Jared will return Sept. 19th and speak on Sept. the 22nd

All and all I'm tired but excited for so many things and am still working hard. I made some goals for my last 4 weeks in the mission to help me keep going and come home with good habits. one of them, that mom will love, is write in my journal everyday. Me and my comp are also trying to bring a new energy and focus to our zone this last half of the transfer.

 One of those wedding I talked about is still going perfect but the other one is being delayed because of the paper work.  They are still really excited about their wedding and baptism but it will all happen after  i get home. Anyways anything else you wanted to know? Sunday the bishop grabbed me right before sacrament meeting and asked me to give a talk on family's. I instantly thought of mom and how she always said that would happen. I talked about our family, told them that everything my mother says happens and what made the difference in my life.It was an ok talk but I could do better and am a lot less nervous to talk in front of everyone but I still get a little little nervous. I'm sure with all the talks I will have to give coming home that I will loose that. 

 rock on --- Schmidt

PS  Jared does return the 19th of this month but will be off with his brothers  in Southern Utah for the first couple of days.  He speaks in our ward at 11am on Sept. the 22nd and would love to see all of you later that afternoon.Those of you who knew the 'little brother' aka Jefferson he is at BYU for a semester and will receive his mission call this next week.  Time flies...

Best Week Ever

Well this week was all going wrong until we had our miracle. It was my strongest experience I have ever had with fasting and prayer. We had a hard time with getting permission from Leticia's mom for her baptism and week after week she was getting sadder and sadder. We would go to teach her and she would start crying asking what she is doing wrong or what will happen if she never could be baptized. She really was doing everything she could,so it was sad. She would give us references and we would invite them to be baptized and you could see the desire in her eyes as they filled with tears. I felt one day that we need to make a goal for the 21st. I had no idea how it would happen but we told her that would be her baptism day and started to fast and pray. She started to invite people and this last week before the 21st everything imaginable went wrong. Her mom didn't let her go to church and didn't ever want to see us again. Her grandma started a fight with a member. It was super crazy and Saturday (the day before) we still didn't have any progress or permission. We didn't know what to do so we told her to keep praying and the next day would be her baptism. That night the member that had problems with the grandma called Leticia and went with her to her house, got in, talked to her family and yesterday, the 21st, she was baptized. It was a really cool experience. Her faith was for sure tested but she went forward with confidence in the Lord and everything turned out. It's amazing to say something and have the Lord do it. This really helped me understand the magnitude of my calling and the importance of relying on the Lord.
I'm in the end but I'm still learning a lot and I'm sure I will be learning for as long as I'm in the mission and for as long as I'm striving to do my best after the mission as well. This week I didn't hear too much from the fam so I didn't have many questions to answer but I would love to hear from y'all and you can all feel free to tell me how much you miss me and how excited you are to see me.    
                            Rock on -Schmidt

Still working hard in Brazil

We did have a couple days this week when everything was going just fine and because of this we now have a teaching group again and also have some great projects we are getting going with the members. When I came into the area we started a missionary minute in every sacrament meeting where one member every week would get a book of Mormon and give it to a non-member during the week and share the next week their experience passing a book to the next member. It was going well but we didn’t get the results we wanted. So we developed the idea a little more. We made a check list for the members of the next steps they need to do including passing the reference to the missionaries. We made up the paper last night and it turned out really cool. We also are working on a fireside with the mission pres and an open house. I hope it all works out and things keep progressing.

        If you remember Carol, the last person we baptized, she is doing well. Her cousin, Leticia, still has not been baptized because of her mom but is super firm. She is really prepared and really wants to take this step in her life so its sad to see her mother put a stop it all of this. It’s weird sometimes to see parents keep their families from the gospel. I’m glad I was blessed with parents that helped me stay on the right path and all that because I’m for sure not as strong as some of these investigators we teach. We are working on some plans to help her mom and Carol and Leticia are helping us teach all their friends. It’s been a really cool experience to see the fire burning in new members and also see them re-light the flame in some members.

         We also have a super cool family of five. The mom and dad and three kids who are all about 20, 25 years old. One of the boys is blind but really cool and plays the guitar very well. After contacting them on the street one day they went to church and this week we will start teaching them. Another family is also starting right now and I think we will have a chance to help the parents get married. The last person I wanted to tell you about is Jessica who was contacted by a sister and who we started teaching this last weekend. She is progressing well and liked the church this last Sunday. For now this is about it but I have a lot of hope for this teaching group and a couple other people that are starting out right now. We also will be finally getting the papers in for Osmar’s wedding this weak, it took a really long time but will finally get going.

      I also noticed that my study time got really weak this last week and I’m going to focus on this more this next week and try to make it a real habit for the rest of my life. I have seen the difference it makes in my day and want to make it permanent. 

Life is good --- rock on --- Elder Schmidt

      

Jared's still out there...

   So this week was good. Could have been better but what can ya do? We had the baptism of Wesley. He is 17 and lives with his mom and 5 younger brothers and sisters. We have been working with them for about two weeks and its going super well. The only problem is that the cousins and other family members outside the apartment are talking a lot and telling them not to go with us. Only Wesley has been to church but he told us he made his choice and those others can talk all they want. He is a super cool kid and reminds me of my first baptism,Caique who is getting ready for his mission. They have the same age and both passed through some of the same problems. Anyways I'm sure we will be able to help the rest of Wesleys family and I'm sure I will write more about them. Oh and as you will see in one of the pics I'm now using crocks haha and its great!

      This Sunday all the new investigators we had to bring to church fell and we were a little sad to zero out on new people in the church until we got there and a member had brought with her a golden investigator named Carol. We visited her Sunday after church and I already know that this will go well. Even better is that the member said that she has another family she will try and bring this next week! rock on.

Sorry no pictures of Jared lately, I hope he has someone else take the next ones

   Well this week was good and my toes are getting better.I went to a foot place and they pulled some big chunks out of my toe nails and its feeling a lot better. I went back today and they cleaned up a bunch of stuff for me and I will have to keep going back to make sure all goes well but right about the time I get home she said it will be 100%.That's good right? 

We also had two baptisms this week and it went super well. we did have five but some stuff happened and we had to remark for the next week but for two sick elders I would say we are doing well. I'm really excited to work in this new area and I know we are going to get a lot done. We are already starting some new programs with the ward to involve them and they are excited and ready to go. We are also working with a lady named Marta and her two kids Victor and Inara.They are super cool and I know they will be happy members soon.

This is Inaçio that I told you about a month ago. We marked his wedding and baptism and taught him everything and then I had to leave but he was baptized Saturday with my 'son' Elder Cherry. 

This is Welton. We baptized him this Sunday and it was really cool. His wife and in laws are all members but for the last three years, after getting married and going to church 'sometimes', we found him and he finally decided it was time. He is pumped to bless his little boy.

June catch-up on Elder Schmidt

          I'm doing well. my area is doing well and life is good.i did a division with my district this week and went back to my last area and was able to talk to a family i baptized and one of the kids just turned 8 and asked me to baptize him. that makes everything worth it. we also found a kid a taught that after i left no one went back. i talked with him a little and told him the other two kids would finish were I left off and help him get baptized. he said yes and it was just an awesome experience that day. even if the kid is that there is very incapable and was sleeping in the lessons. what can you do, they just don't make missionaries like they use to.

          Our area is also doing well and we had the baptism of two brothers victor and luan. this next week we will have the baptism of weldton. he is awesome and soooo ready. we still have a lot we can do better so we will keep working for that. also as some of you already know my house was robed last night haha and we all just kept sleeping. for basically the only time in my life me and another kid that lives in my house took a sleeping pill and i was out cold. our house was all locked but we don't have the key to the back door that opens to the land lords house and two or three more of her houses. so at like three in the morning two dudes got into that part and it was free game. nothing of mine was taken so I'm not to pissed but one kid lost all his pictures from his mission. another kid lost a radio he was using to Liston to music so I'm blaming it all on him. the cool part of everything is that the night before the spirit was trying to warn me. i never lock the doors or do anything like that and just leave it to my comp. last night I locked all the doors and even felt like i needed to lock the back door and tried all the keys but we didn't have the key haha... so I'm not sure why he had me try but what ever. all in all it sucked but no one got hurt and we (they) only lost worldly things so its all good.

          life is good and i hope all of you are doing well. rock on --- schmidt

A Great Week in Brazil

As for this week:

        This week was awesome! We had one baptism, 11 new people with us at church and found one more great person after church that got her answer in the lesson and will go to church the next Sunday and wants to be baptised. We also had a pizza night on Saturday and it went really well. The biggest thing I'm learning is how to really put my trust in God,make goals with Him and do my part trusting that it will happen -whether I know how it will happen or not.

   I think I told you guys about Anderele, the girl we are reactivating. Well the rest of her family lives on the same street and she helped us get to know them and their friends. So because of this we have a couple we are working to marry and their kids that are pumped to baptise and a couple 16-18 year olds that are going really well. The lessons are going amazingly well and best of all is that the parents are just as into it as the kids... that can be the hardest part in brasil... or I guessing in any mission.

  Tereza, the old Lady that went to church last week was baptised this Sunday and her husband went with her and really liked it. The only problem was that the 40 year old son that lives with them was drunk when we picked her up and told her and us that she can't get baptised. I thought, well ok its not going to work for today but when I asked her she said thats why she was going and thats what she is going to do, so we just did it. I will have to see what happened with the son tomorrow.

     After church we went to a members house to contact a reference with him. She was not home so we started talking a little and right as we were thinking of going home the girl got home. Her name is Luisa and she is 15 years old. Her family is a little messed up but she is super focused and down to earth. We went ahead and invited her to have her lesson with us in the neighbors/members house. She loved all of it and said in the closing prayer that she thinks she found what she has been looking for. She got super exited to go to church and be baptised and basically about everything. Our next lesson is tomorrow and I'm expecting another awesome lesson. 

 That's basically it and because of all this our ward is way more exited and down to help us. So ya its going well. If you trust in the lord and go forward with faith those things just work. Only problem is I could get transferred now.