Third Week, First Year, and Fourth of July‏

Hey everyone!


How are you all doing? I can´t believe it´s summer there and you guys are having barbeques and watching fireworks....but actually, it´s kind of summer here too! Since July 1 it´s been hot here, like summer weather at home (not the insane, over the top summer weather of the south of Brasil). So maybe we´re kind of on the same page!


Also, you´re totally right, Brasil is very sad to be out of the Cup. We were listening to the game and heard everyone celebrate at the 10 minute mark, and I thought we were going to make it! But then no more celebration for the rest of 2 hours.....and the significant lack of fireworks and general insanity let us know we did in fact lose. Too bad! But it´s better for missionary work:D


So let´s see, what happened this week? Things are continuing amazingly. We saw Cinthia and Wagner again a few times, and they loved learning about the Book of Mormon. They were sad because they were going out of town this weekend and wouldn´t be able to come to church, but Cinthia said learning about the BoM got rid of a few doubts she had had (that we have "another Bible", etc) and made her even more excited to go to church. They´re really amazing!


More really interesting people to tell you about are Luciano and Alba. Super interesting story! They´ve already been investigating for a year and a half, going to church every week, and waiting for their wedding, which will be in August (so I´ll likely be here - yay!!) So they´re like 30 and 35-ish, have 3 kids- 13, 10 and 10 months. But their story is so interesting....Luciano had already asked a friend for a Book of Mormon 9 years before meeting the missionaries. He read up til 3 Nephi 11, decided it was a nice work of fiction, and stopped. Then 9 years later when the elders appeared, he said he already had the book, showed it to them, and he had stopped right where they were going to mark for him to start! So he started accepting their visits and reading, not just reading but studying intently, to try to catch them on something. Every Bible scripture reference he thought "Now I´ll get them..." But he kept reading and studying and realized there was nothing to "get them" on - that it really had to be true. I really like talking to them, because he was a skeptic about *everything* - and even a skeptic like him had to accept. If you read and study with a sincere heart, anyone can know the truth of the Book of Mormon.


I´m coming to appreciate it so much more on my mission. I´m finishing Helaman in my reading, and am understanding and loving it more than ever before. On the mission I have such a different perspective - I can imagine exactly how those prophets felt in lots of situations. I´m so grateful that God inspired them to write their stories so we could have their wisdom today, when the world needs it most. I really love that book and have no doubt that it really is true, and that it really came about how Joseph said it did, because there´s just no other answer.


So those were just a few quick stories about two of the families here, and there are more, but time is running out! Next week I`ll tell you more about Eva and Gilberto and how it goes with them. Another super amazing family I´m so grateful to be working with. So to summarize, (that was the first English word I´ve forgotten in a long time) things here are going amazing. We´re really receiving a ton of help and we´re lucky enough that Heavenly Father is using us as His instruments to bring about some great things with great families. I´m so grateful to be here where he can use me to help others in need. Thank you all for helping me get here, and for all your help and support. I love you all so much and you´re always in my prayers!


Til next week!
Sister Madsen