Week 21

 Here's a picture of me and my new companion elder moos!!! He's american! We teach english tp a school every Tuesday and so we are the only area in the mission that has 2 americans. It's really hard to keep learning Portuguese because we only ever speak English to each other!!!

Here's a picture of our baptism from this week! It took us forever to finally help this guy get baptised but after more than 10 weeks working with missionaries he asked me to baptise him!

Missionary work is very hard but it is soo rewarding. at times. I'll be walking in the street and realize how much pain my body is feeling and it makes me want to stop. But one thing that I always remember is the fact that Christ felt 1084375693249599 times worse than I'll ever feel and it helps me keep going. I always tell myself that the only unfair thing in life is the fact that Christ had to suffer for US. That always helps me keep going. There is a talk from Jeffrey R. Holland that I found that talks about missionary work. He says that missinary work is not easy. We are proud to call ourselves representatives of Jesus Christ, but because of that we need to feel a little bit of what he felt and that's why missionary work is hard! Why would we think that it would be easy for us if it was never, ever easy for him. That's what keeps me going. That's what makes me talk to people and that's why the spirit is with me when I teach and that is why I'm baptised weekly. The atonement changes people but most importantly it changes us as members of the church. It carries us through our trials.

I love my call and I love this work. The work of Christ is the best work to do.

I love and pray for you all everyday. Remember God in all things!!

Love,

Elder Barnard

jacob 6:12

Week 18

Andrew was called in by his mission president and told the news of his grandpas passing. Here is the sweet note he wrote to his Grammy: 

grammy I just want you to know that I love you and that you have always been a major role model in my life. Things are going to be different but things are going to be good. The Lord has a plan for us and we will all see grandpa again. When I found out all I could think about was you. I wanted to fly home just to hug you then fly right back. But one thing that I want you to know also though is that I feel grandpas presence in my work as a missionary. He's with me and he is protecting me. I'm so very glad I had the opportunity to go through the temple with you guys before I came here. It was my last memories of grandpa. love you grammy

Week 16

 It's finally starting to get cold here!!!!! yesssssss sweater weather all day everyday!! the missionary life is a killer but its so worth it!! Always happy and always bringing more people to the knowledge of the gospel!!! I keep on forgetting to bring my camera to os reuniao batismais. freake meu. mas tudo tranquilo eu vou email aqelas fotos para voces mais tarde. haha....didn't even realize I was writing in portugese hahaha lemme translate.. I always for get to bring my camera to the baptisms but its okay ill email them to you later... mycompanion has them all on his camera!

Week 13

Sooooo first transfer is finally over and I was sadly moved to another area. But, I've come to love this area even more than my last because its a cooler area. I now have 3 people living with me and I'm looking forward to having a great tranfer with good numbers. Elder Semedo is my companion, but, only for this past first week. He was here to show me the area so that I can memorize it and my new companion is Elder Albuqueque! I dont even know him yet but, I'm looking forward to working with him! We had another baptism this week of an invetigator that was more than golden and now she is a golden member! :D Her name is Ivania and she is O CADA!! (the best). We had I think 3 visits this week and every visit she made us a snack with coke!! She gives us a bag of candy everytime before we leave and most off all, last night she gave us a whole cake and me and my companion a new pair of shoes because she knows how fast we go through them!! Man she's awesome!!!!

 

So that makes 4 baptisms on my mission so far and we have another set for Wednesday!!!! The field here is ready to harvest, you just gotta open your mouth!!!!

What a great week! We have a train track here is my new area and he have trains come trough literally every 30 minutes. We put coins on the track and after the train passes by we go back and find our money and its Squished flat, super illegal!! haha 

I hope everyone has a great week! keep listening to those confernece talks!

 

 

Week 12

well dang...this week was a good week. elder dias and I got a lot done and were starting to get excited about the next 6 weeks or the next transfer. We were starting to set major goals for us as a companionship, finally getting our lazy ward to get involved with missionary work and so on. All was just peachy until the last 30 minutes of my first transfer when our phone rang and the assistant to the president told me I was being transfered! BOOOOOOO!! haha that was last night so today I'm packing my bags and starting all over again!! We finally had not only 1 baptism, but 2 baptisms this week. Our hard work finally paid off! After having every single other potential baptism kiau (fall through) we finally had 2 elect investiagators make their first convanent with the Lord. I was getting excited about being able to practice my baptismial prayer in the tougue of Brazil but both of our investitagotrs chose to have a member, FABIO, baptise them!!!! Fabio is a 6 month convert that as soon as he hits one year as a member is gunna ship off on a misson!! He is really excited about serving but earlier this week when Alice told us that she would like him to baptize(shortly after we left alices house) broke down in tears saying that he can't baptise her because he doesn't even know for himself that this church is really true. We tried everything we could to help him but he still was stuggling. All the way until Lucasour another baptism who got baptized on friday(alice got baptized on saturday) minutes before the baptism choice Fabio to baptize him also!!! Both Alice andLucas  desperatly wanted Fabio to baptize them...but why? "the holy ghost" quoting robert d hales on that one from conference this last wekend on that one. haha but anyways by this point Fabio felt good enough to baptize Lucas and after the baptism he came up and huged me and said thank you for helping him  and that he knows the church is true. The next day he baptized Alice. então, back to my quote.........conference was awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We all call conference here on the mish "the missionary vacation" it was by far the best and most inspirational conferences for me in my entire life. The overall theme for me was something that nearly every speaker spoke about. O Espiçao. the atonement. foi um otimo semana e eu esto super animado por o semana que vem!!!! really sad that I'm leaving my dad (my trainer) but life goes on!!!!

jacob 6:12

love,

Elder Barnard 

Week 11

Andrew got his Easter basket!!!!! 

Here's what he had to say 😍😍😍: 

i showed elder dias the pic of the fam (I sent him a copy of our Easter family pic) and he said "que siquy!" which means uhhhhh crap i forgot how to say it....but kinda like "oh how rich" everyone here thinks im rich and i keep telling them that i am not!! its kindof annoying actually. haha but yes i got the basket!! thank you!!! elder dias and i are going to snack like kings! haha i went to the mission office this morning because i had to do stuff for my ssn for here in brasil but as soon as i walked in the door the assistents to the president said "ohhhhhh, élder barnard! nos temos um presente bem especial por voce. más voce no pode ver" which trasnlates to we have a really special present for you but you can't look! i was super surprised to see a huge basket just full of chocolate. it was really embarassing actually because all the other missionaries there at the office were just staring!! awkward! so i didnt want to get mugged for my chocolate on the way home and look super gay carrying around a huge basket so i asked for a box to put all my stuff in. haha foi bem legal!! oh and the basket has a new home at the presidents apartment on the table and a center peice! sister dalton (presidents wife) asked if she could have it to put apples and other fruits in for when missionaries come over they can have something to eat. haha so next time i go to thier house i will see my basket!!! there was some chocolate truffles in the bottom of the basket, maybe 10 at the most. i put them in my hands and yelled "quem quer?!?" which means who wants?! everyone went crazy! haha FOI BEM LEGAL!! tahnks mom!!!!!!

Ugh I love this boy!!!!!!

Week 10

With another week in the books I can say that time is seriously flying! This week was super fun. We had our novo missionarios reunion at the presidents villa apartment (no joke the nicest place I've been to other than the temple here in Brazil). We ate like kings that day. It was really fun to see all my family members from the mtc! That was on tuesday and it was an all day thing, so by this point in my week we had only done about 3 hours of missionary work (the 3 hours after p-day and before we have to volar a nosso casa). Then on wednesday we had our usual didtrict meeting. I finally got to hit the streets that day. Then Thursday we had interviews all day with president. His wife made us all some sugar cookies and they were soooo good. Reminded me of how much I miss american deserts. haha. Then the rest of the week went normaly. We're hoping to have 3 baptisms this week. Finally!!!! This weeks letter is short but with that being said I will fill some space with my testimony.

eu se que este igreja e verdadero. este igreja e o mesmo igreja que jesus cristo establcei quando ele vivei em este terra. eu se que o expioção de jesus cristo e real. eu tenho um testimonho tambem sobre a reteração de este igreja. eu se que joseph smith vi dois personegens em um pilar de luz. jesus crinto e nosso pai celecial. eu se que o livro de mormon e o palavra de deus, como o biblia. jesus cristo vive e quando nos usar os ensinamentos dele, nos podemos ser perfeto como ele. nos poemos volar a nossa pai celecial. jesus critso e nosso savlador, nosso retendor, eu estou moito grato por o sacraficio de ele en o jargim de gethsemane. ele vive. ele nos ama muito. este e minha testimonho em o segrado nome de nosso salvador, jesus cristo, amem.

Translated using google translation for us gringos: 

I know that this church and true. This church is the same church that Jesus Christ established when he lived on this land . I know that the experience of Jesus Christ was real. I have a testimony also of the restoration of this church. I know that Joseph Smith saw two personages in a pillar of light . Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, as is the Bible. Jesus Christ lives and when we apply his teachings, we can be perfect like Him and become more like our Heavenly Father. Jesus Christ is our savior and our redeemer.  I am grateful for the great sacrifice he made in the garden of gethsemane . He lives. He loves us very much. This is my testimony in the sacred name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.