Jan 17

This week was very very good
We were blessed to have 12 investigators at sacrement (woot woooot).  It´s awesome to see people interested in the gospel.  Me and Elder Waldron have just been doing work, we are trying to get better day by day.  Here it is difficult to get people to keep commitments.  and Actually do a commitment right.  Example we can go around knock on every door if we wanted and they would let us in and we can present the message.  sure that sounds great and easy, but there is a better way.  Because if we do things that way their is no trust built.  It´s a very odd atmosphere for the spirit to work in because here you got two people you have never met telling you that their message is true and YOU need to pray about it to know.  More then likely they won´t listen.  But if you work through the members and recent converts it creats a mutual trust where you can really start to open their hears to allow the spirit to enter and testify of truth.  so the key to missionary work is the members and recent converts.  There is a saying that the "elect" are near the "elect".  so we´ve been trying to build the members trust with us so that we can teach their friends and family about the gospel.  And it´s been pretty good.  Our star investigator Bruno has been gone all week.  He left with his dad, but his dad got arrested and was put in Jail apparently.  so sunday finally comes and we are making our rounds to go to church and we see Bruno, he told us he just got back and he is gonna get ready for church real fast and come.  It´s incredible this 13 year old is like the perfect investigator.  He reads every night.  Knows the gospel is true.  And likes church.  I can´t wait to see where he goes with the gospel, he´d be a really good missionary.

This week read up on personal revelation if you can.  This is the key to spiritual growth and more direction in your life.  The truth is heavenly father does speak to his children.  We are all diferent and have different needs,  if you go looking for and desire more direction in your life he is going to give it to you.  It´s an enormous blessing to have this in my life and thank everyone for all the things they do I am out of time LOVE YOU have a wonderful week 
He lives
Elder Diamond

PHOTOS JAN 1

Cute story

Oh t So these kids where playing this game in the street where the pitchers have to knock down a bottle with a ball and the batters have to guard it with a stick. so 4 kids are playing 2 pitchers and 2 batters 1 pitcher and batter on one side the others on the other. THe 2 pitchers are on the same team and 2 batters on the other. if you hit the ball and block the ball from being knocked down the batters can run to the other side to get points. ( it´s called criket I think??) anywhooo. so this kid hits it and it´s like 3 seven year olds and one 5 year old. the 5 and 7 year old were batting. the 7 year old hits it and starts running to the cone. the 5 year old sat there and didn´t know what to do so the bottle on the other side got knocked down and they lost. the 7 year old gets frustraited points to the five year old and starts calling him a Burro (donkey in english) and we just start bustin up laughing. Brazilians and their craazy language.

Jan 2 New Year Update

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! Hope all is wonderful and you all made new years goals :) I knowww I did! Anyway it was a great week, we baptized Eduardo and Isaq tuesday and yesterday (sunday) we baptized a boy named Noilson. I absolutely love these kids, they have such wonderful spirits about them! I know the Baptismal Prayer in portguês :)
but yeeah I had a pretty crazy new years haha.

First we wake up get ready go out and start doing the normal work and we go to like our first house (Isaq) and we are outside the front of his house talking to the family and him when his sister runs around the corner, and shes like someones shooting so we all go and get inside. and like five minutes later like 200 feet away I think?? More or less... someone got shot in the head!! Weirdest part is everyone starts running to see the guy that got killed. Crazy! Me and my comp were kinda laughing about it because everyone like goes to see the guy dead haha so weird like in america that doesn´t happen. But yeah so the police are on strike so somepeople just pull out there guns and shoot the air hahaha. So we wait there for like an hour finally decide to go home we start walking and some lady says to us "you might not wanna go that way because there is a guy with two revolvers" hahaha so we just turn around and take another route home. we went in at like 5 to be safe hahaha but yeah it was hard to sleep that night because when new years came people were lighting off fireworks and bombs like crazy SOOOO much noise ha.
ps don´t fret it´s not normal for shootings apparently, it´s only because the police are on strike... And why should I fear I have angels all around me helping me :) and the Holy Ghost!
but yeah we got our two baptisms from last week done and noilsen on sunday so it was a great week :) I really love teaching and i´m starting to really enjoy all that brazil has to offer. I know it´s only going to get better from here.
So this week the thing that has REALLY sparked my interest is the restoration of the gospel. I always knew it was true but I never really had a strong testimoney of it or anything like that. But just this last week it´s all like clicked in my mind. It all makes perfect sence and the "veil" ( like to call things that I don´t really know veiled ) is being taken off. Joseph Smith SAW god and his son Jesus Christ, I know that I will tell you more of why this makes sence when I get home in two years :) but yeah so many experiences sooo little time to type it. Love one another
till next week!
Elder Diamond (always move forward)