The Gospel Brings Blessings

This week was really good!! We got to meet President and Sister Lundgren!! They are so awesome!! I could already see how much love they have for us missionaries and how much they want to help!! We had a mission conference and they both spoke and then walked around and talked with all of us! They have a daughter that lives in Lubbock so she thought it was awesome when she found out I was from Texas. 

We have been visiting Raimundo and Ivaneide still!! Gosh they are so awesome!! It's the best getting to go over there and feel the Spirit really strong during our visits. Raimundo´s testimony that he bares after each lesson is so powerful!! He wants to stay firm in the church now, get married, and then someday get sealed in the temple!! He is such a stud and wants to have everyone in house a member of the church. They have a little grandson who is like 8 months. He is like Raimundo´s "prodigy" lol. He wants to raise him in the church and have him serve a mission in South Africa! hahaha Ivaneide is so awesome too!! She really wants to get baptised and stay on the right path!!

They came to church and they brought 6 more friends and family with them!! They have seen the blessings that they have gained from the Gospel and now they want to share it!! I have grown to love them so much!!

We have found and met a lot of new families this week. They opened up to us about their life problems and different things they have dealt with and are dealing with. It made me so sad to see what they have been through. Things that I never imagine that could possibly happen in my life. And then they ask me for help, me: a 19 year old kid, what to do! I haven’t had anywhere close to the kinds of struggles and hardships they have gone through. I’ve never been married, never had kids, etc.  That is why I’m so grateful for the Spirit and how it can bring thoughts and words to know what to say that God would have them hear. Its really sad hearing some things that people have gone through. 

Another guy we have been teaching is Maicom! He is a 20 year old guy who has a 2 year old son named Gabriel. Maicom is awesome!! We marked a baptism date in August!  He is a super cool guy who has been through a lot in his life! 

We had a confirmation for Yuri yesterday in church, a 13 year old kid. He asked me to do it! He was baptised the Sunday before I got here, but hasn’t been to church until yesterday. Their family has been going through a lot. The mom left them, and the dad just blames it on everyone. It's been hard on Yuri. He plays video games on the computer for seriously, a minimum of 16 hours a day. I don’t blame him for it! he feels like his world is crashing around him and he can’t talk to anyone! His dad doesn’t really care. Me and his dad have had some good talks/arguments! I am so grateful for the parents that I have been blessed with!!  But the other day, I sat down with Yuri and we got a piece of paper and made some goals. (I made him sign the paper to show that he was willing to do it, it was legit!!)   The goals were he could only play 5 hours of video games everyday (this is a sacrifice big time for him), has to read 1 chapter a day of the Book of Mormon, has to visit a friends house at least 3 times a week (since he never leaves the house), has to go to church!!

I was so proud of Yuri cause he is doing it!!  He is a good kid and I feel so bad for the things that he has had to go through. 

For the Fourth of July here in Brasil they had fireworks!!!!!! :) YEahhhhhhh. But it was because Brasil beat Colômbia 2-1, not because of the independence of the USA!! haha  Everyone here is going crazy about how Neymar Jr. can't play the rest of the Cup because of his back. Yesterday on the way to lunch, we walked past a construction site with about 20 drunk dudes. They started going crazy, doing Brasil chants, and pointing at me yelling "Alemão! Alemão!"  (German! German!).  It was funny at first then got a little annoying. I asked one of the guys,  What would a guy from Germany be doing here in Itapoã?  He didn’t know what to say. ha. Everyone thinks that I’m from Germany. The game tomorrow will be tough but I think that Brasil will pull off the win!!  Tim Howard, the goalie for the US, is a beast and played lights out for the US. No one here thought they would make it out of group play but they did!! Just missed a couple of chances to put the ball in the net! 

I hope y’all have a great week!!!!  

I love you!!

Elder Bean

Raimundo and Ivaneide! They are awesome, I love them.
Brazilians don't like to smile in photos, even though
they are happy and smiling otherwise.

Me and Elder Gonzalez, he's from Argentina, one of the areas dad served.

Celebrating the 4th of July

Elder Huntsman taught me how to make peanut butter cookies.

The church building in Itapoã. They just rent this building until the church can build one.

Family Home evening on Sunday, celebrating Rykestili's 21st birthday, we had cake!