Training is São Luís

This past week I traveled to São Luís by bus for 10 hours for a leadership training. It was a good training. I slept on the bus ride there and the bus ride back to my area. The fun thing about taking long bus rides is that the sweaters that Janet bought me before the mission come in handy. Trainings and bus rides are the only times it gets cold enough to wear a sweater. Thanks sis! Something interesting happened when I got back from the training. I realized that my ankles, feet, and calves were swollen. It was really weird! That has never happened to me that I can remember. I called Sister Dias and she had the Doctor is São Paulo call me. The doctor said it was nothing to worry about and that water likes to accumulate in the lowest part of the body when you don´t do anything. So, he said next time I travel for a long period of time without being able to get up and walk around I should do some exercises every once in a while to keep my circulation going nicely. Anyway, you learn something new every day right?

The work here is good. The people are really open and are really easy to talk to. The trick is now we have to find the people who are looking, rather than trying to convince the people who don´t want anything. So, that´s what we are going to work on a lot this week. Yesterday we took a young member of the church with us to do some visits. It was pretty cool.

I´m really grateful to be here serving the Lord. I´m really happy. I know the gospel is true. I´ve seen , or better yet, I see people change because of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It´s amazing. Everything here is building my testimony a lot. I've got just a few months left, but I´m going to make the best of it. I know the Book fo Mormon is true and that it is proof of the true church of Jesus Christ. I love you, and I hope you have a great week!

-Elder Samuel H. Chiba

p.s. we found a jaca fruit in the street!

Açailândia

Well folks, there has been a transfer and now I am back to Maranhão in the city of Açailândia. I do miss Parnaíba a lot, but it´s in good hands. It's pretty cool here. The dirt is red and it's everywhere! I think I'm getting more acne... So, I'm still a district leader and I've got Sisters in my district again! That's always fun.

Anyway, my new companion is Elder Matheus Eberhardt. He´s really cool. He's from the south of Brazil from the state of Santa Catarina, and guess what?! He surfs! So, that means that he's cool. (he's a real surfer, unlike me who tries to surf and does not do so well, but I'll get the hang of it eventually) We're getting along well. The field is white and we are going to harvest like no one ever has.

By the way, the area here is huge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It´s the biggest area I've seen in my mission. Anyway, things are good. The Church is true and the Book of Mormon too! I love you all, thanks for the prayers and all the support! Have a great week!

-Elder Samuel H. Chiba

Luan

Well, this Saturday we had a miracle happen. We´ve been teaching this 16 year old guy named Luan and he decided he wanted to be baptized. So, Saturday he was baptized. He´s a cool kid, pretty shy, but cool. We´re working with his family, they´re all great. His cousin is going to be baptized this Saturday. Other than that there aren´t too many new things going on.

The work is great. I´m happy. I know the church is true. I know the gospel is true. What could be better? Let´s all work a little harder to be more like Christ. I love you.

-Elder Samuel H. Chiba

Valda

This past Saturday, we baptized an elderly woman named Valda. She´s very special. When we met her she knew instantly that we were representatives of the Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Everytime we go to visit her to teach something, her comments are very interesting, and she always asks if what she did was right. And everything that she asks if what she did was right, she acted or reacted the right way. He comments are deep also. She says things and I´m amazed to hear the answers come from her mouth. It´s kind of hard to describe. Anyway, after her baptism she told us "Today, is the best day of my life."

I´m really blessed to be here serving the Lord. Truly following the Savior brings us real happiness. I know that the gospel of Jesus Christ is true.

Love,
Elder Samuel H. Chiba

An Interesting Baptism

So, this past Saturday a twelve year old rambunctous boy was baptized. The baptismal font was supposed to be full, actually we were worried it was going to be overfull and we rushed to see if it was overflowing. When we got to the church, to our surprise the font was only partially full a little higher than the second step. Fortunately the kid is pretty small so we proceeded forward. In order for him to be fully imersed during the baptism he had to lay completely straight. But we had do it several times because his feet bobbed up. So, for the seventh time I hopped into a white suit really quick in order to help the kid get baptized. My companion baptized him and I had to hold his legs down so they wouldn´t bob up. The poor kid was shaking and was nervous throughout the whole thing, but in the end he didn´t want to get out of the water... Anyway, it was an interesting experience that I wrote down in my journal.

It´s interesting to see the challenges that come up for baptisms. But we have faith and move forward. I know that the gospel was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith. The keys of eternal life have been restored, and we can be baptized by the same authority that Jesus Christ was baptized with. The key to know if this is true is to read the Book of Mormon and pray and ask God. I know He answers our sincere prayers. I love you. Have a great week!


-Elder Samuel H. Chiba

The Lord's Hand

It´s interesting to see the hand of the Lord in this great and marvelous latter-day work. I still feel inadequate, but I am a little more willing and able to follow the Lord´s will. Everyday is a new day. The gospel is so precious. I encourage you to read the Book of Mormon. The prophet always councils us to read the Book of Mormon. So, I am just echoing his council.

This week we found a woman who told us that the Holy Ghost told her that we have the answer that she is looking for. I´m glad the Lord is putting His children who are seeking in my path. Anyway, I love you all. I know the Book of Mormon is true and it has power. It contains the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Anyway person who reads it and applies the principles found in the Book of Mormon will inherit eternal life. God loves us and He has a modern living prophet today. Have a great week!

-Elder Samuel H. Chiba

Surprise visit from a 70

We had a surprise visit from an area 70 this week. Elder Araujo. It was really cool. He did a special training just for us in Parnaíba.

Anyway, the Lord really has been blessing us here. We´ve been able to find some very special people. There is a family that we are teaching and they went to church on Sunday and really liked it. Next week they´re going to bring their four children and the grandmother. It´s really interesting to see how the Lord puts people in your path. It´s all for a good reason. We´re all here on earth to learn and grow and to go back to our Father in Heaven. The trick is only few of us know how. For those of us that know the gospel of Jesus Christ it is our duty to help our brothers and sisters find the path back to heaven.

So, I have a challenge for all of you. Because we´re all in this journey/battle/adventure together, lets help as many people as we can. This week and the following weeks until I get home and even continuing after, invite a friend/relative/collegue/co-worker to church. Offer to pick them up and be ready in enough time to pick them up before church so you don´t arrive late.

Something that really made me think during the training with Elder Araujo is that he said that no one knows what the future will hold. There was a story about him in the Ensign/Liahona. He was a less active member, and was out surfing. His bishop went out in the water to bring him to church. Anyway, when he was a little boy he would harass the missionaries and even steal their food, or something like that. Anyway, the elder the baptized him didn´t think to much of him, but look at him now. He´s a general authority. You never know who´s (eternal) life you´ll save by a simple invitation. Don´t ever think that someone isn´t good enough or not worth while. None of us know what the future holds. So, let´s invite. Hike up your pants and step outside your bubble of comfort and invite someone to partake of the fruit of eternal life. The family that I mentioned above is a reference from a member here, who had the courage to open his mouth and invite them to meet with us.

I love this gospel and am really happy to be a living modern witness in word and deed of the Savior. I´m happy to be a missionary. Try it, or if you have already, try it again. I know that God lives and that He has a plan for us. Let´s help everyone else too. I know that we have a living modern prophet and I am so grateful to be a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love you. Have a great week. Make sure to invite someone.

-Elder Samuel H. Chiba