Alagoingas Brazil

I´m in a place called Alagoingas, a large area with my amazing companion named Elder Briggs. The place is amazing, I had culture shock for the first couple days, constantly laughing and grabbing his arm and pointing at things (look at those trees! look at the people! What kind of fruit is this^{ Look at these houses! Is that a pack of wild dogs! Where´s there question mark button on these keyboards} I can´t find one! How come people are so nice} How did we just teach 23 lessons today{ These people are so prepared! I don´t know what they are saying! We´re in Brasil!! These bugs are huge, these rice and beans are amazing. wow it´s so green and tropical, I have never seen anything like it) 

So my companion is Elder Dylan Briggs, from bountiful, Utah. yeah. At first I thought he was Brazilian, because he speaks the language so well without any real accent. People we talk to think he´s from brazil, but when I speak, they ask where I´m from because I have a big satacty`´ or something, or accent. Elder Briggs is so much fun to serve with, he has an attitude of working to the death. We walk everywhere, don´t think I´ve walked this much in my life. But it has been one of the most amazing experiences too! We have talked to over 300 people that we have shared a testimony or a pass a long card and invitations to baptism, to come to visit the church. The people here are so kind, and so respectful. Living in the most humble conditions I have seen, and It brings me great joy to serve them. To raise them up. To be a representative of the Lord here and administer to them. 

The food is super good! Always a base of beans and rice, but it´s good beans and rice. It doesn´t get old, sometimes the beans on bottom and the rice on top. Or the rice on bottom or the side (if they get fancy). Than there will be different types of suco (or juice) that are super good. And really great meat. The members are great, lunch is huge down here, so they feed us a big lunch. They always say ´come mais, come mais´ until we eat so much we can´t eat any more. I love the food. 

I feel my ability to understand and speak the language each day. The first few days I had no clue what anyone said, haha. But I could feel the spirit, and could recognize when to bear my testimony. Tears have swelled in my eyes many times throughout the day as I bear my testimony of the savior. Of his restored gospel. The words always come, and I feel each time I bear my testimony, the spirit bearing witness to me and those I speak to, that the things I say are true. 

My companion works incredibly hard, I could not have asked for a better trainer or a better friend. It has been wonderful. 

Address.....I don´t know. It would be the mission office address in salvador than it would be forwarded to me. I love you so much mom! I hope you send pictures, these people love pictures of seeing our family. 

The only thing more beautiful than the area, is the people. I love this place. I have felt an abundance of help and strength far beyond my own. It has been a great testimony growing experience so far, I have seen and experience miracles. There is such a light in these people eyes, and each time I look at someone I can see them as a child of God. They are so greatly loved. 

I testify of the Lord Jesus Christ, that He lives! I know it. He leads this church, He has lead me and I have felt of this great love. He has called a prophet today. I know the book of Mormon to be the writings of ancient prophets, they are the words of Christ. I know that through our Redeemer things can be changed, we can be changed. He didn´t just die so that we could live again. But that we could live more abundantly here. We have access to His great atonement daily. There is a  real healing and strengthening power from it. 

Eu sei que families são eternas. Jesus Cristo vive, ele e nosso salvador e redentor. Temos um profeta ojé, que chama thomas s. monson. Eu sei que O livro de Mórmon e verdadeiro, por que eu orei e O espirito toca me coração. Digo estes coisas em nome de Jesus Cristo, Ámen.  

(I know families are eternal. Jesus Christ lives, he is our savior and redeemer. We have a prophet who is called Thomas S. Monson. I know that the Book of Mormon true, because I prayed the spirit touches my heart. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.)