BOM DIA! 

So I didn't go to Goiânia this past week, because this week President Kuceki will come here to Uberlândia to talk to the missionários! It's always exciting when President comes out to talk to us, give us counsel and training and do interviews. So I am pretty excited.

This week was kind of bittersweet in terms of work, because we found a ton of people and marked a ton of baptismal dates, but when Sunday rolled around everyone had an excuse. Haha but to be honest it's not really anything new! I find solace in the feeling and knowledge that E. Zeballos and I are doing our very best, in sanctification, in work, in thought and in deed to bring these people to the truth. The rest is up to them, if they will accept it or not. That's part of the plan of salvation, the free agency of all. And what a privilégio it is to be able to play a part in this plan.

There was one cool thing that happened, we encountered a lady who had recently returned to Uberlândia after a lot of time away, and she said that she had been baptized in the church a long time ago. She went to church on Sunday and said then that she realized she had been baptized in that very church building! almost 30 years ago! it was super cool, and she was happy to have found the church again.

But that's pretty much all. Hope y'all have a great week and I love you!

love,

Elder Nick Olsen

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This week we went to the mission Leadership Council, and on the way we stopped in Colatina! It had been a YEAR since I had been on Colatina,... it seems like I left there just a few weeks ago! We had lunch with one of my besties, Daliane. Her little daughters didn't remember me :/ and she is about to have another child! Crazy. So much changes in a year. And, according to her, I finally speak portuguese well! haha!

We spent a day in Vitória, and came back to Linhares just in time for the Festa Junina, which is a party that is held every winter "country style"! There was a slew of nonmembers that went to the festa, so it was good for them to see that we aren't a bunch of robots. And there was brazilian country food. And dancing. BUT I could not dance, unfortunately.

This week wasn't all fun though, we worked really hard in our area. We met many people that were ready to hear about the gospel, their only problem was that they didn't want to get up on Sunday morning! The only investigator that we took to church is called Brian - he is a football player! Not soccer, AMERICAN FOOTBALL!! I didn't even know that it exists here! His goal is to play in the US. But he told us after the meetings that he had had a tough week, and that he felt way better after going to church. 

Here is a culture lesson: Here in Brazil, there is a lot of yelling in most of the churches. Not to criticize! But there is a woman in our branch that was baptized a few months ago, and she spent over 20 years in one of these churches. And yesterday was testimony meeting. When she went up to the front, I was a little nervous - it was a loud testimony, that is for sure, but one of the things she said was: "Passei 20 anos naquela igreja. Mas não era a igreja de Jesus. ESTA É A IGREJA DE JESUS!" I felt the Spirit when she testified that we were in Christ's only true church. I know that this is true.

Elder Eric Olsen