Tuesday, February 13, 2018

Hey everyone!! 

How is everyone doing!! 

So first off, congrats to my cousin for killing it in the MTC and my other cousin for getting your mission call to Rio de Janeiro!! haha sorry to say it, but this part of Rio is better (and Minas) 

ANYWAYS, so this week was cheio de coisas (full of stuff). 

On Friday, we had splits and I left with Elder Johnson to work. (Oh side note, Previous P day we made tacos so that was amazing) While we were walking, we were doing contacts and half of them were all in my area!! (Let it be known that I was working in his area so this is rare to happen) 

Then the next day, we did splits again because I needed to do a baptismal interview for them and we went and... The woman wasn't there when we wanted to talk to her. SO we just started to work in another part until about 7:30 when the other elders said that they found her and were teaching her. So we booked it to her house, I interviewed her and she passed! This woman is amazing and has such a strong desire to serve Christ. 

Then, on Sunday, we left with the quorum president to do some visits. When we did each one, I was taken back by how he talked to each of these inactive members and how it was just one invite that they needed to get their lives in order. So something I learned this week is that the power of the atonement is real and can help people. Also, families can be together for eternity, we just need to work for it. I hope everyone has a great rest of the week and I will enjoy this P day on Tuesday because the quorum is doing a barbecue here. See ya!

Com Amor,

Elder Kupferer

Conferência de fogo

Monday, February 5, 2018

Hey everyone. I know my mom will hate this because, like always, I am short on time. So basically this week has been really good except that our baptismal date fell through but we got a family that moved into our ward that are getting ready for baptism! So we will continue to help them out.

Our district meeting was really good and then on Thursday was spectacular! I can’t even begin to describe how animated everyone was. It was seriously one of the best ones I have been to. We talked a lot about how we can hit our goals and help people be baptized. One of my favorite quotes was that "a pessimist will always see the difficulty in the opportunity, but the optimist will always find the opportunity in the difficulty.”

Oh and one more thing that was cool was that we were doing our studies in the morning and the other elders in Teresópolis called for us to help with a service project. They asked how much time it would take to get there and we said 30 minutes (actually it is usually 50 to an hour) and we changed, said our prayers and left. In our prayers, we asked for a bus to be out in the front by the point that is in the front of our house. We left and didn’t see the bus so we started to walk. But after a minute, Elder Kemerich looked backwards and there was the bus! So we ran back, and jumped on the bus. This already was cool, but then while we were going, the bus picked up some more people. When I looked forward, it was Mateus (who will go to the Tijuana Mexico mission!) who we talked to. Side note, we needed a member to come with us and we talked to him and he was willing!

So the lesson for the week, prayer with a just desire in your heart, have faith that it will happen, and the miracles will happen.

Have an amazing week!

Elder Kupferer

Everyone that passed in Bairu (Antiga Grajaú)

My District

On of my Zone Leaders

Fanciest Guaraná I have seen in my life

Root Beer, Floods, Eggs, and Marking Baptism Dates

Hey everyone!! So first things first, we made root beer! Haha so I got my Christmas box last week and there was root beer concentrate so I and the other three Americans made some root beer and it was amazing! I have not tasted that for about 11 months (é claro né?) so it was great to taste it once more. Also, I bought a new shirt and hat for my birthday and the elders in my district got me a mug with a bunch of bands that I love so that was amazing. THEN on Tuesday, there was a flood! There started a thunderstorm which led to a lot of rain which led to half the city filling up with water! It was insane to see all this water which made me worry that the same thing would happen that happened in 2011 (just look up Teresópolis 2011 and you will see) but nothing happened so that is good. THEN on my birthday we had an activity that was amazing, but at the end everyone went out and.... I got a few eggs to the head. So apparently it is a tradition here that when it is your birthday you get an egg to the head so that is what happened. Haha it was definitely a new experience. So finally, on Sunday, there was a rapaz (young man) that brought his friend to church and we started talking to him about baptism and then after church we talked to him about baptism and we marked a date!! It was incredible and we will continue to work with him. 

Oh side note, when I woke up on my birthday my companion decorated our apartment and sang happy birthday which was amazing.... if I wasn’t so tired. hahaha but it was sweet.

I hope everyone has an amazing week!

Elder Kupferer

PS We celebrated my birthday with Subway as well. It was great.

Christmas Package and Splits and One More Transfer Gone

Olá pessoal!! How is everyone!

So a lot has happened this week. So, first off, the zone leaders went to Juiz de Fora to do splits and they returned with... MY CHRISTMAS PACKAGE!! It was amazing! I was really excited to get that finally haha. The new ties are dope, the cereal was amazing, and the letters from everyone was greatly appreciated. Also, I did splits again in order to help do an interview and we walked past a part that was really beautiful (I will include the photo) and the woman was baptized! So that was amazing! Also, we did a family home evening in the house of a less active with her daughter and the daughter’s husband (which are active and they are really amazing) and the spirit was really strong. We talked about a lot of stuff and we ended up getting home a little late haha. Finally, one more transfer is gone. My district will remain the basically the same, I will stay with Elder Kemerich, and everything will be amazing. Only thing that will change is that the sisters will leave and we will get two more elders, one of which is from my group! It will be an amazing transfer, especially since I will have 1 year on the mission during this transfer, and I will turn 21 on Wednesday! It has been really cool to see the difference this past year and I am excited to continue to work here!

Oh and we will have an activity on my birthday that will be amazing and I made the invites which is pretty sweet. Hope everyone has a great week!

Love, 

Elder Kupferer

CBF, Dedo de Deus, and Getting a Job

Monday, January 9, 2018

Ola, tudo bem? How is everyone doing?

So this week was amazing. So on P-day, we went and visisted the CBF which is the headquarters for the Brazilian Soccer team. It was amazing. We also went and saw the Dedo de Deus that was cool. Oh sorry this will be really short because we don’t have time.

So I will finish with a miracle that happened. So we told an investigator that if he reads the Book of Mormon, he will find a job. He told us afterward that the NEXT DAY, 8:30 in the morning, a restaurant called and asked if he would accept a job. The Book of Mormon is true! Man it is amazing how this has happened. They are amazing, only problem is that they need to get married but we are already working on that so this is going to be amazing. Oh and we had three people at church yesterday! I hope everyone has a great week!

Love,

Elder Kupferer

New Year, Another Baptism....and No Hair

Tuesday, January 2, 2018

Hey everyone!! So this week has been fun and hard! So first things first, we have been working really hard this week. We did a division on Tuesday and that day, Elder Bledsoe and I made two new investigators and Elder Kemerich and Elder Oliveira.... 7. They killed it that day! They told us afterward that they would go to one appointment and then the people there told them to pass a different person there and that kept going and going. The district meeting was good. This district is really awesome. Anyways, we had another baptism! It was amazing! When Gabriella was prepping, she switched to the baptism clothes, and then did the interview, and then got baptized!! That was the first time that I saw that which was pretty great! There was just one thing that wasn’t the best. When we went to search for our investigators, 6 of them said that they would be going to church and.... only one person went. BUT that person is awesome and she was really excited. So that was really good. Then for the new year... I slept through it. Yep, missionary work doesn’t stop for the holidays. And on Monday we went to work and.... no one was open or at home. We just visited a less active and went to the hospital to help a member out that got in an accident.

So about the no hair. I went to get my hair cut and the guys were doing a great job..... until he started to cut up on top. I think there was a miscommunication because he cut way lower than I wanted and now I have close to no hair. If I have a photo I will show you guys, but I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

Love,

Elder Kupferer

Merry Christmas...and Yellow Hair

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

ALÔ!! Merry Christmas!! 

This week has been intense but has been a lot of fun. So we had our Christmas conference which was awesome. We got these new ties that was awesome, we ate some açaí, and I saw half of my group! 

Then, we had a baptism! So we were working with Gilson since the first day that we got here. He was the only one of his family that wasn’t a member so that was great to see. BUT there were a few things that went wrong hahaha. 

So first off, the cover for the drainage was lost so we filled up the baptismal font and when we went to the baptism, there was only half of the water! It still worked but it was interesting. 

Also, Gilson showed up late! We were a little nervous but when he showed up, everything was fine. Then after we made a video for his wife and for his family and everyone was happy. 

He then was confirmed on Sunday and then.... he painted (I think he means colored or dyed) his hair. I forgot to take a picture but we were waiting at his house for him and when he arrived, he had yellow hair! He told us that he wanted to paint it which because he thought it would be great but it turned out yellow. So what did we do? We cut it for him! haha it was definitely one of the most interesting things that happened. 

Man this was such a great Christmas, especially helping someone be baptized and doing this sacred covenant. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a happy new year!

Love,

Elder Kupferer