Sao Chico B - Week 3

September 21, 2015

Hello all my beloved friends! I love you all!  This week has been great! I can never remember everything that happened for each day of the week, so  won´t be giving a weekly summary but here are the highlights.

Yesterday we had 4 baptisms! Brazil is crazy with baptisms! Our goal as a mission is to have a very minimum of 6 baptisms per 6 weeks or 1 per week. In some places that is crazy, but out here in Brazil, the field is white and ready to harvest! So many people here are prepared to hear about the gospel! There are a lot of people who just let us in to be nice, and listen to our message for the same reason. But there are tons of people who really hunger and want to hear the message! I love these people!

The baptisms we had this week were three young boys, two of which were brothers, and the other a good friend of theirs. The last was a 38 year old woman named Chris, who's husband is a reactivated member and son a recent convert.

The three boys are nuts! The brothers remind me of my cousins, Troy and Clay when they were younger. They're awesome, and their Grandmother has a date for baptism too! The whole family is awesome and I can always feel love in their home!  To illustrate how crazy these boys can be, one tried to jump back into the font after he was baptized because the water was so nice and warm. We had to hold him back - very interesting baptism! :D

The baptism of Chris was super great - there were a lot of people there and she was able to be baptized by her husband. it was a good baptism to witness. The spirit was there and was strengthened by the friendships she had with those who were present from the branch.

We usually are in the house of a member every Sunday night, and we love visiting the house of Maria. Usually there are about 2-3 boys and 3-4 girls along with Maria and her husband. I'm still not sure who exactly is family and who isn't... There is a game we like to play with them where you have a cup with a little bit of water which is used to splash the face of a victim. The person with the cup chooses a subject such as colors, fruits, soccer teams, etc. and then secretly chooses an item from the chosen subject and writes it on a piece of paper (for validation purposes). Every person guesses items from the subject, and when someone says the specific item chosen by the cup-holder, they become  a victim of the cup of water. Then they restart the process.  Usually games like this are referred to as brincadeiras, which is a word that roughly means joke, or jokes. It's the word usually used for games and activities like this.

Another very eventful thing happened this morning! I was making giobadia (a food made with cheese and fruit jelly wrapped in a pastel tortilla and fried in vegetable oil), and I put a good amount of vegetable oil into the pan and proceeded to fry them. A couple times some oil jumped out and got me on the arm. Not too bad. I flipped a giobadia and a good bit of oil jumped out and got me in the hand and up my arm. So now I have a couple good 1° burns up my arm and a decent sized 2° on my hand. It's a little gruesome looking, but with a little first aid it feels all right. Still looks gruesome though!  Totally worth it, those giobadias are good! :D

I'll send picture when i finally get my memory card to work along with a video of the jokes!

As for my nugget this week:

Every night I read in Jesus the Christ until it's time to turn the lights out. I've listened to The Garden all the way through a couple times already too. These two resources have brought me so much closer in knowledge to Christ. I understand his mission more every day. I understand his love, and the love of Our Father, of which He testifies with His every action. 

One thing I've realized is the faith of all the prophets who came before Christ. Every one of these righteous men had only their testimonies of the Christ who would come, as well as the testimonies of those who came before them. They knew not of His mission in its entirety, and they, as well as us, could never hope to comprehend the entirety of it all.  But it is my testimony, as well as the testimony of many prophets, that Christ did come. He performed the Atonement. He suffered and died for each one of us, that we might be saved from our weaknesses and sins.

Christ Lives. He is our one and only true friend. He loves us, and wants to help us. Of these thing I bear my own personal testimony.

I invite all of you to come unto Christ, read the works of the Bible, and the Book of Mormon, along with the words of the prophets we have today. They are the words of God, untainted by the philosophies of man, and will bring every person closer to Him and His love. Pray about these works to know that they are true. They will bring you the greatest treasure of happiness that are possible in this life!

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be Given him." James 1:5

Also:  Moroni 10:3-5

I love you guys! 

I´m still normal! i promise!

Tudo bem em Brazil!

Ate Mais

Elder John D. Scarlett

john.scarlett@myldsmail.net

Sao Chico B - Week 2

September 14, 2015

My companion's name is Elder Gomez. He's from São Paulo and he's a really cool guy and a hard worker in the field! He doesn't speak English, which is good because it forces me to learn. He's really patient with me and my lack of experience with Portuguese and the work.

My area is called São Chico B in the zone Gravataí - It's a small town called São Francisco de Paulo and has a very small branch. This week we almost hit our goal to get 80 people in sacrament meeting, we ended up only having around 76 but the Chapel was full to the brim. That shows two things - how small this Branch is, and how great the work is going!

The food is great! Almoço (lunch) is always with a member and you can always count on having rice and beans. That's good because I love rice and beans! They tell you to eat as much as you want, but usually I only get 2-3 plates.

The people are so great in this Branch! Sometimes I feel like I'm at a Dawson Family Reunion, but everyone speaks Portuguese! There are a couple of super strong families here I absolutely love visiting! The people here have really touched my heart and I love them all! 

I´m healthy, though I've been eating more snacks lately and fruits and vegetables can be hard to come by during the day, but my body is adjusting well! I sleep great every night, allergies are the same, and i haven't gained much weight, but i can feel the muscles in my arms and my core degrading, and the muscles in my legs getting super tight, so i need to exercise more with my arms and core, but other than those, I'm still great! 

Gotta go! love you!

Stay strong, stay safe!

have faith, and keep working!

Até mais!

Elder John D. Scarlett

Sao Chico B - Week 1

September 7, 2015

Things are fantastic in Brazil! I´m actually surprised and a bit worried about that! Everyone says it's always the first few weeks that are hard - but for me, this just feels normal! I was a little shy at first but now I do contacts without a second thought, I can just talk to people.

Since I've arrived I've had absolutely no fears about anything. Nunca!! And it freaks me out a bit! Haha, I'´m just talking with people and I have the smallest grip on the language that I could possibly have! The only thing I could come up with that´s getting me through this is the fact that I've come so much closer with my Heavenly Father during my time at the CTM. I've really come to know more about the Atonement and Jesus Christ and how much Heavenly Father loves all his children, especially me! In the CTM I could literally feel the seed of faith growing in me as I dedicated time to study the gospel, and tried to keep the commandments! I feel the Love of Christ every day, for me and for my pesquisadors! 

Right now the only thing that is hard for me is being away from my family, all of you guys! I've been reading Grandma Dawson's history and I just wanted to be with you guys and just sit down and talk! I couldn't help but tear up. They were precious stories for me and I'll be treasuring those for a long time!

I want to hear some updates about what´s going on at home! :)

  

Love you lots

Tudo Bem!

Elder John D. Scarlett
john.scarlett@myldsmail.net

Brazil CTM - Week 5

My two favorite flags!

Brazil MTC

My District at the Sao Paulo temple

Last week in the CTM! Last day going to the São Paulo temple, and last email from the CTM! Think about that! Next week I'll be down in Porto Alegre, with a companion who doesn't speak a lick of english (at least I hope he doesn't)!  I am so excited to get out and really start sharing this gospel and all the new things I've learned from the CTM. As far as this week goes, we had a General Authority come and speak to us in one of our devotionals and we watched a 2013 devotional at the Provo MTC at which Elder Holland spoke for our other devotional! What a huge privilege to hear from two general authorities in the same week! Filled up 6 pages of my journal with new inspirational messages and testimony building quotes!

My study desk

Pretty much everything is the same as last week though - same food, same teachers, same district! So great!

Here is one for Jessica Gregory, if she hasn't heard already! Irma Orfila

My District at Campinas Temple

She's one of the Instructors here and she started her mission in the Salt Lake City Mission while Jessica was finishing up the last few months of her mission! Such a small world when you're mormon!

And for Logan, do you remembers Irma Marques or Irmão Guilerme when you were in the CTM.

Not much has changed here, except for my testimony, my Portuguese, my love for temples, and my love for Brazil and it's people. That has all excelled!

Roomies

When all you guys read this, take a little time and shoot me an email! I love hearing about how everything is going back in The States!

Eu amo vocês muito!

Tudo Bem em Brazil!

- Elder Scarlech (Scarlett)

Ties are super cheap - 3 for about $5 :)

Pday in the CTM Halls

Brazil CTM - Week 4

Oi meu amigos! Tudo Bem?

Not much new here at the CTM, Just some more new faces as goes every week! I love the CTM for that reason! every week there is so much change with people coming and leaving, some people can hold a conversation some still know nothing in portuguese! it´s always a humbling experience! 

The Green Beans (newly arrived missionaries AKA Greenies) we got last week are really cool though, we talk with them a lot, and they have P-Day with us so that is fantastic! 

The highlights for every week is pretty much Sabados (P-Day´s), Domingos, e Quarta-feiras (Green Bean Day)!

An elder from our district went home this week though, we all had a hard time with it. He was a great addition to the district, but going home made him so much happier for the last day, so i´m happy that he´s back home happy with his family! A mission isn't for everyone. it´s hard work that require ALL of your time and tons of faith. It's definitely something you have to be willing to do!

If there is anything I've learned this week, it's the importance of faith in this life, and specifically in this work. If you don't have faith and you don't work, nothing gets done, lessons blunder, time is wasted, the spirit doesn't teach. With Faith everything becomes possible! EVERYTHING BECOMES POSSIBLE!!!!  After I understood that, the lessons I taught with my companion were filled with the spirit! We have to WORK, for "faith without works is dead." Me and my companion study hard every day - whether it is the language, or the scriptures, we are studying. And if we aren't studying we are either praying or preparing. Then the miracles happen. Since this gelled in my mind, the lessons I've taught have been the best ever taught since coming to the CTM.

The other things I've really learned and gained a knowledge and testimony of are the principles of obedience and its direct link to blessings! It's really amazing how much we are promised!

Anyways - Tudo Bem em Brazil!

Love you guys!

Stay fantastic!

-Elder Scarlett

Brazil CTM - Week 3

Another week in the CTM and everything is still going great! 

I don't want to talk about how great my Portuguese is getting because I talk about that every time I email! but it´s starting to really take off! I still know nothing, but I'm doing so much better!

My favorite two days here in the CTM are Sundays and Fridays (P-day)! Sunday is flipping amazing because we get to listen and learn about gospel principles in ENGLISH - it´s always a total breath of fresh air! Plus the leaders that teach us are pretty amazing themselves. Its hard to imagine them not talking with the spirit!

And of course P-day! How could I not love P-days! We wake up at 5:40 in the morning get ready and leave for the temple around 6:45. Today we were able to go to the Campinas Temple! The São Paulo temple is HUGE on the inside and 100% Gorgeous! But it´s smack dab in the middle of the city so the grounds are small, still gorgeous, because it´s a temple. The Campinas Temple is Huge on the outside! So much space and so many beautiful plants and so much beautiful architecture! it´s just Great!! The inside is a bit smaller, and honestly not as stunning as the São Paulo temple, but again, it´s still a beautiful place! after all it is a temple! 

Tuesdays we have devotionals and this time we watched the broadcast from Provo, which was sent to the Brazil CTM after it had happened (Sorry Sara :) ). It was a little funny when we all sang "Called to Serve" at the beginning because all the Missionaries were pumped up and singing in Portuguese, but they sang it fast enough that we were at least a line ahead by the end of each verse! There is so much spirit in these walls, but the musical talent can be lacking sometimes :D  I love all the Brazilians here so much! Anyways I felt bad afterwards because I fell asleep during the broadcast and missed most of Elder Nelson's talk and apparently I slept through the entire Brazilian National Anthem too! I was OUT! 

We went proselyting on quinta-feira (Wednesday) and we passed out at least 64 Book of Mormons as a group - it was crazy! and super exciting! and scary! all at the same time! I didn't know half of what anyone was saying but it was so cool to see how much they still were interested about the Gospel and the blessings it could bring into their lives! Even cooler was that they were willing to accept BoMs from 18 year-old Americans who barely knew a lick of Portuguese! It was really nice to be able to do that and now I'm super pumped to get out of here and really learn some Portuguese and do some teaching!

But everything is going fantastic here!

Tudo Bem em Brazil!

 - Elder Scarlett

My mailing address - Letters only!

Centro de Treinamento Missionário

Rua Padre Antõnio D´angelo, 121 - Casa Verde

CEP 02516-040 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil

Brazil CTM - Week 2

IT'S A MAD ONE HERE AT THE CTM!!

The CTM just keeps getting better and better! That being said, I am so ready to get out of this place! Not because I'm tired of the CTM or anything like that, I am just ready to get out there and teach the Gospel! 

As for the CTM getting better and better, every week I get better at the language! I can now teach entire lessons and even have small discussions! I understand about 75% of what the teachers teach now, and I'm starting to understand when I read the scripture in Portuguese! I've always believed in the gift of tongues, but it's to weird to have it! 

As far as my district goes, they're awesome! The sisters in my district got reassigned so that was a little sad, but we´re still going strong!

And I was on a MAD ONE!

TWICE!

in the SAME DAY!

Story time (Caution: involves Bodily fluids)

So me and my district were at lunch chatting it up. Usual stuff,  laughing, a lot! I can't remember the specific circumstances, all I remember was that I had a drink of water in my mouth when somebody said something, and we were all laughing! 2 options, swallow water or spit it out.  I'm too polite to spit it out, so i swallow it! Naturally the better idea, right? 

Horribly wrong.  So nobody told me this, so I'll tell you guys - don't swallow water while you're laughing hard - it's not a fun experience. You see, what actually happens is that you gag then water comes out of your mouth...

and your nose! But let´s not stop there! 

So if you know what siphoning is then you know how useful it is for stealing gasoline. The same effect isn't as fun when your stomach is involved, because I tasted my lunch twice! After the water came out my stomach was like, "But wait! There's more!" So don't swallow water while you´re laughing really hard!

That was MAD ONE #1

MAD ONE #2 

Same day, Wednesday is pizza night in the CTM and they have tons of great pizza so we had a pizza eating contest! My goal was seven, and I beat everyone with seven. But I love me some Banana Chocolate pizza, so I ended up downing 10 instead! Keep in mind this isn't Little Caesar's pizzas, these are full on Brazilian Pizzas! It was so good! So now I've been on two MAD ONE's according to my district :D

As fun as the CTM is, it's so hard - teaching 2-3 lessons a day for 20-30 minutos is muito deficil! Not to mention pretty much the rest of the time is spent sitting in a chair listening to someone speaking only Portuguese! I've never had my mental capacity tested so much in my life! I'm mentally exhausted by the end of each day! But I can't imagine doing anything else right now! I, along with every other missionary here, and all of our leaders, were called of God to help teach his Gospel and bring his children unto Christ! How great of a call is that! How great is it to be able to share that calling with tens of thousands of other people! I know that my purpose as a missionary, to invite all to come unto Chist, will help many people.

Love you all!

tudo bem em Brazil!

 - Elder John Scarlett

john.scarlett@myldsmail.net