April 19

Mom,

Doing great thanks for the letter as always!  This week was aweeesomee!  I´m pretty sure all things are great where you are.  I was kinda fighting off sickness this week but other than that it was really good.  

The teaching is going good.  We are trying to find new families and help this area out.  I´m going to stay in Cidade Oeste (my area)  for another month and a half.  That will make 6 months in cidade oeste by the time I leave.  I´m staying with Elder Reis again... we will see how that goes!.  We had two baptisms this week.  I would attatch some photos but this computer isn´t that great and can´t read my card.  Yes I do do some baptising.  It´s such a great feeling entering those waters.  Puting my arm to the square and reciting the baptismal prayer.  It never gets old.  Transfers are today.  But i´m staying.  Generally transfers happen every 6 weeks.  I e mail president souza every week.  By the way I gave Sister souza your present for Christmas,  they LOVED it!  and said for me to tell you thanks.  

Good to hear that my bois are doing good.  I hope Josh has more success on his mission.  I´m sure he will he is a good kid.  All of them have great personalities, it´s kinda funny, we all have different personalities but when we are hanging out it works perfect!  

And Ohhhhh man I so remember that coming home from school and doing that HAHAHA I was so bad!  I´m totally busting up at this computer just laughing and laughing.  Good time I remember is when we would used to go to costa vita MMMMMMM so good.  I miss american food haha.  How is Kyle doing by the way?

Anyway the week was really good.  A lot of walking, was kinda sick had mad headaches for like 4 days but it´s getting better now.  The two baptisms were awesome.  By the way this last transfer our zone was the best zone in the mission!  So we got ties as a reward :D.  We are also the smallest zone with the fewest missionaries might I add!  Anyway,  the gospel is true Jesus Christ lives!  and this is his church.  Have a really good week.  LOVE YOU

PS.  I haven´t recieved the card in the mail but i´m 90% sure that i´m going to recieve it tomorrow 

Elder Diamond!

April 4

This week was really good.  We found a really good family and they went to church.  And watched the Baptisms we had this week.  I will attatch photos.  The boy is named Vanderli and he is awesome!  He knows it was the right thing to do being baptised and now he just needs to continue!  The girl is named Daniele.   She is very very smart, the sister of Idaias the young man that was baptised two weeks prior.  

Nothing else is to knew just trying to find these people that are prepared to recieve the gospel.  Yesterday was easter, in which we celebrate the Lords ressurection.  The most important event in human history happened on that day.  A human being who laid down his life, took it up again.  He shattered the chains of death.  He said that he will return and put all enemies under his feet, the last being death (of us).   All knees will bow and all tongues will confess that Jesus is the Christ.  Oh how that is like music to my ear.  I´m SO thankful for what he did.  Because he lives we can live again.  We have the  opportunity to have an eternal family.  We have the opportunity to become even as our father in heaven is.  It´s wonderful!  

I absolutely love my savior and feel it a pleasure to serve him, and help build up his kingdom.  I love you all have a wonderful week, be safe ;)

He LIVES!
Elder Diamond

PICTURES APRIL

March 30

This week I really want to focus on conference and how it was.
First:  What seperates us from other churchs is that we have men and women CALLED of god to bless us with his word every six months.
Second:  These men receive revaltion for US.  Not for themselves,  in the church of Jesus Christ, no one gains money for serving in the church.  It´s all to help other people.
Third:  You will always hear what you need to hear during these conferences.  Hearing the words of the apostles and the Prophet is a privelege.

So if you missed conference.  Watch it online.

finally I would just like to talk about one of the many talks I enjoyed about conference.  Jeffrey R Holland really gave a clear picture about the mercies of god and how they apply to our lives.  He said that God gives us miricles in our life that sometimes floor us so much that we have to ask ourselves why?  I don´t deserve this.  God will give his tender mercies to who he wants to give his tender mercies.  Relize that we have all recieved these mercies at one point or another in our lives.  


Thank the God who gave you these mercies and love him with all of you heart.  After all it is the greatest commandment.   I love you all have a wonderful week :)

He lives
Elder Diamond

CRAB

Oi!
Tudo bem?!  Last week with Elder Waldron (my trainer),  had to say goodbye to him this morning and I had a lot running through my mind.  I will talk about that later but first the week!  We baptized Tiago this week and it was awesome!  He is a wonderful kid and is setting the example to his family and brothers.  I am hoping that the family of him will soon follow.  Kinda weird week because I didn´t know if I was gonna stay in the Area of Cidade Oeste or be transferred so we were visiting all of our baptisms and trying to set up the next people in the transfer for success!

We had dinner at some members houses this week!  I had the opportunity to eat some crab :)  Unfortunately it 
isn´t as good as new years time with my family =/  but hey it will have to do.  Anywayssssssssss

Friday Night I got the call and I am............................

. Staying :D  my new companion is named Elder Reis (hays)  he is really awesome guy.  He´s brazillian and is twenty three.  He was a member for a year and then left on the mission, what a great example! 

So yeah saying goodbye to Elder Waldron kinda stunk.  He basically showed me everything I needed to know and helped me a lot,  and then he just left,  it was really sublime.  It´s hard saying goodbye to a comp. let alone your trainer and the fact that he is also leaving the mission.  Oh well that´s the circle of the mission!   
Hope all is well family and friends, know that I love you all lots and you are all in my prayers every night.  If anyone needs something just e mail rourkediamond@myldsmail.net  

He Lives!
Elder Diamond

MARCH

Mother!

This week was absolutely wonderful.  I´m trying to keep my companion from not being trunky ( he is leaving back home next week ) but he is awesome.  Just working hard.  We had a baptism this week... Rita,  she is wonderful and the Baptismal service was excellent.

 

Friday the little kids had planned a little "suprise" leaving party for Elder Waldron.  He already new but it was still great I will attatch some photos.  Anyway we went up to the room and shared our testimonies as to how we felt.  The sprit filled the room.  I couldn´t hold my tears back and as I got up to bear my testimoney only thing that filled my heart was joy and love.  I sat back down and to my amazement I saw Bruno, Clayson, and Tiago ( we will baptise him next week ) crying.  Felt so much joy and at that moment so grateful to be able to serve these wonderful people.  They have changed my life for the better and i´m so thankful for it. 

 

I love you all

He lives

Elder Diamond

New PICS March

FEB 27

Dear reader,

 

Not to much new this week,  Me and Elder Waldron were once again blessed to have investigators at sacrement... 13 to be exact.  We are going for 4 baptisms this week if everything works out.  First being Anderson he is 19 years old and went to church and seemed to enjoy it.  We will be teaching him a lot this week.  His little sister Jessica, she has been to church about 5 times and enjoys it.  Rita,  she´s 13 and also Beatriz (10 years) .  Wish us luck! 

 

We have also been finding some really good families it seems.  I really want to baptize a family but it´s really difficult to find a family that is ready.  No doubt we are looking but for a family to be ready it takes a lot of prep time.  There was an activity saturday that our bishop held where the adults of the ward went out and made contacts.  I think we are recieving like 25 references this week because of that.  Some good families should emerge.

 

Oh yeah.  Funnnny story this week.  So I was on divisions this week with another Elder in my area, ( Elder Waldron was in the other elders area) .  Me and this Elder were just about to teach this lesson to some kids outside when one of our investigators starts walking towards us.  He was walking home from school (he is about 16) .  Let´s call him bob.  So bob comes up and I start talking to him, seeing how school was, etc.   Apparently bob is "marked".  ( I had no clue )   Marked means people are trying to kill him.  SO we hear a gunshot, the everyone just starts running,  and I heard 3 other shots I think as we were all running hahaha.  So what apparently happened was like 20 ft away from me some gangsters got in like a fight or something and one of em pulled out a gun shot it in the air first to clear the way I think, then tried to shoot the gangster, missed, hit his little brother in the shoulder, then tried to shoot our investigator bob, but he already ran off.  And yeah so it was pretty crazy.  Needless to say i´m still alive and well haha.

 

And that is my story, everything is fine guess I just need to start asking people if they are "marked" haha. It´s not as bad as it sounds but it is haha?  anyway I love you all

Have an EXCELLENT week!

He lives!

Elder Diamond

SPIDER

Strange Week

This week was a bit strange, pffft what am I say all  weeks are strange i´m in a foreign country.  But seriously this week was strange.  A holiday started called Carnival...  Basically it´s like a 6 day ordeal when people just throw flour and eggs at eachother, wear silly masks, and have a nother excuse to get drunk!  Mix it all together and you got "set sail for fail!" .  Carnival is a missionaries nightmare.  People that you teach aren´t paying attention and not even the members went to church this week haha.  We managed to get 3 investigators to sacrament meeting.  All is well though it was still a really good week.  Learned more gospel truth, teaching better, and starting to get the hang of the language.  I still have difficulties but it´s not to the point where I want to run to a corner and slam my face against the wall :D  

Another fun thing was I was on a division with the zone leader this week.  And it was the day carnival start I think.  So we got flour and eggs and just started going crazy in the house.  4 missionaries doing that = lots of fun.  Except clean up wasn´t to great.  It´s great to have some real life fun every once in a while.  You kind of just in the habit of doing work work work work never have time to do anything or think about yourself.  so that was a nice 1 hour break.  

The thing i´ve learned this week is how prayers are answered.  On Heavenly Fathers time, and if you actually want to find an answer and are willing to act on that answer he will give it to you.  We need to be searching diligently for this answer,  it won´t be thrown in your face.  Faith is required.  Lastly a humble heart.  <---- if you don´´t have that good luck getting an answer haha.  But yeah just this gospel is so perfect I absolutely love this mission,  and my life.  

Be strong and have patience everything will be alright
Love you all!
He lives
Elder Diamond

Life is Awesome

Family, friends, abby (my dog)
I hope all is well :) My life is pretty darn awesome right now.  Just doing work.  This week was good, we had 3 baptisms.  Thais (9), Thaissa (13), and Kaline (11).   We got the service ready... It was really last minute because they were leaving next day to Carnival ( brazilian holiday).  And started it.  Let me tell you one thing.  Girls are DIFFICULT.  We give Thaissa the baptismal clothing (it was pretty big) and she wouldn´t put it on because it was to big!  So we had to baptise Kaline first then Thaissa put on the baptismal clothing that fit her better.  We couldn´t even get a picture with them because they wouldn´t let us take a picture >..>  oh well.  I´m really excited to see where they go.  All the kids we have been baptizing.  They are all amazing, I love them so very much!  We were talking to the bishop about why we weren´t finding any families that are "elect" and he pointed out a really good thing.  The ward isn´t ready to recieve a family.  If we were to baptize a family they would go inactive the next week because the support isn´t to strong in the ward.  So heavenly father has been giving us SO many kids.  This sunday we have our group of kids we baptize (it´s like a possie of 14 kids) all come to church and sit in the front row!  I love it!  They bring their friends and they all just wanna get baptized and hear the message of Jesus Christ!  :):):):):):):):):):):)  did you just say you want to be baptized and you want us to teach you??  When can we come hahaha.  But yeah this week was another great one 

Went to the police station earlier this week and got to see my District from the CTM and it was AWESOME to see how everyone is doing.  We all look so tan it´s pretty funny,  we caught up a little bit then had to say our goodbyes.  Time is flying by I love it just so much to learn and do while i´m here.  

Have a blessed week family, friends, and abby.

I love you all
He lives
Elder Diamond (Gee - uh - mon- ch ) 

Caught a Mouse

Oi Tudo Bem??! 

I hope all is well with everyone back home.  You are all in my prayers every night and you should feel loved because I am nice enough to put you into my thoughts :)  Just kidding it´s a pleasure!  Anyway this week was sort of strange.  Great, but strange.  Just finished my first transfer and the other two missionaries that were living with me and Elder waldon went home.  So we got new missionaries and the first couple of days were sort of annoying because they weren´t really getting along.  But now they are so it´s alright :)  

So we have been looking for people and didn´t really have that much success.  Not to many of our appointments worked out.  A lot of people were gone.  Somehow it all worked out.  We found two really good investigators and are hoping to baptise three this week,,.,..  and that´s about it for this week it was pretty amazing.

This week my heart has been drawn to the sacred attonement of our savior Jesus Christ.  I searched the scribetures and there are but few things that talk directly about it.  The only thing we really know is that he felt every kind of affliction and pain that you felt.  He payed the price for the sins YOU commited.  And he bled from everypore so that you can have the opportunity to return to your father in heaven.  Looking at this we can see that this accomplished a lot. I wrote a couple of sentences but I decided to delete them.  I can´t really explain the attonement because it´s something that you have to find out more for yourself.  I will say however that this is litilarly the key to our salvation.  If Christ would have just come to the earth lived a perfect life but not have completed the attonement.  It would have been pointless for us.  We all would have been damned.  But because he humbled himself to the will of his father we recieve the gift of immortality.  But not Eternal life.  This is where we decide if we want to go after true lasting happiness, or become swallowed up in sin.  You can´t stand in the middle of the road or else you will be hit by both sides of traffic.  

I absolutely love my Heavenly Father, and my Savior for giving me this opportunity to learn and grow.  Because of the Savior Jesus Christ, we can have eternal life

Have a wonderful week  I love you all

Elder Diamond

Ps I caught a mouse this week

Photos

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)

Dec 26

Anyways so the CTM experience in Sao paulo was pretty great ha.  I remember when I first got into the CTM (mtc) and was thinking to myself.  This is the hardest thing i´ve ever done in my life.... By the end of it, it was so easy I was getting bored haha.  And now i´m in Fortaleza.  FIRST missions are no joke haha.  They are so absolutely hard.  Let me rephrase that.  TO be obedient on a mission is so absolutely hard haha.  A lot of missionaries don´t follow the rules (especially here because fortaleza is in the top 3 baptising missions in the world) so missionaries think they are doing a good job so they slack off..... Luckfully my companion (Elder Waldron) is very obidient so that is a ton of help :) it makes it a lot easier when you have someone else being obedient with you.  but yeah the first like 4 days in Fortaleza I didn´t get to bed until like 11:30 - 12:00... and waking up at 6:30.... So tired... but it´s getting better.  I think the true beauty and the thing that god wants us to be doing is constantly pushing ourselves to the limit.  So just when you are getting confortable and/or bored of something he throws a new challenge at you... It´s not a bad thing it´s just because faith is constantly being tried.  And when you conquer it he is going to take you to the next level.  Like right now it´s really hard to keep pushing forward, but I know that when I get used to it, he is gonna give me something to keep bettering myself.... after all that is what he wants us to do. Learn and grow.  But I feel like a mission is a bit different.  I´m taking like LEAPS of growth rather then steps.  Missions ask for a 100% of your well being, mentally, physically, and emotionally.  It´s hard but there is nothing like going and telling Heavenly Father in your prayer that you gave it your all that day.  VERY satisfying :) So I know it will get better I just need to endure the trial and learn to teach and help people with more conviction.  When Christ was here during his mortal ministry he took upon himself the form of a servant!  Missions are basically what Christ did ( except he didn´t have a p day :D ) .  I´ve been really blessed to be able to have the opportunity to get to know my savior better through the service I am doing.  He really does love us and want us to suceed.  Which brings me to the next thing I´d like to say is the one thing that never fails is charity.  Charity is the perfect love of Christ.  It never EVER fails.  I´m trying to develop charity so I can give these people the thing that they need most, and that is love.  It´s what everybody deep down inside wants and the savior has the perfected version of love.  I forgot the scribeture but it tells a lot about what it is I think it´s like Moroni 7?? IDK but yeah hope all is well at home I love you all tons and you´re all in my prayers every night! PS I have two baptisms tomorrow :) later! love you all
Elder Diamond

Dec 12 letter home

This week I learned a lot, I don´t even know where to begin but yesterday me and Elder Davis got to go out proslyting!! We were given 4 books of mormon and had to give them out in 4 hours.... we gave all four out within 45 minutes.  It was amazing... We were so scared to talk to the first person on the street... Why would someone wanna hear our broken portuguese especially coming from 19 year olds concerning religion but we talked to the first person and he seemed friendly.... so we just started going up the street and talking to everyone approaching us. Aw I wish you could see how nice brazilians ( or just people in general ) actually are.  If you have a smile on your face and are geniuine people can feel it and will talk and listen to what you have to say.  After we passed them out we went back to the CTM to get more but they wouldn´´t give us any.  It´s crazy like I litilarly just want to share this message with everyone it´s just about LOVE!!! all you need is love alllll you needddd is lovveee (beetles knew what was up haha)  but yeah just this gospel is about love.  It´s so simple.  It´s what Christ taught was to just love eachother and everything would be okay!  PS i´m almost done with the book of mormon and I absolutely love it!  It is the best book ever and guess what ITS FREE!!

But yeah i´m enjoying it, I know the book to be true and my love for this gospel is increasing SO much by the day!  Portuguese is very hard but i´ll get it eventually.  I can barely hold a conversation but I can somewhat manage to say what I need to say.  But that doesn´t even matter.  People only care and will listen if they know you feel something about the topic.  It´s hard to explain but looking back i´ve learned SO MUCH just in the CTM it´s absolutely crazy.  I went to my last endowment session for two years today :( I absolutely love the temple.  I learn something new everytime.  This gospel is perfect and everytime I talk, think, or go do something gospel related I figure out just how perfect it is.  

The one message I want to share with you this week and you taught me this all growing up but it´s a lot easier said then done.... but it´s all about ATTITUDE.  I promise if you just make the best with what you have and everyonce in a while take a step back and see what god has given you.  Then waking up at 6:30 doesn´t seem so bad.  God, Christ, and the Holy Ghost are there to help us through our trials.  You are NEVER alone, I know that to be true.  It´s getting upon the year mark when I had my most spiritual experience that changed my life.  It was Christmas day.  No one was home and I was by myself sitting in my car crying because of the things that had happened.  Somehow a thought came into my head to pray ( I hadn´t prayed in months) and I said it out loud.  I asked god if he was really there.  I asked him to please help me because there was no way I was gonna get through this by myself.  At that moment I can´t even describe the confort that came over me.  It was so strong it felt like someone was giving me a hug.  That was the pure love of Christ.  and that is why I am on a mission now.  If I can touch just one person and let them know that they are never alone and can feel the love our savior, god and the holy ghost have for me.  I´ve done my job.  This gospel is real mom, I´m so thankful for everything everyone does for me and I can´t wait to come home after two years and continue bring souls unto Christ!  I hope Josh Tracy goes back out, he doesn´t know what he is missing.  I don´t even really thing about home any more.  I just want to serve! Love you lots mom and I hope you have a wonderful week!

Be happy you have a reason to smile! Love you lots!

Elder Diamond

never look back

PIZZA

Here is a picture of Rourke.  
This place I found out about, you can purchase pizza over the internet from them and they

will send a note to the MTC, which is right across the street for them to pick up a package.  It is a surprise for them.  Hopefully, Rourke enjoyed the pizza, chips, and drink.  Enough for him and his companion. 

Letter to Mom

Oi mai! ( hi mom )

 

I lovee hearing from you as well haha, unfortunately I don´t have a lot to write about this week it just flew by! I have SO many fun expierences that I would love to tell you about but an hour a week just doesn´t justify it and I don´t even know where to begin!  But yeah this week has been WONDERFULLLL I love the gospel hahaha so so much!  It´s so simple, people try and look at the gospel to hard sometimes and it really boils down to the point of how a five year old can understand his purpose as much as a 50 year old can.  Just obey gods commandments and be happy... And you got a great life :)

 But yeah anyway so i´ll answer your questions because I really don´t know what to write about haha (sorry my brain is permanantly in overdrive mod, I think 1 million miles an hour )  so just know missions are the best.  I can´t even describe it, I know now why return missionarys that I would talk to would tell me you just have to experience it. 

I am not in Fortaleza yet unfortunately, still in the MTC until december 20th. 

I don´t need money BUT if you can, could you please go to the bank and investigate how much it costs every time I swipe my debit card.... because I don´t want an international charge of 3 bucks eveytime I buy something that costs 50 centavos ( cents) and I use my debit card.  Does that make sence??

So second pair of shoes I think I will just buy them out here if that is alright, i´m pretty sure it will be cheaper and i´ll be better off Thanks though!

I do not need a blanket it´s already so hot in Sao Paulo I just sleep with a sheet haha. thanks though!

THE FOOD where do I begin:!?!?!? It´s pretty legit haha.  Rice beans and chicken and meat and just really good food :) unfortunately Brazilians don´t really use spices or sauces on their food! it´s still good though

As for working out, I work out every single day :) i´ve actually gotten stronger since i´ve been here which is pretty good! My six pack is almost in probably another three weeks and it will be there :) and I can now do 40 push ups compared to like 21 two weeks ago haha.  Gotta hit the ground running when I come home after two years :)

The City is absolutely BEAUTIFUL!  That is probably the one thing I wish you could see is the view I have of sao paulo every night it looks SO pretty!  I´m so thankful for the view and simple things our heavenly father gives me every day :)  The city is kinda poor it´s hard to explain I will later but I am running out of time!

This week was great I feel like my testimony is starting to grow and i´m in the rythm of being a missionary.  I still can´t believe i´m on my mission.  Just another stage in my life I guess.  I´m starting to go into overdrive with my efforts, I can feel my mind honing in on what I need to be doing more and more everyday.  The language of the spirit is becoming more and more manifest unto me by the day,  I´m learning more about why this gospel is what it is.  The gospel is perfect,  The plan of salvation is perfect.  So grateful for all that I have been given I love my life!

 

Have a wonderful week mom love you so so much!

Elder Diamond

Never looking back (that´s my slogan for life)

ADDRESS for letters!!

My mission adress for fortaleza is:

 

Av. Santos Dumont, 1789, sl. 1612, 16th andar

Ed. Potenza - Aldeota

60150-160 - Fortaleza - CE

 

What a wonderful week!

What a wonderful week!  Missions are awesome :)  I feel like i´m almost officially in motion as to what the MTC is about.  It´s a really set schedual so there aren´t really times through the day where I can just lay around... busy busy busy busy... but it´s a wonderful busy!  I wish I could really describe to you how i´m feeling but I really can´t.  I just know that this is what i´m supposed to be doing and i´ve learned to just enjoy the moment.  One of my teachers doesn´t really teach us what you would call a "normal" lesson.  He teaches how he feels we should learn things, and that is honestly what i´m going to be doing for my investigators.  It´s great :)  anyways so not to much new is happening because i´m just learning a lot.  The only thing I can really say is that i´m constantly building my relation ship with our heavenly father and my savior Jesus Christ.  The days are launching by,  I felt like I wrote you guys an e mail yesterday but it´s been a week. 

So my teacher (2nd one 1st one is awesome to) talked to us this week about confidence and happiness.  Just live life in the moment with no regrets.  Never look back or look to far forward.  Just enjoy the moment and what´s happening around you.  You choose your happiness.  If you want to be sad you´re going to be sad and the other way around.  I found out that being happy is a lot better then struggling to get through the day.  A failure is just a lesson LEARN FROM IT and grow.  If you moup to much about the past you won´t get anything done.  If you worry to much about what´s gonna happen in the future or say "oh hey things will be better in another month" it´s not gonna just be happy and live in the moment :) ha I feel so cheesy saying it but it really does make a difference if you are activley applying those principles in your life!

ps me and elder davis are kinda gettin swollen ( aka hittin the gym erry day!) :)) 

and lastly this week my challenge to everyone is to find beauty in the little things.  God gives us SO much that you sometimes forget to just stop and look at the things that are just right in front of you.  For example at the end of my day I look out the window and I have an absolutely BEAUTIFUL view of the city.  I sometimes find myself staring at it for at least an hour at 10:30 when I should be sleeping but it´s just to wonderful.  Life is so simple and so wonderful and it´s ours for the taking make the most of it :)  The gospel is real and I love my savior and my father in heaven,  i´m so thankful for the blessings I recieve even if they are the small things :)

I love you all and have a wonderful week

Elder Diamond!

To start Brazil is great!

To start Brazil is great!  I got off the plane pretty tired.  On the way to Sau Paulo I got to teach and talk with a brazilian it was pretty good, but unfortunately due to me not thinking I forgot to bring my portuguese O livro de mormon... So I ended up giving him a card with the website.  I got his e mail so maybe i´ll try to communicate later or something :D 
On the way to the CTM I got to see the city and it was very very pretty! took some pictures n stuff like that,  got off the bus went inside and got my paper... my companion is ELDER DAVIS WOOOO :) totally made my day... Got up to my room and he was already unpacking and yeahh just very glad I have my old companion for the rest of the CTM me and him get a along a lot.
The food is pretty good it;s a lot of rice and beans with some meat but unfortunately NO SAUWWSSCCCEEE. Sorry dad I can´t be the sauwce boss for two years =/ oh well ha! the deserts are pretty funky half the time my district and I eat em and all of our faces turn into odd shapes and we don´t touch it any more haha.  Oh yeah PS sorry that my spelling and english may sometimes get bad.  I´m starting to spell things like they would be in portuguese so yeah....
The language is difficult... Very difficult.  It´s so hard to not be able to express yourself the way you want to.  There are times I just wanna cry because I know when I get out there I won´t be able to communicate that well to the people who I so want to bring the gospel to.  I know Deus ( god ), Cristo, and Espirito Santo will help me get through it.  Other then that I am absolutely loving it.  The language will come and I know it will it´s just sometimes it really gets to you.
So when I entered the CTM I thought that I had a pretty good testimony of this gospel and woww.... The spirit hit me across the face with what felt like a 2by4.  This is by far the most difficult (and I know it´s only going to get harder) thing i´ve ever done in my life.  The amount of spiritual, physical, and emotional stress i´m undertaking is more then i´ve ever had to deal with... But I love it.  so much.  My testimony has grown about 10 fold of what it used to be.  I KNOW this gospel is real.  I will never be able to put into words just how I feel about everything that god has given to me.  I entered the CTM with very little knowledge as to how much our heavenly father does actually love us.  The answer is more then we will ever know.  He loves us so much.  Just think about the blessings you´ve recieved in your life and it still will be a fraction of the amount of love you think he has for you.  It´s such an amazing thing to know that no matter what happens, we are never truly alone.  Families are eternal and god wants us to return to him :) such simple doctrine but it hits me in ways i´ve never felt before.  Maybe it´s because I´m a missionary :)  it still hasn´t hit me that I am a missionary yet but I hope it will soon! 
But i´m really enjoying myself SO happy, by far the happiest i´ve been in my life.  I´m so eager to go preach to the people god has prepared for me it´s gonna be great! anyways my teachers are great the first one my district and I were a little scared of at first but now we aren´t when he warmed up (which was by the second day)  he is an absolute CRACK up such dry but great humor.  My second teacher blows my mind.  He makes me think about myself and investigators more then I have ever thought about myself or them before.  love it I wish I could tell you more but time won´t allow for it.  Also my mind is racing at a million miles an hour because I only get 30 minutes on here so I have to pick and choose what i´m going to say. 

Today was GREAT finally got to go OUTSIDE FRESH AIR A WHUT UP??!! Brazilian culture is awesome I can´t wait to see more.  Spiritually i´m growing more and more everyday so loving it!

The thought i´d like to share with you this week is humility.  Humility is a wonderful thing.  It´s one of the many principles that christ taught.  being humble is more then just being thankful for your things.  it´s not being jealous of anything or anyone no matter what.  Just be you.  I can´t even put into words what i´m trying to say... Just practice humility :) i´ll try working on better things to bring next week but i´m running out of time so I can´t ponder what i´ve learned to much...

Diferences between provo and this CTM is this one is honestly just better... about 300 missionaries compared to like 1800 or something like that?? much more personal and I get to go out into brazilian culture... also apparently some brazilian roomates are gonna move in with us soon so yeh :) anyways can´t talk much more LATER

Much love, Elder Diamond (my name in brazilian is pronounced gia-mon-chh)

Group Photo

Arrived Safely Letter from President

Dear Parents,
We are happy to send the good news that your missionary has arrived safely at the Brazil MTC.  What a great joy and privilege it is to greet each missionary as they come through the front door of the MTC for the first time. We promise to take good care of your missionary.
They now have companions and are settled into their rooms.  They are assigned to a district with capable and caring instructors for language and lesson study.  The branch presidents and their wives, will soon give them a second greeting.  These couples are rewarded in their callings through the love they always develop as they embrace and watch over the missionaries.
The MTC has a full time live-in physician to care for their health needs.  He is assisted by his able wife. We are also happy to report that the Cafeteria food is abundant and very good.
Your missionary will be able to e-mail home on Preparation Day after a morning at the Temple.  This will be either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on individual assignments.
Your very important young person is about to make an eternal difference in the lives of others.  We hope you will be encouraged and comforted by this quote by President Lorenzo Snow: “There is no mortal man that is so much interested in the success of an elder [sister] when he is preaching the gospel as the Lord that sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord’s children.”
Please accept our love,
President Donald L Clark and Sister Zaza Clark
 

ADDITIONAL  information . . .  

DO not send packages to the Brazil Missionary Training Center. All packages must be sent directly to the mission where your missionary will be serving not the MTC. If you have already mailed a package to the Brazil MTC and it arrives after your missionary has left for the field, please understand that the package can not be forwarded to his or her mission and will be returned to you. The only other option is for us to open the package and forward the letters and photographs, giving the rest of the content of the package to the missionaries that are here.
WE Strongly eNCOURAGE sENDING HAND WRITTEN LETTERS. Please write your missionary´s first and last name. Your missionary will provide you with his district and box number. Also, please DO NOT SEND ANYTHING BY FEDEX, DHL, UPS, or other private carriers.  The cost to get this type of correspondence is exorbitant.

Phone contact with mom before flying to Brazil!

Rourke was able to speak with Vicki last week before he left. "He said he absolutely loves it.  He doesn't miss anything about home except mostly his hair.  He does miss his family, however, he is not homesick.  His visa finally came thru on October 31, and he flew out to Brazil 11/1/2011.  He called me from JFK, he had a 5 hour layover and spent $30.00 in phone cards, but he sounded good.  He said he is learning a lot, already knows quite a bit of Portuguese. Anyways, he is doing good.  He was excited to go to Brazil, and serve the people.  He said he cant wait to get there and just share the gospel with them.  As soon as I get his new address I will let you all know.  He should be writing via emails, however, he said they do not get much computer time.  Ive heard maybe 30 minutes per week is all they get.  So, said just to tell everyone he is doing well and LOVES and MISSES everyone.  He said the gospel is true and he just wants to get out there."