We just need to go to their homes, hug them, and call em back home!!!

How was your week?

It was really good. We worked really hard and have people to baptize soon!

Are you getting transferred?

Nope. I´m going to stay here in Sao Gabriel til the end. My companion is being transfered to Sao Borja tomorrow, cuz that is President´s other project to make the Stake. My new comp will be Elder Costa da Silva. I don´t know much about him.  President wants me to be here for the formation of the Stake. I´m excited. 

Did you get any of your Christmas packages yet?

Nope. We´re going to Santa Maria tonight for leadership training, so hopefully there is something there :)

Did you do any traveling this week?

Yeah I went to Santa Maria for 2 days. It was good. I divided with Elder Allen, from my group. He´s also just worn out. 

Hello family!

Well we worked really hard this week. We saw a group of young men boxing in the park during the week with a teacher helping them. We went and talked to the teacher and offered the chapel as the place where they could hold their practices. There is a group of almost 30 young men that are at the church each day practicing. It´s way cool! The teacher lives here in an apartment in the center of the city.Two young men from soccer came to church with us yesterday. We have their baptismal dates marked for the 21st, which is the first day of summer here. Their names are Marcelo and Artur. They both play basketball, and played on the state champion team here in Rio Grande do Sul. They´re 17 years old. I told em I´ll have to play with em on a Saturday morning on of these days.    We´ll have to fix the rims at the chapel.  

I dunno much about my new comp so I´ll have to tell you bout him next week. I heard he´s a quiet and has about a year on the mission. More details to come for sure. President is finally putting sisters in Rosario, so I am super excited for that one! He´s putting a great sister in the mission there, Sister Cidrao. She´s way good and baptizes a lot so we´ll get things going there. Elder Sol is the District Leader there, and he´s already worked with me so he´s already doing great work there. 

Elder Dias and I went to Rosario on Saturday to do divisions with the District Presidency. Then we went to all of their homes and called them back to church. A good part of them came to church yesterday and are already receiving designations and calling.  We have about 13 active men, but we hope to have 20. There are about 50 who are in-active with many reasons why they´re not coming. We just need to go to their homes, hug them, and call em back home!!! I really want to help our home ward with that when I get home. 

 Leticia came to church again yesterday... She might be the most frustrating investigator I´ve ever had, she´s coming to church and obeying the commandments... she just won´t be baptized. I don´t get it! She knows it´s true.   We challenged her yesterday, again, to be baptized by the end of this month. I think we´ll be able to have a baptism on the 21st. 

We went and ate at a little market with our district today. Like everyone is getting transfered out and President is giving us a whole new group of YOUNG missionaries to train. Like all of the ones staying here are going to be trainers. I´m pretty excited.  President is going to let me just focus here in Sao Gabriel to help make this a Stake. We´ve got 3 weeks!!! 

Well family, I´m really excited to talk to you all again on Christmas.   

I love you all very much. Have a fantastic week. (I´m jealous of the snowfall, save some for me to board a little) 

Be safe! Don´t let Hailey drive.....

Elder Shepherd