at not where he was at, but where he would be on the path he was going down, I knew Christiano was ready for baptism. Before I could really think, I started talking about conference and how we have the opportunity to hear from a living prophet of God this week. I told him that it's a super unique opportunity, and I also told him about the fact that he could be baptized this week. I invited him to be baptized, and told him that if he went to conference, and if, through the words of God's apostles and the confirmation of the Holy Ghost, felt like this church was true, he could become a member of God's true church on Earth. And just like that, Christiano accepted. 

"Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men. And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him."

Mark 1: 16-18 

Just like Simon and Andrew here, when Christiano heard the invitation, he didn't hesitate to accept. Even though the date was only days away in theory, he was willing to follow what he knew as light, and trust that our message was from Jesus Christ. We returned the next day, and taught him about the restauration of the church. Galll I don't know if I've said this in an email yet but the restauration for sure is my favorite lesson to teach. The spirit I feel when I talk about the first vision is consistently crazy strong, been a huge testifier of its truthfulness. Anyways though, he get through all of the restauration, and Christiano said to us thank you, for showing him the truth of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. He said that without us, he wouldn't know the truth. I was straight up standing there thinking dawg I am literally NOTHING I am not the one you should be thanking, Jesus is the one behind the light of this message and the hope it brings. The following day was Saturday, and Christiano and Nazareno both came with us to both sessions of conference. They said they both dug it! It was super cool to get them to some nice social gatherings with other members and missionaries their age. Totally saw them start to open up which was really cool. In between the 2 sessions, we had Christiano be interviewed, and my man passed! Totally an elect. We got the 2 of them cake and salgados afterward to celebrate, and dropped them off later that night after the sessions. Then Elder Johnson and I got to planning the baptism.

     Sunday morning came, and we had gotten everything ironed out with the Bishop, the sisters, who were the ones whose chapel we were going to, and we got a nice cake and some soda for the 'tism. Only had a slight issue... neither Christiano or Nazareno were answering their phones all morning. And normally that doesn't worry me, but their younger sisters (Emilly and Riana) answered their phones and said they had left the house. Now, this was like an hour before conference began, and the only information we had was that they had left the house and they didn't know where they were. The entire way to the house, I had "don't let me down" playing over in my head, but I had a tonna faith things were going to work out. We got to their house, and still so sign of either of the gents. Emilly said he might be at his work, and led us a couple of blocks away to a house where he normally works. We knocked on the door, and good ol' Christiano peeks out, hands covered in dark oil from fixing a bike, which is what he does for a job. We waited for him to finish up, clean up at home, and we were off to the chapel!

       The third conference session was great. We didn't have Nazareno this time, because he had also been working (which we later found out), but I think Christiano still enjoyed thoroughly. Session ended, and we were like its game time bro lets get to it. Him and I got dressed in the baptismal gear, took some ficks, and took our seats in the primary room with everybody else! It was such a good baptismal meeting, one of my favorites without a doubt. Everybody that was at the chapel watching the conference was attending the baptism, so we had a lot of voices singing the hymns. The missionaries even had an isolated singing number of the baptismal hymn which was sweet. Christiano had a ton of reverence during the baptismal meeting, and after the baptism and the confirmation of the holy ghost, he had a genuine glow about him and in his eyes. I feel so grateful for the miracles of the week. For the fact the marriage went well, that we found Christiano, for all of the moving parts along the way, for all of those who rallied with us to make things work, and most of all for my savior and this gospel. This truly is the Gospel of Joy. I'm here both teaching the joy it brings, and testifying to you all as living proof of the immatchable happiness that comes from walking the straight and narrow. This week has 100% changed my mission, my testimony, and the way in which I lean on and trust my Savior. Miracles are real, and more than that they're possible with Jesus Christ at your side. These are the stories and the testimonies I leave, in the name of the Savior Jesus Christ amen.

Alright I know that was a whole conference talk in it of itself, but I hope you enjoyed reading! This week was genuinely something very special, and I'm happy I get to share it with you. Big big shoutout to Elder Johnson too. Dude was rolling with the punches bIG TIME this week, arrived in the most chaotic situation ever and was an absolute champion about it. Enjoy Easter everybody! Don't forget about why we celebrate, that's all I'll leave here for now. Until next time though, I love you all! Peace out

Email Title is from The Beatles' "Don't Let Me Down," from their album "Past Masters"

1. Keeping the cosmetic products on ice  

2. Squadin' in paar-adise

3. 

4. Pokemon bus 

5-6. Nazareno and Christiano

7. Conference flicks 

8. Betting with Bingham 

9. New Paar district!! 

10. English connect 2-er