Your actions MATTER!

Hey y'all! I hope everyone had a good Christ-centered Christmas and a great beginning to 2020, I sure did. I thought these last two weeks would be terrible because I'm so far away from home and family, but surprisingly it was one of the happiest times of my mission to this point. The members here played a huge part in that. They are always SO nice and try their very best to help us even when that help makes their lives harder. It is truly an inspiring example of Christ-like service and giving.

Something super cool happened this past Sunday. All of our friends didn't want to go to church, which made me super sad. However, as we were starting the sacrament meeting, a lady walked in that Elder Diel and I had never seen before. She ended up bearing her testimony about the missionaries and told her story. She isn't a member, but that morning she decided she wanted to go to the ''Lord's house''. She immediately remembered a pamphlet that the missionaries had given her more than 6 months earlier with the church address on it and showed up. She wants to continue the visits and learn more. 

Everyone, your actions MATTER! When you share the gospel, even if you're rejected, the Holy Ghost can use those memories in the future. Just because you can't see the fruit of your labors right now DOES NOT mean that you're not helping to grow the tree. One day, whether in this life or the next, you will be able to see and feel the joy you have brought people by opening your mouth.

Last, something funny that happened, mom you may not want to read this and just believe that I am healthy. I was on a split with one of the zone leaders and as a reward for us hitting our goals for the day, we went to an açai store and bought a liter with 6 toppings (it's so good and pretty cheap). He liked it so much that the next day right after lunch we went back and he paid for another liter lol. If I'm not transferred out of this area soon, I think I'm going to be fat haha. I may or may not have already gained 6 kilos since the CTM (luckily it's staying there...for now). Stay strong and eat better than me!

With love from Brazil,

Elder Colton McOmber

We were hungry so we bought a cake and ate it haha

This was one of my lunches this week (sorry mom)

Christmas!!!

My cinnamon roll tradition was a little less exciting this year

Beautiful skies

Me with the Christmas lights!

I think something is wrong with my companion 

Our board for Christmas (Natal)

Fondue for New Year's Eve!!!!

Double rainbow that we saw.

I made a weapon

One of my favorite members. He is a recent convert from Haiti and he is learning Portuguese just like me!

Double ingrown toenails & God ALWAYS provides

Hey y'all! So yours truly had surgery this week, yay! Both sides of both my big toenails are ingrown, so I had to get that fixed this week. I attached a picture of the worst one, but it's kinda disgusting, so don't look if you get queasy over that sort of thing. But yeah, this week the work was really hard because my feet were hurting me a bunch. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger though, and I'm not dead yet! (Although, I'm probably a great burden to my family;P (If anyone understood and laughed at that, I love you)). The great part about the work being harder is it becomes even more rewarding. The more pain I feel walking, the more joy I feel sitting down to teach a lesson haha.

On a different note, I want to talk about a saying me and my companion recite a lot: ''God ALWAYS provides". Whether you need a CD player, or two more people to talk to on a completely dead street, or just a little bit of joy, when it's His will and His work, He provides. Now, we all have needs in our lives, and I'm not saying we'll get what we need on our timetable (honestly, more often than not, it isn't), but as we follow God, I promise you all that He will provide. As stated in D&C 82:10 ''I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say'', and God can't lie. 

Lastly, just so you guys know, the next two weeks my P-days are super weird so I most likely won't be able to write to y'all. Just remember that you all are amazing. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and an awesome start to the New Year. Just remember not to put Christ away with all the decorations:)

With Love From Brazil,

Elder Colton McOmber

My beautiful ingrown toenail

Classic Brazilian house defense

An awesome new member from a different area that I had the opportunity to get to know during splits

Homemade pizza(kinda tasted like the lunchables in the states haha)

We made a friend!

The worth of a soul is its capacity to become as God

Hey y'all! This will be pretty short because I don't have a ton of time, sorry. This week, all the parks and main areas in Uberaba put up Christmas lights!! It makes me really happy because here the houses don't have Christmas lights, so I was missing that part of Christmas. 

So...my companion got hit by a car lol. Don't worry, he is perfectly fine and not hurt at all. He decided he would try to walk in front of a car at a stop sign as I went behind, and then the car started driving forward because the driver didn't see him. If he had gotten hurt it wouldn't be funny, but because he didn't I am constantly making fun of him.

Lastly, I found a quote this week that I like. The worth of a human soul is its capacity to become as God. I invite everyone this season, remember that every single person you see and come in contact with is truly a child of God. He has a plan for them to become exactly as He is. So whenever you want to judge someone for their faults or mistakes, remember that to God, they are just as loved as you. I challenge everyone, whenever you have the desire to judge someone, instead of judging them, do something to serve them. What you do, I will let you decide with the help of the Holy Ghost, but do something. I love you all and hope you have a great week!

With love from Brazil,

Elder Colton McOmber

Our District Leader "died" this week (that's what we laughingly call it when a missionary finishes their mission and heads home)

Random field with my area and a cool cloud formation in the background

Those aren't other missionaries, we thought it was funny that they looked exactly like us though

Cool sunset (we live right next to the tallest building)

Me with Acerola berries, I was proud that I got two haha

My companion trying to get a moth out of the house
(CLICK HERE to watch the video)

Monkey sighting! Effectiveness without name-tags.

Hey y'all! WE SAW A MONKEY!!!!! We also saw 2 tortoises, one of which we dubbed George. But yeah, we returned to the rainforest park near our house, and we saw some super cool wildlife. I only got pictures of the tortoises and monkeys though. On a completely different note, it is officially NATAL (CHRISTMAS) and nobody can say otherwise!!! My grandma sent me hot chocolate, so thanks grandma:)))), so in order to make it feel like Christmas, I blast myself with a fan until I'm semi-cold and drink my hot cocoa. It makes me really happy haha.

This week was relatively uneventful, but I have a cool story. We went to McDonald's because I missed unhealthy fast food, sorry Mom, sometimes I just need to eat a hamburger. So we were sitting there waiting for our food, and this worker a little older than us came over to talk to us. He had served a mission to Mexico, but after he returned he slowly fell into inactivity. As we talked though, he was reminiscing about his mission and asked if he could come with us to church. We said yes, of course, and so he came this past Sunday. He wants to become active again now! I just thought it was super cool how God leads people to the missionaries in order to help them find or return to His path. God truly does have a plan, and most of the time, He uses His servants to fulfill it. However, this work is not only for the apostles and missionaries, it is for EVERY member. When you are literally wearing a name-tag, it is pretty easy to show that you are a servant of Christ and for God to use you to help in His work. HOWEVER, we are much more effective without a name-tag, when we are helping those we know come closer to their Savior, Jesus Christ, as well as their Heavenly Father. Who would you trust more...your close friend, or two random kids, one of which can't understand you and can barely talk to you, that approach you as you're busy running errands? Of course your close friend. We have the knowledge that the world so desperately needs, how to have true happiness. So, my message to you this week I give with as much strength as I can muster through an e-mail: SHARE THE KNOWLEDGE WITH EVERYONE!!!

With love from Brazil,

Elder Colton McOmber

We decorated my companion for Christmas 

CLICK HERE to view video

Puppy!!

The heavens decided to drench us.

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Tortoises!

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Random pics of flowers lol

ME!

This fruit has cyanide acid in it, but you can eat it, IDK

#15-17 and videos 5-6- Monkey!

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