Importance of the Sacrament

Well I don’t have much time to write this week. They are doing work on the office, so we are at a LAN writing and the computers don’t work as good. Plus we are going to eat lunch with Paulo and Suellen and Anna Vitoria right now, so I am going to have to hurry up. So transfers on Monday went smoothly, I am not training anyone. I can’t believe I only have three more left. Definitely need to make the most of them! I have been really working out, but we ate lanche Hamburgers both on Wednesday and Thursday night… super good but super fat! So the ward is really helping with Paulo and Suellen’s wedding, it is going to be amazing! . Irma Roseangela did great! She has a wedding dress store and let her use a dress and Paulo has a really nice suit. They also helped with the cake, and the ward is going to make dinner it is going to be awesome. We won't be able to go to the wedding actually, President said we weren't able to awhile back and last week ELder Zwick talked about that and the new focus with missionaries is teach not social activities but focus on teaching people. So it’s a little bit of a bummer to not be at the wedding, but we are going to go out and eat lunch with them today!

The work is going good and we have a few potentials for this next week. The one family that had a lot of potential weren't home when we stopped by this week, so we will have to keep finding more. Irmao Campos and Valda we had a lesson with them and their neighbor who is this older catholic lady who is really nice, so we will see how it goes. But we are excited to start working with the friends of Paulo and Suellen!

So not sure when we are moving, the one apartment is ready but we actually might move to this house that is like 20 seconds from the church so I am not sure because the house won’t be ready till mid April.

It really hit me yesterday that the mission is coming to an end as I started to buy the tickets for the missionaries that go home with me! Super weird! I can't believe it's flying by so fast!

Last Saturday to me was a really big eye opener on the importance of the sacrament. Elder Zwick was telling us that since he was called as a Seventy, they are always traveling to preside over Stake Conferences and many times because of that do not get the sacrament. Only once a month, the 1st Thursday of each month all the Apostles and 70s who were traveling meet together and have a 3 hour meeting and bless and pass the sacrament. You couldn't believe the happiness in his countenance while he was saying he was going to be in Campinas next Sunday and would be able to partake of the sacrament there! You could tell it was something he cherishes very much and was so happy to be able to partake of it more than one time during the month. As I reflected on that, I saw in myself how many times I have not truly prepared before and had spiritual experiences during the sacrament because I was focused on other things in the world, like what I am going to eat when I get home, homework, the past week and the fun things I did etc. etc. When during those same times a special witness of God was desiring to have the opportunity to testify to me. I read a talk recently by Elder Holland and a scripture he shared, that when I read it stuck me in the soul. In Matthew 26:40 it says
And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?
That invitation is the Lord invitation each week to us as we go to sacrament meeting to truly be sanctified. And not have the Lord say to us "Could ye not watch with me one hour?" I learned a big lesson that day with Elder Zwick on the importance of the sacrament and to truly yearn for and prepare for that moment each week! I am grateful for baptism and the sacrament to be able to constantly "Remember Him"

I love the Gospel, I love being a missionary and being able to share this message with others.

I love you all so much, do the little things, always serve one another!

Tchau,
Elder JT Moore

Preparing for the mission conference with Elder Zwick

Our Zone at the conference with Elder Zwick and his Wife

Up early to get a nice pic of Hercilio Luz Bridge

Hercilio Luz Bridge

Dinner with Paulo, Suellen and Ana Vitoria

Just a little video for you all

Be Diligent

Well another week in the books, I can’t believe time is flying by so fast. It has been another busy week in the office this week with visas and planning travel plans for the mission tour, and getting things ready for transfers in the upcoming weeks. Even with all the work we have been making it a goal to get out of the office as soon as possible to do work. One quick funny story, was we went to buy some umbrellas for the office, and as we came out of the store it was raining, so I opened up the umbrella and we started walking. We didn’t get very far and it bent from the wind, so we went back to the store and returned it.

Sunday was good, the ward is helping out with missionary work, and helping us bring back the less actives. We had Paulo, Suellen and Vitoria at church along with some others. Things are going good for them and the ward is really helping out with their wedding plans. There are a bunch of Irmas (Sisters) in the ward that are really helping a lot with the wedding, it is great how they are all helping out and are excited for them. We had a really spiritual lesson with them on Thursday at a members house. It was great, I love that family and I am very excited for them.

This week wasn’t that good with visits or contacts. Most of our planned appointments for visits didn’t work out, and the contacts we did weren’t very promising this week. But I have realized that it is our job to just get out there and try to share the message with everyone, they still have the agency to decide if they want to listen to it or not. We did visit a family that their son was baptized about 6 years ago, although they are going through some difficult times right now, they do want to hear more.

Today I had an epiphany and realized it's time for March Madness, wow, I can’t believe it is that time of year. Next year it’s going to be fun for sure to watch and get back into picking the underdogs! What a super exciting time! How’s the bracket shaping up to be? Are there any good underdogs this year, hahaha. NIU or Gonzaga's or George Washington or Butlers?

I wanted to write to any young man and woman who are thinking about preparing to serve a mission! I want to say it’s the best thing that has happened to me! Read Alma 37:6-7. These two verses are probably my favorite scriptures ever. For example we did a small act of helping place a sugar cane (caldo de cana) cart into a parking place and now we have a family that has the goals to get married and be baptized, yes there are trials and Satan always loves to sneak in and try to destroy things. I found some really good quotes from a guy, Vance Havner, who talks about this.

It takes broken soil to produce a crop, broken clouds to give rain, broken grain to give bread, broken bread to give strength. It is the broken alabaster box that gives forth perfume. . . . it is Peter, weeping bitterly, who returns to greater power than ever. [“Broken Things,” an excerpt from Vance Havner]

“Taking it easy is often the prelude to backsliding. Comfort precedes collapse.” This quote explains perfectly what it means on always doing the little things and being diligent

I love you a ton be diligent read the talk by Elder Christofferson and Elder Lawrence they are great.

Love you all very much,

Elder JT Moore

Beautiful Day in Florianopolis

Another Beautiful Day, and our View

Here is what happens on a not so beautiful day

Some more video of the staircase waterfall

Heavenly Father's always is There for Us!

So another week has came and gone. It went by really quick. The office this week was pretty calm, just renewing visas and the usual. As far as the work goes, Paulo and Suellen signed the papers on Monday and the date of their wedding and Baptism is on 26 of MARCH!!!!!!!! It’s going to be AWESOME! Irma Leilane and Daniel are helping a ton! They have been planning out how to do the wedding! They have also been reading the scriptures everyday since we taught them the importance of daily scripture study. I actually used the parable of the truck driver (thank you dad for teaching me that one). I had actually shared it a while back to Elder Cardenas, and during the lesson, he was like E. Moore tell them about the truck driver. They liked it, it was awesome. They are such an awesome family, and today there was a baptism of child in the ward and Paulo and Ana Vitoria were there!

We have also been teaching Prisila, and she is reading the BOM and is either coming to church this week or the next. Cristiano and Marcia a cool family we have werent able to meet with us this week because a ton of things happened with them but hopefully next week we can visit them! We have been doing lots of contacts and are on the search for more families!

So the new word for the week that I learned is “Trichic”. Well so it's like a Gaucho (Rio Grande do Sul) thing they put Tri in front of a word to make it triple the importance. Like in English would be like Tricool or Triawkward something like that.

The funny story of the week happened at the office. Okay so here in the office there are 2 bathrooms, one for men and one for women. On Thursday when we got to the office I had to go to the bathroom really bad, and when I went to go in Elder Salomão was already in the men's bathroom. so I went into the women's, and just when I sat down I heard the mission president’s wife, Sister Silva, with some sisters outside that had just arrived in front of the office. I was like... -_______- so I went and "LET IT GOOOOOOOO, LET IT GOOOO, I couldn't hold it back anymore" "Just Let it go let it go" Hahaha. So then to my luck they came up and tried to go to the bathroom, but I locked it. So then after I finished, I used half a can of febreeze to make sure it didn't “smell bad". After I came out they realized it was me in there and I was like just say a prayer before you go in so you don't die, but it was all good, and we had a good laugh.

I have been study the importance of us having our own testimonies and how all the people of the scriptures had defining points on when they "knew". Also in Helaman 5 what the Nephites and Lamanites did to truly have success! That was really good to study together with the article from the Liahona in February.

I am really sorry Susi died. It would have been really nice to meet her. But we know she will have a chance to hear the messages up there and was being prepared right now with you guys! Way to go that is surely going to help

I am so grateful for you guys and the awesome example you guys were for me! :)

Elder JT Moore

We visited a senior citizens center

E. Cárdenas flirting it up with the single ladies haha

Our District

Best District in the Mission!!!!