This is Brazil!

Hey there my favorites!

I feel so blessed to have such a great family in my life. You all bless my life.. Thank you! (:

I did a lot of randomly weird things as usual..  Like climb a tree, did the Halls Challenge,
hung from a bar with a solid 10 foot drop, ate MASHED POTATOES (yeah that's something
that is unusual... I miss Mom's cooking) and probs killed a few Yellow Fever Mosquitoes.
Yep.. It's true! São Paulo is getting attacked by the Yellow Fever. Usually the mosquitoes
don't like the big cities and stay more out in the more spacious areas.. But they decided that
they are more powerful than the human race haha. They have moved to the city of São Paulo
and are slowly taking the lives of others. It's a pretty sad deal here. Someone was telling me
that the vaccination is super expensive and they are running low. So they are giving out like
1 vaccination for every 4 people in a household. Pretty crazy stuff!! The Zoo's here in
Sâo Paulo are shut down due to these dang Mosquito's too. I guess a famous monkey got
Yellow Fever this past week and passed away...? Pretty sad deal! But I think I am safe.
I have the vaccination.. Some solid bug repellent for the skin.. And the best shield you can
have.... Being set apart as a missionary. Heavenly Father truly does watch over and protect
His missionaries. I have a lot of faith in Him and I know that He is truly watching over and
protecting me.Ü

This past week we were really working on growing our group of people to teach. We knocked doors upon doors upon doors.. And nobody wanted to hear our message it seemed like. It's a rough thing to get rejected over and over again.. But I am getting used to it I think. It's sad because they will tell us how much faith they have and how much the Savior and God means to them.. But then tell us they don't have time to chat about Them. We ask for 1 minute.. 1 MINUTE!! If you don't have 1 minute to talk about our Heavenly Father's love, or our Savior's example.. I think you gotta rethink your life a little bit! haha

I am so grateful for the opportunity that I have to have my patience tested here in the mission. As well as my obedience. Both of these things have helped me learn of who I am, and if I really am a follower of Christ. I have really learned to act in faith... despite everything else around me, whether it be comps, people, or other things trying to pull me away. I have learned to act in faith without knowing the `why`.. just putting my trust and faith in Heavenly Father that all will work out. Our faith is truly a blessing. Here in Brazil... Skys faith is growing and developing through scripture study and prayer. I know that we have a Heavenly Father. He is a loving and caring Heavenly Father. Thanks to him and His son.. this mission is a lot easier for me and so is this life. All you gotta do is have faith, be obedient, and accept the harder right, even when it is easier to accept the easier wrong ( I think President Monson said something like this). I am so grateful for all of my many blessing and I am grateful to be able to learn and grow here in Brazil through trials, challenges, and just the daily life.

I hope that you guys are all happy and healthy and that you have a wonderful week. I love you all so much!

Love, your happy and faith growing Sky... Elder Abel

It's our Story

Wassupp??!

How are my absolutely favoritest people in the whole world? Thank you so much for your emails and all the love that you guys show to me. 

Elder Lopes and I will be staying here in Ubirajara for the next transfer... making this his 4th transfer here. No changes this time around. I am excited!! The work is coming along... I think that is why President decided to leave us here. This area hasn't had much success in the past.

We had the privilege of watching the message from President Nelson. The wi-fi and translation was awful.. so I didn't get much out of it, but the Spirit was so strong! The 3 are going to do amazing things. They all have such a sweet spirit and they really radiate the happiness that the Gospel is. I love our Leadership in the church! (: But it was weird.. when I first saw  the new presidency the first thing that popped into my head was ONE (Oaks, Nelson, Eyring). I don't know why it popped into my head, but it really made me think about why that would have significance.. and the first thing that I realized was that we are ONE as a church. We are all working together as ONE.. with one purpose.. and one goal. Also.. I really thought about how there truly is ONE person that leads this church. Although we have had and will have more prophets... it is neat to think that a Prophet is just an instrument to connect the world to the Heavens. We truly do have a loving Heavenly Father who leads and guides our church today. How neat is that!! Just think about it... pretty eat and such a blessing! So grateful for prophets and other leadership in the church.. (:

I would just like to end with a scripture in the Bible that I really like. It is in Revelations 20:12 ..."and I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which was the book of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works."

I really like this scripture! We literally are writing our own little stories in our own ´books´. We are writing our stories for us individually. Each of us has our own book, and our own pen. All of the things that we do here are written in our ´books of life´ and will be opened up on the day of judgement. We will be judged for exactly what we did here on the Earth and not for the things that someone else did. It will not matter what anyone else did.. Just all of the things that we ´wrote in our books´. This made me think about the book that I was writing right now and made me think about if it was a good enough book for the highest kingdom and greatest gift of glory hereafter. It is always nice to look and see what we are doing and adjust accordingly if we need. I am so grateful that we are judged for the things WE do. I am grateful that we have the opportunity to prove to our Heavenly Father who we are, and what we want, and who we want to become.. through our desires, actions, works, and `stories`. I am so grateful for the things that I am learning here and the opportunity that I have to grow and strengthen my faith in Christ and Our Heavenly Father. Truly it is a blessing and a privilege! I love and miss you like crazy!

Love, your happy Sky...Elder Abel

A Crazy Week in Ubirajara

Hello My Most Favorite People!

This week was a little crazy! But before I talk about the crazy.. Let's talk about the good. We had a baptism yesterday. We baptized Maria. She is 75 years old and kind of feisty (however you spell it) but is a sweet lady as well. Kind of reminds me of our sweet Grammys.. both Taylor and Abel. The Gospel turned her life around and now she is so happy and so grateful! She chose me to baptize her.. And it was a really cool experience.

I feel so blessed to have the opportunity of helping someone find the truth in the Gospel and then follow the perfect example of Jesus Christ by being baptized. When we were getting in the font I asked if she was excited and ready... She answered with tears in her eyes and a HUGE smile.. 'Of course!!' Super special. We have also been working with Alexandre and he is doing good.

So how about the crazy?! Before I tell you this I want you guys to know that the only reason I am telling you this is to show how much love our Heavenly Father gives to His missionaries. He truly watches over His missionaries and He protects His missionaries! I don't wanna freak you out or get you all worried.. But some pretty sketchy stuff happened this past week. They call it 'toque de recolher' which pretty much means 'call of take shelter'. This past Wednesday in a neighboring area (called Missionaria) a group of people started attacks on some busses. They lit busses on fire.. Threw homemade bombs on to these busses.. And started attacking with guns and such. I don't know why or to what extent all or this happened.. But this is what I heard. What happens in situations like this is our Zone leader calls us and tells us to report back to our houses as fast as we can and not leave until it is clear. In this case.. Stay all night. Pretty intense stuff! This 'take shelter call' is for everyone. It's like a call that everyone hears in a rumor or another source. They all just run to their houses and lock up. It's crazy! Then after Wednesday I thought it would be the only time that I would experience that in my whole mission because it was the first time this mission has had this in a long time.. But then came Friday. Friday a shooting/war broke out in another neighboring area (Vila Clara). The police got involved and I guess 4 people were shot and killed and a few injured. Some elders were near, but broke out before it got too sketchy. There was police everywhere in these areas with all sorts of types of guns. So then again São Paulo Sul was locked down in the same call.. But this time just our Zone. Soo.. again... I am not telling you this to worry you! I just want to say that the Lord really is aware of His missionaries and share with you my love that I feel being here. We truly are soo safe here!! I will be honest with you.. I am in the most dangerous part of the mission. People approach you and you just go with strength talking to them and have faith that you are being watched over. I have had a lot of different situations where I have really been watched over and protected. The missionary plaque has power. If I wasn't a missionary then I don't think I could be here doing this work. Really though... Despite all of these problems.. I have felt so comforted this last week.

A scripture has came to my head time and time again. Doctrine and Covenants 84:88 -

"And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand, and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up."

This scripture is powerful!! It is soo true too! Heavenly Father is aware of His missionaries, He protects us, He keeps us safe by the Spirit, and He truly does bless us. I know that God lives! He lives and He cares about us. He loves us. He pours out His love to us in His many blessings. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who shows His love for us in everything we do. He supports us and is always there for us when it feels like no one else is. It blows my mind when people deny God and deny that He lives. Literally everything is a sign that we have a living, loving, Heavenly Father. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be a missionary. I know that I say it a lot.. but it truly is a privilege. We truly are a part of the only true and living Church on the Earth today. The Gospel truly is wonderful and is a message of pure joy!! May we show that joy this week in one way or another.

I sure do love you guys!! I miss you like crazy.. in fact... I miss you more than American Missionaries miss their Dr. Pepper. Now that's a lot of miss haha! Have a wonderful week and give each other some extra hugs this week... something I really miss to be honest! Thanks for being examples in my life. Have a wonderful week!

Love, your happy and blessed missionary.... Sky! Elder Abel!