BRASIL

How many South Americans does it take to screw in a light bulb? A Brazilian!!!!:)

1. Strange Translations
Learning a new language is definitely difficult! No matter how hard you study, people just say things differently. Like when you see someone in the street you say Beleza? Tranquilo? which translates to beauty? tranquility? hahaha makes no sense but you have to learn the weird trick of the language!

2. The Work In Salgado Filho
My area is Salgado Filho, which translates to Salty Son? But I love it here so much! The work is slow, but the members here spoil us! We haven't had any of our potential investigators in church yet, but we reactivated two old ladies who come every week now:) it´s different than I expected but we´ll get a baptism eventually!

3. The Music Here
When I got called to Brazil, I was like sick, I won't be tempted by American music!!! Boy was I wrong. They lovee American music so I hear it everyday. They also have this music called Funk that is Brazilian pump up and it's definitely hard not to hit the Whip in the middle of the street. But my favorite part is Portuguese hymns!!! The music is the same but the words don't translate to the same message, so it's fun to read what message they have in Portuguese!

4. Problems with the Work
It´s hard to challenge people to read the Livro de Mormon when they can't read! Since our area is the poorer part, like 1 in 4 people can't read, so we read it with them and they look at the pictures in the beginning! Ha and it's expensive to get married and people don´t have their Birth Certificates, so tons of people aren't officially married and can't be baptized. It sure is different here, but the Lord helps us be creative in figuring out our problems:)

Love you all! Have a good week!
Elder Rawson
2 Nephi 9:18

Looks like Elders Rawson & Prata  gave out a BOM
 I guessing the recepient is among the 25% who won't be able to read it

Church where Salgado Filho ward meets

outside our house

Check out the expiration date on the Milk

recent AFHS graduates in Brazil CTM

Tranquilo Amigos?

1. Teaching Experience
We found this really cool lady named Cleoça that we taught two lessons this week! She had a good Christian background ad things were going well! In the middle of the second lesson I had the strongest prompting that I have ever recieved that told me to ask her to be baptized right now! So I followed it and invited her to prepare to be baptized and she laughed and said no. Not gonna lie, a little piece of my heart broke! I was so sad. I followed the prompting and she said no! I was really bummed but then in my studies the next morning I read Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, and lean not on thy on understanding." I know that I did the right thing even if she said no! It was hard, but that´s why everyone has agency!

2. Brazilians Personalities
So part of Preach My Gospel talks about asking good questions so people will open up to you! Well, here in Brazil we need to rip that page and replace it with "How to politely get people to stop talking." Brazilians love to talk and have a good time so we´re constantly trying to talk ourselves and steer our convos back to the Gospel!

3. Why You Always Bailing Bro??
We contact a ton of people on the street and they´re always like "Yeah swing by wednesday afternoon, I´m always home!" Then we go wednesday afternoon and no one is home! Literally story of my life with everyone. Walking 25 minutes out of your way and having someone not there is a real bummer, but we keep trying cause the Lord wants everyone :)

4. Olympic Coins
For the Olympics Brazil made 17 special coins on the 1$ coin with different sports and stuff and bascially I´ve devoted my free time to finding them all! I have 16, but google pictures of them cause they´re way cool! Gonna be worth some big bucks one day!

Fica Firme Amigos! Boa Semana!  (translation: Firm Friends ! Good week!)

Elder Rawson

Members in Santa Maria love to feed the missionaries

Olympic Coins

Our Area

Roommates had a baptism so tradition says we order a pizza!

Pictures

From one of the the sweet ward members in Brazil:

"Look Carol Schumann Rawson, your beloved pup, we love much this little person!"

the top of our area

Teaching on the street

with the sick graffiti they have everywhere

homeless dogs are everywhere

my room

we went on a run and saw this train track!

Live from the Land of the Lamanites

1. ELDER ANDERSON
So we got lucky and had an Apostle visit our mission! We had a missionary training and stake conference with him and it was amazing! Hearing the testimony of a life Apostle peirces my heart everytime. He talked a lot about how true conversion is a lifetime process and to never give up on yourself! It made me super excited for conference coming up here in a month!

2. Portuguese update
My language skills have come a long way! I can understand the gist of what people are saying if they don´t have an accent, but when the super Southern Brazilians talk I can´t understand hardly anything! Lol it´s tough, but the gift of tongues is real and I understand the important stuff. I´m just a white boy with an abnormally large religious vocabulary!

3. Difficulties of the work
Here in South Brazil the work is pretty slow... It´s tough because a lot of people are hard hearted and when we do get someone´s address to go teach them, we can never find their house because there are only street names here! Maps are outdated so it´s hard, but we do get inside I love to teach them! We´re having struggles getting people to church but they´ll come along soon enough!

4. The Food
We get lunch everyday with a member, right? And like 4 times a week other families will have us over for dinner. The food is so amazing, but if you don´t take 3 heaping plates of food they get offended so I´m always dying. Watch the youtube video "Come Mais Elder" (Eat more Elder) to see what I´m saying!
Thank you all for your prayers, through them the Lord is strengthening me:)


Much love,  Elder Rawson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JsaE8W_86DA

Churrasco picanha

Barbecue steak -- Brazilian style

One More Door

"Obedience brings blessings. Perfect obedience brings miracles!"
 -Elder Brody Childs

1. The extra door
Great week here in Santa Mariaaa! So super cool experience this week. Tuesday night we finished up a meeting at the church at like 8, and it´s a 15 minute walk to our area even though our apartment is right next to the church. It was dark and dumping rain but we decided to try one last contact! So we go and no ones home. Bummer! So we´re heading back and we decide to try one more house, and what do you know, they let us in! A grandma and a mom with an 8 year old son that knows more about the Bible than me! On our follow up appointment the next day we found out that the mom had a tough divorce and was planning to kill herself but the Spirit we brought to her home changed her mind! God is good. I'm so grateful I followed the Spirit and was able to find who the Lord needed! :)

2. Book of Mormon
I finished the Book of Mormon this week and man do I love that book! Sitting in a chair with paper scriptures and a pen in hand is WAY more effective than reading from your phone in bed, and I learned so much more! This book can change your life if you read it will real intent!

3. Singing Career: continued
Once a transfer our whole zone meets in the town center and sets up a booth and try and get contacts! It's the funnest meeting people and getting to share my testimony! At the end a couple other Elders and I sang a hymn to the whole square! Got some strange looks cause I can´t sing in Portuguese worth beans, but it was so worth it!

4. Culture Fun Facts
So it´s election season here as well, and publicity is crazy. Giant trucks drive around with the loudest speakers on earth blasting a campaign to music. Every time I bear my testimony in a lesson Satan sends one of those our way to kill the Spirit! Another thing is they sell milk and eggs off the shelf, so it´s safe to say I haven´t eaten that yet!

Well have a good week yáll, remember God loves you more than you know:)
Much love, Elder Rawson

Street meeting, Zone Salgado Filho