What Makes It all Worth It

1.  Lucas's baptism!
Saturday we had Lucas´s baptism at youth conference! It was perfect because every youth in the stake was there cheering him on! We also surprised him when we had a member go pick his parents so they could share the special day with him. Everything went perfectly!

Elder Rawson with Lucas (age 17) at his baptism

2. Margarida´s birthday
This week one of our investigators had a b-day, so during our Ward Family Night we threw her a party! #WardGoals She loved it. We've been teaching her in the chapel a few times a week and we´re working on marking a date with her! We´re just praying she gets the strength to take that leap of faith.

Elder Rawson, Margarida, and Elder Olegario

3. Felipe´s progress
We've been visiting an eternal investigators family and we decided to focus on the teenager! We committed him to say a prayer and then open the Book of Mormon and read. That night he had a dream that we, the Elders, got in a fist fight with other denominations and then in a storm all the trees fell over but one, and then he read in the Book of Mormon about the tree of life and he was mind blown! He went to youth conference and to church, big things coming!

Things are going great here in Alegrete! Love you all and keep doing spiritual things.
Elder Rawson

Alma 7:15

My Comp, Elder Olegario

our beloved Zone!

 Nossa amada casa aqui em Alegrete!

(our beloved home here in Alegrete)

Our home is upstairs of a car rental place. Its the biggest house, its nice. I've lucked out and only had good houses on the mission, some are pretty bad. No one has closets, just "guard roupas" which are like the dresser things.

The field is WHITE my friends and its time to harvest!

1. Lucas´s dream
Hello everyone! Life is going quite well down here in Alegrete. Our English Class is going strong and that's working out well! We've been working hard with Lucas, our must dedicated student, but he's been a bit inquisitive about things. We just invited to pray again, and he had a crazy dream about his need to be baptized. Powerful stuff! If all goes well he´ll get baptized Saturday at youth conference so keep him in your prayers.

2. LL Cool J or Elder Olegario??
I got a new companion from Rio, Brazil this week, and he is literally a twin to the  American actor and rapper LL Cool J! I make fun of him all the time! He speaks English too so that was a nice addition to our English class as well. He´s finishing his mission here soon so we're fighting his trunky-ness together:) This transfer will be a good one!

My companion looks like LL Cool J!

3. Marriage probs
One of our biggest problems with investigators here is getting them to get married!!!! Literally no one gets married here, they just start living together. We´re teaching a couple who has been together over 30 years and aren't married yet! We´re teaching people the importance of getting married and obeying God´s laws, it´s been cool.

4. Alegrete-A blessed city!
Man, this city is great! We've been seeing so much success because people here truly are so prepared to hear the Gospel! The field is white and ready to harvest, and we´re doing our best to help people know and accept the Gospel! Our ward is a bit weaker, only 35 people go per week, but we had 8 investigators at church this week so miracles are happening all about! The Lord has blessed us so much, I´m grateful to be a tool in His hands to help His people!

com muito amor, (with love)
Elder Rawson

3 Nephi 5:13

*Pics coming next week*

ONE YEAR

1. Halfwayyy
This week I hit the 1 year mark! Crazy how time flies by to be honest! It feels like yesterday I was saying goodbye to everyone and in the CTM. To celebrate I burned a shirt and ate at the pizza buffet next door! I´m excited for the rest of what the Lord has in store!

ceremonial 1 year burning of the white shirt

David's response to our question about the safety of burning a shirt inside:
"Our houses are 100% brick and cement, so its chill."

Pizza buffet to celebrate 1 year

2. Lucas´s answer
We've been working with a teenager who´s been coming to our English class, and this week we did a follow up visit and he told us he got an ANSWER! He prayed and was like If this is real God I want to know! Then he randomly opened the Book of Mormon to 3 Nephi 14:17 and started reading and he said that he really felt like God was extending his hand out to him and that if he´s baptized he knows God will be happy with him! Our prayers for him truly were answered, it was so cool.

3. English Class
Our class has been super good! we have 8 youth investigators who go on a regular basis, and it´s been the perfect way to gain their trust through a light setting of learning English, then we get their addresses and visit them! I´ll be here for another transfer so it´ll go strong! I´ll have a new comp from Rio, Elder Olegario, I´m excited to start with him!

American Elders Bagley& Rawson teaching English

Well, love you all and I pray for the well being of all of you! Know that God loves you and wants to bless you, we just need to seek Him!

Elder Rawson
Alma 34:8,15

Yeah for Packages from home!

Elder Rawson's mission statement

Service project with Vinicio.  He is a member and we moved a wood pile into a shed.
Community service doesn't really exist here, so we are grateful for the chance to serve!

Baptism for the other elders in our district.  I did the baptism interview.

An Intoxicated man Answering our Prayers

Hello y'all! I´m doing great down here. Thanks for your love and prayers!

1. Ward Confrence
This week was ward conference so we were happy to see the chapel full of people! We almost doubled the amount of people, and we had 6 investigators there, so I was happy as can be.

2. Help from an unexpected place
This week we had a funny experience! We were searching for an address in this alleyway and we found a dirt road with some small houses. We were about ready to leave and a drunk dude called us from a far. Normally, you just act like you can't hear and keep going, but we felt like we should talk! Well, he wanted us to visit his 'Mormon amigos' and he showed us where some less active families lived! They were happy to have our visit and one kid wants to be baptized now!

3. English Class
Our English class is going great! We were sad that not a ton of people were coming, but through the class we started teaching Lucas, a 17 year old who is now going to church and prayed about the church!

Life is going great! We played Frisbee today so I was pumpedddd!

Love you all!
Elder Rawson

Alma 29:9

P-day Frisbee

Alegrete Zone

My companion Elder Bagley during comp study

our chapel

"It's Time to Accelerate the Work of Salvation"

1. Fernando´s killing it
This week was quite good! Fernando got the Priesthood and is starting to go to institute! I love to see the progression of people after they get baptized and truly see how the Gospel blesses and changes lives! He´s always just beaming, I love it.

2. Ward Family Nights
Ala Prado is pretty great, every week we have ward FHE and its super powerful! It´s a good spiritual up-lifter and also strengths everyone's friendship, and as a missionary it´s the best tool ever to bring in investigators and show them that we´re normal, great people!

3. Zone Confrence
President Louza was in town for zone conference and it was his birthday so we got him a huge cake for the big number 50! I learned a ton about exercising faith! When God let the Israelites cross the river on dry land they first had to 'get their feet wet' then they saw the miracle happen, and it´s the same in our lives! We have to exercise our faith and "get our feet a little wet" to see the miracles in our lives.

Presidents b-day

4. Little Mircales
This week I spent a day with Elder Jesus (he´s Brazilian, LOL) and our day was not going well... All our appointments fell through! So we said a prayer and asked that God show us an elect and right after we knocked a door and found and taught a family! God is good to us!

love you all,
Elder Rawson
Mosiah 4:19

Alegrete Town Center

one of the many Catholic churches 

The armadillo we ate (the mental factor tripped me up but it tasted just like chicken
It's a strong flavored meat though!)

A cool croc skin

My Elders from the other side of town!