É bom, né? (It´s good, isn´t it?)

Oi família!

Well, this first week with Élder Helvey was really good!  He´s a little crazy, which mixed with my insanity, makes for a good pair.  We´re trying to head out and contact everyone that we can see and it´s working out.  We´ve had some funny experiences this week, but also some really good ones.  We´ll focus on the spiritual though.

On Wednesday we contacted a lady this week named Juliana. We began talking with her and she said, "Well, I attended your church that´s in Parque Rio Branco (a neighborhood in Fortaleza) for about 6 months a few years ago."  As we talked a little more I discovered that it was the same ward where I began my mission (Parquelândia) and that she was friends with a few people that I know from there.  We invited her to come to church and she said that she would. We returned the next day to meet her husband and daughter, Carlos and Julia.  We taught about the importance of keeping the comandments of God and the Spirit was so strong.  They said they would come to church and we asked if we could come back on Saturday to prepare them for church the next day.  They agreed and we returned on Saturday.  We began teaching about the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It was amazing to feel the Spirit testify during the whole lesson.  From the start until the end the Spirit was testifying, "this is true."  They agreed to come to church once again, and we left.  Yesterday they came to church and really enjoyed it.  I asked them afterwards what they thought and Carlos replied, "It was way better than I imagined it would be."  We visited them yesterday and they were so excited about everything that happened.  They talked about the peace and tranquility that they felt in the church and how aliviated they felt after they left.  They talked about how wonderful they felt even when we were in their home and then we asked, "So, do you two feel that God has answered your prayers to know that this is the true church on the earth?"  Juliana replied, "To me, it always was the true church.  Everything today just confirmed that to me."  and Carlos said, "More than anything now, I believe that this is the true church."  and here on March 21st, they´re going to be a part of it!

I know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ on the earth.  Joseph Smith was a prophet.  Thomas S. Monson is the Lord´s prophet on the earth.  Jesus Christ lives.  He is our Savior.  The Book of Mormon testifies of Him and will bring us closer each day that we read it.  I know these things of myself because God answered my prayer.

Amo vocês!  Até o próximo!

Élder Evans

Inspiração do Alto (Inspiration from on High)

Oi família!

It was hot this week.  On another note I didn´t work in my area for almost the whole week.  Tuesday and Thursday we did exchanges, Wednesday, Élder Borges and I traveled to Itapipoca and back which took up almost the whole day.  Friday, we took Élder Borges to the mission office for the final dinner and training with President.  Saturday we picked him up from the office.  Sunday was normal, except church in the morning.  One way or another, it was a fun week.

I left Élder Borges at the mission office for the last time this morning since he´ll be returning home today.  He was an awesome companion.  I know that it was inspiration that we worked together.  When I got here I didn´t have that same fire passion for the work that I had in the past, but working with Élder Borges quickly turned that around.  He was an awesome companion and I´m ever so grateful that we were able to work together.  What I love even more than gaining new companions is gaining new friends.  I feel like Élder Borges and I were truly friends and that we´ll be able to help each other out for year to come.  He´s awesome.

On one of our exchanges this week I headed out with Élder Ribeiro, the "greenie" in the zone.  I worked with him in his area to see how he would do given that he´s only been here for about6 weeks.  We began the exchange and I said, "Élder, today is your day.  You´re the senior companion.  Show me what you have."  He just said, "Ok, let´s go."  It was a good exchange.  He wasn´t scared to talk with people in the street.  He contacted everyone that we saw.  I love how I was able to see his testimony by the way that he worked, not just the words he spake.  But the highlight of the day was about 3-4 o´clock.  We went to a street to contact people to find the street 100% deserted.  There wasn´t even a dog or a cat or anything.  And we began walking.  As we were walking we heard some sound coming from a house in front of us and Élder Ribeiro said, "Let´s clap there." We clapped and a man came to the door and said, "You´re from the Mormon church?"  We responded that we were and he said, "My wife and mother-in-law are from this church.  Would you like to come in?" So, in we went.  It was super cool.  This family moved to the area 3 months ago and they were wondering where the nearest church was.  They said that they had given the address to the sisters in their old ward and they thought we had come because of them.  Truthfully, it was the Spirit that sent us there.  We had a nice visit and the mom said that she has a goal to go to the temple before the end of the year.  Talking with the élder that works in that area he said, "Wow, that family is amazing!  They came to church and the husband cried during the sacrament he felt the Spirit so strong!"  It was cool.  Much like the experience from last week, the Lord is very aware of his elect and knows where they are.  As we seek them in faith, the Lord will show them to us and help us to know how to help them enter on the path of eternal life.

That this week each one of you can pray for someone to find with whom you can share the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is my prayer.  I know that He will show someone to you and give you the words to speak.

Amo vocês!  Até o próximo!

Élder Evans  

Ovelhas perdidas (Lost sheep)

Oi família!

Well, this week was one of those weeks where nothing and everything happens.  We had a few tough days where seemingly nothing happened but some really cool miracles happened as well.  We´re working hard and sweating a lot (it´s really hot here) but we´re having fun.  This is Élder Borges' last week of the mission and we´re going to work like crazy.

We received a list of referrals from the mission office this week that we had to contact to give feedback today.  We went hunting after some of them on Friday and it was discouraging to say the least.  As we went after them we found out that the majority of them didn´t exist.  I saw one name on the list that we hadn´t contacted, Tiago.  We looked at the map and saw that Tiago lived way at the end of our area which was even more discouraging.  We had to contact him one way or another so we headed out there.  The whole way there I just kept trying to think positive.  "This is going to work out.  He´s going to be the elect.  We´re going to baptize him."  When we finally arrived at a street I had never seen in my life we began looking for his house number, 290.  We got to the spot where his house was supposed to be to see two houses, number 294 and 288 but no 290.  We asked a few people if they knew Tiago and they said, 'He lives a little further down" and the "thought" (inspiration) came "maybe it isn´t 290, maybe it´s 190 and we just got the number wrong."  So off we went.  190 existed, so we went up and clapped (we don´t knock much here, we clap).  A man came to the gate and the conversation went something like this:

Us: Hey, do you know Tiago?

Man: Yeah, he lives on the other side of the street.  Are you guys Mormons?

Us: Well, it´s a nickname people give us.  We´re from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Man: I was baptized there.  You guys want to come in for a little bit?

Us: Sure!

So, we met Cléssio.  He was baptized about 8 years ago but after his father died it was hard for him to keep going to church.  After that he invited his girlfriend to hear our message too, Irmã Rose.  As we were getting to know them Rose said, "You know, we´ve been looking for a church to attend and we´ve been attending many different ones.  But Cléssio always says, 'I want to return to the Mormons.  I feel the best with the Mormons."  We proceded to teach about the Restoration.  After Élder Borges recited the First Vision the room was full of the Spirit.  We asked Cléssio and Rose, "How do you guys feel right now?"  and they responded, "I feel so good.  Happy and peaceful.  It´s amazing."  We testified that it was the Holy Ghost teaching them that what we had taught was true.  Then we threw out the big invitation, "Rose, with a certainty that these things are true and being prepared, will you follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone holding the resotred priesthood of God?"  and without pausing she said, "Yes, I will"  we testifeid about how we knew that the Lord had sent us there to find them at this critical time and how He was looking out for them.  We prayed and as we were leaving you could see the emotion in Cléssio´s eyes because he knew that the Lord was aware of him.  They came to church yesterday and loved it.  They are 100% commited to learn of and apply the gospel in their lives.  It´s awesome.  But what I learned is that even way at the end of an obscure neighborhood in Caucaia, Brazil, the Lord knows where His lost sheep are.

I know that this is the true church of Jesus Christ restored to the earth today.  I know that Jesus Christ lives.  He is our Savior.  Joseph Smith was His prophet and Thomas S. Monson is His prophet today.  I am His representative.  This is His gospel.

Amo vocês!  Até o próximo!

Élder Evans