Making the Best of a Rainy Day

1. Find, Teach, Invite
Hello my friends!!!!!!!!!! Just your average week with a LOT of rain, but the work continues! Since most people here don´t have cars and some weak houses everything shuts down during the rain, which makes our work a little difficult, but we were SUPER blessed to have lots of people let us in to teach them the Gospel this week!

2. "John's not home!!"
Although we had lots of success, we also had a couple of funny rejections. We showed up at a less actives house and clapped out front, and we clearly saw him in the front window get up, squint through the window to look at us, then RUN into the back room. His wife opened the window and yelled that he wasn't home, and I was like we just saw him! Buttttt, we just laughed it off and kept on going!

3. THE BIBLE
In different cultures the Bible has varying value, and here in Brazil people are Bible crazy! People have a hard time opening up to the Book of Mormon, but it also gives a chance to show people the Church is true through 'their' book as well! hahahha love our Bible Bashes!

4. God knows best
On Sunday we had meetings almost all day, but in the limited time we had we planned to visit Analee and her mom! As we were walking there another one of our investigators saw us and called us inside to chat, so there we went! We actually had a super spiritual lesson and he wants to go to Church now! We were bummed we didn't get to visit Analee, so we called her and turns out she went to the insta-care cause she was sick! I was grateful God put us in the right spot at the right moment.

Love you all!
Happy summer cause here winter's just starting:)
Elder Rawson

Cute Brazilian children

Fighting against sin

The Olympic Torch

Loved the sticky note letter:)  Thanks guys!

Converting the Padre

1. Converting the Padre
What a week we had in the Centro! So we always walk in front of a Catholic Church in our area, and this week they were outside so we stopped and chatted with us! They were super chill and offered us a ride home, and on the road they asked us all the typical Mormon stereotype questions, and we were able to teach them a little bit about the true church:)

2. Surprise Talk
Saturday Night the Bishop gave me a call and asked if I could give a testimony the next day cause one speaker had cancelled, so I agreed. Well, I get to Church and turns out I got put as the LAST speaker with two youth speakers in front of me... So I wrote down some bullet points during the opening hymn and just went for it! I ended up talking for almost 20 minutes and felt proud to see some Sisters of the ward crying! LOL, it´s crazy how we improve as missionaries. I spent 5 hours preparing my farewell talk and it was only 10 minutes long.

3. Preach My Gospel Jeopardy
So I´ve been trying to have District Meetings that aren´t super dull, so this week I created "Preach my Gospel Jeopardy" to spice things up! I offered American candy as the prize so things got a little heated, but it was fun and everyone left excited!

4. Exchanges
Life as a missionary is full of splits, but this week I was surprised when the assistant to the president called me and wanted to work with me for a day! It´s safe to say my daily planning that day was out of this world, Plan A, B & C for everything! It went super well and I was happy to learn new missionary tricks!

Well love you all!!!!!!! Have a good one
ELDER RAWSON

Picking oranges off our tree in the yard

Area Centro B -- where miracles happen!
its getting a bit chilly these days. WAAY better than the heat though

dinner with a member, Tiago

This One's To You Mom!

1. FELIZ DIA DAS MÃES!!!!!
Wow was it nice to talk to my momma and the family yesterday! You don´t realize how much you love your mom till you´re 6000 miles away, but I appreciate everything you do for me mom! Weekly snail mail, detailed email updates from home, and occasionally a good old American treat! I can´t say enough about just how great my mom is:)

2. On the hunt
This week our mission president challenged us to teach a ton of new people this week, so we went out fishing for men! We were able to teach 10 new people and I was happy to see the blessings of fulfilling the challenge that our president was inspired to give us!

3. A lesson before lunch
Hitting the street before lunch hasn't been our most productive time, but this week we decided to try some addresses we had and we found a family at home! We were able to teach The Gospel of Jesus Christ and they accepted our baptism invite! Few things can make a missionary happier.

4. Getting members involved
We've been having family nights like crazy with members and investigators! It´s been the perfect way to show our investigators that 'Mormons' are normal, then hit them with the awesome Spirit that only a gospel living family can bring! I can´t say enough about having a good ole family night.

Well, I love you all, Christ lives & the Book of Mormon is the most powerful book on earth!
Elder Rawson

Alma 56:47 "And they were taught by their mothers that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them."

"When The Mother's Day Call Ends"
(Elder' Rawson's  title for these  random pictures with lovely facial expressions
-- none of them from Mother's Day)

Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we proselyte!

1."Saturday is the day we get ready for Sunday..."
Hello folks! Super excited to hear from you all and to talk with my momma this Sunday:) This week went well, I was happy with the progress and miracles we saw. So we basically have the craziest Saturdays ever cause we visit all of our investigators that have potential to go to church to arrange rides, testify about the importance of the Sabbath Day, etc. This ward is super good with receiving people warmly, so everyone leaves church on Sunday happy and edified!

2. Mission traditions
One thing I love about the mission is just getting to know other Elders and making new friends! I live in an apartment of 6 and someone is always visiting for an exchange, zone conference, or someones birthday, so we are always having little parties! To celebrate we order pizza or Xis(Brazil hamburgers) and blast our MoTab and eat a ton! Missions are great people!

3. More less active success
Our mission really focuses on reactivating families, so this week we went to visit a woman who recently separated with her husband, and we showed up and the poor mom was trying to set up a bed frame for her daughter all alone. I was super happy that we showed up at the right time and were able to set it up for her!

4. Ala Centro sucesso
Our Bishop met with us last week and asked us to visit more members to strengthen them, so this week we visited ward families and had family nights with them! I really can´t say enough about the power of a consistent family night, so if you´re not doing it, repent and start now:) There's only happiness in the front!

Love you all!
Elder Rawson

Jacob 3:1

Elder Rawson(the churro man)

I love walking to lessons and just picking fruit off trees!
 Oranges here are marvelous.

 Also, I tried my first Mormon Coffee.
 It sucked just as bad as coffee smells,
but was a cool cultural experience. Coffee is huge here.

Fruits of the English Class

1. Baptism of Lisia
This week a girl that I taught in the English class got baptized! She lives in the other Elders area, but it was good to see another soul on Christ's side! Our ward is super great with supporting us, so it was a happy weekend!

Lisia´s baptism 

2. My first baptism interview
Another companionship in our district had a girl ready for baptism, so I got to give the baptism interview! During the interview I could really feel the Spirit testifying that she was ready and I didn't need to worry! It was a cool experience for me.

3. Winter's a Coming!
Here in South America things are getting a bit chilly! For the first time on my mission I busted out my winter clothes! Its been a good change from the killing heat.

4. Sunday Night Walks
One of my favorite things as of late is walking home Sunday Night for our house and just being full of the Spirit after knowing I kept the Sabbath day holy and gave it my all that week! Really the most rewarding part of being a missionary is the great spirit we feel. I´m convinced God gives special experiences with the Spirit to His missionaries, and lessons you can only learn through being a missionary! I am happy to be here serving the Lord!!

Have a splendid week everyone!!!!:)
Elder Rawson

D&C 88:68 (you better read this one)

Our New peacock friend!!!!

Elder Raswon's story of how he met  Rose and Pedro 

made the mission newsletter.  See below for 

the translation of the story

Spiritual Experience

Ice cream or be diligent ?!

On a wonderful fall day, me and Elder

Bento we went out in a room, ready to

preach the gospel. Some people in the

Rejected, and we almost went to take a

Ice cream, but we decided to continue. Shortly

Then we made contact with a woman and

His son who were entering his

apartment. For the first time in the day they

They listened and they wanted us to go back.

During the first lesson we taught O

Plan of Salvation and the spirit was so sweet! She

Cried and told the people who make three

Months since she had moved here.

She had prayed and asked God to send

Help her, and we came back the next day.

A month later Rose and her son were baptized.

I know God prepares his children to listen

The restored gospel, and through our

Diligence we will find them.

Elder Rawson

"And so we see the great need that the

Man has to work diligently on vineyards

Of the Lord ... "Alma 28:14