5/26/2010

Hello!

So this week was AWESOME! They family that we have been teaching forever (Rodinei and Maria) got married!!!! (Pictures included) that was on Friday then on Saturday they were BAPTIZED! IT was way awesome, we were able to get a ton of members from the ward to go, and we even got Rodinei to make a super good friendship with the Elders Quorem president his name is Moroni and Moroni baptized Rodinei. And Elder Duarte baptized Maria, which was awesome becasue it was his first time baptizing a person! He did great!

Also I cant remember if Ive already told you about our investigator Paula. She is 21, and one of the members invited her to go to an activity last friday night, it was like a play that the ward did. So she went to that and liked it alot and went to church the next day. Which she also loved and ended up going to a young single adult activity that they had that night at the stake center. Then we taught her for the first time on thursday. It was amazing. We taught her the 1st lesson ( about the restoration) and we invited her to be baptized, she accepted! infact we didnt even get to ask her to be baptized, tward the end of the lesson she just asked " so how does this whole baptism thing work? What do I have to do to be baptized?" It was sweet! So we explained to her about the word of wisdom and the law of chastity and the only problem that she has is with coffee and smoking...Well as of right now she already stopped coffee and yesterday she only smoked 1 ciggerette! whooooo!!!! So then we asked to say a pray to end the lesson and she was like what! already?!? I want too learn more (at this point we had already been teaching her for over an hour) So we taught her about the Plan of Salvation. She loved it. She is going to be baptized on June 13th! We are so excited!

Anyways, I think thats about it!
Thanks for all the love and support!
 Elder J.D. Schoen

We taught this little girl before being baptized. Her name is Ariel. Her family are members, her dad wanted her to have the missionaries teach her before being baptized

Ariel again, she was baptized on Friday, her 8 yer old birthday

Rodinei and Maria at the wedding

Me and Elder Duarte with the Bride and Groom at the wedding

Baptism! Elder Duarte´s first time baptizing!

This weekend we painted the house of a member. They gave me purple paint and told me to do something creative with this wall... It turned out pretty good!

This sister missionary is almost as old as my mom! haha

Me and Elder Hayes. He got to the mission the same day as me and we were roomates in the CTM

Me and the Zone Leaders

My District at the last district meeting before transfers

Hey!


This week was super awesome! Sunday was mothers day, so I got to call home and talk with the family. It was alot easier this time. I remember when I called home during Christmas it was so hard, the rest of the day I was just extremely homesick and cried alot. But this time, it just made me happy. After the phone call I was back to normal and happy as ever!

So on the 21st of May the couple that we have been teaching, Maria and Rodinie will get married! We are so excited! So the 21st will be a friday and then on Saturday the 22nd the ward is going to have a little wedding reception thing for them and they will be baptized! Whoo!!! Pray that everything will go well and that they can be baptized!

This week we also found 2 other awesome families that are super intersted, the only problem is... They have to get married! What else is new. This is seriously the most frustrating thing ever here in Brazil. Its the culture. No one is married. People think that marrige is like selling your soul to the devil. its the hardest thing ever to get people to marry! But we will see what we can do with these families. I think that there is hope. Its just going to take a while.

Other than that things are going super well. Me and my son (elder Duarte) are going to stay together for at least 6 more weeks. But I think that this next transfers I will get transfered. But we will just have to see!

Thanks everyone for your love and support!
Elder J.D. Schoen

5/5/2010

I just thought this door was funny. I hope no one trys walking out of this door.

This is me and Elder Duarte at a Family Home Evening.

Me and Carol, she is so cute and is Megans age.

Hey!
This week was pretty cool, but uneventful. Except for the part where I got another Box. The one you sent with the DVDs and Chocolate Chips! I was so happy!!!! We made chocolate chip cookies this morning and my companions loved them!

...I say companionS becasue as of 2 days ago we got a new elder in our companionship. So right now we are in a trio. There was an elder that hurt his knee and so he was in the office for like 2 weeks while it was getting better, and two days ago he got medical clearance and so they just sent him to our area! joy! He will be here for a week..( Next wednesday is transfers) so he will get assigned an area and he will leave.

Probably me and my companion will stay together for one more transfer. and I hope so! Im absolutely loving this area and the people here!

But thats about it for this week. I hope you like the pictures from our FHE monday night!

p.s. This sunday is Mothersday!!! I get to call home!!!!

Thanks for all the love and support!
Elder Schoen