Happy Valentine's Day

So this week went by slow, but yet really fast, it’s hard to explain. So I received my package last week, and I know you said to wait until valentine's day, but can I open my package today? So we had transfers last week, and everything went smoothly, nobody missed their bus, and I was able to do all the paperwork for the newbies, everything worked out! Which was good since Tuesday was a holiday because Carnival. So this transfer I have made it a goal to make sure all missionaries have a CPF which is like a social security number in Brazil. The other thing is I am getting all missionaries to sign this paper and get a seal thing on it saying that it is their signature, this will enable us here in the office to be able to go out and get stuff and do stuff for them. So things are going good in the office, I just want to really get as much stuff organized as possible so we can get out and meet members and investigators. So we all stayed the same here in the office, the only difference is that Elder Cardenas is going to train Elder Sierras to be the new financial secretary. The office is really clicking now, we work super hard and smart, but we always have lots of fun. We always goof around and joke around, for example Elder Sáenz always like to make fun of the Spain Spanish accents, or should I say my Spanish accent. Out is district is awesome, the APs are now in our district, so it's the office Elders and some of the sisters that are here on the island. We are looking for a new apartment so the APs will be living with us, and our apartment will be the mission apartment, where all of the Elders come and stay while here in Florianopolis. I am very excited for this transfer!

It has been Carnival this week, it is crazy, it is bizarre, weird, etc. We didn’t go out much, because the whole center of Florianopolis was like crazy with people and not in a good way. So Sunday our Haitian friend that we found last week that is a member, brought 3 friends with him to church. Member missionary work is easy if we just invite our friends. Our friend Fernando, is going through some really tough times. He is from Uruguay, he is away from his family, and just having a lot of issues, please pray for him. So this week we met with Paulo and Sueli a few times. Early in the week we met with them and they also are going through a lot of trials and issues. It was pretty intense, but we read with them and talked about the gospel. Later in the week we returned to see how they were doing, and the things were a lot better, there are still things they are overcoming, but you can see when we put God in our lives things get better. They are so awesome I love that family so much!! We also visited Priscilla, it was a really good visit, she is starting to understand the Book of Mormon and why we have it in conjunction with the bible.

One thing I learned this week, that I heard President say is “Once you have lost your liberty, you can only gain it back through blood, the atonement of Jesus Christ” Only through Christ can we gain back our Liberty. This teaching just really stood out for me this week, and I actually used it with some of our investigators.

We taught a lot of less actives, and what I learned from the missionary conference from a few weeks ago, was that a lot of times we need to teach less actives like investigators. So that is what we did, we taught them about the Plan of Salvation, I just love teaching this. The spirit is always strong when we talk about having a Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ, and why we came to earth. I just love it!

One thing I really learned and have taken to heart from this last conference was a message from Elder Redlund, about how we have to truly love those we serve. We have to look at them through the eyes of their parents, the eyes of Heavenly Father, and just love them for who they are, understand them, and just love and serve them with unconditional love.

Congratulations Justin, way to go man, way to beast it up. That is so awesome you took 3rd in the State. Keep working your butt off, I can’t wait to get home and work with you and see you next year beasting it up. I love you so much Bro.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY! YOU GUYS ARE THE BEST FAMILY EVER!

Thanks for the pics this week!

Love you guys! Read the scriptures! pray!

Tchau!
Elder JT Moore

My Valentine's Package - My Mom loves me so much!!!

I love you too, and miss you all

Happy Valentine's Day XOXOXO

Doing work and getting organized in the Office

Well another week has flown by here in the office. I have been trying to get more organized with the documents of foreigners, with their ID cards and CPF numbers and renewing visas! I am working my butt off and time just flies by, but everything in the office is getting organized. I even built a really good relationship with the people at the police station where we do Visa paperwork. The package you sent arrived on Tuesday, so I will wait until Valentine’s Day to open it. You guys did awesome on the package, it was super heavy but didn’t get taxed at all. Other packages that come here that don’t weigh even close get super taxed, so props to you for sending it correctly.

Dad, I just wanted to say thank you so much, that video you sent I will Prepare the Way about 1 Nephi 17:32, about the faith Nephi had in building a ship and how it applies to our lives and how we should follow the promptings in missionary work was awesome! Actually last Sunday for lunch during our lunch message I shared it with the family, and it was great! I had always liked that scripture, but I had never viewed the rest of the chapter in that way. The family that fed us are so nice, you can tell that they have a lot of love for the missionaries.

We have a new Elder here in the office Elder Salomão is Elder Keller’s new companion. He is going to help a lot with the work in the ward and bridging relationships. He is a a great missionary, he is 26 years old from Cape Verde. We have the best-est district in the whole mission! All of the office staff and the sisters from Rio Tavares. The last week we also had Elder Delaney here in the office helping out, he was companions with Elder Zamorano who finished up his mission and had to go home a few weeks early because of his visa expiring. Elder Delaney has helped out a ton with all of the preparations for transfers this coming week. Elder Sierras has taught me how to get packages out from the post office without having to pay the huge fines. So now I am in charge of that process and getting them to the missionaries. I have also been learning and helping Elder Cardenas with the reimbursement of things missionaries send into the office.

We have been teaching some awesome families, we taught Paulo and Sueli and Ana Vitoria (their little daughter that is super cute and sweet). They are awesome! We taught them all about the Book of Mormon, it was a really cool lesson and we had a member there with us. We went and picked them up on Sunday to go to church, and they really liked it. We have also been teaching Fernando, Prisila, Hector, Arsene and his friends. Arsene and his friends are Haitians, he is a member, he has been here in Floripa for about 5 months but didn’t know where the church was. They live on the mainland, but they are part of our ward, so they have to travel some distance and cross the bridge to get to the church here on the island. He speaks Spanish, but I have a hard time now trying to speak Spanish, it is going to be hard for me when I get back to switch over. We are doing good but we always need to be searching for the elect to teach.

Yes it was great to see that Lucas and Eli got married and were able to be baptized. Elder Choate called me on their baptism day and let me know, and then I got to see a picture of their baptism. That is so awesome, I am excited for them.

So this week I was studying Alma 50, and the importance of preparing, covenants, unity, and the importance of parents teaching their children!

I also learned 3 new words but I have already forgotten what 2 of them were... sorry I gotta write them down throughout the week. One of the words was lantejoula, it means Sequin, Ana Vitoria taught me that one hahaha.

Remember to do the small things, read the scriptures, pray, and serve one another,
Love you all very much,

Tchau,
Elder JT Moore

Saying bye to Elder Zamorano

Me, E. Zamorano, and E. Cardenas

Office Elders and the ones going home

Our district meeting

Have to love it here, it is always raining