July 15, 2013

Thanks so much for the emails! It has been so great to read such wonderful things about our wonderful family and see more miracles from the hand of God. I know he answers our prayers and my heart is just exploding with gratitude right now. I love you all more than ever, and I am happier than ever before in my life. The Lord has just brought so many great opportunities for me to learn and to grow, and I hope I can keep these things applied in my life. 

This week was super busy, after the baptism of our wonderful family we went to the temple the next day and it was such a wonderful experience. They are all so excited to continue in the gospel and get right into temple work, the bishop challenged them to read the Book of Mormon before the year ends, I am going to do it with them and I want all of us to do it also! After wonderful moments with them, we had our multi zone conference and President Perrotti taught some wonderful things to us all and really changed all of us. He made me go up in front and asked a question to me, he asked me why I was on the mission, I asked him if I could use a scripture to respond, and opened to Philippians 2:10. I am really grateful that I have changed and feel like I am on the mission for the right reasons and my heart is now in the work more than ever. 

We were really hoping on baptizing another young man this week, but it just didn’t work out and Saturday night we went to visit a recent convert, that night we met her sister in law and invited her to be baptized this Sunday, she had already been to church and really liked it. And she said, yeah so we sat down and taught everything to her that night, she was interviewed Sunday night right before her baptism. We had also been teaching another girl, and she really wants to be baptized but was having a tough time with the law of chastity. We taught a super spiritual lesson to her, and told her not to make a choice until after being interviewed, and she decided to be baptized! We were blessed with six baptisms this week! 

So transfers, they are going to divide the zones now, and Elder Batista got transferred, I am really sad because he is incredible, he really is so pure in heart with all that he does and will go very far in life. I will be training and will find out who I train as of tomorrow!!! I am super nervous but really excited! I love you all, keep praying! Time is running out for me! I love you so much and have a wonderful week!!!!!

Love Elder Paynter

July 8, 2013

Hey Mumsy!

       This week was just incredible again! Just miracles that have happened in each day! So so so busy, I don’t even have time to think, but I am loving it! Yesterday, we were able to baptize two investigators and it was so great! And tonight for p-day, we will be baptizing four more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy and it is my Brasilian family here. They are just so incredible. Truly were prepared by the hand of the Lord, and they have us over for dinner every chance they get! They are just hilarious, last night I was crying from laughing so hard with them. It has been nothing but happiness here and tonight will be so special for them all. 

       I loved Sunday school this week, it was such a good lesson and I am excited to see what Loretta put on her paper. I am really happy to hear Levi stayed; this week will be a great week for the family! 

       Read the email I sent dad about a temple experience we had this week that was so great. I just love you so much mom, I love love love love you. You and dad are always in my heart, I have never been happier on the mission, the Lord has been helping us every step of the way and I only hope that we are being instruments in his hands. I hope you have a great week mom! I love you so much!

Elder Sunsy

Oh thanks so much for the photos!

Well Dad,

       Thanks a lot for the email! I really liked it, ha-ha I really wanted to help out with some surgery; I tasted the pastimes there. Sounds like the cabin was pretty good and also sounds like Oliver grew his goods back, but don’t get him neutered again please. Ha-ha well coca cola here is incredible I just hope you know.  

       Dad, this week was just incredible, we baptized two people yesterday and tonight we will be baptizing the family of four! The Lord has just been pouring miracles on us every day and every moment, and we hope to have at least one more this Sunday. The ward is so excited about the missionary work and we are seeing changes in everyone. 

       We brought an investigator to the temple this week, the Campinas temple is incredible. So beautiful, and I remember showing up and just feeling your love and moms love, I just looked at the temple and stood in front and cried. It was so incredible, we taught the plan of salvation to our investigator and we all cried and she was baptized this Sunday. It was the most spiritual experience I have had on the mission and I am so grateful for you and mom and for all the sacrifices that you have made for our family and all of the things that you have taught to us, and especially for following the Savior and being sealed in the temple. I felt you and mom by my side. They have a "lodge" by the temple where all of the couple missionaries live, and I thought a lot about you and mom serving in the future. You both would be perfect. Well dad, I love you so much, I hope the vacation was great and dad, thanks for your love, thanks for trusting in me to carry our family name here. I love you.

Elder Paynter

July 1, 2013

Dear Mom,

Tears of gratitude fill my eyes as I read your letter, ha-ha it uses up time but it is so worth it. Mom, this week has been celestial. I have never felt so good on the mission and just so light and at peace. This last week was just a big run and bolt for whatever thing we had to do. It was wonderful. We went to the hospital to give a blessing to a friend of the patriarch and temple sealer that is teaching a family with us. It was great to be back in the hospital environment and even better to be able to exercise the priesthood in the Lord’s name.

To shorten things down this week was great. Mom, the Lord answered your prayers and mine, like he always does, and this Sunday was the best Sunday I have had on the mission.

            We got up extra early to leave and get Jonathan and John for their confirmation, and right when we got ready to leave the door, it started raining pretty well. I left my umbrella in one of the member’s homes and we just started running to get to their house. I was in my suit, and my better fancier shoes and we walked down the muddy dirt roads. It was just pouring rain by now, but it was so great, I thought about how crazy it was to be so drenched and a few people looked at me really funny, but I kept thinking how great the worth of a soul is in the eyes of God. Suit or not, I was going to help those kids get to church and receive the Holy Ghost. It was great, we showed up to church right before sacrament meeting started, I was drenched from head to toe, and five minutes later we were up there in front confirming them.

There weren’t many people in church because of the rain. all of the meetings passed, we went and ate lunch in a little shack with an incredible family, and then went back for the evening ward meetings, finished those off and then got ready for Eva's baptism!!! The family that helped her get into the church was at the beach and got caught up in traffic so they weren’t able to come, and the father was supposed to baptize her. I could tell she was a little down about it, Elder Batista and I pulled her aside and handed her the outfit, and told her about how wonderful a decision she is making and how proud we were, She smiled and was pretty happy after that and went and changed, oh and she gave me the honor of baptizing her!!!!!!!! It was such a spiritual baptism, everyone was tearing up and at the end Elder Batista and I sang Abide With Me Tis Eventide to close. It was just great.

This week has been incredible; the Lord has been guiding us in every step that we take. He has placed so many people in our way and it has just been miracles, I have seen the hand of the Lord guiding the ward, the people, and us here. We talked a lot to the family of four in the other ward, and they decided they want to be baptized!!!!!!! We are so excited! They adopted Elder Batista and me and are so loving. We have been so blessed with three baptisms this transfer so far, and we hope to have seven more before the transfer ends! The Lord has blessed us, and blessed be His name. Mom, I never will stop, I just want to scream to everyone to bow down at His feet and come unto him. I love Jesus Christ, I am so grateful for all that He has done for me and for us and for the world! I love this gospel! I love you so much mom! Have a wonderful week!!!