The Brazilian Adventure: Week 29 December 16 -- December 22

 My Dearest beloved Family and Friends

       I just got back from a Christmas get together with my mission. It was so awesome. We heard some great music from orchestra instruments. And we heard some great talks. Four of our missionaries are leaving our mission this next transfer. And they are 3 assistants and 1 district leader. Some great leaders. We had the chance to hear them bear their testimonies and it was so awesome. This next transfer, we are going to have a lot more leaders leaving, I think there is about 8 of them. And they are all Zone leaders and district leaders. All of our leaders are leaving, it is really scary. Our mission is so new. We are getting so many new missionaries. Over half of our missionaries are under 6 months. We have about 170 missionaries. We are such a young mission. But I´m sure that is becoming normal all over the world because of this great increase of missionaries. Our mission is going to have to start making some young leaders fast. I´m so grateful for our leaders that we have here, they are such amazing examples to me, I have been learning so much from them. We are going through big changes and getting ready for 2014. We are going to rock it out this next year. I can´t wait to get to know our new future leaders in our mission. 

    This week was a tough week with the work. We had to cut a lot of investigators. But it is great, we are cleaning out our teaching group and going out to look for the elect. Gods children who are ready to hear the gospel. The ward is getting so pumped up about missionary work. Our ward is so awesome. And our WML is supper awesome. Transfers are next week, and I´m getting so nervous to leave. I´ve been in Embu Guaçu for a long time. About 4 months. I think I might be transferred this next transfer. I really hope not though. I have really learned to love the people here and the members also. They have been teaching me so much. 

    Yesterday the Sisters had a baptism. It was supper cool because it was the baptism of a man named Marcio. Marcio was my old investigator before we splitted the area and I gave him and his wife Andrea (Who by the way got baptized last week) ( oh and by the way, these are the parents of Maria and Larissa, my first two baptisms in this area.) It was so awesome to see them come into the gospel. The sisters really did an amazing job. I didn´t think Marcio and Andrea were going to be baptised this soon or at all. They had their challenges, but with a little of Sisters touch, they were able to help them accept the restored gospel and help them be baptise. And now they are great members. Yesterday at the baptism, the water in the church ran out while we were filling up the baptism fount. We were all panicking because the water was to low and we didn´t know where to get more water. So then all of a sudden one of the church leaders, Irmao Paulo, said that there was a church water well out side the church building. So we found the key and unlocked this door top of a well. And then we found that there was water!! So then we all were running around grabbing a bucket and a rope and then Irmao Paulo and Robson got two buckets with a rope tided to it and they through it down the well and begin to pull up buckets of water, and then my companion, other youth and members, and  I got buckets to fill them up with water. We then were running in and out of the church building to fill up the fountain. And after a while, we succeeded! And that´s what I call, getting er done. Nothing is going to stop us from helping someone walk into the waters of baptism! haha it was supper awesome. 

      I´m supper excited to talk to my family this Christmas. I´m pumped up! I love my mission. I hope you are all doing great!

Be happy. 

Love, The Elder Jones