Last Week in Capao Bonito - 15 December 2014

What a crazy week!! This was the last week of the transfer and I got to spend it doing a ton of interviews for people that got baptized yesterday in Itapeva! I was such a great experience as I got to stay three days to do 6 interviews with Elder J. Silva!! 

Then when I got back to Capoa Bonito I was so excited that Elder Gonzales had found some Elates od god in our area!! Pedro and Marta!! We have been teaching them for only a few days but they have already gone to church and Pedro is wanting to be baptized a lot. Sadly I wont be here for his baptism but I am still very excited to see how excited he is!! He loves reading the Book of Mormon and learning in the church. He said that he lived the classes that we have inside the church and is excited to go back next week!!! He and Marta are going to be baptized next week if all goes well!!!! 

We also were working a lot with Anna Pula AND CLEONISE. but yesterday we had to cut them because cleomes does not want to leave her church and will not let Anna Paula be baptized. 

We also have been working with Edwardo who went to church for the first time Yesterday!!!!! we got some great pictures practicing for his future baptism!! haha! 

Yesterday we got our transfer news!!! 

I am going to be leaving Capoa Bonito after 6 months> 

I am going to JARGIM CALIFORNIA!!! my new companion is Elder Flores. I don't know who he is yet but I here that he is from Peru just like Elder Gonzales!! haha  I am  going to be district leader again. I already got a look at my area!! Its not that big and I'm going to be living with 3 other elders again so that will be a lot of fun!! 

Yesterday at church I got to give my last talk and I told the branch that I was going to Jargim California and everyone thought I was going home to California. Everyone was so confused. 

they were all saying ´I thought you lived in Texas!! It was really funny. I got a lot of pictures of all the members so I'll get those all sent to you guys!! 

Well that about makes up my week! I still have a lot to do to prepare for this next transfer so I'm gonna let you go!! 

I love you all soo much!! I will find out this week what we are going to do for skype!!! and ill send it in my next email!! 

love you a ton!!! 

until next week!!! 

                                          Elder Bryan Jacobson

Week of Travel - 8 December 2014

This was another week of a lot of travel!!

I started the week going back o ITAVEVA were we had our district meeting. We talked a lot about our investigators and how we could help them get baptized.

then I went to itararé to do an interview for IVONIE. She is ready to be baptized but she wants to work out a problem with her mom before she gets baptized.

Then the next day I went back to Itapeva to do another interview and stayed there until Saturday!! Saturday morning I got back to my own area!!! were we got to see a ton of miracles!!

we went t one of our app. and had a great lesson of the restoration. The daughter Na Paula said she wanted to be baptized but her mom is not so sure and I think is going to get in the way of ana being baptize;( but the entire Family went to church with  us yesterday and really liked it.

we got some nice pictures of us at church!! this is the last week of the transfer so if we don't baptize them we don't have anyone else :( I'm just praying the mom gets and answer about the book of Mormon so we can baptize them.

Picture Wee - 1 December 2014

this week I have a lot of pictures to send so you will get to see my week instead of read it!!!! 

1. these are some pictures of me making cookies for our district!! they turned out kind of hard but were really good still.

2. I went on divisions with Elder Aries before he got transferred. We celebrated his 1 year mark on the mission with pizza!! 

3. This is the frog that sister Ivete made for lunch:) haha jk 

4. the next few are pictures of the baby kittens that sister Ivete´s cat had. 

5. this is the mew puppy of sister Anna

6. this is the bus station that we use each week to get to district meeting each week!! 

7. this is me in Itapeva on divisions with Elder J.Silva!! sweet view!! 

8. and this is me on our bus!!! its really nice!!! 

9.This is elder Gonzales in the van when we were going to stake conference

10. members from Capoa bonito in the van with us

11. and the last ones are pictures of the big field that this city was named after!!    CAPÃO BONITO

Just have time to tell you about our lesson yesterday!!! 

We had a lesson with Aline, our investigator that got hit by the car and is having a very long recovery process. We taught Aline with Elenice, ( the sister that was in the van with us in the picture) We taught her the word of wisdom and are helping her to stop smoking and using drugs. the lesson was great and we set some goals to help her stop!! 

but then after the lesson one of Alines friends walked into the house!! 

We got to talk to her as well and it turns out that she has been looking for another church to go to and is just looking for a place that has the same moral standers as she does!! she doesn't smoke, drink, do drugs, nothing not even coffee!!!!! how perfect is that!! She was so excited about the prophet Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon and we will be following up with her this week!!! And the great part is that she lives on our street so it will be easy to get her to come to church and to teach her quickly!! 

well my time is already up but I love you all so much!!! 

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!!! 

                                           Elder Bryan Jacobson

More Interviews - 24 November 2014

hello everybody!!! 

what a week!!! 

this week  I started the week off on ITAPEVA again doing another interview for baptism!! this opportunity I have had to be apart of these interviews has been a huge eye opener in so many ways.

I have gotten to personally know all of the people that are getting prepared for baptism in our zone and I have had the opportunity to see how they have already grown in the gospel in the small time they had with the elders! 

But also it has been very eye opening as I have interviewed youth so young that have already gotten involved in selling drugs, homosexual relationships and other things like that. I was not expecting all of this to have happened in youth so young but then I just looked into their eyes and knew that thy were doing everything they could to fix their lives and just turn a new page. I just bore my testimony to these youth of the power of the Atonement and the potential we have to change! 

After the two interviews I had a great opportunity to look at my life and how the Atonement has completely changed my life. I am so grateful for all the things that I have learned through my trials about repentance! 

The power of the Atonement is real and these people truly can change their lives! 

Well in Capoa bonito we had another rough week as we lost almost our entire teaching group again!! NO one is going to church and the ones that are don't like the church and don't want to be baptized!! its kind of a frustrating cycle! haha but we are just trying to get the branch excited about the church so that the investigators will be excited as well to be at church. 

but all w can do is keep finding new people!!! haha full time finders!! 

I LOVE YOU ALL so much and I will talk to you next week!! our time on the computer is now limited so this is short sorry! 

AND BREALYNN  FELIZ DIA DO NACIMENTO!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! PARA BENS PARA VOCE NESTE DATA CERIDO MOITO FALICIDADE.... AND THE REST I FORGET

                                            LOVE Elder B. Jacobson 

First Baptism Interview - 17 November 2014

hello everyone!!!!!!

what a crazy week!!!!! this week on Tuesday I had the opportunity to give a training on the HOLY GHOST! we are having a lot of problems in our zone with getting investigators to stay firm in their investigation of the church!! We have been struggling to get people to committee to be baptized nd just try to know that this is all true!!

all we can do is tell them to read the Book of Mormon and feel the spirit testify of the truth!! these two things are key in conversion!! so I gave a training on how to help create an environment in which the spirit can testify of the truth!

this week we had only one of the 6 expected investigators at church - Aline! she is a friend of a member that is bringing her to church! it is Always so much better having a member at the lessons!

this week I also got to do my first baptismal interview!! his name is Ivon and was baptized yesterday in Itapeva!!! He is 14 and has had some problems very early in his life but is ready to change his life and become a new person!

on Saturday we started our English and Spanish classes at the church!! the idea is to get the members to start brining non members to get to know the church by doing something fun like learning a new language!!! our first lesson was kind of a fail because only one member showed up!! haha but we still had a great time!!!!!

other then that all of our investigators have fallen except for ALINE:( BUT WE ARE DETERMINNED TO BAPTISE HER AND FIND NEW PEOPLE!! yesterday we started the finding process off good with 56 street contacts!! yesterday was a Holiday so not very many people were receptive but we did find a couple that has lived in Capoa for 40 years and have already been to church and had the missionaries!!! they even know the branch president!!! SCORE!!

THIS week we are going to have to start the finding process again!!!! Always a lot of fun!! its so exciting to see who the lord is going to put in our path!!

Hey I love you all so much!!!

                                                love Elder b. Jacobson!!!!!

sorry this is so short but my keyboard is broken and is taking forever to write!!!

New Transfer - 10 November 2014

HELLO EVERYONE!!!!

First I would like to tell you about what happened with the transfer information!!! I am going to be staying in CAPÃO BONITO AGAIN!!!!!!!  FORTH TRANSFER HERE!! I am going to be finishing the training of Elder Gonzales and then I think I'm out of this place for sure but I feel very blessed to b able to stay here and continue helping our district. Also you will never guess who is coming to be in my district!!!!  ELDER BROGAN!!! Does that name ring a bell!  Elder Brogan was my companion in the MTC and now is going to be in my district!!!!! How awesome!!! Very excited about that!!

Just some of our investigators that we are still trying to baptize!!!

MICHEL and NABILA, VANDERLEI, SANDRA, GILMAR, ALINE!!!!

we have been getting a lot of great investigators here the only problem is getting them to come to church!! Everyone has to work outside of the city so it is rare if they are in Capoa on Sunday to go to church. so we have been struggling to baptize people because they aren't coming to church!!! but we are still holding on to hope that the Lord is preparing a way for these people to find the church of Jesus Christ!!

This week we got to see a wonderful ´change of heart´ in GILMAR!!

We had almost decided to drop him after two days of him avoiding us and not staying in the house when we would com to talk to us!! after the third time I said frustrated to my companion that we wouldn't come back!! But about 5 days latter we were passing his house and the idea came to just try one more time!! so we did!! and my companion started to complain but I insisted and so we went!!!!

And what a difference it made!!!! When we got to his house he was there and was so happy that we had come back. He started to apologize and told us that he had started smoking again and was not acting like himself. he told us that h still wanted to try to stop and that he was so sorry for what happened!! We testified of the power of the atonement and the power it has to change people!! he recommitted to live the word of wisdom and we mark a goal for baptism on the 22nd!!! When we left he said he wanted to walk with us little bit. we left and when we went around the corner he stopped us and just thanked us so much for coming back!!  haha he gave us a huge and then went back to his house.

The power of the Atonement is so real and so powerful! it truly has the power to change the hearts of the people we teach!! I learned a powerful lesson this week that in order for our investigators to change we have to have the faith in them that they can change. I think about what would have happened if we had not gone back !  I am so grateful for this gospel and I am so grateful for everyday I have here to learn and grow and to be better each day!! but most of all I am so grateful for my Father in Heaven that never gave up on me and never will!!!!

I love you all so much and I love this gospel!!!!

Have a great week!!!

                                                      ELDER JACOBSON

Getting Hot - 3 November 2014

HOLY COW!!

 

What a crazy week!!! I am so tired so I'm going to write this and then go get some sleep!!!

The sun is getting really hot so me and my companion are having a great time out in the sun!!! I am so glad that I got to live a few weeks in Texas because I really think it helped me get used to the heat. Elder Gonzales is dying hahah. I think its a lot colder at his house!! haha

But this week for us started of really rough!! not a single person was letting us talk to them!! so we decided we were going to talk to EVERYONE!!! and so we started after lunch and did not let a single person pass!! hahaha it was a lot of fun!! we talked to over one hundred people each day!! sadly very few were willing to let us enter their houses and then mark a day to come back!! haha BUT  it was still a lot of fun..... I thought..  But then that night my companion told me he wanted to be transferred!!!

WE laughed so hard that night and were feeling much better afterward!! Its funny because Elder Gonzales is going to be staying here 6 months. and is already a little frustrated with the area!! So WE just made a plan to talk with even more people and made a plan to better out efforts to try and get more people to say yes!!

 

Also we have thought a lot about our purpose and we as well did notice that our purpose is not to BAPTISE but to INVITE!! SO  we realized how many people we had invited and realized that we were accomplishing our purpose!!!

 

Got a lot of pictures for you guys and I have others that I'll send  you that are on my other card next week!!! I am going to be in ITARARÉ tomorrow to do my first baptism interview!!! I'm really excited!! crazy!!!

 

Well I love you all so much!! sorry don't have that many stories to tell this week! just know that I love you all and I know that this gospel is true!! I know that we are preparing here on earth to enter the presence of GOD!  and that is not an easy process and it never will be!!! so just KEEP GOING!!! HAHA

 

I LOVE YOU ALL!! AND ILL TALK TO YOU NEXT WEEK!!

 

                                                                LOVE elder JACOBSON Bryan