Week 48

Last Monday all the missionaries in the Passo Fundo Zone had the opportunity to help all the people suffering closer to Porto Alegre from all the flooding. We worked with the police department in putting together a ton of food, cleaning supplies, and clothing. After getting everything together we worked in placing it all in a huge truck.

As we were working (as part of the church´s Helping Hands program), the news team came and filmed us. Later that day the other elders all called us telling us how we´d passed on the TV during lunch!

During the week we working a lot with Vanderlei and Cristina´s family. We got on top of their marriage and after many miracles we were able to schedule it for the last Saturday of this transfer. The same day they´ll be baptized and the following day confirmed. During our many visits we taught them about the Plan of Salvation, Temples, and Family History Work. They felt the Spirit and were comforted because they had both lost some brothers and sisters to illnesses and wanted to know if they were lost forever.

We found many other families, including a couple that had just been married recently. They paid a lot of attention and asked great questions during the first lesson. However during the week as we tried to visit them it seemed as if they were avoiding us.

We were also disappointed because another family that we´d been working with for many weeks finally decided that they didn´t want anying to do with the church anymore. We heard the phrase that we hear on a daily basis, "My dad was catholic, my grandpa was catholic, I´m catholic, and I´ll die catholic."

The branch president here is very good and in only a few months he´s increased the activity in the branch tremendously. He goes on splits with us and works hard to make this branch a ward.