Baptisms Just Keep Coming

Hey how is everyone doing?! I am great because there were some baptisms this week!

The people that were baptized were Rita and Samyra. Rita is the sister of Luis André and she was really excited to get baptized. She was really ready and she said that she feels really light now and really happy. So that was amazing to help her. Samyra actually said about the same thing. She was super excited during the whole week and on Sunday when she was baptized you could really see the light in her eyes. She was so happy and it is always great to help people make these saving ordenances becuase you can see how their lives really change for the better. It is never for the worst unless they choose to leave the path. But this week was fun. Sorry this email is short I just really wanted to get this across. Have a great week!

Amo Vocês, 

Elder Kupferer

Know the Savior

Alô! Tudo Ótimo!

This week has been really good!  So first off, our washing machine broke so we were washing our clothes by hands until we got a new machine on Wednesday. Man I have never been so happy to see a washing machine in my life. You never know what you are taking for granted until it’s gone. So I am using my new machine a lot recently.

Second, we had a Zone Conference that was amazing! We talked a lot about being focused on Christ and having fire in your bones, which is fed and kept by your testimony. I have learned that we need to continue to grow our testimony, especially in Christ and that we need to KNOW THE SAVIOR.

Third, because of that conference, everyone was really excited this week and on Sunday we resolved to do three baptismal interviews, two of which were in our area. So the first one was Samira, who I taught before I went to Teresópolis but when I got back, she was still going but no one invited her to be baptized. So we just invited her, and Elder Ricks did the interview and she passed! So she is prepping for this Sunday to be baptized. THEN later that night I went to Rita's house with Elder Western, (she is the sister of Luis André) and he did her interview. When she left the interview, she was crying a bit.... BECAUSE SHE PASSED!!! Man, Elder Western said that she was the person mais pronto (More ready? Most ready? something like that) that he has seen. So she is getting ready for Saturday. AND THEN it went a little downhill hahaha. I went to do an interview with Luis, the investigator of the other elders and when I went to do the interview, he started to talk a lot about the other church that he was involved in. So he wasn’t really ready to be baptized this week but he will continue to work with them and if he does, he definitely will be baptized.

And this is something that I have learned that all that we need to do is to ask of God. So I will do a goal with everyone of you. I want everyone to read James 1:5-6, and then ask if the Book of Mormon is true. I promise as a representative of Christ that you WILL receive an answer.

Amo Vocês, 

Elder Kupferer

James 1:5 -6  

5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Starting New with the Old

What up pessoal!!! How is everyone doing?

So this week has been an adventure. So on Tuesday I went to the bus station to get my new companion. AND I got an American!! His name is Elder Ogden and he is from.... Draper Utah, not Ogden (man that would be cool). He only has four months on the mission but is already talking really good.

So when he showed up we started to get to work. This week didn’t have many really cool things that happened. BUT, Elder Ogden had a birthday so we celebrated with pancakes, cake, and work haha. We then invited some people to church, and three people came, which were all amazing. Two of them are some people that I, Elder Western, Elder Kzescik, Elder Arroyo, Elder Davis, and many more tried to get to go to church and he finally went yesterday!!! Man was I surprised haha. Oh other really cool thing that happened, we had ward conference and the chapel was PACKED!! We actually showed up late and couldn’t even find seats! They had to open the back. Man was I so happy. I have been with this ward for about 8 months now and that was the first time that is has been that packed. I am glad that I have been able to see the ward grow that much. So there was one more person that showed up and her name is Rita. She was one of the people I was teaching before I left (the sister of Luis André) but she wasn’t baptized because she never went to church. But she went this time and that night we went and we marked a baptism date with her! It was a really great day. Well I have to go I hope that everyone has a great rest of the week!

Amo Vocês, 

Elder Kupferer

I Can't Leave this Place

Hey how is everyone doing?

So this week has been an adventure. First off, I hit my one year mark!! I can’t believe how fast that has happened. It feels like yesterday that I got on the plane to come here and now I am one year in Brazil. But something happened in the middle of the week.... I got transferred. It was a bit of a bummer because it didn’t have any time to say goodbye to everyone but I packed everything and left Thursday morning. And this would be the end of the story getting to Juiz de Fora but no, there was a good amount of other stuff that happened.

So, when I was trying to pay my ticket, I had to show my Brazilian identity, but the paper I had expired. I already renewed my VISA but the problem was that I would get a card to replace the paper but it never showed up. SO the lady wouldn’t let me buy a ticket. And with all that, I and my friend that was being transferred with me, Elder Bledsoe, did not have a cell phone. SO we tried to buy a card to use the public phone but there weren’t any left. Then we went to the information desk and they said that the best option is to go to the police. SO they kindly watched our bags as we went to the military police (the normal police there) and asked if we could use their phone. One of them let us use their personal phone, we made the call, we got a copy of my passport to see if that would work, and we returned. BUT THAT DIDN'T WORK EITHER. So we just used the phone of a guy that let us use his phone in the bus station to call for our president, who said go to Três Rios then go to Juiz de Fora. Oh and the whole problem was that I can’t travel across state borders unless I have my identity so we went to try to cross the state border in Três Rios (which is still the state of Rio) AND.... IT WORKED!!! Man that was one of the longest days and was one of the happiest times of my life when I arrived in Juiz de Fora. 

What happened next is that we helped a bit in the staff and then we received our new assignments yesterday and I will go to....... BAIRU!! DE NOVO! I will return to the same area that I served before I went to Teresópolis but I am excited because my new companion, Elder Ogden is really cool, and my district will be amazing. But seriously, I can’t leave this place hahaha. Anyways, I hope that everyone has a great week!!

Amo Vocês, 

Elder Kupferer