Feliz Natal!Feliz Natal!



Wait, it's not still Christmas? Whoops. Sorry about the lack of an email last week, Elder Lima and I spent the 24th and 25th with members, and I couldn't get into my email, also my camera glitched out and I lost a ton of fotos so that's a little sad but it's whatever. 

Dec 22nd- our mission had tons of baptisms, over 100 throughout the whole mission! Such an awesome way to celebrate Christmas, seeing so many more people coming unto Christ and following his example. I was able to baptize Raimundo, that was such an awesome experience, he told us he felt so much better than ever before after his baptism, On the mission, we call our training companions Pai (dad), and the people we train and the people we baptize sons, so now I have a son and a daughter here in Patriota. 

Dec 23rd- We had an activity with our entire mission. I finally got to speak English! The other American missionaries here are super jealous because the area I'm in has tons of food thanks to the members we eat lunch with every day. Elder Lima was laughing the entire day because someone tried to speak English with me in a taxi, and I couldn't speak English back! I didn't realize until then how far my Portuguese has come, and also how my English might also be getting worse ha-ha. The gift of tongues is real. At the activity, we had an awesome home cooked lunch, had a secret Santa, (my pictures of my gifts got deleted, I'll send them next week), and we had a talent show with our mission, which ended up being pretty funny. The love President and Sister Pinto have for everyone is palpable, they are such amazing people. 

Dec 24-25th, Elder Lima and I spent Christmas at members houses eating, if any of you know me you know that that made it an awesome Christmas for me! The other missionaries call me a tongan since I eat On the 25th we spent the morning with the other missionaries in our zone. The other Elders bought, killed, and cooked a duck, it was actually really good so props to them. We spent the rest of the day at the Silva family's house, we had 4 types of cake! I also had champagne for the first time, don't worry it was non-alcoholic. I got to call my family for free finally, so that was yet another blessing. 
 
This past Saturday we also baptized Eli, such an awesome experience. A few days before she was baptized she started asking us how she can become a missionary in the future, these people are amazing. Seeing the Patriota ward grow has been such a blessing, the members here are so amazing, we've seen tons of little miracles. 

Those are the highlights, we weren't able to go out as much the last few weeks because everyone parties here during Christmas and new year’s and it gets dangerous for us missionaries. Hope you all had an awesome Christmas, being a missionary during Christmas was so awesome, being able to focus on Jesus Christ and the love he has for us has been so amazing. Even when we have hard days I'm always happy because I feel the joy of this amazing work and my Savior's love for me. Focusing on the Savior will always bring us more joy than anything else. Stay safe and have an awesome ano novo gente!

"When the focus of our lives is on Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives." 

Hebrews 12:2  New Testament

2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

"Think of that! In order for Him to endure the most excruciating experience ever endured on earth, our Savior focused on joy!"

Joy and Spiritual Survival, October 2016

By President Russell M. Nelson President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles  

Alma 31:38
Book of Mormon
38 And the Lord provided for them that they should hunger not, neither should they thirst; yea, and he also gave them strength, that they should suffer no manner of afflictions, save it were swallowed up in the joy of Christ. Now this was according to the prayer of Alma; and this because he prayed in faith. 

Ate proximo ano! Eu amo Voces!

Elder Madsen

fletcher.madsen@missionary.org
https://fletchermadsen.blogspot.com/

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