Life on the Beach

 Dear Friends and Family

This week was a very good week. Torres is a super awesome area, and this branch here is also very strong. They do their visits, and work to do divisions with us as well. Not to mention that there is this young man who is getting ready to serve a mission. His name is Cleberton, and hes gone out an a few devisions with us as well, and will be going out on quite a few more too.

Another cool thing that happened this week was an activity the branch had. This last saturday, they had a talent show, which was super cool. I was super surprised at how much talent this branch has, because literally everyone here can play guitar. A bunch of Beach bums playing their beach songs, it was super enjoyable. In addition, I made a banana Pie, and brought it to the activity. haha, All the moms in the ward were so impressed with me as well. Pretty much the whole next two days, theyre were asking me for that reciepe and for me to go to their house, and show them how to make it. Really quite enjoyable! 

As far as the work is going, we have on boy here who is preparing to be babtiised. He is super awesome, and super prepared. We are working getting his parents to church too, but eventually, we want to babtise the whole family. Hes super firm as well, going to church every sunday, and participating in all the classes and stuff. So thats exciting, and he wants to be babtised in the ocean as well! 

Hope you all had a fantastic week as well, until next week!

-Elder Shurts

I'm Living on the Beach!

Dear friends and family.

These past two weeks have been super amazing.

Alright. so to write about last week. Last week was my last week in bento Gonçaolves. Me and elder Miller had lots of fun, and worked hard. but the craziest part of that week was when I got a call from president Sunday night. It was a little after we had visited Elanise and them. We received a call, and president Campos wanted to talk to me. he asked me if I had started packing my bags, and I said yes. then he said good, and told me that i was going to be transferred. then he told me that i was going to train as well, and that I was going to arrive in my new area this Thursday. This call freaked me out. but I knew that it would all turn out fine in the end.

Anyway, so being a trainer, there was a lot of training and orientation that was going to happen in Porto Alegre. I arrived there Tuesday morning along with other missionaries. and we went to the mission office. this transfer, fifteen new missionaries arrived. and there were eight american sisters who arrived, and one american elder. In the end, I got paired up with a new Brazilian missionary who i will be training for the next few weeks. his name is Elder Fatori, and hes from Sçao Paulo. A lot shorter than me, and super excited to do missionary work. We had some pretty awesome inspiring trainings too before we left to our areas. The director for teaching at the mtc in Sçao Paulo came to give a training, which was quite a treat.

Afterwards, we all left to our areas. My new area is called Torres, which is a little tourist city on the coast. Its part of the zone Osório. its a big area, but a relatively small city. its very beautiful there as well. I'll be taking many many pictures here in the near future. I am super excited for these next few months. I'm going to learn a lot, and grow a lot at the same time. We are going to be super organized, and help this branch here. Oh ya, and its a branch here in Torres, which is pretty small, but very awesome.

Hope y'all having a good time too!!

-Elder Shurts

Lord of the Rings Cookie Dough

No letter this week. But here's a short little note: Oh, mom... Im gonna be training a new missionary this next transfer, and Ill be transferred to a new area, kinda feeling overwhelmed, but I know it'll be alright! nossa, so, I'm gonna have a lot going on for while here.

made cookies, but on the way, made minus Tirith (oh, if you guys could send some cookie reciepies, that would be cool!)

Andre e Sabrina (our investigators) and all the dessert foods they made in one night, really quite impressive!

Babtism of Melanhe

Dear friends and family

Well this week was super awesome, Melanhe, an investigator weve been teaching for three months now got babtized. The babtism was super special, lots of members showed up, and supported her, which alwasy makes me super happy. The water heater didnt work all that well though, so when melanhe was babtised, it was still freezing cold.  haha, but it all worked out. Melanhe was super excited for her babtism, the whole time, she was thanking us for showing her the restored gospel and thanking others for their support as well. 

So that was the experience we had that week, it makes me so happy, when people recieve answers to their prayes and are converted to the gospel in such a way. We invite people to read and pray, and explain why, and pray that the people we teach fulfil our invitations for them to read and pray. because thats shows a heart willing and desiring spiritual knowledge. And when someone demonstrate this attitude to god, it shows him their faithfulness, and gods hand opens up, and poors blessings upon us, giving us that spiritual growth and conviction we all need. The scriptures are full of invitations like the one in James 1~5 Ask and ye shall recieve. Its a very true promise, and a very real promise. Whatever you ask God, being just and in the name of the Son, you will recieve an answer to your prayer. 

Love ya all, and stay strong

-Elder Shurts