No Subject from Grant--Just a short note!

Oi!

Hey what´s up! So things are progressing here in Jacareí still! which is always good haha. We meet a girl last week that we thought was a member less active because even the ative member that was bringing her thought that but she actually never was baptized. So so we are working with her. She actually really really wants to be baptized but her family isn´t super keen on the idea of her being "mormon." so we will be spending this week helping her family get to know the church and like the church better. There´s so many people her that are just ready for the gospel I´m so excited to continue and man... I just don´t want to leave from this area! haha. But I´m pretty darn sure I will!

So even though the Olympics are happening, everyone here still is watching the futebol part of it and that´s it. Well, not really but it seems like it haha.

How´s sean doing? It´s so crazy that he is home now! I can´t believe it. Being a missionary is just the best thing ever! I love it so much, and I´m grateful for this oportunity i have to be one.

Man, I need to start writing down the stuff that happens during the week again, I´m forgetting. I need my journal with me haha. But basically all is going great here! :) Love you guys!

com amor,
Élder Grant Shaw Merrill!

President!

Oi!

E aí minha Família! como vocês estão? que bom! Alrighty! this week was very good. I´ve been realizing that I have been receiving so many blessings these past weeks during this transfer. The blessings are amazing. Something that I have really learned about was about the attributes of christ. Really those are the most important part, because it is those attributes that makes the work continue. Because of my hope, diligence, patience, faith, knowledge, etc. results came. Really it is so true. Because of the application of those attributes results came. It is so amazing how God is so merciful. Thinking about the plan of salvation and that really all of his children except for a countable number on your hands will be saved is amazing! In some way or another we will have a level of salvation whether that be telestial terrestre or celestial we will all receive some form or another of happiness! I'm really grateful for this.

This week we were working with 2 rapazes trying to help them get baptized but the mom ended up not authorizing it. Well poop. hahaha. But maybe she will still :) So we are still working with them to get them baptized this next sunday and one more rapaz and a man. Hope all goes well! :) The family we baptized is as firm as possible. Carlos I think is receiving or going to receive priesthood. They are just the best EVER! Love them :) Now I don´t want to leave from here! But I think it would be really good if I were to go to a different place.

So the president is way cool! We did a conference with him and I got to know him. He already knows like every missionary by name it´s pretty crazy. he knew me by name too :P WOOT! And he said I had long hair when I came on my mission :P he didn´t see my hair before... :P hahah. But that is okay! So basically he is very awesome. Things are definitely going to be changing for sure. But it´ll be good!

 About my Patriarchal Blessing... I have a copy! But I just was wanting a copy that I could mark up. But it´s not of grave importance. :) But thanks for the priesthood line of authority! :D Can´t wait to get it! So how are the collins? Doing great? Que bom!

Our next transfer is day 7 of august! I think I will be transfered for sure! The picture I sent you was actually an old picutre of me with Elder Schenk's parents. She kind of gave me a hug, that was weird hahah. President´s name is Presidente Ferrin! He´s super cool!! YAY!

WHAT?!?! Sean Russell is coming home?!? Blasphemy! That went by super quick... now I´m scared... hahah. Did you guys hear about the shooting at the new batman movie? man... sad.

But hey! I was really feeling your guy´s prayers this past week! Thanks super much! :) It was needed! :) But all is going great here! The work is progressing and the elects are popping out from heaven :) I LOVE YOU GUYS! WOOT! :) haha. Be awesome :) thanks :) Tchau!

com amor,
Élder Grant Shaw Merrill

blessings

Oi!

Man, it´s been really progressing here. Yet again another baptism has come! His name is Tiago and he went to a party on saturday, church on sunday, taught him on tuesday and wednesday he wanted to get baptized that next sunday. Boom! Fast and he is so awesome! My son´s, "my trainee´s," first baptism he did! It was very good! So basically Tiago has a lot of faith. He got bapitzed during his lunch break haha. He went to church but had to miss the last little bit of sacrament meeting to go to work and then he came back to get baptized during his lunch break. I really feel like we are fufilling the plan of the ward of bringing in 3 more melquisedeck (sei lá) possible holders into the ward before august! The family that was bapitzed is really amazing! I love them so much! I get more and more sad thinking about the fact that I will be leaving this area soon. They basically consider me their son haha. It´s awesome!

So because of some plans today I don´t have a whole lot of time but I´ll try and write in a little bit more. Actually, I already got to go!

com amor,
Élder Grant Shaw Merrill

P.S. sorry it was super super short, sorry that they have been short lately, next week will be a better letter promise! Love you guys! Thanks for the e-mails!

fast one!

Oi

Sorry, I got like no time today! But the family was confirmed and we have 6 people in church. We are working a lot more with the members now. We did a training with them as well and I hope they are getting excited about that. We might do a mini MTC with them too to help them work better with us. The family is so awesome! They are so firme. And If all goes well, that´ll be one of the last things i`ll do in my mission is go to the temple with them :) What a better way to end my mission :) Anyways, we might of found another awesome family :) Things are going great! I loved the story/expierence dad had! We also were fasting and it was a time that I really pushed myself with it too, so my testimony of fasting has grown! 

So when 4th of july passed me and elder squires dedided we wanted to celebrate it. So that day happened to be a huge game day (soccer). like HUGE! Between the corinthians and Boca Junior of argentina. And Corinthians never won against them before. (I understand why the saints is the way to go. much better team :P haha) So anyways, the game started at night and we made a home made flag of america and we made hot dogs. We started singing the national athemn and saluting the flag and holding hot dogs. And as the moment we sang the blowing up in the sky part haha, fireworks just starting bursting in the air like crazy. Not one second went by without fireworks! it was craziness! but awesome! man, LOVED IT! anyways, corinthians won... But it made for an awesome 4th of July :P hahah.

I´m super excited about Jared! He´ll be so aweosme. Now It´ll be two more years before I see him. It was good to see pictures of people. It seems very unreal and weird haha. But Itls coming faster than I know it! I loved the clip of them singing but it didn´t sound like him it was so weird! But he sang super good :) can´t wait to see that chub again! :) my long sheelve shirt is 15! That´s waht I´m wearing today. IT`S COLD! hahah :P 

Still a district leader still in the same area! :) I´m making one year with 2 areas.

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!

Parabens pra você,

Nesta data querida,

Muitas felicidades

Muitos anos da vida!

WOOT!

Gettting old! haha jk jk my popz. I´ve got to go!

com amor,

Élder Grant Shaw Merrill

:) :)

Oi!

Man. When you think nothing is going right and that you just can´t seem to get it right. Biggest miracles happen in your life! So I´ll just write what I wrote in my journal to explain the miralce. :)

"These past two weeks have been a great spiritual expierence. It has been a great learning opportunity as well. We met this wonderful, perfect family! One day we were doing contatos like usual. When this 11 year old girl comes up to us and asks us how to say desculpa in english. So we tell her "sorry." After that we ended up invited her to our english class and asking if her parents would allow us to come over to leave a message with them.
We marked a date and kept having a good day. Well, that date came and they weren´t home, but we didn´t mark another date. After a couple of days I decided that we should try and pass by there again. This time the dad showed up! We asked him if we could leave a message with them and he said: 'I don´t know if my wife will allow it right now. She´s not accepting visits.' So I simply asked him to ask her if she would like to hear the word of God. And we entered!
Well, we taught the restoration, invited to read, to pray, and to be baptized on 1st of July (upon receiving a response!). They all accepted! Eliane (the mom), Evandro (the Dad), Rafaela (11 year old girl), Carlos (13 year old boy), Isabelle (7 year old girl), and Raul (3 year old boy) are the family. So after they accepted we also invited them to go to church that next sunday and they accepted as well! Me and Elder Steele got excited! It was wonderful! So we found out that Evandro works from 2-10 each day so the only time to catch him in house is the morning, but we still had to come back in the afternoon to teach carlos. (because he has school in the morning). Well, we decided just to meet them at church! But on saturday we had a lesson too!
So we went and picked them up for church. Well, Evandro walked out saying: Man, sorry I lost track of time, we aren´t ready lets leave it for next week! I got a little sad inside because for the past forever no one has been going to church! But I had been praying so hard for a miracle. So I decided to be a little persistant. And I told them, well, okay, but here in an hour we will come by to pick you up! We came back an hour later and yes, they were all ready and dressed up!
So we then got them to church! Had church and went home, them. Monday came and wasn´t P-day (because of transfers, so we could teach them in the morning and afternoon). and we taught them. So this is being lesson #3. We read 2nd nefi 31 with them and invited them again to be baptized. Rafaela was all about it. And eliane and Carlos were pretty good with it. This is when we found out that Evandro was already baptized and confirmed into the church! That was a big shock! I was super surprised but happy. It was good. So Eliane got super interested in everthing and asked about everything she had to do to get ready for baptism. We ended explaining almost everything! It was crazy! tithing, word of wisdom, law of chastity, day of lord, everything! Bascially it was very good.
Well we made goals with Eliane with coffee because she loved to drink it. But she told us  that she would do everything so that she could get baptized! I was happy with that. So on tuesday we just gave them a call to see how they were doing. Also, they absolutely loved church! But we visited them everyday. Brought the Presidente of the Relief society and her husband there too. And We found that Carlos and Eliane were having troubles letting go of their old stuff. So we had to help them with that and on friday them three had their interviews. The interviews went great! It was awesome! And on saturday Eliane and Evandro had some great spiritual expierences. Theses experiences were the turning point for them and on sunday all three were baptized! ..."

There was more but it´s to wirte all! Bascially it was amazing! we were able to baptize the family and reacitvate the dad! It was absolutely my favorite experience on the mission. I learned so much but I´ll leave that to my notes. I´m very excited and hoping that they continue so that at the end of my mission I can go to the temple with them! I would love that! To end my mission like that!

So I don´t have much time today, but I did enjoy all the stories and things. It was very good and funny :) Especially with Gavin! Parabens meu irmão! Você vai ser um ótimo pai, já sei!

man, I already gots to go! I´ll try and send the pictures of the baptism! :D yay! love you all!

com amor,
Élder Grant Shaw Merrill!