There Lies the Secret to Missionary work.... the Members!

Hello Family!

Did all of you disappear this week? I hope everything is okay! We had a great week this week. The 2nd counselor of the Brazil area came and spoke to the mission, Elder Eduardo Gavarrete. I loved it. He called me out to talk out of no-where because president had commented to him of our success. He really gave the mission some good ideas and he expanded on the ideas, many that we’re already using. We are seeing miracles. The month of August the mission baptized 60 people, and my district baptized 19. There is something that I´ve come to know with the numbers. For every thousand street contacts we do, we have one baptism. For every 200 doors we knock, we have a baptism. But, for every family night marked with a reference from a member, we have a baptism. There lies the secret to missionary work... The Members! I had a good conversation with President about this this week. I think he´s going to transfer me in two weeks. that´s just a little hunch though.

We put the papers in this morning for Tiago and Tatiane´s marriage. They and their two kids came to church yesterday. The daughter is 14, so she´ll be baptized with her mom. Her name is Myleina. Then they´ve got a little 7 year old, Pedro. I really hope that we can get the papers in for Marco and Claudia by Wednesday. Marco invited us to a family night on Wednesday that I didn´t see coming. We got there and he had invited 4 other military families to participate. Now we´re seeing the blessings from one family night four months ago with Marco´s neighbor, who was less-active at the time (now a full-tithe paying family preparing for the temple)(Marcelo and Jussara). We have family night tonight with Tiago and Tatiane with Sandra and Jefferson. I´m really excited!

We´re also teaching a woman named Fatima that we received as a reference this week. She lost her daughter in an accident 2 years ago and is literally mentally sick over it. We taught her the plan of salvation in a really special manner and she felt the spirit so strongly. It literally changed her. It was an awesome experience because we explained to her that she´d receive so much comfort if she paid attention and tried to feel God´s love for her in the message. She told us near the end of the message, in tears, that she knew that her daughter had sent us there. He daughter was 25 and died in a motorcycle accident. Fatima lives next to one of the members in the ward, so we´re going to mark a family night this week at their house with her and her family. She´s got a 15 year old son and her husband. He´s a cool guy, but not showing too much interest for now.

Yesterday we had an interesting little experience. We were leaving the mountains when we heard a loud BOOM! The train had tipped over and fallen off of the tracks close to us! SCARY! We waited for a little while but then just decided to jump the train because we had an appointment marked with a member. Crazy stuff. All of the police, mailmen, and teachers are on strike right now to get raises so there is a lot of chaos. I haven´t got anything from you all for almost a month now because of it. I´ll shoot another camera card off home when everything gets resolved.

Sorry this email is kind of just random and there isn´t any structure to it, I just have lots to say and can´t ever remember all of it. I´m loving my area but I´m starting to hit the point where I need a change. I´ll hit 6 months in the area at the end of this transfer. At least it´s a big area, so there´s always somewhere new to go.

I love you all very much. Thank you for everything. I know that this church is true and that it´s the light of Christ that brings true happiness into the lives of people, not the world´s light. Be safe! Have a great week! Mom, put some ice on the ankle!! ;)

Elder Shepherd