Wow. This week was sooo much better.

we have been teaching many members about the wonderful new lesson "Our Family". We have been explaining it to everyone and the members are preparing their ancestors for the temple. It is great to see people grow closer to our Saviour through Genealogy. We are teaching a women and her boyfriend and their son. Her name is Tatiani and his is Roberto. The Women had already been taught by the missionaries and strange enough we were walking on the street and my comp and I stopped and looked at a closed door with loud music coming from it. We both looked at eachother and nodded. It startled my heart when i looked and saw a Book of Mormon on her table. We are teaching her so she can be married, baptised, and sealed with her Fam. He was super good to see her in the church Sunday.

We have been working a ton with the members and getting everything fixed in the ward. We talked a bunch with the bishop and he is calling people to positions in the ward.

(Just so you guys know. When i say these things like the ward is messy or other things, it's because here in Brasil. The places where we are serving is super alienated. Meaning the nearest authority is 3 hours away and he visits every 1-3 months. So its hard to have a perfectly organized ward with everyone working and not have a few things wrong.)

We have 30 more people in our ward this sunday. It was a ton better. My companion talked about Member Missionary work. Super good talk. After they sacrament. People started to get up and leave and start it all over again. I went to the door with my companion and we stayed there (after he had finished with his talk he joined me). We turned back all the little kids and amazing only 3 people left. Everyone realized that it is not right to leave during talks or sacrament meating. About half the ward thanked us for doing that saying, " We felt the spirit a lot stronger today". It was great to help out. We are encouraging everyone to start inviting people to church. I told them that in one year everyone in this city should know the name "Mormon". I told them to invite everyone. They accepted the challenge with a smile. :) If we continue to grow we will be opening up a branch here.

I will be starting to teach English every Thrusday to get people into the church and take away the fear of entering the big chapel. :D

I am excited to start teaching my  own language and so is everyone that we are inviting.

Elder Pinheiro said to me out of the middle of no where "Elder Riches you are one of the best companions i have had on this mission". I love my companion. :) He goes home in 3 months and we think i will kill him. (He will end his mission with me).

Everything is well. The language is perfect, I have been studying a lot lately. I have found a new born love for the Book of Mormon. I am finishing Alma right now. I read faster and faster each day wanting to know "what happens next". :D

Thank you all for your wonderful emails. Keep up the good work!

"The Book is Blue, The Church is True, and Jesus wasn't just a Jew"

"Every Member A Missionary"

-Elder James Eldon Riches