Week 73 - November 30, 2015

Christmas is here!!

Hello Family and Friends!

So our week went super well and we are having some real success! This past week we found an investigator to start teaching and she is pretty awesome. We marked a baptismal date for her and we are working on getting her prepared! She literally understands everything and she asks really good questions, and we are hoping to have a baptism here soon. 

As for the less actives, there are many, but we have been able to get some of these members back on track, doing the right things again, and it’s been super good. As difficult as it is sometimes, it is always worth it to see them feel the Spirit again and remember the happiness that they had once felt when living the gospel. It is funny to me that people think that life is only supposed to be easy or fun, but God only promised ETERNAL happiness as we live the gospel to its fullest. He never promised that life would be easy. People just forget. 

Thanksgiving was pretty good I guess, I would have forgotten if Elder Peterson hadn’t told me haha…but I guess that is what the comp is there for right?! We had a lot of lessons fall through this week, but we are working hard and just doing this thing! The dogs in this area are aggravating too; I almost had to drop kick a couple. 

Have a great week y’all! Tchau!

Elder Buck

Week 72 - November 23, 2015

 Just waiting at the bus stop.

Hey Y’all!

It sure is good hearing from you guys every week and I love all the detail and stuff you guys put in. I feel so updated! Peterson and I have had a great week and lots of prayers and fasting has really paid off for us here. Never again will I neglect fasting like I did at home, let me tell ya! We have been working super hard with some less active members, and seriously it has brought us so much more work and referrals than I ever thought it would. When we got here there were about 45-50 people going to church consistently, but yesterday we had a total of 66 people there. That may not seem like a lot, but is moving us a lot closer to making this branch into a ward (which is definitely attainable) and getting this branch a reform approved. Which would be so great because this building is in rough shape! But we are definitely feeling the blessings as we try to help these members do their job and see the importance of keeping sacred covenants with God. 

On another note I almost kicked a dog in the face, but I didn’t because the owner was watching. (I totally should have done it because the dog was charging us, acting like it was going to bite us...It would’ve been awesome!) Hahaha it was good stuff! 

I don’t know what else to write but I love you all and hope you all have a great week! Tchau!

Elder Buck

Week 71 - November 16, 2015

SUNNNNNNNNNN.....

Hey Fam!

So our week went really well and we are really starting to get this snowball rollin’! The branch is really getting fired up with our visits and everything, which is really exciting. Our ward (branch) mission leader is awesome too. He has been going out with us every Saturday to visit less actives and those that don’t go to church at all, and its been helping us out a ton. He has taken a lot of pressure off of our shoulders to reactivate people and get people going back to church. 

This week we have been able to find some pretty cool people to start teaching and it seems like they have quite a bit of interest in the things we have to say. We have also been able to sit down to teach more than walking around knocking on doors and talking to people on the street (even though I really really love doing that and all...bahaha). We also had our interviews with President this week and HOLY COW the guy knows the scriptures like the back of his hand. I would be shocked if he didn’t become a general authority or something! On top of it all he really is a great guy! He’s pretty tough, but his hearts in the right place for sure! 

Other than that I don’t really have anything else to report, other than I know that Jesus Christ lives and loves us a lot; enough to sacrifice Himself for all humanity. The church is true!

Elder Buck

Bleach, water, and sugar kills mold anywhere without staining your clothes! 

Who knew?!

Yep. I think summer is here.

The 2 missionaries from your neighborhood.

Week 70 - November 9, 2015

Hey Y'all!

So this week went really well in our efforts to try to get the members here visiting the less actives and stuff. We have our new ward mission leader and he has already done so much for us, he is really magnifying his calling super well! I think the work is hard right now but we are trying really hard to get the members involved and helping us out a bit. We are finding some people to teach and families to converse with, but the problem is that they are all SUPER hard to find at home and can be pretty flaky... we just need more people to teach and the branch needs to learn how to retain their members. It’s going to work out!

So in our area here there are SO MANY less active members and we had a good week of visits and trying to get some of them going back to church. Many have problems with addictions, with other members in the church, and with keeping commitments. But it is really incredible to see how everyone has a testimony of the things we believe. They all fell away from the church for not doing the simple things every day. I know it is something we hear all of the time - but seriously if we will read our scriptures, pray, have family home evening, go to church, fast, go to the temple, serve, MAKE COVANANTS and work everyday to build our testimonies, WHEN Satan comes to try and lead us away from the straight and narrow path, he wont be able to! (See Helaman 5:12)

Dad, it is very comforting for me to know that my parents are still serving, still going to church and trying to do what is right. I’ve seen too often on my mission families falling apart for a lack of true priesthood leadership in the home. It is SO important! And it helps me bear a stronger testimony on how the gospel truly blesses families and strengthens them. I am literally a personal witness of that principle! Continue always doing these things and it will be so worth it! And mom I love you so much and hope everything is going well over there, and thank you so much for everything you are doing to help me and support me, I’m so lucky to have you as a mother!

This church is so true!

Elder Buck

p.s. Sorry no pictures today!!

Week 69 - November 3, 2015

Hey Everyone!

So this week went really really well and we got a little flame started in this tiny branch here in São Francisco do Sul. We have really been emphasizing the principle of fasting and we have seen so many blessings come from it. It is one thing to learn a principle and it is another to COMPREHEND a principle. We have had to exercise a lot of faith this week and we are really seeing a lot of results. I don’t know why I haven’t done this with more frequency at the beginning of my mission. It just brings so many blessings (see "Is this not the Fast I have Chosen" by Henry B. Erying). 

As for progressing investigators...this week has been tough, but we are working really hard with the reactivation thing and getting people to church. So that has been working out pretty well! Fortunately my Portuguese has gotten a lot better because I am training an American, and it is pretty funny because I have been fooling so many people this week! 

I hope everyone is doing good there at home! I don’t have time to email everyone (anyone really) today but thank you all for the emails and support I really loved hearing from y’all! Just know I love this work and I not want to be anywhere else! Tchau!

Elder Buck