Golden Family

Fernando and his two oldest children have been attending our English class for the past 3 months. We invited them to the Taco Party we had and they thoroughly enjoyed their time there. Elder Barrus asked if they would be interested in knowing more about the Church. Fernando said they would so Sister Gerber and Sister Correa have been teaching them. They are planning on being baptized May 6, the day we leave. Fernando, Jananina and their two oldest children will be baptized. The two youngest are not old enough yet. Wow, this has been an amazing journey!

Luiz

The young man pictured with Elder Barrus is Luiz. Al was walking down the street when Luiz stopped him and asked him if he belonged to that Mormon church. Luiz said he wanted to know more about it. Al contacted the Sister missionaries and they have begun teaching him. Al invited him to come to Church and it was wonderful to see him walk into the Church this morning.

Gospel Principles Class

Usually this class meets in a small classroom but there were so many today that we met in the Chapel. Elder Barrus taught the class today, so awesome to have so many there and so many investigators.

Graca's Baptism

This lovely lady is Graca. She was contacted by the sister missionaries, Sister Gerber and Sister Correa. At first her husband said she could attend Church but not be baptized. After he became more acquainted with the Church and the members of the Tatui Branch, he agreed that she could be baptized if that was her desire. Elder Barrus baptized her this morning, April 29, 2018, just before Church began and then confirmed her in Sacrament Meeting. What a wonderful day and so great that her husband came in support of her decision.

Packing Up and Giving Away!

We've been busy packing up our apartment and giving away the things we have accumulated in the last eighteen months. We have been amazed at how much stuff we have. It has been fun making the deliveries.

Our Last English Class

Thursday evening we taught our last English class before heading home. We had a party following the class. Two of the wonderful ladies who attend the class brought us gifts to remind us of Brasil, two sacks of beans and two sacks of the very best coffee in Brasil. They asked if we drank coffee, we told them, 'no', but thanked them for their thoughtful gifts. We gave the coffee to the wonderful people who keep our building secure where we live.

Almoco with the Sisters and Celebrating Their Birthdays

Thursday, April 26, Sister Gerber and Sister Correa came to lunch. We made Hawaiian Haystacks. Sister Gerber's birthday is May 5 and Sister Correa's is in January. We decided to celebrate their birthdays together this day. It was a lot of fun. These darling sisters are wonderful missionaries. They work very hard and are seeing in abundance the fruits of their labors.

Our Apartment's Art Gallery

Every time we received a picture from our grandchildren or one of the children in the Tatui Branch, we would put it up on the wall in our apartment. We have so enjoyed it these past 18 months.

The Owl Family

A part of the Tatui Branch Family is this Owl Family. They are burrowing owls. We have watched them raise two families. They lived here at the Tatui Branch before it was even built. They moved somewhere else as the construction was going on but returned and have been here ever since. They like to watch WHO is coming to Church.

Gracie and Miguel

Just before the Going Away Party, we visited with Gracie and Miguel. Gracie was baptized Christmas Eve and Miguel was baptized not long after that. We told them that when they are ready to go to the temple to be sealed to let us know. We will do all we can to come back to Brasil to come to their sealing. Elder Barrus gave Miguel that tie to wear. He told him it was his wedding tie. He also gave Roniery his Y hat, and Haury his black trench coat to wear when he goes on his mission They were thrilled!

It was a GREAT Party!

Brasilians know how to PARTY! It was a wonderful Going Away Party, We were so surprised and felt overwhelmed with all their love and kindness. We took pictures with some of our dear friends. Photo 1: Antonio (new convert, terrific friend). Photo 2: Our dear friends Antonio and Gloria. Photo 3: Antonio's brother Aparecido and Darcy, my heart warms at the sight of each one. Photo 4: One of my Brasilian daughters, Angelica. Photo 5: Thaynna,(another Brasilian daughter), Angelica and our angel Dalva. Photo 6: Presidente Edivaldo holding Mayra (Brasilian granddaughter), Gil, Breno and Ryan. Photo 7: Our dear friend Roberto. Photo 8: Clayton (he bought our car), Kamila, Gabriele and Lara. Photo 9: Rafaely, Dalva and Carlos. Photo 10: Esther, Marilia, Livia and Luciana (all recent converts). Photo 11: Yngrid (only member in her family here, comes by herself every week) and her friend. Photo 12: Debora and Edsen jumped in the pool! We love these kids. Photo 13: Everyone in the Pool! Gil, Breno, Debora, Mosias.

Surprise Going Away Party!

We are pictured with Marcia and Marciu. They have a beautiful home in Tatui and are members of the Tatui Branch. They invited us to a Family Home Evening at their home Monday evening, April 23. We knew that Edsen and Debora were going to be there and we brought Dalva, Rafaely, Yngrid and a friend of hers. We came in and were just sitting visiting. I was facing the smoky glass sliding doors that go out to the pool. All of a sudden I saw people beyond the smoky sliding glass door, they almost looked like ghosts! Until they started walking through the opening of the glass doors, it was our Tatui Branch. They had all conspired to organize a surprise going away party for us. We were overcome, the tears flowed.

Companions for a Day

Sister Gerber and Sister Correa had to go on splits the day of Alessandro's baptism. They needed to go to the baptism but they had also invited a family to Church and needed to walk with them to Church and introduce them. Since they couldn't be in two places at once, I became Sister Gerber's companion for the day and Marilia became the companion for the day for Sister Correa. Marilia joined the Church the end of last year.

Alessandro's Baptism, April 22, 2018

This is a great baptism story. Elder Barrus and I were called by the Sister Missionaries serving in Boituva. They said a man had called them and wanted to know more about the Church but he lived in Tiete which was too far from Boituva for them to go there to teach. Since we have a car, they asked if we would check on him and see if he would like to receive the missionary lessons. We setup an appointment with him and went over on a Sunday afternoon to visit with him. He is seventeen years old and is attending the music conservatory in Tatui studying piano. He had a piano in his bedroom and played for us. WOW! He is professional. We made arrangements to bring Sister Gerber and Sister Correa to Tiete to teach him. We took them there once and a couple of times when he came to Tatui for school, they and Elder Barrus met him at the Church for lesson discussions. His mother, grandmother and great-grandmother are all active members of the Church. His father had been an LDS missionary but when he was divorced and remarried, he began attending his new wife's church. Alessanado was not raised in the Church, we're not sure what the whole story on that is. Several members of his family who live in Sao Paulo came for his baptism, mother, grandmother, aunt and uncle, two little brothers, his dad and his dad's wife. Very supportive family. Usually a person is baptized following sacrament meeting and then confirmed the following Sunday. But since most of his family was coming from Sao Paulo, they asked if he could be baptized before Church and then confirmed the same day in Sacrament Meeting. The arrangements were made. Presidente Marceu had come down to the Church at six in the morning to fill the 'font'. When we all arrived just before eight in the morning, the water had all leaked out! Thus the bucket brigade to fill the font! They had to fill the buckets outside and then climb two flights of stairs to the chapel where the 'font' is. Elder Barrus had the privilege of baptizing him. Photo 1: Alessandro and his family. 2: Sister Gerber, Sister and Elder Barrus. 3: Sister Gerber, Alessandro's girlfriend who also wants to be baptized, Alessandro and Elder Barrus. 4 and 5: Filling the buckets and filling the font.

Happy 18th Wedding Anniversary Derik and Amanda!

Happy Birthday, Kelsey!

Today is our beautiful daughter Kelsey's birthday! We love you sweetheart. Kylie and Michael had a birthday dinner for her Sunday. Addy and Jacob adore their Aunt Kelsey. Kylie asked Kelsey what kind of birthday cake she wanted and Kelsey said she didn't know. Addy piped up, "You want a chocolate birthday cake, Aunt Kelsey!" So chocolate it was!

Laura

This beautiful mother and daughter we met at the Cerquilho Branch. This little girl's eyes and face were so gorgeous I had to take a picture of her and her sweet, lovely mother.

Presidente Vagner and Ivone

Presidente Vagner and Ivone were the very first ones to welcome us to Tatui. He was the President of the Branch for several months after we arrived. I think that was the third time he had been Branch President. A sweet, kind, loving couple.

Teaching Roberto How to Tie a Tie!

Roberto is so dear to us. He joined the Church a couple of years ago and is now the second counselor in the Branch Presidency. He is always, always the first one to help at whatever needs to be done. He worked in a men's clothing shop for several years but never learned to tie a tie. So Elder Barrus brought one of his ties to give to Roberto and spent some time with him practicing. By jove, I think he's got it!

One of my Sister's Many Talents

I just wanted to add this in because my sister Glenda was so talented. She painted, sewed, canned, decorated and in the last several years she made many, many beautiful quilts. This is one of them. She hand embroidered all these quotes on this quilt. She was a patient, ambitious woman. Love you, Sis.

Year 'Round Farming in Brasil

Elder Barrus and I are alway amazed at how many trees are continuously in bloom here, stunning! Coffee beans and sugar cane are abundantly grown here. There is no 'growing season' because they plant and harvest year around. They don't have to irrigate and weeds are very few here. They just have to plant, let them grow and harvest!

Saying Good-bye to Rosa

This beautiful lady has been in our blog before, she is very special to us. Elder Barrus knew her when he served in his first area in Brasil in Bauru 51 years ago. We've made a number of trips to see her but this day is our last time to visit with her in person. We will certainly keep in touch. Photo 1: Every time we come, we tell Rosa, 'we will take you out to lunch'. But every time she has a feast already prepared. Photo 2: Rosa and he daughter Silvia. Photo 3: Silvia's husband makes these knives that take hours and hours of workmanship. He made this one for Elder Barrus, something he will always treasure. Photo 4: Rosa painted a Christmas scene on this linen tea towel to gift to me. I had her sign her name on it. She said to hang it on the stove and wipe my hands on it! No way! It will be a beautiful wall hanging at Christmas. Photo 5: Rosa, a great artist, painted this scene of a senior couple walking down a path in the Brasil countryside. When she told us she was painting this and going to put Elder Barrus and I in it, I told her to make me skinny. And she did! What a forever treasure. Photos 6 and 7: Saying good-bye to Rosa, God be with you until we meet again.