Elder Inácio and I walking... Like we do for about 10 miles every day
My dearest and wonderful family,
As the title of this email says, I´m staying another transfer in Maricá! I´m actually really really excited about this given the awesome success this past week. My love for this people continues to grow more and more, and for now, I´m just fearing the day that I have to leave this area. I´ll stay with Elder Inácio as well, which is pretty cool. He´s a funny guy, and although he´s a greenie and just finished his training, he´s already got the abilities of a top notch missionary. The other companionship in Maricá (Elder Heidenreich and Elder Carvalho) got split up and Elder Carvalho was transferred. I should receive a call any minute now about who his new companion will be. So I´m still playing the piano for the branch sacrament meetings, and couldn´t be happier. (Please thank Sister Reese again for me. Even though I don´t have the time to practice at all during the week, my experience back at home together with an incredible gift by the spirit has surprisingly given me the ability to play just about any hymn, even ones I had never played in my life)
Thanks for the wonderful email mom, you always do a great job at keeping me informed on what goes on during the week. I love it! Jeff also sent a great email about everything going on in his life. Good luck on the Marathon this week!
I thought it might be nice to start the email with a goofy story. This actually happened over a week ago, but for some reason I forgot to include it in last week´s letter. Elder Inácio and I passed by the church to start to fill up the baptismal font for Ana Karen´s baptism, and we were frustrated to see that there wasn´t any water (This was luckily two days before the baptism and all was well before the meeting). As I was taking a look in the water system underneath the church, I squated to get a better look, and..... RIPPPPPPP. There went my pants. The entire back side. Ripped and for the whole world to see my garments. So unless I find someone who knows who to sew a giant tear in church pants, I´m down a pair. It was pretty funny, and luckily it was just me and Elder Inácio at the church at that time.
This past weekend, Jeffery R Holland was in Rio! There was a conference with all of the bishops and branch presidents in the mission with him on saturday, also there was a conference for all of the members that night which was broadcasted to many chapels.... but the missionaries weren´t invited :( That´s got to be one of the biggest forms of torture that has to exist. Put me in the other side of the world, suddenly my favorite apostle passes and I can´t even have the opportunity to attend???? Oh well, I´m over it.
Ana Karen´s Grandma accepted baptism this week, and she´s excited to prepare to be baptized on the 13th of September. I would appreciate if all at home to include Sônia in your personal prayers as she prepares for this special day in her life. She is getting over smoking problems, but has a great desire to follow Christ´s example and be baptized.
One beautiful night last week, as Elder Inácio and I were returning home, a random stranger passed us and offered us a ride home. We didn´t recognize him, but he said he was a member of the church, which made me excited to know him, so we entered the car. This dude´s name is Hélio, and he´s been less active for about 10 years, but.... He served a mission in Brasília about 25 years ago! He stopped going to church because his wife wasn´t interested and at that time, there was no church in Maricá and he had to travel by car for over and hour to attend the nearest chapel. Now that there´s a branch in Maricá and his wife passed away recently, encouraging him even more to come back to church, he´s exactly to be a part here in Maricá! He also has 3 teenage kids that he´s hoping to involve and prepare for baptism. Tender mercies for us!
I love you all back at home! I´m so excited for what this next transfer has in store for me. Most missionaries were saying something along the lines of ´´ahhh another transfer in a branch?´´ or ´´Wow, you´re STILL in the same area again´´, but all I feel is happy because I truly love the work and progress we´re having here. Learn to love your callings and commitments, that´s what I´ve learned a lot these past few months.
Love,
Elder Braun
My dearest and wonderful family,
As the title of this email says, I´m staying another transfer in Maricá! I´m actually really really excited about this given the awesome success this past week. My love for this people continues to grow more and more, and for now, I´m just fearing the day that I have to leave this area. I´ll stay with Elder Inácio as well, which is pretty cool. He´s a funny guy, and although he´s a greenie and just finished his training, he´s already got the abilities of a top notch missionary. The other companionship in Maricá (Elder Heidenreich and Elder Carvalho) got split up and Elder Carvalho was transferred. I should receive a call any minute now about who his new companion will be. So I´m still playing the piano for the branch sacrament meetings, and couldn´t be happier. (Please thank Sister Reese again for me. Even though I don´t have the time to practice at all during the week, my experience back at home together with an incredible gift by the spirit has surprisingly given me the ability to play just about any hymn, even ones I had never played in my life)
Thanks for the wonderful email mom, you always do a great job at keeping me informed on what goes on during the week. I love it! Jeff also sent a great email about everything going on in his life. Good luck on the Marathon this week!
I thought it might be nice to start the email with a goofy story. This actually happened over a week ago, but for some reason I forgot to include it in last week´s letter. Elder Inácio and I passed by the church to start to fill up the baptismal font for Ana Karen´s baptism, and we were frustrated to see that there wasn´t any water (This was luckily two days before the baptism and all was well before the meeting). As I was taking a look in the water system underneath the church, I squated to get a better look, and..... RIPPPPPPP. There went my pants. The entire back side. Ripped and for the whole world to see my garments. So unless I find someone who knows who to sew a giant tear in church pants, I´m down a pair. It was pretty funny, and luckily it was just me and Elder Inácio at the church at that time.
This past weekend, Jeffery R Holland was in Rio! There was a conference with all of the bishops and branch presidents in the mission with him on Saturday, also there was a conference for all of the members that night which was broadcast to many chapels.... but the missionaries weren´t invited :( That´s got to be one of the biggest forms of torture that has to exist. Put me in the other side of the world, suddenly my favorite apostle passes and I can´t even have the opportunity to attend???? Oh, well.
Ana Karen´s Grandma accepted baptism this week, and she´s excited to prepare to be baptized on the 13th of September. I would appreciate if all at home to include Sônia in your personal prayers as she prepares for this special day in her life. She is getting over smoking problems, but has a great desire to follow Christ´s example and be baptized.
One beautiful night last week, as Elder Inácio and I were returning home, a random stranger passed us and offered us a ride home. We didn´t recognize him, but he said he was a member of the church, which made me excited to know him, so we entered the car. This dude´s name is Hélio, and he´s been less active for about 10 years, but.... He served a mission in Brasília about 25 years ago! He stopped going to church because his wife wasn´t interested and at that time, there was no church in Maricá and he had to travel by car for over and hour to attend the nearest chapel. Now that there´s a branch in Maricá and his wife passed away recently, encouraging him even more to come back to church, he´s excited to be a part here in Maricá! He also has 3 teenage kids that he´s hoping to involve and prepare for baptism. Tender mercies for us!
I love you all back at home! I´m so excited for what this next transfer has in store for me. Most missionaries were saying something along the lines of ´´ahhh another transfer in a branch?´´ or ´´Wow, you´re STILL in the same area again´´, but all I feel is happy because I truly love the work and progress we´re having here. Learn to love your callings and commitments, that´s what I´ve learned a lot these past few months.
Love,
Elder Braun
Us four after lunch with a fam in Maricá (Francisco, Gizélia, and Gizelda)
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