300 Popsicles! (Week 38)

Hello everybody!

This week we had zone conference so we were there all day on Wednesday it seemed like. Anyways we learned more about our purpose and how we can establish goals better. This training is what is exactly what we needed because it seems like a lot of us are making goals that are really high. 

So this Saturday we had a activity that was gincana which idk what that means in English but I know what it is. anyways we had these tournaments or small games with 4 teams. It was things like the egg race or the wheel barrow and also bible questions with a smack in the face with whip cream! I lost one of the questions so I got whip cream to the face because of Elder Bezerra . One thing we want next time is more investigators to have fun and have friends in the ward. Oh so with 20-25 people we had 300 popsicles so I think this day I are alone 15 popsicles which was great because it was I think 90 degrees outside. This email is kinda random but this week was super great learning more and helping our investigators. 

Another thing we learned this week was that the church has the Christmas program again this year. I will put a link at the bottom but it shows a video and shows 25 ways we can be the light of the world in this season! They have a video for every 25 days also! Its so great seeing how we can be a light for the world. So like we do with every street contact... How can you all be The light of the world this Christmas season? Go to this sight! 

https://www.mormon.org

I couldn't find the English link so just Mormon.org!

- Elder Hammond

 P.S. I Really Liked this Video! 

https://www.mormonchannel.org/watch/series/mormon-messages/a-good-samaritan

After church yesterday with members...

I GET TO SPEAK ENGLISH!!! (Week 37)

So as you call all read in the title I have a chance to speak English in my area now and its not because I am teaching English but for the time that I am here I get to translate church for a investigator that just moved here from Africa that only speaks English and only has 2 weeks in Brasil. he came here to find better work so as he is living here we will be teaching him in English about the Restored Gospel today! I arrived to church yesterday and one of the members of the other ward said "Elder I have a friend here and his name is Cromwell and he only speaks English so I need you to translate everything for him so that he can understand and learn. He liked church but I told him I would translate better next time because to be honest I forgot a lot of words in English when I was trying to translate form him. Good thing or bad thing? I have no idea but it was really cool because he was like "wait you are American? I thought you were from Brasil!" In the Gospel Principles class we taught about talents which I thought was cool because I don't have a perfect talent to speak Portuguese but I can understand 100 percent of what is being said so I had the chance to help our friend Cromwell understand what was being said. sometimes we don't know we have talents because we are not working on it. Like in Ether 12:27 it talks about God gave us weaknesses so that those can become our strong points. I have a strong testimony that our weaknesses are sometimes what we need so that we can work to make them better and then we can be stronger in the end. 

We are having a activity this Saturday with our investigators and ward members to help build our ward strong together and our investigators can be friends with the members. Because some day the missionaries will move and they need a friend there to help them keep going to church after we as missionaries return home. I have a testimony of the truthfulness of the gospel and its forever growing day by day! I know the church is true and Christ lives and is our savior!! Love you all!

Until next week!!

-Elder Hammond

Scripture: Moroni 7:44-48

Matthew chapter 27 (the atonement)

Semana de 06/11/17-12/11/17 (Week 36)

This week has flown by so fast and I don't even know how to think that November is already halfway done. It has flown by super fast and I don't want it to fly by any faster. Its been a week of really hot in the morning and then cold and sometimes rainy at night so I get to feel all 4 seasons in one day 7 times a week lol! This week we have been really working harder to make contacts in the street and like always knocking doors lol but it's been great because we can talk to so many people during the day and teach them too! Actually, sometimes people make contact with us and talk to us first and then we do the rest and make a missionary contact and share about The Book of Mormon. Speaking of this week I have gotten to the book of Alma in reading so I will be here for a while with as many chapters as there is! My Portuguese is still getting better as time goes by too! 

This time of the year is the best time of year I think! This month on the 27th my mission and I think Mission Curitiba we will sing for Christmas as a huge group and for our ward, the 4 Elders will be singing in Sacrament and maybe I will have a part in English but that solo part is no guarantee yet lol. But for sure we will be singing for our ward soon! 

This Sunday that just passed we learned a lot about missionary work and it was interesting because how it wasn't focused on the missionaries like you would think but it was centered on the members of the church and how we can all be missionaries and share the gospel! You don't need a name tag to bring the gospel into somebodies life! Its all about being an example and opening your mouth to shard the truthfulness of the restored gospel today!

I know that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ on the earth and restored today! I know that The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ today! I have been reading it every single day and I haven't found joy in reading until my mission and really understanding and practicing what I read is what is making a difference in my life! 

-Elder Hammond

Scripture for today: Alma 5:16-19

"Pictures of the missionaries in Fazenda rio Grande. In the first photo idk what we were doing." lol - Bryson

"Que frio da cebola" (Week 35)

Today was transfers and tomorrow is my 8 months in the Mission in Curitiba! So I'm going to stay here in Fazenda Rio Grande for yet another transfer and I couldn't be more excited, to be honest! I will be here 4 and a half months by the time this transfer is over so I will be here the same time as my first area!!! 

This week it rained and rained hard and that is why its summer but everybody is in jackets as of now! I am not much of a fan of the cold because I always lived in the heat in Florida where its 100 degrees every single day lol. 

Also, one thing different here is in Brasil on the 2nd of November we have a holiday that is named deaths day "dia dos mortos" where everybody goes to the cemetery and visits lost ones. It was sad because we saw some people that died really really young. But what were we doing there? We were teaching The Plan of Salvation and handing out the Book of Mormon for people there. We had a total of 12 missionaries at the Cemetery walking and talking to everybody that we could. In a total of the 12 missionaries, I think we have 50 people to visit now which is great! This was a huge mind opener because lots of people believe that we can be forever together but don't know how its possible we can have this. Through revelation, we know that families can be together forever and eternity but we have to do things on the earth to make this happen!  I love the Plan God has made for us that we can return to his presence some day and have happiness without end. I can't even imagine happiness without end but I know it's worth working for!

This email is shorter but I know that We have the fullness of the Gospel on the earth today and that we have a living prophet that speaks to God and leads us to be closer to our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ! I am reading The Book of Mormon every single day and am feasting upon the words and applying them to my life! I know the Church is TRUE!! Love you all and have a great week!! 

-Elder Bryson Daniel Hammond

P.s. No more dogs have tried to bite me!