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

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.

Jared is still out there

I loved the photo haha thanks! its good to know that it still snows in utah and its not so hot all over the world. Its summer in Brazil still and the everyday rain is coming to an end so now its just hot hot hot. Im proud of the self control you all had to go to church the other day. Also its starting to sound like I wont recognise our house when I get home. haha thats funny the oven caught on fire.

       I didnt know about the new missions. Not even the new ones in Brasil. So I'm guessing that it wont affect my mission.

  Well for this week I'm just super happy for Roberto. He is now going to church and activities by himself and Sunday a member gave him a batch of church shirts, ties, a tie clip and some stuff for soccer because he loves to play Tuesday nights with the Elders quorum. He is doing super well and I'm hoping to be able to reach his brothers. Also we had a huge blessing Sunday. A member that moved to a place without the church at 8 years of age now moved back but with her husband and she brought him to church and he is super cool and I think he will be a great member. He told us he just wanted to understand a couple things. so ya I think this will go well. Only problem is he doesn't want us to come to his house until next week because they just moved in. Anyways I'm setting up a couple family nights and stuff like that so that we can get going on his teaching this weeek. Other than this we are starting in a new part of our area and I'm thinking this month we will get a lot of work done.

      In other news, out chapel was broken into for the third time this month and this time they took our piano. The best part is that they tried to then sell it to a member on his way to church- haha.

 well rock on --- Elder Schmidt

Jared's week in Brazil

( Apparently we are going to have to step it up so the Merkley's aren't the only ones posting)

 This week was awesome. After all the fun of Christmas and visiting the Americans to get super trunky we had a great week; we started with a man named Assis and he is amazing. We first talked to him when he was drunk and super depressed outside the bar. We felt like we should actually visit him ( usually we don't talk that much with drunks and all that because there are tons and they don't remember anything afterwards) he was still having a hard time but super happy to see us. We talked and marked to come by the next day and talk some more. When we came the next day he had shaved and looked way better. He was happy and excited. We talked and marked for him to go with us the next day to church and when we went to pick him up he was out side waiting. It's so special to see the change in his life. we are also helping to commit a family and it's going very well. Our biggest focus is finding new people still but it's going well. We also have a man named Rafiel and he is awesome. He moved into the Patriarch house and was interested in some of the book that were left. He climbs and bikes and does almost everything I like to do. He really wants to find the true church but is having a really hard time finding an answer.

     Anyways, I'm loving my time in the field and missing all y'all but keep it real and I'll be back in no time.

 rock on--- Elder Schmidt

(It took forever for us to receive Jared's memory card so this photo is his past area but it still made his mother happy)

Thanksgiving in Brazil

Hey family

   I almost forgot it was thanksgiving this week but remembered in time to try to eat as much as i could and send you this picture. i hope all of you had the best thanksgiving possible and don't miss me to much. 

   My good news for the week is that we were working really hard this last month and not getting anything but the last two Sundays we had awesome people just walk into Church. last Sunday was that couple and there kid and this week was a 24 year old girl. they both are looking for a church and already have been to others they didn't like. the lord really does bless us for good work. also the little things we tell people about church really make a difference. the couple and this girl both heard about the church from someone and decided to give it a try.

      I'm super happy about that box you mentioned! Elder Cleveland got two huge boxes this last week but there is for sure not as much love in the boxes so i feel bad for him.

     How is the snow situation back home? how is everyone doing? here in brasil we are just doin the work. things are getting better and I'm still with some great kids and one or two really difficult ones haha but its all good. I'm now getting a little scared for the next transfers on the 11th of December.

  Well i love you guys and all that jazz. rock on ---

Working the New Area

Jared and Elder Toala, (you might remember him from Albion ) He was Jared's first comp - Jared's second and current comp is pictured with him at the end of this post, a Brazilian, Elder Rabelo.
This is Caique, Jared's first baptism, last December


Well, this week has been good. I've learned a lot and things are getting better in our area. I'm still not diggin my comp that much but you just got to make the best of what you got and never judge anyone. 'Just stop it' (Pres. Utchdorf ... someone’s going to have to finish spelling that one for me) Conference was good but I only got to watch the two sessions on Sunday so if someone can send those when they come out that would be cool.

Anyways we were able to rent a van and bring two families with us to watch conference at our stake center (because our building doesn't have anything) and it was great. One family was a mom and four of her kids that we just started teaching this last week. The first time I talked to her she told me all the churches she had already attended and that she was attending one right now but just for now. Her son also told us that this is the first time he has understood anything about church stuff. I've got some high hopes for them. She also makes a really good cake and something they call rain balls. The other family is a mom and her daughter (I know I need to get some families with a father) She is trying to decide between our church and some TV guy from downtown Sao Paulo. She has already told me she knows the Book of Mormon is true. I don't know what's going on with them yet. We'll visit them this week and see what conference did for them.

The entire time I've been in this new area we haven't been having any success getting people to church. After a couple good talks with my comp I got him to fast with me for a van and people... and we ended up with two vans Sunday morning and two families. I would say that fasting works. We actually had way more people that were going to come but fell through.

Which brings me to our next change, we are cutting a bunch of people that my comp has been holding onto for over a month with no progress. I'm sick of say the same thing about this new area every week and acting like it’s a hard area. It’s not. It’s actually an area I think has a lot of potential and that's what I told my comp this week. It’s us not them. We are still missing some important things in our work. Also I’m sick of hearing the same excuse from people every week. One guy tells us how badly he wants to come to church and change his life but always has something to do at home. So he tells us his kids will come (they never do) and ends everyday with I could really use some supplies to finish building my house. I tell him everyday that we and some members will come any day to help him but we don’t have a lot we can just hand him. I know it sounds like I’m judging him but really he just wants some money and the more I talk to him the more I see it.

Right now my favorite thing to say is ‘melhor cada dia’ or just better everyday. Like Bob Marley once said ‘don't worry about a thing because every little things goin be alright’. I'm just trying to be better everyday and live in the moment - also take care of things way before they need to be done to avoid problems. This is something that Elder Rabelo and I are having problems with but I can’t really do to much about except to tell him a million times a day. I just want to be a senior soooooo bad but I know that first I have to speak better than I do. My Portuguese is alright but still needs a lot of work and my vocabulary needs to get a little bigger. I'm trying but I can’t help but think it just needs time.

Transfers are in like a week and I think I will have a new comp and I’m super excited. Also this Wednesday I will have 1/4 of my mission behind me. Crazzy! Hope everyone back in the United States heard David F. Evans talk Sunday and took notes... I will be waiting for the letters - haha.

Well I don’t know what else to say. I'm really wet and tired from our hike today to a waterfall. We got there and there was voodoo stuff all over the waterfall and it started raining like crazy so we just came home and got on email.

One thing I want is to just get more lost in this work. its been really hard and I don't feel like there is a missionary in my mission that is lost in the work. It’s just really different than I thought it would be. I’m excited to see what a fresh Mission President from the United States will bring. Still waiting to get news on him.

All and all life is good I'm learning how to manipulate my comp to do the things I want to do and we need to do and stay happy even when things are not perfect. Love y’all. I miss you a lot and also I miss music a lot but it’s weird because I didn’t think I would this much. Well rock on and just keep having fun. I don’t need to really tell you anymore than that after conference.

Elder Schmidt

January news from Jared

The first part is an exchange from Jefferson to Jared and then back.

"Austen Nebeker taught us a crazy good lesson in priesthood today about the spirit and missions. I loved it when he explained to us how when two years ago when he sat in one of the chairs in the corner of the bishops office with his head down he just didn't care about the gospel really, skiing was all that mattered to him and he only knew the sacrifices of going on a mission. He found out on his mission though that there are 10 times more blessings that missionaries receive than sacrifices. I have felt like he did lately when thinking about going on a mission, I mostly just know the sacrifices and hard parts of what a mission is and it doesn't seem all that great but knowing now how great of an experience a mission is from what Austen said and how much the Lord blesses missionaries i definitely feel like I want to serve a mission." (Jefferson wrote this and then Jared responded) " I would agree with what Austin said and I think most kids are that same way. You know it's the right thing to do but all you can think about are the negatives. You know for me, I was not all that excited and sometimes it's still hard to stay happy and excited but there are, like he said, 10x more blessings than trials and most of it is your attitude. You make the mission what you want it. You just can't go out expecting what return missionaries talk about right off the bat. You for sure have to work up to that point, but you can have fun everyday if you have the right attitude. You can use that as motivation, knowing that you will learn the language soon and know how to teach and not have so much to work on but day to day you just have to relax, take it as it comes and live in the moment. Learn as much as you can, do what you can when you can do it, and just let everything else bounce off of you. Well, glad to know you are thinking of a mission. It seems like you're in the prime of your life and I think most kids are but it will all be there when you get back and the two years you give to the lord will be worth it. " (That was a satisfying exchange for a mother to read between brothers who only a year or two ago finally decided to be real friends)

This last one is a short note from another one of Jared's letters "The big thing for this week was my split with Elder Cleveland. We were in the MTC together and he is awesome. We are now in the same district and see each other a lot. We did a split the other day and it rocked. We both are not that good at poruguese because we both only have three months but we didn't let that slow us down. It was so nice to be with another person for the day that is new. Not only did we have the same problems and worries but we could talk about our comps. I love Elder Toala (my comp) but I dont think he is a good trainer. Elder Cleveland's comp is great too but not that good of a trainer. Both of them and almost every other missionary in this area just are not as focused as they could be. Everyone breaks rules and rationalises it and if I hear one more person tell me I will change and 'oh, I want to see you in six months' I'm going to kill them. I get so sick of that. The kids are not bad and we get a lot of good work done but there is so much more that could be done and I hate the rules too but they must have a reason even the little ones. I set a goal this week not to change in that way and not to think it's ok to do something because others are or think there are people doing worse things. It sounds easy but it's not and there will always be worse people that make any decision look good. Cleveland also helped me get better at studying." "This next week we have 4 baptisms planned so I hope they stick and I can write you about them next week. The work is all good. The language is still coming slowly. The members still rock."

Elder Schmidt in his first area in Brazil

Yesterday I got my first baptism. Caique Da Silva is I think how you spell his name and he said he added me on face book so if yall want you can get on my facebook and add him/ see who I'm talking about. He is a super cool kid and is the one I told you about that went to church all by himself after one lesson. We are hoping to be able to teach the rest of his family now. He already helps us teach his friends and will bear his testimony to people. He prays about everything and has said that he has had several answers already. I will send you my sd card from my camera soon, its just about full. Also I'm going to be working on a letter to those I didn't talk to on the phone and the grandparents this week. I'm not sure how long it will take to get to yall but hope you like them. Anyways, life is good. It's going really fast and I'm learning everyday. Almost every night I dream that I'm already home and wake up so confused. Love yall, bye.

***During Jared's Christmas phone call we asked Jared where his first area was and he said he had no idea. Sao Paulo is a huge sprawling city but we hope he figures out some coordinates or directions soon. It was great to talk to him and made us chuckle when he was so surprised that after close to an hour we were ready to hang up, I guess as Elder Merkley said, the phone calls never last long enough.