#80 - EXTRA EXTRA, ELDERS SAVE TEMPLE TRIP🗞🗞 (11/25/24)

Chama galera!!! Como vocês estão? Tudo suave? Tudo bem fish? Eu recebi uma notícia de que eu vou para Ponta Grossa no quarta feira e tenho que cantar em frente de 700 pessoas esse domingo sem practica!! Que benção!😅 [Call guys!!! How are you? Everything smooth? How are you fish? I received news that I'm going to Ponta Grossa on Wednesday and I have to sing in front of 700 people this Sunday without practicing!! What a blessing!]

Tigre the dog

Hey guys! How's it going? Elder Fisher here, getting ready for christmas with.... HOT SUN AND RAIN 😆 Im dreaming of a white christmas but, that may dream may not come true until next christmas 🫠

Crocodile game

In other news! Here is a run down of this last week here:

                                                    something about sunscreen

Monday - District Volleyball! We had a district p-day with some volleyball, açai, and hamburgers. Note to self, put on sunscreen because brazil isn't the same as the States in Winter 😂 Then at night, we started our week of challenges with our zone! The challenge for today: give out the most law of chastity phamphlets. Guess who won? WE DID!

District p-day açai 

Tuesday - The challenge for today was contacting references from Facebook. We were looking at our preach my gospel and found this family that were a reference from Facebook and weren't contacted in a while. We ended up passing by and finding Valquiria, Elisa, and Steffany. We started talking to them a bit and when we asked what they would ask from the Savior, they all said a new beginning or to be born again... baptism invite! We ended up explaining the doctrine of baptism and marking them on date for the 15th of december! Later that night we went to visit a member family that is less active and when we passed by, they made us cake and everything! Shoutout to Amabilly and family!

 Lunch with Aleidy

Wednesday - Division with Elder Oliveria! I brought Elder Oliveria to my area to show how I work because he is a new missionary. The highlights of the day were making stroganaff and having Elder Oliveria break a glass of hot sauce while cutting oninos and have the fumes get in our eyes and cause us to cry, teaching Teodoro and his family the restoration (Always a spiritual experience to teach the restoration), and almost falling down a Mountain! (about 3 feet tall) because my shoes were wet😆

Elder Oliveira

Thursday - We went around acompanying our friends and ended up finding our 2 young friends, Pedro and Antonio. We had met them a week earlier and they offered this weird beetlejuice soda. We drank some and man it was good! It was like the manzanita sol spanish drink (like an apple soda) 10/10

Our friends and horses 

Friday - EXTRA EXTRA, 2 ELDERS SAVE WARD TEMPLE TRIP! So here's the story. Last week on Sunday our branch president said we were going to have a ward temple trip on Friday! During the week we tried coordinating with recent converts to see if they could come and majority weren't able to but we had a few that could. Day of the trip, we hadn't heard from our president about the time of the session or how we would get there or anything. We as missionaries began to coordinate with members who were going and we recieve a call from Jorge in our ward. He told us everyone would meet up at the São Lorenço chapel. At first Elder Batisita and I didn't think of going because we didn't have many people confirmed but the spirit told us to go. When we arrived at the chapel, we learned that only 5 other people were going. When the time came to leave, I asked "Who has a car?". No one had a car. "Who has uber". No one had uber😅. Because we had already talked to our Presdident about calling an uber, we ended up getting an uber using the mission account and paying for another so we all arrived at the temple.... a few minutes late😁

Temple boys selfie

Temple trip!

Saturday - We went to confirm our friends from church today and while using one of our shortcuts, we found a snake skin. So now, everytime we use that shortcut, we run!

Sunday - We brought 4 investigators to church and 2 less active families as well! Our chapel was pretty full. We also had venezuelan hamburgers and holy cow they are good and big!! Later we talked with one of the young men that went to church and marked him on date for baptism next week! Pray for Natan!

 lunch with aleidy and Ronald

HAMBURGER

In other news, I will be going to Ponta Grossa this Wednesday because of an emergency transfer and become a zone leader with Elder Cristakis and then this Sunday I have to see in a quartet without practice😁  Nephi 3:7

SQUIRRELS

Lova ya all and keep seeing each miracle God puts in your life. He gives you more than you realize.

I found out this couple I taught in Osasco was baptized!!

Até o próximo!

Elder Fisher

#79 - Tarzan the Monkey Man🐵🍃 (11/18/24)

Chama povo de Israel! Como vocês estão? Foi top hoje! Jogamos vôlei agora e mano, faz tempo desde joguei. Também nós encontramos o lago Jordão, acho que o primo do rio Jordão🤣[Call the people of Israel! How are you? It was great today! We play volleyball now and man, it's been a while since I played. We also found Lake Jordan, I think the cousin of the Jordan River]

Mini bananas

"SON OF MAN LOOK TO THE SKY! LIFT YOUR SPIRIT, SET IT FREE! ONE DAY YOU'LL WALK WITH PRIDE. SON OF MAN A MAN IN TIME YOU'LL BE" (image this song but with lyrics of a missionary)

Shoutout to all who recognize the music (and my sister for helping me remember the words) but how is it going guys?! We are finally in summertime and the "living is easy. Fisher is jumping, and the faith is high". Another week passed by and here are the highlights:

Shaving cream exists!!

Monday - Magots.... the younger brother of grubs. We were cleaning around the house and we found magots so.... we did a deep clean. Then when we went out to work we visited a fbc reference that works in a ice cream store. Shout out to Arnobio for the free ice cream!

2 bros hugging

Tuesday - Zone Meeting! Once again, the district leaders gave a training and Elder Batista helped me with teaching about simplicity. It was a pretty nice training. Then we got a message from the Tech Sisters asking if Elder Batista and I could take a picture hugging each other that moment. We were so confused but we ended up sending a picture in the uber and got a pretty good laugh out of that. The cool miracle was finding a part member family... that ended up moving to Almirante Tamandaré the next day😅 (dont worry I sent their contact to Almirante)

Zone meeting

Wednesday - Mission Devocional. We studied the talk by Elder Uchtdorf and focused on growing the roots of our testimonies and not the branches. Today I did a division with Elder Bear in my area! We ended up finding someone that knew the church in São Paulo and called us Elder Fish and Elder Beer, had a little Bible bash with a pasture, and got an uber with our driver Kauan that just poked fun at Chicago culture.

Thursday - Today we went finding new people and we met Vicente and Kauane that are wanting to become closer to Christ. We ended up marking Baptismal dates with them for the 1st of December. The other memorable part of the day was helping a drunk man move from the middle of the road to the grass. Idk how he got there but he should be better now.

New pots and pans!

Friday - Going to the temple!!! The cool part was that President Bikman brought a name that is my ninth cousin with my same last time! After the temple, I did a division with Elder Eduards in my area starting with making a really good strogonoff! We found a lot of cool people and we also tried talking to our friend Matheus. He has been to church about 10 times and he wants to be baptized but his mom doesn't like the church. Sadly we weren't able to help her understand that this is the church of Jesus Christ but we are praying for him!

Saturday - Today was confirming people for church and TARZAN! While we were walking back home, this random kid came up to us and said, "WATCH THIS". He grabbed a tree branch and swung around the tree like tarzan. It was completely out of nowhere but it was still pretty cool!

In the van

Sunday - WE GOT A VAN.... but everyone was sick today🫤 I also ended up finding my friend from Canada and Chicago, Patrick Carver, and he ended up inviting us to lunch sometime! The big highlight was our class with the Come Follow Me. Reading in Ether 2:25, we find an example of faith + works. The Lord asks the brother a Jared what He should do to have light in these ships they made. The Lord didnt provide something but counseled with him. The brother of Jared then acts with faith and believe that the Lord could illuminate stones and so he goes and makes stores or thus showing that Faith without works is death as said in the bible. 

Van trinkets

One of the questions I took away from the class was "What do you need to do, to see the finger of the Lord?". 

Honestly was both a difficult but inspiring week. The Lord always knows how to comfort us in our trials and offers us these trials to grow. Faith must be tried or it will not grow. 

Love you all! Ate mais!

-Elder Fisher 

#78 - Baptizing the Prophet🌊🔥 (11/11/24)

Como vai galera?!! Quais são os novidades da semana? Aprendemos que temos insetos ou bichinhos na casa😅 Não sei como mas estamos limpando e lavando. [How are you guys?!! What's new this week? We learned that we have insects or animals in the house😅 I don't know how but we are cleaning and washing.]

HEY GUYS?!?! Its finally "Blue skies, summer breeze, what a day. Sunshine and sweet harmonies, time to play. No more, complecations. From now on just, good vibrations!!!!!! 

On my way feeling fine, I can see my reflection in my surfboard shine...."🎵🏄‍♂️ (shoutout to the people that know)

Not gonna lie, I forgot to take not of a lot of things this last week🤦‍♂️ but it was still an incredible week of mission work from the roads to being at home working on a computer and phone. So let's go ahead and jump into it!

Sabrina drawing of us

Monday - After a p-day of looking around at one of my favorite clothing stores, Balihai, we got to the streets to work a bit. While walking past a bus station, a kid almost got hit by a bus that was leaving. Elder Batista and I ended up grabbing him and pulling him back. (Safety zone helps!) We also found a less active member who wanted to come back to church. We got his information and marked a visit with him!

Tuesday - We had district counsel today but 3 of our companionships couldn't attend so... missionary counsel for the elders of Cachoeira😆. It was good to just speak with them and do some practices. Majority of our day was spent acomphanying recent converts and working with technology, breaking our record of references sent with 30 in one session!🤩

Wednesday - Mission Devotional! We studied Elder Hollands talk "I am He" which tells of Christ and his overall being. One of my biggest takeaways is that we CANNOT "dumb down" in any way the teachings, doctrine, or characteristics of Christ's. His gospel remains in force no matter what the world thinks or does. 

Zone conference (last week)

Thursday - Today while heading back home to work on tec, I felt the need to talk with a man who we passed that was smoking. We found out his name is Carlos and that he is wanting a new change of life. We explained how the Gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of change. His father-in-law (who may have been drunk) appeared and said, "I don't wanna drink anymore" and broke his glass by throwing it against the ground and pour his beer out also. Just the presence of the missionaries helps people try to change😁

Na rua

Friday - We ended up going to the temple today! This time we got to see even more changes that were done and I also saw Elder Esplin, my executive secretary from BYU! Today we went around contacting and one of the most notable experience was this random dude who came up to me and said, "You're an American right? Brazilians just like drugs, sex, and ROCK and ROLL!" It caught us so off guard that we just said thanks for his time, gave him a pamphlet, and left. I think he had 1 to many drinks😅

Saturday - We sent a message to our Zone leaders today about a possible baptism interview for our friend Moisés (or Moses in english!). We ended up trading companions for a bit so I could do an interview for them as well. They both ended up going well and the outcome...

Elders and Moisés!

Sunday - OUR FRIEND, THE PROPHET, MOSES (Moisés in portugues) WAS BAPTIZED!!🌊🔥 Moises honestly reminds me a lot of the young men from my home ward and it is remarkable to see how the Holy Ghost helped him feel ready. The day before he was still feeling un prepared but the spirit is real. I also met someone today who was born in Canada, moved to Chicago and was in the Joliet stake and Naperville 3rd ward, and now lives in Brazil! It caught me off guard when he started to speak in English with me (note: I'm so accustomed with English that I responded automatically in portuguese 😅)

Moisés and Vinicius

Overall, an incredible week. 

Elder Batista gets tired

Spiritual thought: 1 Nephi 22:25 "And he gathereth his children from the four quarters of the earth; and he numbereth his sheep, and they know him; and there shall be one fold and one shepherd; and he shall feed his sheep, and in him they shall find pasture." This work has been prophesied for ages. This truly is the Lords work to gather all his children (everyone) from everywhere in ways only he knows. He has called each missionaries to whatever place in the world bc He knows the person his children need. Each missionary isn't called to a mission, but rather the people to bring everyone to one fold: The kingdom of God on the earth, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints

Tattoo??!!

Love you all! Hope your well and I love hearing from ya!

Toy story!

Até a semana que vem 

-Elder Fisher

#77 - You want a kiss?😘😵‍💫(11/4/24)

 Elder Batista medicine

E aí Galera! Como vai hoje? Estou numa barbearia agora assistindo meu companheiro pegar um corto do cabelo. Espero que ele não vai verar calvo😂 [Hey guys! How are you today? I'm in a barbershop right now watching my partner get a haircut. I hope he won't go bald]

 

1,000,000 dollar...Im rich!

Hey world! How goes it in China? How goes it in Utah? How goes it in Germany and Chile? Where ever you are, I hope that your well and that you excited to learn what Elder Batisita and I have been up to this week:

Monday - Flobby day. (For those who don't know what a flobby day is, it is basically a day of staying at home in your pajamas and doing nothing😆) We did end up going to a barbor shop so I could get a haircut and it turns out that they had a class that night and so I got a free haircut from someone learning. Thanks Maiara! We then went out to work and visited Norma who is looking to be closer to God and so we invited her to do so through baptism! Pray for her that she will be able to follow Christs example🙏

Dog

Tuesday - Today was a day full of laughter😆 First, we ran into someone who didn't have a shoulder angel... but a shoulder dog! He had this small dog that was on his shoulder. Pretty cool! I also found out that my companion also cooks and Elder Batista made this lemonade that was really good! The last few hours of the day, we tried some other references we received from Facebook and with each one I tried talking with the person and they didnt understand me. Then Elder Batista would talk to them and not understand him🤣 We ended up trying our best to talk with these people but I guess it's hard when you talk to old people or drunk people. I asked Elder Batista, "do I know how to speak portuguese?" And he responded "what" just to joke with me😅

 Hills with Elder Brown!

Cat (pinko)

Wednesday - DIVISION WITH ELDER BROWN!! I went to his area to acomphany some people who were ready for baptism. One of which was Renan. Renan has been having a rough time with his marriage and family and we are trying to help him recieve the Holy Ghost through baptism (please pray for Renan also!) And as always, we ended the day with pizza!

Pizza night

Thursday - Zone Conference! Some of my biggest take aways were that we cant have fear to invite people to do something and that our family time and time to be a disciple of Christ should be the same time! (Im making a note of this now for when im older😁) At night we worked with sending out references to missionaries and I actually got to send a reference to my friend Elder Esplin! (Miss you brother!) He ended up sending me a message on WhatsApp to say hi and ask more about the reference. The funny part was we heard a loud crash then... DARKNESS. We had a blackout!! Elder Batista and I ended up working on the balcony of our apartment working until the lights came back in 30 minutes

Friday - Bible Bash counter: +1. We recieved a reference that wanted to meet so we ended up passing by. When we arrived at the house, I already knew the people that lived there. Turns out the person who sent the reference was the wife of someone I had already met that likes to Bible bash. He asked his wife to send a reference so that we could pass by. As soon as I entered, I already knew this wouldn't go well😑 What ended up happening was he kept going on, asking questions about the church and what we believe and we tried to show scriptures to him but he rebuttled everything. Elder Batista and I both knew it wasn't worth our time so we just marked some scriptures for them and asked them to pray. 

Working in the rain

Saturday - So we have this shortcut that we use to get around our area and while passing today, a brown spider jumped out of no where!! Luckly we avoided it but it was HUGE! Ever time we use that path now, we run and jump like crazy just to make sure the spider doesn't get us😆 But now for the title of this email. We went to confirm a recent convert for church, Rosimary, and we were talking to her and her family outside her house when she asked "vocês querem um beijinho?". Beijo in portuguese means "kiss" and beijinho would mean "small kiss". I looked to Elder Batista like "WHAT THE?!". Turns out she meant beijinho as in a small candy🤭 We also met her cousin who is called "Mary Jane" and so we asked if she had a spiderman and Rosimarys younger brother came out in his spiderman costume🕷🕸

Beijinho

Sunday - We woke up this morning to find out that none of our church friends could offer a car for our investigators! BUT, our friend Irmão Nunes came in clutch and saved us by offering a car! (Thanks Irmão Nunes!!) We ended up bringing Leandro and his family and his WIFE also! They are in the process of getting married to then get baptized! 

Overall, this was a week was a test of faith! We had a lot of ups and downs but the big part of life and our character is what we do when we go through the downs in life and we have challenges. We aren't here to live a life with smooth sailing. We are here to be tested! As it says in the scriptures: "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad." (2 Nephi 2:11) Truly, when we have love for others, we will not fear them but "perfect love casteth out all fear" (Moroni 8:16)

                                                        Someone has a little cold

That's all for now folks!! Ate o próximo!!

- Elder Fisher

Sabrina drawing