WEEK #23 - JARAGUA DO SUL - Episode #16 - Bubble Guts

What´s up everyone!? I hope everyone had another great week! This one is going to be short because I was in the hospital yesterday but got permission to email today. Nothing serious though just a little virus going around!

This week was one of the best thus far! We had 2 baptisms and everything went super well! It was such an incredible experience to baptize my boy Alex and watch Elder C. baptize Rose.

On Sunday we got news that one of our investigators that is on date for Feb. 11 got hit by a car so we went by his house to give him a blessing but his dad said he was knocked out on drugs. So we are praying for him to get better quickly! 

We are working extra hard and the members have been helping us so much. My testimony of member missionary work has grown so much!! Everyone do your best to take a friend to church and share what you love!

Thank you for all the prayers and support!! Love you all!

Sempre fica firme, forte e feliz!

Love, 

Elder Scheer

Baptism of Alex 

Baptism of Rose

Got to visit the hospital thanks to a virus

WEEK #22 - JARAGUA DO SUL - Episode #15 - Maggots!

Howdy everyone!! I hope everyone had a great week and I´m super jealous of everyone at home that got to hear from Elder Bednar! This Wednesday we will have a world wide transmission for the all the missionaries so I´m super excited about that!

It was another good week for Elder C and I here in Jaraguá. Every Friday we wake up at 4:30 to walk to the bus station and catch a 6:00 bus to Joinville for our district meeting. When I woke up that morning, I walked out to see a ton of maggots crawling around our trash can. Yeah pretty dang gross. But I grabbed the bug spray and broom and gave them the goods. Great morning surprise :)

On Friday night we had a lesson with Rose and when we started the lesson she told us that had read everything and even answered all the questions in the back of both of the pamphlets that we had left. When she said that, Elder C and I just looked at each other and started laughing. Pretty much every missionary´s dream hahaha. But her testimony is so strong and her study habits are already better than so many members I know. That night we ended up sprinting home again for 15 mins but at least someday we will learn to plan better haha. 

Although Alex and Rose are progressing really well, almost every other lesson we had planned fell through. It was a long week of finding and contacting. On Tuesday though we had a super good lesson with a friend of a member here. We started teaching the Restoration but he soon asked a question and we immediately switch to teaching about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was such a spiritual experience. His prayer at the end of the lesson was one of the most sincere prayers I have ever heard!

My love for the Brasilian people and for the gospel has grown so much in such a short amount of time. I am so grateful for this opportunity to grow so much and to help other people learn about our Savior. I hope you all can look for opportunities to share your special testimonies throughout the week! Thank you for all the support! I love you all and wish and incredible week for everyone!

Sempre fica firme, forte e feliz!

Elder Scheer

WEEK #21 - JARAGUA DO SUL - Episode #14 - Another Week Comes and Goes!

Time is going by so fast it´s almost kind of sad. Sorry I haven´t been writing much in my last emails but I have a little more time today. 

I don´t remember very well but I don´t think I said too much about my new companion last week. So his name is Elder Castagneto and he is from Nampa, Idaho. He spent a transfer in Arizona waiting for his visa and already speaks Portuguese pretty well because he lived in Portugal when he was young so it doesn´t feel a ton like I´m training. But of course Brasil is a completely different mission, so I have had the opportunity to teach him a bunch of new things. For example, we don´t have ipads or cars hahaha. He a super out doorsy guy and his forearms are ginormous so if we ever got messed with I wouldn´t have to worry about anything. But his love for the gospel is incredible and I have already learned so much with him. I´m really looking forward for the rest of the time we have together. He´s super big into country music so we always sing some classics together.

This week teaching went really great but we didn´t have a ton of lessons because we had to go to Florianopolis again. Something went wrong with Elder Castagneto´s documents or something so on Tuesday evening we headed there and we didn´t get back to Jaraguá until Friday evening which was kind of annoying.

But my favorite investigators right now are Alex who´s 15 and Rose who´s 35ish. They are both going to be baptized on January 28th!! We are super pumped. Alex we have been teaching for a while but Rose is kind of new. Her husband is an inactive return missionary who made it a goal to go back to church this year! So this week we taught them and invited Rose to be baptized and she accepted!! She practically bore her testimony to us during the lesson. Super golden.

After that lesson with Rose on Friday we got out of their apartment at 8:40 and we have to home at 9. We literally sprinted for 20 minutes straight and let me tell ya with a few extra pounds that was not easy haha. We got to our apartment soaked in sweat and dying but it always feels gratifying to be obedient!!

Yesterday we had lunch with a super cool family from our ward and the daughter had gone and stayed in Utah. We started talking about Cafe Rio and In-n-Out and other places and I had a slight desire to cry. Haha just kidding but definitely missing some good ´ol American food.

I love you all and hope you have a great week! Shout out to Michael for heading to Mexico tomorrow!! 

Sempre fica firme, forte e feliz!

Elder Scheer

No pics this week

WEEK #20 - JARAGUA DO SUL - Episode #13 - New Companion! Things are heatin' up!

Hello everyone!!!

So this week has been kind of crazy and different haha. Being a trainer is 100% a different experience but the gospel is still 100% true. 

So Elder C arrived on Tuesday in Florianopolis and then we headed back to Jaraguá that night. He is from Nampa Falls, Idaho and is a great guy. He visa waited for a transfer in Mesa, Arizona so I actually only have one more transfer than him in the field hahaha. So we are still kind of learning the best way to do everything together but it´s a great learning experience. His mom is also from Portugal so he already speaks Portuguese really well! That was a pretty big relief haha. 

Anyway I don´t have much time because we have a lesson in 30 minutes but this week should be super good!! We have a few investigators progressing that I wish I had time to talk about and we have received a few references from the members here. 

I love you all so much! I hope the winter is treating you all well. Last week the air temp hit 125 degrees Fahrenheit so that´s always a super good time! Sorry for the short email! Until next week!

Sempre fica firme, forte e feliz!!

Elder Scheer  

New Companion, Elder C

Week #19 - No Letter - In Florianopolis getting new companion

WEEK #18 - JARAGUA DO SUL - Episode #11 - Christmas in Jaragua

What´s up everyone!!! I hope Christmas was great for everyone! It didn´t feel super duper Christmasy here because we sweat just sitting in our apartment, but it´s all good.

This week the work has been pretty slow because more than half of the population here goes to the beach for Christmas and New Year's so it kind of feels like walking in a ghost town. But we are always on the look out for those who don´t have anyone to spend the holiday season with and need a little pick me up.

We had one super good lesson with the Rocha family. The last lesson we had with them, we challenged them all to read Moroni 10:3-5 and pray about it. When we came back a few days later, one of the son in laws told us before we asked that he read, prayed, and felt something that he had never felt before. He also said he just felt so happy afterward. In Galatians 5:22 we learn that the fruits of the Spirit are feeling such as happiness, love, and peace. We were so hyped for him! After we challenged the rest of the family to do the same and we read Lehi´s vision of the Tree of Life with the family.

This week we bought 5 kg of acai, banana, granola, and peanuts. Best thing ever.

We spent Christmas Eve with a few families eating BBQ, playing, games, and just having a good time. I got to see a little bit of the hick side of Brasil culture which was pretty interesting hahaha. And on Christmas we opened presents, went to church (my boy from the Dominican Republic showed up and we were #veryhype), had an incredible lunch of Turkey and ribs with a family from our ward, and then skyped with my family! Christmas in another country was so much better than I could´ve imagined!

Even though it´s weird to be far from home during the holiday season, there is nothing I would rather be doing right now! Sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ is the greatest thing ever. Thank you to everyone who emailed me and sent me cards/presents! I love you all so much!!

Sempre fica firme, forte e feliz

Elder Scheer

Christmas!

Awesome family!

Acai, Bananas and peanuts!! Heaven!

Christmas Day Family Skype

Brotherly love - 1 more week together

Elder Reis with Christmas Stocking from Scheer family

WEEK #17 - JARAGUA DO SUL - Episode #10 - Feliz Natal!

Yoooooooo! I hope everyone is having an incredible winter break.

Not a ton happened again this week but the things that happened are definitely note worthy.

After emailing on P-day Elder Reis and I finished the Christmas ties that we made for everyone in our district and then we went over to Andrea and Miro´s house.  Andrea is an investigator and Miro doesn´t have much interest in the church. They have a son named Gabriel who is 13 and was baptized shortly before we got here in Jaraguá. Andrea and Miro having been living together for like 18 years or something but aren´t legally married so Andrea can´t get baptized. Finally on Monday, Miro agreed to get married to her!!! We were so happy!

When we were walking to lunch on Tuesday we heard someone calling for us. When we turned around there was a young guy calling us over. We started talking and he said he´s from the Dominican Republic and that him and his friend from Haiti are looking for a church and are interested in ours. I´m really hoping we can start teaching them this week.

On Thursday we went to Joinville and had Christmas Conference with President Silva and 2 other zones. It was super fun. It was way cool to meet so many other missionaries, especially the Americans because my zone only has 1 other ha ha. President Silva talked a little bit, we did the White Elephant gift thing, had lunch, and then had the rest of the day to just hangout, play ping pong, etc… .

On Saturday we had Murilo´s baptism and the ward Christmas dinner. I got to baptize him! It was a super cool experience. At the dinner there was like a nativity/choir type thing (nothing like the RR stake but it´s all good) and then of course food. My boys from the Domican Republic and Haiti showed up. They are 19 and 21 and are way cool. They were impressed that I knew how to say What´s up in Creol thanks to the song Don´t Mind hahaha. ´Twas a great time.

That´s all the goods for this week. I love you all and I hope you all have an incredible Christmas!! Always remember our Savior during this season and do your best to serve others as he did!

Sempre fica firme, forte, e FELIZ.....NATAL

Elder Scheer

 

Elder M

My District with our matching Christmas ties!

Elder H

I got to baptize this awesome kid!

Ward Christmas Party

My boys from Haiti and Dominican Republic