Elder Helvey: Aldeota, Brazil Week 28

Hey everyone! This week was awesome!! Things are going really well in the mission office and we had some great experiences with the people we are teaching. We have been teaching this class at a Community Center every Wednesday for people who want to know how to work a computer. We have 3 people coming and it´s been so fun. These people have never used a computer before so the class is very basic such as how to open and close a program, etc. But it is great and we really love teaching it. They have some spare guitars at this community center so I whipped one out this week and was singing and teaching. It made the class a little less dull and was fun. The people we are teaching have difficulties even moving the mouse on the computer so as I said it´s a very basic course. We also shared a message with all of them after the class from the Bible about Jesus Christ and how we can apply His sacrifice to find peace and happiness in difficulties. We invited all of them to church and one lady is very interested in hearing more so we are excited about that.

We had a great visit with Ismael, Jane, and Jorgy (members in our ward) and they are getting ready to move to a city about 2 hours away. They have been my close friends here in this ward and it turns out we will be leaving the ward the same week. I have loved seeing them grow in the church throughout these 7 months and how the Lord has blessed them to share the Gospel with their friends and to help the lives of so many, including their own.

Saturday was a great day! We had an appointment at 8 in the morning with a man that we contacted on the street last week. We showed up and he was excited to see us again and told us that he didn´t know if we were actually gonna come or not. We sat down and had a great lesson with him. His name is Adelino, age 25, and has a deep desire to know more about God and the answers to questions such as why we are here on this earth and where we are going. We read in the Bible with him and talked about the Plan of Salvation that Heavenly Father has for each one of his children. He wasn´t able to come to church because of a family conflict this week but says he wants to come next week.

After that we visited Luan, who we have been teaching almost every day for 1 month. We have had so many great experiences with him and he loves asking questions and has such a desire to know the truth. We had a great visit with him and he came to lunch with us at the Bishop´s house. It was so great and there were some members from the ward there, too. After lunch Bishop asked me, since it would be my last time eating lunch at their house, to give the message. Luan asked if he could too so I read the scripture and Luan gave a message. It was so great and Luan has a strong testimony of his Savior, Jesus Christ. After lunch we were driving and he told us that he had decided that he wanted to get baptized. As we had talked with him before about baptism he told us he has a desire to get baptized not because he thinks we´re cool or because he likes the people in the church, or any of that. But because he wants to follow his Savior, Jesus Christ. We prepared everything and he was baptized yesterday! It was so awesome and such a great day. We had the baptism right after church and a lot of members stayed for the baptism. The members truly love him and he has quickly become part of the family. He was so excited and so full of energy and light yesterday and I am so excited for him to continue to progress in the gospel. He was also so good at welcoming back to church a less active that Elder Zwick and I have been visiting. Flavio, after 32 years, came back to church for the first time. It was so great! He was introduced to Bishop and I am so happy that he made the chose to return to church.

So overall things are going so great and it was SUCH a great day yesterday and I am excited for this next week!

Thanks for everything. I miss you all and love you!

Until next week.

Love,

Elder Helvey

P.S. This is my last week working in the Mission Office and I will be transferred next week. I have absolutely loved my time here and this amazing experience I have had. After 7 months, I am super excited for my next adventure!