Blessings

Wow! This last week was so amazing! So I’m with Elder Lee. He is from the same group as me! We are zone leaders here in Cosmópolis! We are working like crazy! He and I are blessed to have the same vision about the work...we aren’t stopping. We got to an area with no one to teach other than two women here. They were baptized yesterday! We had the honor to baptize them! Marlene and Lana! It was such a blessing and a privilege to see them progress and walk into the font!

Well the greatest blessing that happened is I was able to return to Campinas yesterday as well to baptize Luiz Gustavo, and Pedro! I remember Reese telling me at the beginning of the mission to think about an experience you want to have on the mission, write it down and pray for it to happen. I remember writing down before the mission I wanted to help a family come unto the gospel and to watch them become an eternal family. Well we were blessed to help this family come into activity and watch the two sons be baptized! Knowing that the Lord loved me enough to be a part of this special family’s life was such a great gift! It was through so much prayer and fasting we were able to see the Lord bless this family!  I LOVE THIS WORK!  To watch families come unto Christ and know that they are an eternal family! Love it!

As I was sitting there at the baptism that was when I was reminded of what Reese told me to do. I felt such an overwhelming feeling come over me that I was blessed to fulfill that hope and prayer! I love the power of prayer in our lives! The power of prayer is the most unique and special power. Think about it, what did the Savior do when he was suffering for each of us...he prayed. To access the blessings of the priesthood we must pray to do so! I’m finally understanding how important a prayer with faith truly is, and our beloved prophet of old, Joseph Smith understood that as a 14 year old! I love this gospel. And I love that I have the ability to pray to my Father in Heaven whenever I need and want!

Love you all so much! Thanks for everything!

p.s. pray that I can send the pictures of the baptisms. Kind of on accident deleted them all...oops! Good thing we have technology to help us!

Elder Loveless

Transfers :(

This is so hard! I'm being transfered out of Campinas...I don't know where I will go yet...but it will be the Lord's will so thats on the bright side! 

I love a winnie the pooh quote that says, "i'm so lucky to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."I was blessed to be here in this area for two transfers meeting some of the most amazing people and was blessed to train one of the best elders! It will be so hard to leave here, but at least I have something to say goodbye to and return to. 

This weekend our investiagors Luiz and Pedro will be baptized! So excited for them that they will make this sacred covenant with our Father in Heaven. It has been such a blessing to teach them the past 3 months and watch a family return to the Church and two kids be baptized! The glory and happiness from this work is priceless. Its worth it to feel alone sometimes, feel pain, struggle and feel absolutley tired all day long to see the happiness of others recieving the Gospel! This work is so amazing. 

I love Doctrine and Covenants 128: 22 Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.

This cause is so amazing! We are so blessed to call ourselves saints of such a glorious King! 

Love you all so much! 

Elder Loveless

 So we dont have light in our bathroom! Love shaving! 

Fabio...the member in front of our house! 

The World Cup Is Finally Over!

So the world cup is finally over. Which means we no longer have to stay inside during the games! Wahoo!

But this last week was great! We had 3 meetings but we learned alot of how to improve and to work hard for our purpose.

“Your mission will be what you make of it. You can chose to love your mission or blame others for your unsuccess. But the Lord knows and is preparing you. Remember the mission is the mtc for your life." President Perrotti

It was so amazing to talk with President and work with him. He is so inspired!

Well we have been teaching Pedro and Luiz for a while now. They are children of a family that has returned to the church. They decided as a family that the kids will be baptized next week on the 26th! We are so excited to see this family come back into activity and watch the kids embrace the gospel! It’s been so powerful.

We have had the pleasure of seeing many less actives come back to the fold, one of which is now helping out my companion and I with lessons and so much more. As I was telling this to our stake president here, he said, "someone that is a member of the church that has become inactive and when we help bring them back into activity this is more important than a baptism, for it would’ve been better if they had never known the gospel. But we must baptize and bring others to Christ. That is our calling." It was so powerful and we are seeing so many miracles through rescuing those who are lost.

1 Cor. 3: 11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Duet 32: 4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is He.

I’m so grateful that we have HIS church here on the earth, that we have a foundation that we know won’t move when all other foundations are falling. I know that He is our Savior and loves us, He is our salvation and His work is perfect!

Love you all,

Gary

Elder Eller and Elder Loveless

Finally We Have Rain!

So it has finally rained here. It hasn't in a long time! 

But anyway, this last week was so great! We were blessed to have so many miracles happen each and every day! 

I had a great opportunity to talk to a woman that came to one of our ward events. She came with one of the members here but she is from a different area. After the event, I began to ask her how she met the missionaries, and if she had any questions. She then said, "I'm not sure if the Book of Mormon can be scripture, that it could be the word of God. I have fear that it will be true or that if I may think its true and follow something false." It was a special experience to testify to her that it was true. That it doesn't lead down another path but it puts us on the Lord's path. I remember since I was a little kid always reading the Book of Mormon with my parents and then each year afterwards but I really never had a testimony of the Book or Mormon. I remember my sophmore year of High School I wasn't exactly sure if it was as true as everyone said. But I remember asking my family how they knew the Book of Mormon was true. Each said they read it and prayed about it. It was then that I really tried to read it with real intent, and the answer came in 2 Nephi 25: 29 "And now behold, I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel; wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out." I remember reading that scripture and just feeling and knowing that Christ really lives and that the Book of Mormon is a tool to bring us unto him. That scripture gave me my sure testimony of Christ and the Gospel. being able to testify to her was amazing, but most of all it was amazing to feel through the spirit that she was listening. 

I came across a scripture that explained so much to me and let me know we are never alone, Doctrine and Covenants 49:27 Behold, I will go before you and be your rearward; and I will be in your midst, and you shall not be confounded.

I know that He lives and is with us. He is our rearward! 

Love you all so much,

Gary

 Clemilson (middle) is the coolest guy

 Some gifts from a dear friend

This is what you wear to cover your mouths when you sandpaper walls