Campinas!

Elder Matos and Elder Loveless

 I just got transferred up to Campinas! I love it here! It's so amazing! I just got made zone leader with Elder Matos from Minis! Just north of São Paulo! He is so hilarious! Funniest elder! Love him! We are working so well together and we have the same desires and thoughts of the work! It's so nice to have a comp that is willing to be at your side and work with you!

So our zone focus is for each companionship to find one family to teach to help them recieve the ordinances of the temple. Sometimes as missionaries we get so caught up in thinking only baptism, but our first priority is to get them to baptism and walk with them to eternal life. I've been caught up in Alma 31:
31 O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people.
 32 O Lord, wilt thou comfort my soul, and give unto me success, and also my fellow laborers who are with me—yea, Ammon, and Aaron, and Omner, and also Amulek and Zeezrom, and also my two sons—yea, even all these wilt thou comfort, O Lord. Yea, wilt thou comfort their souls in Christ.

 33 Wilt thou grant unto them that they may have strength, that they may abear their afflictions which shall come upon them because of the iniquities of this people.

 34 O Lord, wilt thou grant unto us that we may have success in bringing them again unto thee in Christ.

35 Behold, O Lord, their souls are precious, and many of them are our brethren; therefore, give unto us, O Lord, power and wisdom that we may bring these, our brethren, again unto thee.

We are striving now to work with less actives and also those we find in the streets. We met a less active family who the parents are members but the kids are not. The parents went less active when they were teenagers. Found each other at another church, got married and years later found out they were both Mormon. Well we just contacted them and they told us all this and they have kids from 10 up to 19 and they want to be sealed in the temple. Man I pray we will be able to continue to work with them. That's been both Elder Matos and I, our desire during the mission is to help a family reach the temple and it hasn't happened yet with either of us.

But I love doing this work. I just feel so happy, and especially being able to help others and help them come unto Christ. The fruits of being a missionary always results in happiness! I don't know why I wasn't doing this when I was back at home. I truly denied myself of true happiness. So grateful for the mission to help me find that happiness!

Well I hope you all have a wonderful week and an awesome mothers day! Love you so much mom!

Elder Loveless

Elder Loveless pointing to Londrina where his brother-in-law Ryan served.