Olá todos!! (Week 20)

This week has been really good and we have had a lot of progress with our investigators with dates for baptisms and they are really excited to be in church and go to activities even when we don't know about activities lol. Idk if its good we don't know about them but its good they attend the activities !! We have 9 baptism dates marked for this transfer right now and plan on marking more dates. Lebny Gabriel and Abner are really excited for their day on August 12th for all three of them to enter the water. Its really cool because next month Gabriel will be going with us missionaries to eat lunch with a member that doesn't have another man in the house. If some of you don't know Elders cant enter a home with only women in the house, there always has to be a man in the house for respect of the home. And same for sisters but they have to have another women in the house. So Gabriel will be going with us to lunch which will be awesome experience for him!! Gabriel and Abner actually asked what their name tag would say if they served a mission! 

We have a family too that is really special ! We have had 3 lessons with us and have a baptism date for the 26th of August which is the next transfer so idk if i will be here but still really excited for them! They told us the other day that when Elder Quaresma and I knocked their door they were really stressed and kinda annoyed we knocked their door lol. Anyways we started talking to them about who we represent and then had a quick prayer in the entrance of their garage and then left. Simple and to the point. She said after we left their day was much much more happy and not so stressful (they just moved into the house 3 days earlier) and could continue on their day. The next week we gave them The Book of Mormon and they began to read just the invite part in the front. Her daughter Isabely (14) said directly i want to be baptized now and am ready! If this isn't what a missionary wants to hear then idk what is lol. Really excited!!

This week we had splits with other elders in our district and i was in their area which was cold (-5 i think its about 20 in the US) and windy so that was fun but i like this area. We took another pathway there and we entered this huge field that had been cleared and there was ribbon that made borders like property for homes. So people cleared this area and build there homes very slowly from nothing into a home brick by brick, door by door and then shingle by shingle. Its amazing how hard working the people are here. It kinda reminded me when the pioneers settled in Utah and built the city. Its literally what they are doing but in 2017. 

This week i found out that our greatest power is our testimony. We could bible bash all day but when you bear your testimony nobody can even argue with you because its YOUR testimony no matter what. In 1 Nephi 1:3 Nephi talks about how he is making a registro (idk the translation i just know the meaning in Portuguese) oh wait it means record lol. But he is making a record and he says i know that this record is true. We all need to testify of the truth when we get the chance. ALWAYS! 

In other news i am just starting to get better lol. My companion recorded me sleeping the other night with the audio recorder and i sounded like Darth Vader because i was only breathing through my mouth lol. 

Ate mais yall 

-Elder Hammond

Packages from HOME!!! One from us in Colorado, and the other from Grandma June and Paka Michael. Sending love through the miles to our Dear Elder Missionary! We love you Bryson!!! 💓💓💓💓

A few weeks ago, Bryson was dying for some "real peanut butter" from home! They don't have peanut butter like he enjoys from America. I sent him some, and so did Grandma June and Paka Michael but it takes easily 2-3 weeks PLUS for packages to arrive from home. Meanwhile I also sent him directions how to make homemade peanut butter from roasted peanuts there in Brazil, and a blender. This way he can always have some! I added extra funds into his bank account at home, so he could afford the extra treat, because nuts in Brazil are considerably more pricey than in America. Great job making PB Bryson!!!
😉💓

He's enjoying a candy bar. This is possibly one of the ones I sent him from the Missionary Supply company. Trying to keep our boy happy and knowing he is thought of and loved! 💓😊

Look at THAT Face!!! 😊

PIZZA!!! LOL 😂 Happy boy!!! 😋

💓 A Book of Mormon in Creole 💓