Elder Cruz Motivates the Missionaries

This week we had mission conference!!!! Elder Cruz from the seventy came and gave a talk. It was really awesome! It gave me such encouragement to go out and find the people that are ready to accept the gospel. It gave me more will power to do the things that I need to, but most importantly it increased my testimony in the Savior. Something that I learned is that salvation isn't easy and it wasn't meant to be. But what we suffer here is just a fraction of what the Savior suffered for each one of us and that when we trust in him and keep his commandments he promises to help us overcome whatever were suffering. This Sunday the bishopric didn't know who was talking in church, so I volunteered to speak. I was so nervous because I didn't have anything prepared, but luckily for me I remembered Franny´s talk which she sent me last week and used the same scripture in Mark and spoke with the spirit. It ended up being really good for me. It boosted my confidence in my ability to speak Portuguese and it reminded me that Heavenly Father is helping me with whatever thing that I need and ask for in Faith. I Can´t believe that Franny is going into the MTC tomorrow. I know that she´s going to be an awesome missionary. I hope that everyone is good. Hows sharing the gospel with your friends coming????

Desi 

Determination as a Missionary

20 March 2013

Sister Deseret Bruno

Rua Caa-Acu 229 Belenzinho

0317-020 Sao Paulo-SP

Brazil

Dad--

I just wanted to write you to express my gratitude for you.  Thanks for teaching me the gospel and for teaching me determination.  Here on the mission I'm learning a lot and seeing success because of my determination to do what's right and my determination to help the people that I meet.  I know this last year has been hard for you, and I'm sorry that I couldn't see past my pride to truly help.  I pray for my family every day, and I know that Heavenly Father hears my prayers.  I don't think I'll ever understand the relationship that you and mom have, but what I'm realizing is that you both have helped me a lot in my life.  I don't think there's really a way to pay it back.  

Stay strong and trust in the Lord, continue trying to do the best for our family and for other people.  Happiness comes through serving other people.  Thanks for being a good father, your faith has made me stronger.  I hope you know that I love you.

Desi

Unusual Encounter

Almost 6 months since I´ve been out. I can´t even believe it!!!!!! This week we met a man named Wagner who talked to the elders in a different area one day while it was hailing and they were stopped to take refuge in the same bar. Yes bar... A place where both claim that they would never be in. But its an interesting experience to teach Wagner because he´s going through a lot of difficulties right now. He is without a job and without light in his house. The elders really changed his life in just one hour of talking to him while it was hailing. When we got to his house to teach him he already had read all of the pamphlets on the restoration, the word of wisdom, and etc. He stopped smoking in just one week!!!!! And Sunday he is going to be baptized if everything works out according to plan. He seems to really like the church, and I´m hoping that everything works out for him because he seems really humble. Sister Teixeira is a little concerned that maybe he has other motives, but I´m really hoping that everything works out for him and that he truly becomes converted to the gospel. Because I know the change and the happiness that the gospel brings. Hope everyone is doing good. Love you all!!!!

Desi

Joy in Bringing in New Member

Yesterday was the baptism of Denise!!! It was amazing!!!!!! I´m so lucky to be serving here in the Morumbi Ward because the members here are phenomenal. I´ve never in my whole entire life seen a ward so active and involved in EVERYTHING. We had a great turnout the relief society room was packed, there weren't even enough seats for everyone and Denise was just SOOO happy, I´ve never seen anyone as happy as she was yesterday. Feeling the spirit I felt yesterday makes all the days walking in the hot sun, all the days walking in the pouring rain, all the não entende´s (I don´t understand´s) I have to say, all the não obrigado´s (no thank you´s) I hear ,more than worth it. I´m so happy for my recent converts, because I know and I feel that they already have REALLY strong testimonies and I´m not scared to leave them because I know that the ward will take good care of them. On Sunday Bruna, who got baptized last month, got up and bore her testimony about how she knew that the church was true and how happy she was that the missionaries found her. I felt the spirit so STRONGLY I couldnt help but of course CRY. haha.  I know that the Lord still has a lot of work for me to do here  in São Paulo and even though sometimes its hard I know that what I´m doing is right. Sometimes I feel completely and utterly lost, but I know without doubt that Heavenly Father has put a lot of trust in me and I don´t want to let him down. I want to continue working hard until not only the end of my mission, but the end of my life!!!! I invite all of you to try and fazer um contato, try to make a contact??? Not sure how to say it in English but when you meet someone and give them a pamphlet or say something about the gospel to them and invite them to church or invite them to know more about the gospel. Everyone try and let me know how it goes next week. TA BOM???? Love you all!!!!!!

Sister Bruno

Teaching with Power

Querida FAMILIA!!!!!

First week with a Brazilian companion.... Sister Teixeira. She is AWESOME!!!!! She teaches with such power and authority!!!!!! I know I´m going to learn A LOT from her!!!!! This week was really really good. Weird, but good. I wanted to be sad because I had to say bye to my trainer, but I wanted to be happy because my new companion is really cool!!! On Sunday is going to be the baptism of Denise, a 19 year old girl. Awesome how we found her. Her mom is a long time friend of the brother of the teacher of the gospel principles in the ward. She added irma Beatriz on facebook because she was friends with her brother in high school. Irma Beatriz posts a lot of church related things on Facebook and Val (Denises mom) was really curious what all of it meant so she started chatting with her on Facebook. Irma Beatriz asked her if she could send some friends to visit her and explain more about the church. One week later Sister Waite and I showed up at their house, but no one was home except for Denise. She said that usually she doesn't let strangers in the house when shes home a lone but she felt prompted that she should let us in. And we´ve been teaching her and She´s been reading the Book of Mormon and she went to church yesterday and ate lunch with us in the house of a member and she loves the church and she felt the spirit really strongly one night when she was trying to sleep but she kept thinking about all the things that we talked about and she prayed to know the truth and she felt like it was true and after she slept like a baby. And Sunday she´s going to get baptized!!! She is incredible, she´s already talking about maybe serving a mission!!!!! I´m so happy for her. I know that Heavenly Father really prepared her for the gospel. We´re teaching her mom right now too. It´s been a little slower with her because it´s hard for her to grasp the concept that we have a prophet TODAY, but I know she can´t stop thinking about it. I know through the example of Denise she´ll see that this really is the Church of Jesus Christ!!!!! 

Don´t have a lot of time, but I love you all!!!!! ps franny and annika who is tiffany engaged to???? Travis or someone else????????? 

Love, 

Desi

New Companion

OI TUDO MUNDO!!!! 

Last day of transfer 2 is here, and tomorrow I will be getting a new companion. President Ferrin called Sister Waite this weekend and told her she was being transferred, but didn´t know where. Soooo I´m really anxious to know who will be coming in her place. It´s funny how things work out. Once you finally build a relationship with someone and finally get to really love them and know them, things change and you have to say goodbye.

This last week has been really good. We have so many progressing investigators who are actually reading the Book of Mormon and who are actually looking for an answer. It´s been hard to schedule all the people we need to visit because we have so many. It´s really so much easier and funner to teach people who are sincerely looking for the truth and sincerely want to know about the truths of Heavenly Father. I know that with patience and hard work and lots of prayers this next transfer will be a success!!!!

This week was a lot of fun. Donizete and Adriana´s (Mom and Stepdad of Bruna) divorce from other spouses are finally progressing. And soon enough they´ll be married and baptized and in one year they´ll be sealed in the temple. They are so awesome and they already have such strong testimonies of the church and they aren´t even baptized yet. I truly feel like their my family here in Brazil. One night this week we left their house after dark and they were so worried about us they walked us halfway home. We stopped in a soccer field and played tag for a few minutes, it was awesome. 

I read a talk in an old Liahona this week that really helped me have a more positive attitude and helped build my faith. Hope you all are trying everyday to become more like Jesus Christ and are working hard at achieving your dreams. My dream was always to serve a mission and now that I´m finally here I want to try my hardest to live every moment the best I know how and work hard to help other people have the same happiness and hope that I have. LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!!

``Faith is for the future. Faith builds on the past, but never longs to stay there. Faith trusts that God has great things in store for each of us and that Christ truly is the high priest of good things to come. Keep your eyes on your dreams, however distant and far away. Live to see the miracles of repentance and forgiveness of trust and divie love that will transfor your life today, tomorrow and forever``

 - Jeffrey R. Holland 

Desi

The Work Goes On

Hey everyone!!!!

This week we taught a lot of lessons and met a lot of new people. Looking forward to the last week of transfers to work hard and help a lot of people. Everytime I teach a new lesson the gospel just makes more and more sense!!!! Hope everyone is doing good. LOVE YOU ALL

Sister Bruno