What a Week

Dear Everyone,

Many monumental things happened since last week.

1. I touched Grass.  For the first time in years.  Just with my hand.  I don´t think we are aloud to walk on that patch.  We went running (for the first time) into the 5 star hotel district which is super sweet. (because we were informed that we actually werent supposted to be working out that close to the beach. whoops)

2. I also learned how to cook shark this week.  It was pretty good.  And shrimp.

So this week we had a visit from President Mathews who did interviews with us on Saturday and came to church on Sunday.

It was awesome.  One of the things that he talked about is how in every dispensation there is a physical thing that everyone is invited to see as proof.

we have the book of mormon as proof that Joseph Smith was a prophet,
Christ invited everyone to feel the marks in his hands.
Moses had the tablets with 10 commandments (random comment, but there are lots of people here that believe that there are only 10 commandments)
Noah had the arc!
It was good to talk to him and get some problems resolved.

So this week there were less people in church but we still had tons of investigators.  We have a few people that have been investigating for a long time that last night made the decision to be baptised this week!  We might have 4 baptisms this week.  We are working with them to help with their step of faith!

Also, our branch president got back from Portugal yesterday.  He is awesome.  He is in a wheel chair, and doesn´t have tons of physical movement ability, but he has a strong testimony, and is helping us work better.  He goes back to portugal in 2 months or so to start the major part of his treatment.  Pray for him.

This weekend the district of Santiago North where I was from may until december is breaking off of the praia stake and becoming its own district!  I am super excited and is will be very good to have everything more localized, because they had to travel a lot for trainings and stuff, but now it will just be a 30 or less drive for everyone to get to meetings and trainings!

Trying better to follow my patriarical blessing a few weeks ago we started talking about starting a choir.  On sunday was the first choir practice.

We started learning There is a Green Hill Far Away.
It is a stuggle because there is pretty much no musical experience but we are getting there.
The choir is based off of the theme (D&C 38:27)  I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.

The Purpose of our choir is to
Aprender princípios do Evangelho, da união, da música, e de cantar para que:
1. Nós, os músicos
       e
2. Os que ouvirem o nosso canto
possamos, atravez da música, ser tocado pelo Santo Espírito.

 "Learn principles of the gospel, of oneness, of music, and of singing so that 1. Us the musicians, and

 2. Those who hear our singing can, throught the music, be touched by the Holy Spirit. (that was roughly translated from portuguese)

We learned
Gospel- About the atonement (the words of the hymn)
Oneness- Singing with one voice brings power
Music- A bit of rythm (what a difficult word) and balance
Singing- Posture and Breathing

I know that this is the only way to return to our Heavenly Father!

Love,
Elder Sampson