Summer..

As for the week.

The week was good.  IM 21 NOW!!  That´s super cool.  People tell me I look like I turned 15 though.  Not sure what I should think about that.  I don´t think i´ve changed to much physically in the last year and seven months.  Unfortuantely.  We went to burger king today that is close to the mission office in celebration for my 21 birthday.  Got a double whopper and a bk shake to go with that.  Went down realll gooodd.....  Sister Souza called me and told me to make myself a cake.  I told her to make me Guacamole.  We will see what happens.  

Yeah, I pretty much love my new companion, Elder Smith.  We are always laughing in the street and we just talk to eachother in English.  I love the English language.  It´s kinda weird because talking English is kinda bettering my Portuguese accent.  So it´s good right?  I like getting to know a new area because everything is new.  I´ve actually been to Beira Rio a couple of times before (like last year)  because I would do divisions with the Elders that used to be in this area.  Some people recognized me which was pretty weird to say the least.

I did a division with the Elder in Cidade Oeste (my first area) on wednsday and got to go over there.  That made me super happy because I got to see everyone that I used to know.  People were tripping out!  I would be walking in the streets and people would be like saying "it´s diamond!!" .  I got to visit some of my converts.  I was talking to a couple and they are still strong in the church!  I was super happy.  I was talking with some people when I saw in the distance Isac (first person I baptised) coming home from school  he came up to me and we gave eachother a hug and started talking.  He is totally the man to say the least.  He wakes up at 5 o´clock every day to go to seminary.  Almost started crying with joy when I heard that!!  He grew a ton.  His voice is a lot deeper now ha.

Unfortunately not ALL of the people that I baptised are still active in the church.  The couple that me and Elder Reis baptised has fallen away, which kinda made me sad.  I was talking to them and they said that they haven´t even been visited by ANYONE except us while we were their (super sad)...  But the good thing was that the husband hasn´t picked up alchohol since his baptism.  And that made me pretty happy.

I´ll keep visiting some more times Cidade Oeste during the transfer and i´ll see how everyone is doing.  I totally loved going over there and visiting these people.  I missed a lot of people.  Forgot about how many friendships I had made in that area.  

The rest of the week was good.  Me and Elder Smith just working hard tearing them streets up.  We got a good reference from the bishop.  His name is Raphael(21)  .  He was a Jehovas Witness he has visited the church in another ward a couple of times and wanted us to teach him.  We taught his family and his dad wouldn´t accept the fact that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and his son, Jesus Christ.  I bore testimony that I KNOW that Joseph did see what he saw and he was called to be a prophet.  At that moment I realized that my testimony grew a ton since the first day I stepped into the mission field.  The conviction was different when I bear testimony now.  Almost as if it is stronger.  His dad has a hard heart and didn´t want to believe.  But at the end of the lesson Raphael was taking us to the door and we were talking for a sec on his doorstep.  He told us how he was confused about what he should do or what religion to follow and he prayed and asked for guidance.  As he closed the prayer the door knocked.... It was us.  It´s good to know how the Lord helps prepare people for the gospel of Jesus Christ.  

I´m so thankful to be apart of the masters work in helping bring souls unto him.  I know very well now that the worth of the soul is great in the sight of god.  That we are all children of the living god and we all have divine potential.  I wish more people would realize what that truly means.

I love you!!

Elder Diamond