LAST WEEK!!!!!!

I'm am super excited to be home but also nervous.  Its really a weird feeling that I have right now. It's the moment that all missionaries wait for but in this moment I don't want it to come so fast. I don't want to say goodbye because I know that this one will be my last. I have really loved serving the people here in Brazil. I feel like I'll be leaving behind a family and coming home to another. I really don't know what to expect but I know that it'll all work out.

I don't have any regrets for having served a mission. I know what I came to do has been done.  I hope I can continue to help doing this work and carry on all these things that I have learned here and apply them to the rest of my life.

But ya mom I'll try to write about all these things on the plane ride home, but if not I'll write them down when I get home. Is there anything that you guys want from here? Mom, I haven't found that nativity you wanted of christ but I'll keep looking.  I think I'll ask the president if I can go into one of the big malls here to find it. But ya, I'll call you guys when I get in Atlanta. I still have those calling cards you gave me before I came to the mission!

But last week went well.  I'll tell you all about it when I get home.  We baptized a young man named kleberson. This was a huge blessing for me because it meant I was able to accomplish one of the goals I had for the end of my mission. Baptizing 12 weeks straight!
Love,
Elder Mauter

Familia, 
Sorry, I don't have anytime today.  We had a zone pday and then the assistants lost the numbers that we passed to them yesterday so we had to pass them again but I'm doing great. That's awesome to hear that there will be a bunch of people at the airport. This week we had two more baptisms like you saw in the picture I sent, Rutson and Damiana. They showed up at church last Sunday all by themselves and actually had contact with the missionaries a while back but weren't able to complete their ordinances because they traveled to Damiana's moms house for some months. But this week we were able to teach them and help them be baptized and confirmed as members. They are super cool and already have a strong desire to know more about the church and to know what more they can do. They were especially interested and talking about the temple yesterday in Gospel Principles class. But thats all I have time for this week. Next week we'll be able to talk more!
I gave Elder Reynolds your number mom because his mom wanted it to talk about housing, so I'm sure she'll contact you!
But love you guys until next week
Elder Mauter

Viniceus Baptism

Thelma's Baptism

#rosadosventosabençoado!!!!!!!!
So this week was full of milagres 

Gustavo, Isaura, and Maria Baptism

(miracles)! 4 more baptisms! I sent you a picture of three baptisms that we had this week Isurha, Maria and Gustavo.
Isaura is a Grandma of all Grandmas shes 96 years old!!! She is Thelma's mom the woman who we baptized a couple weeks back. With her baptism we were able to complete their family. She is a super funny old lady and always happy to see us and receive our messages. She was actually taught by us with when we taught Thelma and Viniceus who were already baptized. Me and my comp were nervous to invite her to be baptized actually I was scared for her to go down and not come back up with life.  But finally this week we received the prompting to help her to make covenants with the Lord before she goes. When she found out that she could be baptized she answered with a huge smile of course!
Maria is Viniceus girlfriend. When we first met her she was super timid and didn't speak with us alot but she now talks a whole bunch. She suffered alot of abuse in her life that left her with trust issues. But i can really see each day the progress that she is making to open up to everyone!
Gustavo is Viniceus friend, we also found him by playing basketball at the church and were able to teach and help him to be baptized!

A silly tradition where the Elders who are returning home
get pictures taken of their "death" in the area they end their mission. 

But Bishop Cobb already got released!!!??? He couldn't wait like 2 more weeks!
But that's awesome that Conner is home now too and his talk you told me about sounded great!
But for sure you can kick Gavin out of my room before I get home. Who's going to be at the airport? And have you looked into UVU for me? Elder Reynold's mom wants to start looking into apartments for us soon!
But love you guys
Elder Mauter
 

September 26, 2016
More Baptisms!
So last week we baptized  Sâmela who is 14 and this week Viniceus who is 2 months older than Gavin. Sâmela we found through some members who were close friends with her and she was actually already taught all of the missionary lessons but in that stage in her life I guess she wasn't ready to be baptized she said. But when we found her she had no problem accepting and being baptized last week! Through her we were able to reactivate a members sister and bring her older sister Samara to church this week which we are preparing to baptise this week! Viniceus really is a cool story for later but we found him through playing bball at the ward activity which is every Friday and now every Monday. Which is great bc on Mondays i can play(; 
We went to Vinceus house and were able to teach his mom and him together. This Sunday was the first week that his mom went to church. It is hard for her to go places because she is taking care of her 96 yr old mom who lives with them. When we told her about Viniceus baptism she really wanted to go but wasn't able to because of her mother, she told us this on Saturday. But Sunday when we arrived at his house, Viniceus, his mom and grandma were already dressed and ready to go to church!  They weren't able to stay for all of the classes and the baptism becasue of his gma but they were able to stay for the first 2 classes and loved the church! We really found them at the right time in their lives because they were looking for a new church to go to because of some problems that happened with them at their last church. But also Viniceus brought a friend Gustavo who's 16 and his girlfriend who went for the second time. But about his girlfriend she has suffered alot in her life but ill let you guys about her story next week. Her baptism is marked for this week too.
But just to let you guys know, transfers are today. The assistant pretty much told me that me and my comp will stay one more together! Which will be good because we have a lot of work to do and plus we are 7 straight weeks baptizing so we put up a goal to destroy this last month together and baptize everyone and plus baptize every week till I get home!But, love you guys. The owner of the computers in getting grumpy so i got to go hahaaté mais Elder Mauter

September 19, 2016
Oi Fam!
I don't have much time this week so I'm only going to write a little!
My comp got assaulted on Friday when he was with another missionary in my house so today we have to go the the mission office to get a new phone so that we can follow up with our zone. But last week was good other than that part. Last week I think our basketball activity spread throughout the city, because it seemed like everyone showed up to participate. So we had a really good turn out. Plus we were able to talk with alot of young people playing and visit their houses after!! And we took them to church on Sunday!
So im sure this week will be pretty busy for us to follow up with everyone and meet their families. Next week will already be transfers so we'll see who will have the honor to kill me in the mission! (mission slang talk for your last comp)
Ya mom, I'll need a new suit when I get home, so send me a pic of that blue suit I like that color!
And hope you get better mom and gavin!
Love,
Elder Mauter

September 12, 2016
Dois Batismos!!! And a hot wife

So last week was crazy with my replacement comp for the week(; Elder Flores he has 4 months in the mission. He came and stayed here to learn how to baptise! He's pretty crazy so we had a good time! But about the Baptisms we baptised Marcondes whose 18 and Mirian whose also 18. And i bet your wondering about what i meant about a hot wife haha. Its because of how much rain i took this week. Saturday we had to walk in the rain all the way to lunch which was at the other end of the world... I had so many clothes wet that I had to use some old missionaries clothes that were left in the house haha!

Marcondes was really an elite of the Lord. Teaching him was super spiritual watching him learn and gain a testemony. Everything we taught it seemed like he already knew. This week we started teaching him on Wednesday and marked his baptism for Saturday and everything was going smoothly even I thought it was weird until Saturday when it rained all day and when we arrived at his house we saw that his mom threw a huge party with drinks and people smoking. But when we got there and his mom saw us and called him out of his room where he stayed away from all of the people while he waited for us to go to his baptism. 

We were super pumped up that he was ready for his baptism! So i wasnt to mad that we had to run through the rain to the church hahah! 

Mirian is a girl we have been working with alot for a couple of weeks already. She was athiest and had really bad influences in her life. We helped her stop cutting herself, drinking and taking persciption drugs when she was depressed. Even though it was a fight we promised that all would be better if she showed her faith to the Lord that she is willing to follow his example and be baptized but first she would have to stop with all these addictions she had. From the first time we taught her until now she was literally a different person. From a girl that didnt want to hear our message and not going to church to a girl who fought for change. On the day of her baptism even with all the rain i could tell there was nothing that would hold her back. After i baptised her she came out of the water crying. This week was a big testimony builder for me!

but love you guys!

Elder Mauter

September 5, 2016
Oi fam!!
This week went by quick! Me and my comp have been working a ton in our area and were able to baptize Igor and Diego this week!Igor who will be 18 next month will participate in the quorum pretty soon and hopefully serve a mission! Diego is 11yrs old. We always thought he was a member because he comes to all of the activities and meetings alone. But last week we were talking to him and he told us he wasn't baptized so we talked with the bishop and the pres and they allowed him to be baptized because of his extensive time at church. We were going to also baptize Miriam but we found out her boyfriend who is a member was full of doubts about the church and telling her that she shouldn't be baptized. So this was a bummer but when she told us this she told us that she didn't want that to happen to her so we told her if she wanted to help him it would be by  being an example. Which he should be to her... so we will continue to talk and help her.  but also we have Marcondes who is 18 and Jennifer who is 15 all in the process to be baptized, pray for them!

Last week my comp will be going in another area to help the missionaries there who are having difficulties and ill stay here with elder flores who has like 3 months in the mission, so it will be cool! Tomorrow, we have a conference and then on wed we have a district meeting. So ya I'll be getting home a week earlier than planned. President Colleoni changed the transfers to only 5 weeks.
But love you guys
Elder Mauter

Something cool just happened right now. My comp had to look something up on his email so we stopped by again after i got my hair cut and one of the kids who plays basketball at the church who we weren't able to find last week showed up and sat next to me just now and we started talking about stuff at home and the mission. I told him slot about my experiences and what I've learned. He then told me how he would like to go on a mission one day!! We are reserving so many blessings-