April 14 One Year has passed

This week has been awesome. i love Barreiras, it´s got a bit of everything. From the large center with shopping, the out-door Brazilian mall. To these rope thingy´s that Tarzan uses. I went to the waterfall this week, the area was so amazing. The name of the waterfall was Acaba Vida, which means the end of life. Haha. The area around the waterfall was called Paraíso (paradise), and it was! I drank from the pure water streams. Ate weird fruits. It was so green and amazing that I felt like at any moment King Kong would come crashing through the trees. Most beautiful place I´ve ever seen. 

Our area is doing really well, but it´s still so large. So We are getting 2 more Elders here, and making this area a district. I´m now District Leader, and also heading to Salvador today (yay the 28 hour bus ride!) to get a new missionary and train him here. Don´t know anything about my new companion yet, I think it would be fun to train an american though. 

We had 9 investigators at church yesterday, haha i remember a meeting here we had less than 9 members (myself included). But we are seeing a bunch of members on Sunday. We pray every-day to re-active more, have baptisms, and see this Branch become a ward, get a chapel here. I will not be able to hold back tears when that day comes.

A recently activated member Sidiclay (age 20) brought with him to church his friend Hogo. Hogo came once with his friend, the next week he came alone. He arrived by himself. I asked him what made him come, he told me he came for the Lord, he desired to learn from Him and feel His presence. Others perhaps go out of feeling obligated, they often find the meetings long and dull. They feel tired or hungry. They expect the speaker to teach them, and they fail to realize that we are meant to act to receive revelation and not just be acted upon. I am convinced those who go to church for the Savior, find His presence there. They learn from His spirit. They come with a desire to repent, with humility, they come looking for answers and they always find them. They leave feeling energetic, refreshed, and loving, they cannot get enough. Such was the case with Hogo, who learned many things, because he sought them. He expressed that he knew this was the Church of Christ, he felt His presence and believed we spoke his words. He wants to be baptized. Hogo has a 1 year old daughter with an ex-girlfriend, Stephanie. We told him that he should marry her. Hogo was hesistant, saying that marriage is the right thing to do. He said it would be easier if she was in this with him, but doubted she would receive the gospel. My companion and I went to visit her, we treated the situation like a regular contact not claiming we were sent by Hogo. She received our message really well. Believed in our words. I was so happy to see Stephanie and Hogo hand in hand, with their child, walking up to church yesterday, determined to make it work. Man I hope we have some weddings, it´s so common for couples just to live together here for years and years. An inspiring woman named Teka has been actively been going to church here for 4 years, but is unable to be baptized because her husband refuses to mary her. 

The miracles I am unable to count. I have seen more than I am able to count receive answers to their prayers that this is the truth, in this year. It has been the best year of my life.