Sunday, July 29, 2018

July 22, 2018 Busy week with transfers


Hey family, 

Everything is going well, 

So me and my companion have to do a ton of stuff because he is finishing the mission this week and we also have to take care of transfer stuff for the zone so this week I’m just sending a real quick email. 

Next week I will send details on the transfer and pictures. 

I’ll continue as the zone leader here. 

Love you all

Sunday, July 22, 2018

July 15, 2018 Read the Book of Mormon Everyday!


Dear family, 

Looks like this week was a fun one! EFY is always such a great experience. 

This week was good for us, the work is still recovering from all that partying and the world cup but it’s all over now!


So it was awesome this week, we reactivated this girl that has been inactive for a couple years but she finally moved here from Rio de Janeiro and we did a family night with them a couple of weeks ago but she was still iffy about church. But now she met some cool friends from our ward and now she is going to all the activities and she is so excited about church. It’s interesting how a friendship in the church can change everything. 

Our investigator Flávia didn’t get baptized because she is afraid of her grandmother and family who are all really catholic. She is 19 years old, but she still wants her families support. We have been praying and trying to help. I think that we are going to help her by doing a family night with a bunch of in the ward that are her age. 

This ward has a ton of awesome young single adults so that helps a ton. 

I’ve been reading the Book of Mormon and it’s been the best thing ever, I never did read it before the mission alone all the way through. I remember that when I was in my second area I still was only a little way through in Book of Mormon but then it hit me that I haven’t read the Book of our religion! It was the first thing that Joseph smith did, God commanded that he translated the Book of Mormon before he restored anything else! and I didn’t even read it yet! I never felt so sad and I got on my knees that night and begged for forgiveness and I promised that I would read the Book of Mormon every day since then. My first time reading it all the way through was in Portuguese about a few weeks later and now I’m on my fourth time reading it and it really does help us through whatever we need. Its helping me finish this mission and use these last 7 weeks to do my best. 

It’s been a great transfer; this week I’ll receive the transfer but I’m sure I’ll stay. I really hope that I can hit my goals this transfer. 

I’m glad that everyone had a great week. 

Miss you guys and hope everyone has a great week



Love 
Elder Toma

Sunday, July 15, 2018

July 8 2018




 Dear Family, 

This week went really well. 


We taught some new people and set some baptismal dates. 


I had an interview with president and it was awesome. He talked to me about how I only have 8 weeks left and how 8 weeks is a lot and to not let the enemy make me think that it is little because I still can become the missionary that I want to be in 8 weeks and accomplish what I need to accomplish. 


So I have really been trying to help us as a zone develop and use the gifts to help the work.
The missionaries have been getting excited about it, but unfortunately these last weeks have been hard with all the holidays and the world cup.

This week we gave talks in sacrament meeting and then the bishop gave his talk. He was roasting everyone and then starting crying. IN the middle of his talk this old guy picked up the phone and started talking so loud! and then when we thought he was going to hang up he talked for 3 more minutes! It was kind of funny I’m not going to lie. 

We had our conference this week, it was good. It was about the Book of Mormon and it was really spiritual. 

It was my second to last conference and Elder Jensen´s last conference so when we are going home they call us up to bare our testimonies so my 
companion bore his. 

I really like my companion and admire that he is still pushing through even though he goes home in two weeks. It’s the good thing about having American companions because I can see them easier after the mission.
   
I hope everyone is enjoy summer there, 
Have a great trip out in Utah! 
Love you all

Elder Toma

Sunday, July 1, 2018

June 25, 2018 "Just let the Spirit do his part"


Dear Family, 

This week went well.  So this area isn’t close to my first area its actually in a different state. Its closer to my second area but it’s still pretty far from Tobias Barreto which was my second area. This area is SOOO small. we can walk from one side to the other in 20 mins easy. It’s very small. 

Mission Leadership Training
Our baptism didn’t go through this week, there was a holiday called São Jão so church was pretty empty and we didn’t have any investigators at church this week. But we are looking at 2 baptisms for next week. We received some references to and it’s so nice to work with references. I was missing it for a while because my last area was harder. 


This week was spiritual for me during an interview. So we went on splits last week and taught a returned missionaries mom. She told us that she wanted to wait for her husband to come back before she would be baptized. He would only be getting back at the end of the year. 
  

I'm not going to lie, I had no idea what to say. It was just silence for a while. Then I said "just pray about it" only our Heavenly Father knows what is the best for us. She agreed. But we were still afraid that she wouldn’t be baptized. Her son who just returned from his mission helped a ton. By the end of the lesson we asked how she was feeling and none of our words saved her baptism but the way the Spirit touched her saved it! I thought that was amazing how sometimes we don’t have to say much but let the Spirit do his part.


I also did her interview which was one of the most spiritual interviews that I have done. It’s amazing to watch someone go through the process of conversion, it’s just something so amazing to me. 
She would receive the lessons and then pray and then receive an answer. During the interview she bore her testimony saying that her neighbor tried stopping her from being baptized in the Church because the Mormon church is a "cult". She said "anyone or anything can try and stop me, but nothing will because I can’t deny that answer that God has given me during my prayers" 
This Saturday she was baptized, and everyone cried. 

 This week was a good week even with the world cup going on and São João. 

I’m starting to really like it here, Sergipe is a good place. 

This week I won’t be able to send pictures because of the computer that I am using but next week I’ll send more. 

I hope everyone has a great week.

Love you guys

Elder Toma