God is the Same Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

This past week was great!!!

Today for Pday we played futebol (soccer) with president, the missionaries from the staff, and some other missionaries. It was a blast!! I love playin futebol so much here, it’s a ton of fun and its good competition since the Brasilians are really good. Last night, me and elder Duarte had to stay up late at the office to put the weekly numbers of the mission into the system and prepare the weekly email/boletin that we send out to all the missionaries every week. It was like midnight, so we grabbed a Taxi to take us to Asa Sul to sleep there with the four other missionaries, so we could all go together to soccer the next morning (today). The taxi driver´s name was "Junior" and we had some really spiritual conversations on the ride home. It was awesome! He is really open to the gospel and talked a lot about families and the importance of following Christ in this life. Junior said that he doesn’t know what to do sometimes about how to be a good dad and raise his family cause this life is full of difficulties and challenges. We were then able testify and talk of the importance of a living prophet. I know Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God here on the earth today. God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He has always used prophets to reveal His will to us, since the beginning. Why would he not continue to have a prophet? (Amos 3:7) I testify that Thomas S. Monson is a living prophet of God on the earth today, and is ordained of God to receive revelation and to know of God´s will for all of us. 

We visited a lot of members in our area in Cruzeiro to get to know them better and to help them continue down the path.  We were on our way to a visit one night and I saw a Little Burger Diner that looked really good. Even though I was hungry, I felt that we needed to go there for some reason. The plan was to just go and see the prices. We get there and see an awesome less-active family!! They were excited to see us and invited us to sit with them. Even though they had just finished, the dad got up and bought us food and the family stayed and talked with us! They invited us over to do a family home evening on Monday (tonight) and that they would invite their non-member friends!!!  

Sometimes the Lord works in mysterious ways :) haha.  We visited this awesome family twice this week, the dad is a taxi driver and is awesome. The teenage son has been struggling with some stuff recently. We challenged the family to start reading the scriptures everyday, that they will read 1 chapter in the Book of Mormon per day. They all agreed and started yesterday. The dad works so so much to support his family and I have so much respect for him. He worked from Saturday at 6:00 in the morning until 7:00 in the morning on Sunday, took an hour nap, and then went to church, and even gave us a ride!! I’m sure many people would use that as an excuse to stay home and sleep in and not go to church. But he knows his priorities and that if he puts the Lord first, he need not worry about material and spiritual needs. I have a lot of love for that family after visiting only 2 times and for many many families here. There are some incredible people that I have met here in Brasil, who are incredible examples to me and have taught me a lot, through their examples and actions and words. The love that I feel here from the people we visit is incredible! I am so grateful to be a missionary and have this opportunity to help people. 

I love the gospel!! I love my Savior!! The church is true!! Stay true to who you are. The Gospel is the key to true and everlasting happiness. Don’t just believe it, Live it!!

Love,

Elder Lofton Bean

With Sister and President Lundgren

The new missionaries and office staff with President Lundgren.
Elder Barbosa, McLaws, President Lundgren, Elder Kohler, Van Wagoner,
Ostrom, Bean, Preator, Duarte, Gonzalez, Batista, Shinigoski

Lunch at the mission home with the new missionaries

Chilling in a hammock with Elder Preator