I have a new companion! His name is Elder Fonseca. He is from São Paulo. He is 23 years old and has been a member of the Church for a little over a year. He has been studying music and conducting for the past 4 years! He is a lot more timid than Elder Maia so I am back in the front pushing forward.  Yep, I will continue as a district leader.

It is amazing to think that Elder Esplin will be home soon! Already!  And Marcus?

I was great to hear that you were able to do some temple sealings. Can’t wait to do sealings as I have never done them before.

Our investigator, Rudson, is doing great. Went to church again and he is showing real progress. His wife (who is a recent convert) is helping a lot.
Pedro went to church in a huge rain storm. He promised he would come and he fulfilled the promise! It made me very pleased to see someone dedicated like that.  His name was given to us by someone we stopped in the road!

Deilson really liked learning about the plan of salvation this week. He is reading a lot and doing well. His brother and sister-in-law (recent converts) are helping him out a lot as well.

I got a package! It was a huge surprise for me! Kaytlynn McConnell sent it to me for Christmas and New Year. It was rather unexpected.

I am doing well! Staying focused is the name of the game
Much Love,

Elder Poulton

I am doing well!  I found out yesterday that Elder Maia will be transferred to Manacapuru, a small city close to Manaus! Excited for him. I will be training again here in Glória. Crazy! I will stay busy until the end.

Sorry I don’t have much time to write. I am doing well. We have three men with a date to be baptized! Pedro, Fernando and Deilson. Pedro and Fernando have families that we will try to teach as well. I feel very blessed and hope to be worthy for more.

The gospel is true and capable of changing lives.  Yesterday our neighbor left her son locked in the apartment. He is 5 years old. He woke up and was alone and started to cry and call for help and his mother. It was late and we didn’t know what to do. But I put charity in mind and went out and called to the boy. He was scared. We talked to him and in the end, we said a prayer with him. When I started the prayer I could feel the Spirit comfort the boy. After the prayer, we told him to go to the bedroom and lie down and wait for his mom. He obeyed and remained calm until his mom returned home. I am so grateful for the gospel and that the Spirit is our comforter. It’s true! All of it.

Much love,

Elder Poulton

Foto of Israel Isaac’s baptism!

Happy New Year! I did my best to sleep Saturday night. But there were a lot of fireworks. Traditions are the same here. Rio de Janeiro has a show like Time Square but it’s summer and on the beach! Elder. Maia told me about it. I think I will visit him here, in a couple of years. Sunday was pretty crazy. We ended up visiting members and staying off of the roads.

What did you do for New Year’s Eve?

I love the gospel and the blessings from simply knowing the truth, let alone living the truth.

Good to hear baptisms exists in Utah. I want to do missionary work in the states.

Mom, I have thought a lot about Carnegie Mellon and Georgia Institute of Technology. Can you email me so stuff about them? I won’t apply until I get home.

Very happy to hear that Becky will receive a missionaries’ visit, pray for the missionaries as well.

Sadly, R. will not be ready for baptism this week. He still has not shown through good works that he has repented.  C. drank yesterday so she isn’t ready as well. Drunk people are…..interesting.

So the mission had a goal of 1500 baptisms for the year of  2011. By June 2011, the mission had 500. But we ended the year with….1401!

Well, got to get going! Love you family!

Tchauzão

Elder Samuel Poulton

It was most excellent to speak with my family. Thank you for your love and presents! It was exactly what I needed and wanted. I hope you enjoyed the season and that the New Year will be just as merry.

Mom, I would love blueberry muffin mix and maybe brownies again and a birthday card. Or just want until I get home to help me get ready for college.

The baptism of Israel Isaac was a miracle. He was prepared by family and the Lord and not by the missionaries. It is wonderful to see him help his family become stronger.  His sister has been going through difficulties with activity and being faithful.

Please thank David and Anna for their support. Feel free to forward the important parts of my letters

I love you, family, so very much! I am who I am because of You! We are One.

Until 2012!!

Love,

Elder Poulton

This Christmas week I wish to bare my testimony in the remembrance of the Savior Jesus Christ.

There is nothing more important to me than the knowledge and testimony that I have of a loving and forgiving Lord, and Savior.  He is our King that rules with perfect mercy and justice. We have no excuse to turn our hearts, thoughts, or works away from God’s purpose to bring to pass our eternal life. His joy is seeing our joy. His teachings are perfect in every way. Trust in them. Believe in the promises made to us in His word, The Book of Mormon and The Holy Bible. When He trusts us, He sends His tailored trials to help us grow but when we don’t have His trust nor His promise, we will not withstand the darts of the enemy. I know He lives, converses with prophets and apostles, and guides his people by the spirit. The Priesthood Authority is necessary for the ordinances of salvation. The Priesthood Power that He used to create the Earth is the same power that can be called upon by worthy men. Joseph Smith was His prophet.  And I love my Savior.
May we remember His humility and majesty this week,
Seja fiel a Ele! (Be faithful to Him!)

6 For unto us a ^achild is ^bborn, unto us a ^cson is given: and the ^dgovernment shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, ^eCounsellor, The ^fmighty ^gGod, The ^heverlasting Father, The Prince of ⁱPeace.  -Isaiah 9:6

Much love to my family,

Elder Samuel James Dee Poulton

PS, Thanks for the email and all the details, Mom! Elislane was baptized! It made me so happy to see her make this covenant with God and be happy.  ´til Saturday and then Sunday!

Things are great here in Manaus. The weather has been rather cool….and a rainy. What a great season. We had an Open House here in the ward. It was an incredible activity. The night before the activity, we sang Christmas hymns in the park and invited everyone to the Open House, handing out invitations. I felt like we went ‘down among the Lamanites.’ It was interesting and funny. The next day the activity started 1 hour behind schedule, but that’s how things go here. It started with a reenactment of Lehi’s Dream and then the Wise Decision of King Solomon. It went really well. Then the visitors were lead to each room where the organizations explained what they are all about. And then in the end, FOOD! We ended up with about 10 visitors. It wasn’t a ton but it was fun and good for the members.

Elder Mazzagardi, Seventy and Presidency of Brazil, spoke with us this past week. He is an incredible man. Full of love and understanding. He talked about the process of purification. It was excellent stuff. Alma 26:22 is a very familiar scripture that speaks of how to be the best you can, missionary or member.

Alright, this year we will have 1 hour to talk on the phone. Grandma and mom and dad will be of highest priority. No, we only have a cell phone which doesn’t receive international calls. I am still figuring out where we will call and, yes, let’s do a trial run.

The Stake had a Christmas recital. It was good to see the folks celebrating Christmas but I miss the musically inclined people of Utah.
Nossa! (Expression equivalent to: “Man!” or “Oh, Boy!”) Looks like December will be as busy as can be! Give a hug to Emily for me. I am so proud of her.

20th of Dec. we will have a Christmas Conference of the Mission. But Christmas Day we will be in our area in our house. Brazil celebrates midnight 24 of Dec, so we will stay up a little bit more with the members and then go home and sleep!

Mom, my contacts are fine. I haven’t run out and won’t before May. I really enjoy the humidity; I have no problems with my skin.  My retainer is ok, but starting to rust. Yep, my clothes fit the same. My jeans that I a wear once every 3 months are still comfortable. I hope to put on some weight when I am home.  But todo bem! (it’s all good!)

I love you Mom, Dad and Family. Don’t forget to do something awesome for our neighbors this season.

Much Love,

Elder Samuel Poulton

Yay December arrived! Too bad it’s still hot. Yep this neighborhood has a lot of decorations. It’s awesome.  Our ward mission leader is really into Christmas and has a bunch of decorations and made sugar cookies and is going to make ginger bread cookies. I await anxiously for the pictures of our home!

I am so pleased to have the opportunity to stay with Elder Maia more here in Glória.  The work is rolling and you stay happier when you get things going.  Elder Maia is incredible. He understands the gospel way better than most converts his age and he teaches with such power and ease. He knows the power of the gospel and tells people of that power. Currently we have 6 people with a date to be baptized or in other words, they have agreed to be baptized and we are working with them to be repentant and ready to fulfill the convenio do batismo, baptismal covenant.

Rapaz, we watched a Church’s Christmas DVD for a FHE and it made me homesick for Temple Square. SLC is such a beautiful city!  Emily is so lucky to have sung there again with her school choir.

Today a sister had to move. And we were lucky enough to help her out. And yesterday we helped this old lady move as well. She was waiting at the top of this small path with her fridge for someone to help her out. She asked if we could help her. Clearly we could. We first asked if it was empty, she responded, Sim. (Yes) Then we asked where she lived. Her house was at the very end of this small path that was very steep with stairs not completely intact. It was intense. My arms were straining to keep the fridge from falling on top of Elder Maia. Wow, it was intense. And then, when we carried the fridge into their house, at first it felt like the floor had glue or tape on it. But then we saw that it was recently painted red! She told us that it was all right that we were destroying her newly painted floor. We set the fridge in place and then looked inside. The freezer part was almost completely full of ice! She cried out of gratitude and asked for forgiveness that she didn’t have any food or water to give to us.  We will visit her this week again to teach her. We left feeling grateful for the Lord’s help and opportunity that he gave us to serve. The red paint on the bottom of our shoes was very symbolic in our minds as we walked to our next appointment.

That is awesome that you went to a baptism mom! Why did she wait so long to be baptized?

I think I will be able to call home for Christmas around 1pm your time, 3pm my time. Does that work for you guys?

Much Love and Remembrance of our Savior

Love,

Elder Samuel Poulton

PS -  Mom, I am doing great! Looking forward to receive my package.

Tchau

Hey Pictures of the Temple! Looks like I will Not be here for the dedication But isn’t beautiful?  These are even old, The angel Moroni is already in place.

ESP

Sam took these pictures in July. They were stitched together with Hugin, a free windows Panorama photo stitcher. You can download it for free here: http://hugin.sourceforge.net/