Septmber 7, 2018 Elder Toma is home!!!

September 4, 2018 Final Letter from the Field

Dear Family, 

This week is a little bit busy so it will be a quick letter. 

I had a great week, I’m just making use of my last days here.

The devotional on Christ-like attributes was great, it was a good way to finish out my last week in the field. 

Sunday was good, it was testimony meeting so I had the opportunity to bare mine. 

I’m not going to lie, to me it was just another Sunday it doesn’t feel like I’m going home ha-ha, but I’m sure it will hit me later on. 

Today I have to finish my bags and then I’m going to have a family night with one of our investigators. 

Tonight I’ll go to the bus station and travel to Maceió and then I’ll get there in the morning and I’ll probably do some self-reliance class and then on Wednesday it will be the interviews and dinner with president and then Thursday we travel. 

I think that will be going with 2 other Americans. My companion from the MTC and a sister from my zone. 

Thanks for all the emails and support. 

I love you. 

See you soon

Elder Toma

August 26, 2018 Final full proselyting week of my mission!

Dear Family, 

This week was a good week, it was super busy running around doing baptismal interviews but it was good.

So Tuesday we had rehearsals on this devotional that we are going to do on Saturday on the Attribute of Christ. I think it will be great to finish off the mission with this devotional that we are putting together. 

Wednesday we had splits and I went to this area that was huge! I got so tired that day just from walking in the hot sun all day but it was a good day, the next day we undid the splits and we were able to work a little in our area. but then the next day we were back on doing another division and the next day we had to go to the sister’s area to do more interviews. 

The sisters baptized 3 kids and a dad. These kids were so incredible, when we got there they all came up to us and gave us big hugs and then they told us about everything that they learned, I was impressed by how much they learned and then they sang I like to look for rainbows for us! imagine your investigators singing one of the hymns! They had a great baptism, it was really spiritual. 

This week we had 2 baptisms lined up for next week but when we were teaching on of our investigators we were right about to mark the baptism and she was feeling the Spirit and even compared baptism to eating the fruit from Lehi's dream but then suddenly this lady walked in and our investigator had to attend her and asked for us to come back on Tuesday! and  then she didn’t go to church so it fell through. 

But the good news is that we have the other baptism that is still firm.  

So I just have 6 full days of work, I can make it! Next week I’m heading to Maceió and I’ll take a self-reliance class and then the next day will be scrapbook with sister Taylor and dinner and then I’m heading to the airport. 

I’m honestly feeling normal, I’m excited to see you guys and all but I haven’t felt that many emotions yet, just a normal week ha-ha. 

Next week I don’t know how much time I’ll be in the Lan House because I’ll have to pack and get ready for Maceió and take care of the zone, but I’ll send a quick message.

Hope everyone has a great week. 

Love you all

Elder Toma

August 20 2018 Importance of Recognizing the Spirit

Dear Family, 

This week was good and very busy. 

So I had my last zone conference and we had to give a training on helping our investigators recognize the Spirit. 

It’s an essential part in missionary work but it’s not just teaching the messages, leaving a commitment, and then leaving. 

ITs important to sometimes stop the during the most spiritual part and ask the investigator how they are feeling and then helping them recognize that it is the Spirit testifying.

Also they have all the missionaries that are going home bare their testimonies. It was only two of us that were going home this zone conference because the others are in Maceió. So I was one of them and it was really weird.  It just went by really fast and it almost didn’t feel real, it was kind of hard to accept that I was leaving so my testimony was kind of weird. Maybe in a few weeks I'll feel it more during the last testimony meeting in president's house.

The work is slowly progressing, we had 4 investigators at church and we are going to try and baptize them this month.

Sunday was really Spiritual, we had a lesson on charity and another lesson on the Atonement. 

He had us right down our daily difficulties or struggles. Then we also wrote down how our lives would be without the Atonement of Christ. 

And then we all read them and then he had us write what our lives can be because of the Atonement of Christ and we watched a video that I will attach. 

Then after the video he read all the papers of what our lives are because of the Atonement. 

It was Spiritual and one of the guys in the room who has been struggling bawled during the entire thing. 

I can't believe that Cole got married! send me pictures. 

I really liked the message that Dad sent me, it’s perfect for missionary work and I would like to use it for my zone. 

Sounds like everyone is doing great. 

I miss you guys and can't believe that I'll see you all in just a few weeks. 

Hope everyone has a great week. 

Love
Elder Toma

August 13, 2018 Using our Gifts to do the Work

Dear Family, 

This week was a good week but my companion got sick and so we also had a slower week, but he is already getting better.

I had to give a talk this week on missionary work. It was alright, I talked about our talents and how different people need the talents or even better are friendships, for example someone that I could help can be someone that needed what I have to offer and of course more importantly will need the conversion which only comes through the Spirit. In

the Book of Mormon Ammon was the right person to help the King Lamoni be converted. That doesn’t mean that we are the ones that convert. But we are all used as instruments in the hands of God but naturally we are different so this results in us be different instruments in the hands of God. Maybe someone can have a gift in music so they can develop that gift and use it to help others.

That’s also something that I’ve been trying to help the zone with.

Alma 22:26  says  "Yea, he that repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually without ceasing-unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God; yea, unto such it shall be given to reveal things which never have been revealed; yea, and it shall be given unto such to bring thousands of souls to repentance, even as it has been given unto us to bring these our brethren to repentance."

To me this scripture is a hint on everything that has to do with missionary work even if it is developing our gifts. 

Like dad taught me, it’s a math equation, if we do these 4 steps then the results are what is promised above.

The week had some funny experiences too, I find it funny that everything that would be strange is now normal to me. 

For example I saw a man on a horse and the horse had a license plate on it ha-ha, like it took me awhile to realize that that wouldn’t be an everyday thing over there. 

Even to my companion everything here is weird because this region is like the redneck Brazil. Also we had some laughs because of some of the crazy people on the road that just start ranting to themselves the craziest stuff or they start singing super loud ha-ha. 

I think one of the things that I am going to miss is the food. The lunches here are really good and they make the best juices here from the fruit. 

We had lunch with a member this last Sunday and he bought over 8 liters of soda! craziness ha-ha

Recently nothing has hit me yet, to me I’m still staying on the mission and I’m not going home anytime soon, even when I try to believe it I just can’t ha-ha. So I’m not too trunky because it doesn’t seem real yet. Maybe it’s a good thing maybe not ha-ha.

But it sounds like everyone is doing well, I got Cole's wedding invitation, still can't believe that he is getting married. 

I hope everyone has a great week!

Love 

Elder Toma

August 5, 2018 Reaching New Heights

Dear Family, 

This week has definitely been a better one. 

It seems that everything has being going back to normal in the area and we were able to find some good investigators. 

This week we had 5 at church so that was great and two of them are a couple that are really wanting to get married and baptized so we are setting some goals with them and the bishop has some contacts that can help them get married fast and cheap. 

This week I was able to talk to my companion a little bit more and his story sounds a lot like your friend Jason's. 

So my companion, Elder Araujo, used to be a part of some spirit religion and he came in contact with the sisters just to bible bash them. He wanted to attack the church but then when he went to church one day the Spirit told him "God loves you and he wants you here, this is your place" afterwards he asked the members behind him why they said that in his hear but then the told him that he didn’t. He said that he started to pray and ask if that was an answer from God and he said he felt really warm and ever since then he was converted. But like Jason he had to wait a year because his family went against him and was even banned from going to church for a year and his family would find his Book of Mormons and burn them. 

But he is an excellent missionary and has one of the strongest testimonies ever and now his family is liking the church and excepting the missionaries and everything. 

This week we also went to the leadership council meeting in Maceió. So my companion and I usually leave the house at 11 30 at night and we get a but to Maceió at 12 30 and then we usually arrive in Maceió about 6:00 in the morning. This time we arrived at 5:30. Then from the bus station we go to the president's house and wait until 8 for the breakfast and then we start at 9.

The meeting was very spiritual especially Sister Taylor´s training and President´s. 

 Sister Taylor talked about reaching higher. She did a practice where she had someone reach as high as the could on the wall and then she marked it with taped.

And then she had the same person try again but reach a little higher. It’s interesting that we always find a way to reach a little higher even if it’s just by a little. 

President talked about the roles of a district leader and a zone leader and how neither is better than the other but the mission has this idea that a zone leader is more important when it really isn’t. IN fact a district leader has even more contact with the missionaries. He compared the two as a bishop and as a stake president.

After the meeting we went to the bus station at 6 and returned home a little before midnight. I think that the lack of rest and travelling got me sick because all week I have been feeling really tired and I caught a nasty cold. I am getting better and its passing but it is never fun getting sick on the mission especially when you need to work but your feeling tired. 

So this week was good but also a little annoying with the cold. The next day when we got back from Maceió at midnight we had to wake up early and go to a district meeting I was just dead ha-ha. 

My studies have been going really well and I’m enjoying this challenge to finish the Book of Mormon by Christmas. I was reading in Mosiah and I read the story of Abinadi and I just love that story. It reminds me of all those that sealed their testimony with their blood. Joseph Smith, Abinadi, and Christ are great examples of that. 

It teaches me that even when we are afraid to do what’s right we just need to do it. I love that. It reminds me of President Thomas S. Monson's talk on daring to be a Mormon. 

Sounds like everyone has had a great week. I loved the pictures!

I hope everyone is doing well.

Have a great week

Love
Elder Toma

July 30, 2018 Doing my best to finish out baptizing

Dear Family,

These last two weeks have been good but also weird because I had to watch my companion go home. For me it was pretty normal but at the same time trunky! It’s weird to watch someone leave the mission because it made me realize that one day it will be me. 

Its good though to get back into routine and start to forget about it again ha-ha. 

So the new transfer started. I’m in the same area which is Siqueira Campos Aracaju. So in our house its 2 other missionaries including me that are finishing up the mission. My companion goes home one transfer after me, but he is one of the best missionaries from the mission. He is from my group in the CTM. His name is Elder Araujo and he is from São Paulo. Him and his sister are the only member from his family, but he is one of the best missionaries that I have seen. I have lots of respect for him. 

 So the work is going well, the first week is always the hardest but we are planning lots of activity with the members so that we can integrate the investigators more with the members. 

We have a couple people to baptize and I’m really going to do my best to finish out baptizing. 

The zone is doing really bad, I don’t know why everything is so hard, but the numbers are really low and this month we only baptized one person as an entire zone!

I’ve never seen this my entire mission, it’s just been a crazy month with 3 holidays and the world cup! 

I’ve decided to try new things with the zone to help us, especially with going on splits and stuff.

I’ve started a goal to finish the Book of Mormon before Christmas, I think that I’m going to continue reading it in Portuguese even when I get home. 

The house is looking good, I think that will be in more shock then I thought. Sometimes it feels like while we are on the mission everything at home just stops but sounds like a lot has changed.

This week I’ll send pictures because last week I didn’t ha-ha. 

Thanks for all the support

 

Love you all

Elder Toma

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

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

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

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