Hello! This week's letter - Week 29

Alright so I don't know if I've already told you guys about Tiago, I think I have. He's this dude who we met 5 weeks ago right when I got here. On Tuesday night I had I think my favorite lesson I've ever had on the mission. So when we first encountered Tiago he was smoking 2-3 packs of sticks a day and literally loved violence ahaha and told me he lost faith in God a long time ago. Like this dude grew up without parents basically and loved fighting people. Like bare knuckle gnarly ish, and when I asked him why he likes hurting people he told me the feeling he gets when he punches people in the face is the most beautiful feeling and it makes him feel close to God. It literally freaked me out so much to be around him he would like have little spaz attacks and have to get up during our lessons and just go punch his punching bag. Over these last few weeks I've seen a change in this dude that is literally like nothing I've ever experienced in my life. He's been coming to church the last 3 weeks and that's really when things started to change. On Tuesday when we showed up he invited us in, all calm and had a super nice chat with us about Brasilian politics haha and then we bounced into a lesson about the Gospel of Jesus Christ I started by asking him about faith and he started talking about what he feels when he goes to church and when he talks to us at his house and he was like "it's crazy because all these feelings I'm having are making me want to change and be better” and I was like holy this is not happening dude. Then I asked him what kind of changes and he was like “I just wanna repent my past away and move forward going to this church...like I haven't told you this yet but I haven't smoked for a month", and I was like holy freak dude. He started to get super interested when I told him the second step in the gospel of Jesus Christ was repentance because he realized he had just used the word “repent" to describe what was coming after his faith and so he was just like "well what's the third and fourth and fifth steps dude” and I was like “baptism and confirmation and enduring to the end and dude I am feeling the Spirit so strong right now and have never seen someone so ready to be baptized and I know this gospel is real and true and will change your life so how do you feel about being baptized on the 23rd of this month” and he was like "let's freakin do it boys” and I was so emotional I didn't wanna cry in front of him but I was so overwhelmed by the Spirit. If any one of you reading this can explain to me how in 5 weeks someone changed from finding God in beating the sap out of someone's face, to wanting to be baptized I will give you 5 Reals which is like $1.50. I cannot explain the realness of this gospel in words. Nothing that is worldly or temporal will ever have the potential to change someone’s life faster than the love we receive from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and His Church. I don't care if you are a member, non-member, less active member, or literally hate the Church of Jesus Christ nothing you can say will ever justify in a worldly manner the change that I saw in Tiago. This gospel is real this Church is true. Jesus lives and he is ready to accept all of us, whether you go to church every week or completely erased religion from your life it does NOT matter. I promise you literally with everything that I have that our Savior is real, he lives and he breathes. He is physically and emotionally mourning for every single one of us. He has a body, he has feelings, he cries when he sees you suffering and smiles and laughs when we're happy. Nothing in your past can keep Him from wanting you back. This gospel is for every single one of you and don't you ever let anyone tell you you have to be perfect to join, or come back, or stay in this church. This church contains the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it will change your life in any form you allow it to. Please come to the Savior and see the “impossible” change in your life come true too.

When we had our meeting with the leader of mission work in the ward (I don't know how to say it in English) [*ward mission leader*] and his name is Vanderline. We finished up our meeting and we're drinking some juice and the Vanderline's 3 year old son spilled strawberry juice on his white undies and just hurled the s-word from his mouth and I literally almost fell out of my chair I couldn't find enough air to breath I was absolutely dying from laughter hahaah and then this little kid started to just die with laughter and I couldn't help it hahaah. His mom then looked at him all grumpy and was like “John you cannot say that word” and he just looked at his dad smiling so freaking big and goes "dad is the one who taught me it, he says it all the time” haha and then Vanderline just looked at his wife and she had the most upset face I've ever seen and then he looked at us and I starting to just grin a little bit and then he just started dying laughing too hahaha so we all just lost it. After that he took us home and who knows what happened when he got home!

Alright so on Wednesday we were taking a nice night stroll to José's house and we get there and the old dog wasn't home. We didn't really know what to do so I was like yo let’s say a prayer, why not bruther, and then Thompson was like ok. We walked to the other side of the road and parked ourselves under a tree and said a little prayer for some guidance. When I finished the Spirit was like "walk down the street you just came from” so we went walking and then I see this old man walking down the other side of the road and turns out it was Jose and I was like let's freaking go! The Spirit is such a homie. We had this nice large and detalied lesson planned for Jose to help him understand some gospel stuffs and we sit down with him and the Spirit was like "bro, just give him a blessing” and I was like wut.... and then He was like "you heard me foo” so I was like alright Jose, let us bless you hahah (not actually like that but ya know) and then we gave him a blessing and he came out from it just so teary. We gently tossed out a baptismal date for him and the Spirit was so strong and I was like "this time he's gonna accept this time he's gonna accept” and he looked at us with tears in his eyes and just goes “no” and I was like alright dude where's the freaking prank cameras like someone's gotta be bustin my chops. I tried to start convincing him about how the Church was so rad and that the baptism would change his life and the Spirit was like "chill on him” so I was like “alright dude” and just let my companion talk. As I sat there my comp just kind of talked to him about some stuff and then we ended and I was thinking about the lesson. I noticed when I was trying to teach the lesson and not let the Spirit teach, Jose was a little more closed off to us, but when I, or my companion invited the Spirit and let Him teach is when Jose was the most open. After the prayer we talked to him for a little bit and I let him know how much we love him and the Spirit was there in those last moments before we left and as we were walking out of the door he goes "you know, I'll really think about the baptism” and I almost yelped hahaha. I was taught such a valuable lesson. This Holy Ghost deal doesn't just apply to missionary work, but in our personal lives at home also. When we have a kid, or a friend or a parent who we think is just the worst we want to force the change on them through our own will. I am really learning that the Spirit really is the only true teacher of all things. If we want true or real change in our lives, or the lives of others around us, invite the Spirit to pass some time with you, try to show those around you that you love them. The change will come so much faster than you think.

Finishing up I totally forgot to tell y'all that we had a baptism planned this week. This kid named Alan who has been taught by the missionaries forever was really having a hard time putting his past in the past and wanting to move forward, and we've been working with him over the last few weeks and he finally felt ready to get baptized (: we had one of the Priests in the ward baptize him and it was so cute the kid was so nervous it was his first baptism and when I called him to ask him if he wanted to baptize Alan he was so exited and it was so amazing to see the Spirit seal that special moment that they had in the font. They're becoming such good homies and it's so rad to see kids around my age, coming to the gospel and seeing the fruits that come from doing what’s right. 

Last thing. We ended up going to throw the frisbee around a few days this week and it was so freaking funny ahhaah Thompson was talking so much frisbee trash talk and I was just fueling his fire and he was getting so worked up it made me soo giggly hahaha. Gotta love a good heart felt devoted Ultimate Frisbee player.

Love, Elder Roskelley

Some nice deep dish pizza

The only nature in this whole city (Campo Grande)

The spiritual smiles shining through haha