Sendo Carioca Novamente [Being from Rio Again]

Hey guys so this week was a CHANGE. So this week was starting great with one of the best district meetings that I have ever given during my time on my mission. The spirit was super strong and the meeting was super productive. Then, we continued working hard during the week while we were trying to find more people to teach. Then, on Friday, we had an activity that was going really well until I heard the cell phone start to ring. I looked at it and saw that it was President Lacerda. So I went to talk to him and it turned out that I was getting transferred! So I got transferred the next day (which I left at 9:30 AM and they told me this at 8:15 in the morning and I had nothing ready hahaha) to Barra Mansa in the state of Rio de Janeiro! I am now the companion to Elder Campos and I am now a zone leader! It was very humbling to hear about and I am a bit nervous with this adjustment but I am excited to work with the zone! I am so excited to start doing my all to help my zone grow and help everyone reach their full potential. I hope everyone has a great rest of the week!

Amo Vocês, 

Elder Kupferer

When I say goodbye to members….

When I say goodbye to missionaries...

Uba

Monday, May 28, 2018

Hey everyone!! So not too much happened this week but we did go down to Ubá this week. So there is a missionary there that is having a bit of a problem with the work and our mission president thought it would be good to send us with the ZL's (because we live together) and go and help one day. So on Wednesday, we went to Ubá, helped them separate all the people that already went to church at least one time and we got to work. I left with one of the elders from Ubá, Elder Gale (ZL) went with the other, and my companion Elder Oliveira stayed with Elder Conceição (ZL). So we were able to get a lot of work done. I actually marked a baptism date with a guy that already went to church and they have been following up with him and he said that everything is going well for him to get baptized this weekend coming up!  So after that we kept working here and we were missing a lot of new investigators. So, we went to a house of a contact that we did, and his family of three accepted us (family of four actually but only three of them have the age [are old enough] to be baptized) and while we were talking with them, their friends showed up (a mom and daughter) and they were really interested!! So I will tell you guys more when there is more to tell. But I hope everyone has a great week!!

Amo Vocês, 

Elder Kupferer

È Claro Que Sim!!

Monday, May 21, 2018

Hey guys!! So this week was pretty great!! So it started with a splits with Ubá! We had our district meeting then I went with Elder Igure so that he could do an eye exam. Then, we ate lunch and went to work! It was really good and he said he learned a lot about planning so we both felt it was productive. Then, the next day, we had an interview and the other elders that would do the interview were doing splits as well, so I left with Elder Lima when Elder Conceição went with Elder Oliveira to the interview. The sad thing is that that person passed but couldn’t make that Sunday so we will try to work with him this week. Then, on Friday, there was something really cool that happened. We talked with Janette (her son Victor got baptized a few weeks ago) and she was really hesitant about getting baptized, but somehow this time it was different. When we got there we just started teaching with the Spirit (and it was strong too!) As we were teaching she was really frank with us and we were frank with her haha but at the end she started asking if the church opened on Fridays which we thought was a little weird. But then she asked if she could get baptized on the 8th of June (a Friday) and what did we say? È claro que sim!! OF COURSE! So we marked that date and she said that that date was special because it was the birthday of her son that had died recently so it was really a special experience. This was great because I know that the lesson would not have worked as well if the spirit wasn’t there. The Holy Ghost is essential and I hope everyone looks to have the spirit more this week!

Amo Vocês, 

Elder Kupferer

Splits All Week and Zone Conference

Monday, May 14, 2018

Oi pessoal!

So this week started really well! So it all started with a call from President Lacerda. He started to talk to my companion and when he got off the phone, he told me that I would be doing splits with the ZL's (that live in the same house) and I would be with Elder Gale and Elder Conceição would be with Elder Oliveira. So, this week already started a bit weird but it all worked out. Then on Tuesday, I completely forgot about the splits because we had Zone Conference which was amazing. President Lacerda first talked about how all these things that we are doing wrong are choices and all that we need to do is turn the switch. The other thing that I learned is that we need to have a better vision of hope and that we need to be anchored in Christ which was what I was needing to here. I loved this Zone Conference and during this week, I have never been so happy on my mission, and it is because I am working SOOO much! It is crazy to think how much that I am changing on my mission and I hope that I continue changing for the better! I hope everyone knows that I love my Savior, Jesus Christ and I am doing His work! I hope everyone has a great rest of the week.

Amo Vocês, 

Elder Kupferer

3/4 of the All-American District Bairu (my last district). Also, my trainer (Elder Western) in the middle goes home next week.

Baptized...Two Times!

Monday, May 7, 2018

Oi gente!! How is everyone doing?

So this week was one that was really, really interesting. So it started with me staying in Juiz de Fora for a little more time, with my companion starting as Elder Mamani (from my group) to then going to Elder Oliveira who plays the piano really well!! So we came into Juiz de Fora on Thursday, we ate lunch, and then we immediately started to work (aSnd do splits). I went with Elder Gale and we went to Fátima’s house so that I can do the interview, which was interesting but long story short, it turned out great. Then, the next day was her baptism!! It was amazing and the spirit was super strong. That leads us to Victor, our investigator who passed the interview as well!! So on Saturday, we made sure that everything was good and on Sunday, he was baptized. HOWEVER, when Elder Gale and Elder Conceição were filling out the baptismal record, we found out that we said her name wrong the first time which means.... she had to get baptized again!!! haha It was really interesting but she was really good about it and she got baptized two times! How many of you can say that? haha It was really funny but I was happy that all went well and we helped, as a district two people enter the waters of baptism (and 5 within the zone!). After that, Fátima and Victor both were confirmed members! That spirit was super strong! I hope everyone has a great week and everyone that was baptized remember this week your baptism and the sacred covenant that you made with God! 

Amo Vocês, 

Elder Kupferer

Well...I Am Back??

Hey everyone!! This week has been pretty interesting. But before I talk about what happened this week, I forgot one thing that I wanted to talk about last week.

There was a Family Home Evening with the First Presidency of Brazil and we watched with Janette, Victor, and Jonas (some investigators) and it was amazing. It was really good and it talked about the Book of Mormon and I felt really inspired to read the Book of Mormon every day. I would like to say that I have read the Book of Mormon almost every day on my mission, but before my mission I was really a slacker on that part, and I have seen the difference that it has made in my life. I feel the spirit way more during my time here (Also because I am on the mission but the Book of Mormon is helping a lot as well) and I invite everyone that reads this, to read the Book of Mormon EVERY DAY and if you do that I promise you will have more JOY in your life. Not just feel happy but have a JOY that you have not experienced before. SO that then leads us to this week.

The week started out great UNTIL Wednesday when my companion started to feel a lot of pain in his leg. He had a surgery in his leg about three years ago and every day that we have been walking he said it has been getting worse (the pain). So Wednesday we went to the hospital, but the best they could do is just give medicine. Then, on Thursday, we stayed in our house for a good amount of time, but when we went out it didn’t get better, so we talked with Sister Lacerda and then President Lacerda and they said to come to Juiz de Fora on Friday. So we came, and we have been helping in the staff until today (até hoje). I know I will go back to my area, but I will have to let my companion go to an area with less hills. It will be sad but I am glad for my time with him that I have so far.

So that has been my week, just working in the office and helping them in their areas when needed. It has been great especially since I have been able to do splits with Elder Kemerich! (the other missionary that I trained) I hope everyone has a great week!

Amo Vocês, 

Elder Kupferer

Traveling and Training

Hey everyone!!! Nós está semana foi tenso e legal! So this week was tense and really cool at the same time.

So first off, I went to the mission president’s house and I got my new companion! His name is Elder Vieira, he is from the state of Ceará and is really excited to get going! So that night we ate some pizza, and the next day we got on the bus to go to Leopoldina!! When we got there, we got used to the house a bit, unpacked bought a few things and we worked a little bit. Then, we found a new family that is really cool (that went to church on Sunday!) and we are just going great. We also did a few splits with the ZL’s that are living with us, where we found a different woman that her son is a member so we marked a date with her. But after this, Elder Conceição wasn’t feeling too well, so we went to the hospital (he only had a cold but you go to the hospital for just about everything here) and when we were there, he took some medicine, some oxygen, and we waited. And waited. And waited some more until 5:00 the next morning!!! We got there about 8:00 the previous night so that was a bit of an adventure ( I only got a few hours of sleep haha) THEN I went with Elder Vieira to Cataguases, a different city because I needed to do a baptismal interview so we went there, and.... the young man that I was there to do the interview started to run away!!! So we chased after him. It turns out that the guy he was with just likes to run away from us and he was just being a bad influence. But the kid passed the interview! So I went back to the church building with the elder I was with and we called for the bus service to find out the next bus (it was 19:00 already (7:00 PM)) and they said 9:15! So, we are supposed to be in our house at 9:30.... so we got on the bus and left haha. The city was only 30 minutes away and our house is close to the bus station so we weren’t too late but it was fun! haha I hope everyone has a great rest of the week! 

Amo Vocês, 

Elder Kupferer