Full Speed Ahead

 A service project we did for a recent convert family in the Trindade Ward. We put a bunch of holes in the wall, as you can see behind us.

 Me and some delicious Godam juice... Please forgive me Mom. I couldn´t resist.

Elder Leite and I with a one-meter-long Lagarto... Again mother,
please forgive me for not being able to resist.

Sup Family,

Way to go mom and dad for the first week as the Stake Mission Prep teachers!! I looooove hearing about where all the youth get their calls to serve, so please let me know each time someone receives a call. Even if I might not know them, it´s still fun to hear wonderful news like that. I think Kade was a guy who dated Krista, so I saw him
a lot. There´s a great scripture in D&C 42:5-7 about missionary work. You could seriously teach an entire lesson on the priciples taught in those three verses, but I thought it might be a good source of inspiration for you. As far as those packages go, they haven´t gotten to me yet (the ones from Grandma Sorensen and the 5x7). The next time I get mail will be February 2nd.

Katie told me about her mission call to Fort Worth! I freaked out! Crazy how my two best friends, her and Dallin, are serving in missions that border one another, in the state that I was born!!!! crazy, I tell you. I´ve never had a chance to revisit my birthland, but my friends are doing it for me.

As the title of this letter implies, There has been a lot going on in Alcãntara this week, and many miracles are happening for us. Unfortunately, that hasn´t really been the case in our whole zone, since there are 3 elders who have gotten super sick and hospitalized, one with appendicitus, and the other two with some sort of digestive
infection. Every transfer since I arrived in Alcãntara. someone in the zone has gotten appendicitus. Who will it be next transfer? I´ve been blessed with really good health since I got here, with only one week of... well, issues. But for right now, I feel good, the weather this week wasn´t too bad

Back to the progression in our area... yesterday, two of the families that we´ve been teaching were able to attend church (Bruno & Ranna and Jorge & Nilsa) Jorge and Nilsa are all set and ready to be baptized. It was so cool yesterday when we were teaching the commandments to them yesterday afternoon. We asked Jorge if he believes he will have to strength to stop drinking coffee, and he said how being baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ is something that no one is making him do, but it´s his own decision. He knows that it´she true church because he found out for himself through keeping our commitments. He also said how he has already felt God answer his prayers because he was able to find a job this week to prove that our Father in Heaven is blessing him. It´s little experiences like that that every missionary loves to have that brings tears to their eyes.

Bruno and Ranna are marked to be baptized and this time, the date is pretty dang solid. Ranna said when she left church last week, she felt and overwelming sense of peace and assurance. Dang you can´t imagine how happy that made Elder Leite and I feel. She´s been investigsting the church since she was a kid and her cousins got baptized (15 years ago). Bruno and Ranna have already had multiple companionships teach them the lessons, and they´ve been to church many times (in a different ward), but that was the first time they truly felt that they knew the church was true and that this gospel was restored by a living prophet.

So yeah, there´s always something special about helping a family learn that through temple work and keeping Gods Commandments, families can be together forever. We couldn´t be more grateful to our father in heaven. I love my wonderful family supporting me from home and can feel the blessings sent from you all!!!

Love,
Elde Braun

PS Photos this week!!!! I bought a new adapter, so here´s some
pictures from the past month.