Home, Power of one testimony and Defend the church!

Well these past few days went great for me It was nice to talk to family. It just made me wish they were here with me working. I am so happy that everyone was there,I was very happy I could talk to Joseph too, I don't think you guys know how happy I was cuz I was crying the whole time. HAAA but I was so happy, I didn't think I would get to talk to him for two years let alone yesterday, and when you guys asked me if I wanted to my heart stopped! I was holding together (for the most part) talking to you guys but when I talked to him it was game over and I lost it, ha ha. It felt so good to cry with him, I think I was able to say like five words we just kept looking at each other and saying is that you!!

(This is way cool) There is a family in the ward....one of the families that's a friend to missionaries. They always hook us up with stuff, anyway her name is ***** and she is a convert and their family of five is all baptized! John doesn't know her, but she knows him! He is the first missionary she ever talked to and he contacted her but she rudely turned him down, then later thought about it and felt bad and after some time when different missionaries knocked, she let them in to hear the message!!! Now she is baptized and active ha ha how funny! I bet poor old John thought she was a lost cause but what he did changed her for the next time missionaries came knocking!

Real quick, an update on mission life! Mission life and the work is great! I have had some pretty crazy experiences this last week, we are working with some great people but for Brazilians the season of Christmas is one of the hardest times you can teach poeple. Cuz they party and it's just really hard to get in to some people, it's good with all the members though cuz they know the true reason of Christmas, so we did a lot of member and inactive work this week, we did however meet and teach a lot, a certain family I call --------(names are left out on purpose.) It is a family of 6 that are very poor they do not have running water or a fridge or even a house for that matter they live in this make shift shelter that's open to animals as well ha ha. When we went over there one time this week there was a guy we met from an unkown religion (all i know is that he wasnt catholic) and we had a run-in with him... OR SHOULD I SAY he had a run-in with us. This was all in front of our investigating family too. Anyway he said some very rude things that he didn't know what he was saying. It made my testimony really strong defending just about everything in our church. It was VERY HARD not to get upset and pull out some good bible bashing scrips I knew, I just kept thinking about Christ and smiling, I corrected him. At the end he wanted to give us a hug before he left cuz it's normal here and he said trying to be nice to us "just forget Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and we´d be all good if we did". I looked at him in the face and said "I´ll give you a hug if you want but I will NEVER forget Joseph Smith, and the words of God he helped translate and what he did for this earth, and if only you knew or had half the knowledge I did of the Book of Mormon or let alone had read part of it you would take back those words" It was awesome and he didn't say much after that but as he was leaving he said "if you guys don't change while you have the chance it will be too late" and then I said "I couldn't agree with you more and that's why I hope God forgives you for saying the things you did to, and about, his servants" then he was quiet and left. He had said some pretty rude things, anyway it just makes me so thankful for knowing the true word. It was sad for him. Anyway the family believes us which is cool and we turned what happened into a learning experience for them about finding out for yourself the truth of the Book of Mormon. Three of the six were able to make it to church yesterday for christmas which was great cuz they met so many members who they made friends with and they got to hear Elder***** and I speak in church (yes I gave a talk in church for the first time of my mission, and it was on Christmas, and it was in front of some of my investigators) what a perfect opportunity!!!
I got sprayed with a hose by a guy....yeah, long story. But his wife is way interested and we'll see how that goes!

Some more good news, the family who we interrupted a fight with, are now happy and on their way to celestial status once ********* parole runs out and is baptized! They were beaming sitting together at church! If nothing else happens on my mission I will be content knowing I helped my favorite family stay together.... well unfortunately my time is up and I have to go! (walkey-talkey sound) beep. Elder Vincent is out!!! ~static~ :)

Eternal Families are really important. Listening to the spirit.

The work is going, we had a hard week not gonna lie but I am excited as always. Yours truly is finally a man, yes I did contacts for a whole day, my feet were sore and I clapped doors, I have done them before of course but not this many, we actually met many people and are way excited to teach them this week. Sao Paulo isn't as nice to people at doors as is the rest of Brazil, the people here kinda slam their doors too. haha but oh well we met some awesome peeps and it was only cuz we had revelation where to go. The spirit works! The language is going great it is hard as usual to write in English but that’s fine I still have English in my head thanks to my companion. But I can say or communicate almost anything regularly I want to which I am happy about. My dreams consist of Portuguese tambem. Thank you for your prayers, needed them I was very sick this past week which was very hard, and I was away from home too so it was kinda hard but now all is better I am very excited to start a new week fresh and clean! I had a life changing experience this week to say the least... One day I had a thought that I should go and visit my favorite family, (Reginald and his family, the man that needs to wait to be baptized, but his kids and wife are members) anyway when we arrived and clapped I felt dark, like something was wrong so when Selma (the wife) strangely invited us in I entered cautiously, my comp and I walked into a very intense fight between them that had been going on for about four days. It was started over something small but now they were talking about separation and how they needed a divorce now and their two adorable kids were staying with their grandma that’s how bad it was, my comp and I were sitting on their couch in between them as they both very meanly towards one another were filling us in, not gonna lie I didn’t understand a lot but I felt random pangs of bad spirit and I knew they were saying terrible things about each other. I had no idea what to say and my comp who speaks better was kinda floundering buying us some time to talk, it is crazy how life can throw you into situations and you have to be ready with the help of the spirit for anything. An eternal family is the most important thing on this earth and here was my favorite family in Brasil, right in front of me, about to break, and be ruined. It was so scary. I didn’t know what to say, anyway, I thought back to my PB, after that the spirit filled me in with details of what I needed to say. I waited for a moment and when there was a pause asked if I could speak. I told them that I do not know Portuguese that well, I don’t know any phrases or special scriptures to help them, but that I know two things, that the first time I met them I felt a spirit between them that was not fake and could not be duplicated. This was why they were my favorite family, because I felt something between them all that I knew had the ability to be a powerful eternal family of happiness and something that only the spirit of the lord could make me feel. That I knew that what they were doing(taking the discussions, Reginaldo) was true and right and the Lord was pleased with them. The second thing was that the family is the most powerful thing that we can do on this earth and the center of our church. I talked about the devil and everything happening then was of him and only cuz he knew that they were doing what was right in the eyes of the Lord. This was why he(the devil) was trying at them so hard, also that they have to hold on, and that it was always hard in the beginning but we need to first show our faith, I talked about holding to the rod and that the power we have are to do the LITTLE things everyday as a family like read and pray together. It was very spiritual, Selma was crying and so was I. I said many things I can't write down today and some of which I don’t remember learning words in Portuguese of.
We returned the next day to check up on them and Reginaldo was smiling, he was cooking dinner, ha ha I was like whoa.. he called Selma and was so respectful and sweet to her it was so awesome, then we sat down, us three to his dinner he made... (which he made from his heart but wasn’t good at all) ha ha but he was doing it cuz he loved Selma and wanted to serve her. He told us how what I said changed their marriage and that when I was talking to him the day before he felt the devil running out of the house, he said that things were much more tranquil and happy and he was very grateful. It was very life changing for me the whole experience but I could not have done it without the spirit, it is so cool that the spirit can save families like that, I am just glad I was waiting and listening for it to help me and tell me what to say! We all need to remember to listen to him, he knows what he’s doing! tell David thank you SOOO MUUUCCH!! for the money!!
Mother there are MANY vehicles here... hahahah it's Sao Paulo, a ton of buses, small cars, and motorcycles, but it rains a lot so we don't have any smog... the air is clear.
My package has arrived! I will receive it this Tuesday at district meeting! Sorry it takes time to get out to me from the office! Joseph was right mom(about the package that was mailed to him), pray and don't doubt or WORRY cuz whatever happens is the will of the Lord and rest well Mom, I have my package I will get it Tuesday :) I am so excited, thank you! haha well i love you guys!
Dad haha dont get rid of McGHEE (his enormous fish) until Christmas at least if you are going to i want to see him.

Stomach Flu, First Baptism, Lizard and HUGE spider.

(Please forward this to all who i did not send it to)

FAMILIA!!!!

How are all of you?? Thank you so much for the emails i have received! I am sorry that i have not been able to respond to all individually but i feel it is better for everyone this way!

Well how the heck are you guys? It is so great to hear all your stories and whats going on. Mom and Charity! Great job on the gingerbread house! I am jealous i was not there to help! Dang i bet you guys were like engineers or something! Ann good luck with all of that, it seems very stressful but i know how you feel! Thank you for your email and for hearing about little Isaac and Eliza awww i just want to see them! And Charity thank you so much for you email too. Ha ha i called the governor and told him to clear the roads ;) I will miss miss miss it when I'm gone. Charity i miss you too, more than i think you know and i want to hang out with you a lot when i get back, well go on dates it will be tight. Tell john luke he is a fubecca for not writing me! (grace and josh too) :) ha jk guys i love you all and know you are busy too. well about me and my life here.. alot has happened to me! I have been kinda sick for about a week. It really hit me today but do not worry Sis. Martins is taking care of me, i have had to stay home three days this past week. Things have not been passing well for the last few days if you know what i mean ha ha. It has been hard, but i am still pressing on. I could use your prayers though so will you pray for my health? Thank you. I got homesick alot this week too, but that is normal especially around christmas. Its just hard hearing about all this stuff going on at home and the only thing that is christmasy in Brasil is the date. Ha. I have only seen one christmas tree so far :( but do not worry things will be good soon. It really is great for me to hear from all of you thank you so much. I do not know what i would do if i did not hear from you guys once a week. Well how about i talk about some good stuff??? Ha ha. I got my flippers wet. Yup, i baptized a little girl named Alana, it was very... different.. from a baptism back at home but i had my first baptism and i did it :) for how hot it is here the water was freezing cold cuz the heater didnt work. Alana thought it was going to be warm and it was really funny seeing her dinner plate eyes as i helped her in the font ha ha but she was great. A little trooper!! I was going to confirm her as well but as i got up to do it the bishop offered to do it before we did so i said he could cuz his portuguese is better than mine (i know can you imagine it?) and i think everyone knew it too. Ha it was fine by me i got to baptize her. It was reaaaaallly awesome. Cleaning out the font however was an adventure. We had to remove a molting lizard and when we went to put him outside we saw a wolf spider molting too ha ha we're like hey elder we should shead our skin its that time of season, but this spider... nossa... it put brentons spider to SHAME.. sorry shame. ha ha it was massive. we just left it alone in the bushes. I finished the book of mormon for the first time on the mission. i love this book more than anything family and i want you to know that. i could read it every second of everyday for the rest of my life if i could. I did what moroni 10:4 asked and experienced moroni 10:5. I know it is true.

Its so great to hear about all the little grandbabies :) i miss isaac like a champ :( tell him hi and that i love him! charity take it easy on mom and dad, unless your curfew is early, thats worth giving them a rough time ha ha estou brincando! (just kidding!)

So here is the deal, i will be calling home somewhere between 12:30 or after (your time) so if you could all be at the house then that would be great! And remember i will either be doing it through facebook or skype both of which we are allowed to do. So charity this is really important i am going to need my facebook information SO I CAN ACCESS IT HERE. Or else i will not be calling on christmas. And i will need someone at the house to be on a laptop with webcam and on their facebook so i can do a chat call and see all of you guys and you will see me, or i will do it through a skype account which is less likely but we will see. I will get more information this week about it from the member we are doing it from. But its going to be sometime soon after 12.30 until maybe like 3 i don't know, but the night before i will call via phone to make plans i am pretty sure. Alright i think that is about it and i am out of time. I love you all so much, no i have not received my christmas package but i am sure i will.... hopefully... i love you all so much. keep messaging me i miss you all more than you know but am still excited and working down here in Brasil.

Looking forward to the next time i get to hear from you guys

Elder Adam Irwin Vincent