July 31, 2012

HELLO ALL!

Maybe you’re wondering why I’m not writing on Monday like normal....it’s because I was on a bus...Last week I got transferred!! hahahah aka I moved after 7 months in Angelim and was transferred to Araguaina...more about it later.

My old companion, Elder De Oliveira is now being trained by Elder Carver (was in my group) and he is in Teresina still but not in the same area.  My new companion is Elder Yorgason!!! He is from West Valley City, Utah... this is his last transfer haha; we are Zone leaders in Araguaina.

The mission is broken down like this:

1.    Mission

2.    Zone

3.    District

4.    Companionship

Normally a zone is comprised of many districts all with their district leader and they all report to the zone leaders who report to the President through his assistants. so yeah I’m a zone leader in Araguaina.

Right now Araguaina is not even a ward! It is a mission branch, the missionaries have been there for 10 months... haha so the church is brand new... and it’s an 18 hour bus ride from Teresina to there. I will make that trip here again in a few hours back to Araguaina (I’m in Teresina right now because we had a meeting). The 18 hour bus rides kills. but it’s all good I normally make some sandwiches and eat them on the way haha.

Araguaina is so cool there isn’t even a chapel it’s just a rented out space, I’ll have to upload the photos next week. I don’t have my cord, sorry I forgot it.

Life is good we have a new focus it’s not baptisms but it’s to find and convert families!!! Baptize families! We just got out of our training all about families, it was really good I’m excited to find and baptize families!

It’s kind of crazy how fast time is flying here for me it’s coming up on my 9th month.... I still just tell everyone I’ve been out for 7months haha. I’ll just stay at 7 months in my mind forever.

Don’t really have much else I love you guys!!!

July 23, 2012

FAMILY AND FRIENDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

How are you all doing?

This week was pretty good; it was a bit different because our new president; he is not so focused on BAPTISMS but on strengthening the area where we are located. So it’s not about baptizing every week but about how many people you have attending sacrament meeting, so our focus has changed... a lot. We are meeting with the leadership and helping them with some direction, they are all super excited but don’t know how to focus that excitement. So we are currently making a plan for the ward called a “Ward mission plan”. Should be helpful for them...

Francisco was confirmed this week (WOO WOO) and will receive the Priesthood next week.

Valdeini is progressing and has cut her normal one pack of smokes´ a day (FOR 30 YEARS!!!) down to less than half a pack. She loves this church and last time we were there she started calling the church "Nossa Igreja" or "Our Church" she was like I love OUR church because of this... and this.... she also said that she knows Heavenly father is helping her quit she feels his presence when she reads the Book of Mormon and goes to church AKA the HOLY SPIRIT!!! Man this work is awesome.

I had an interview this week with Jonas... he told me "elder after I read the introduction of the Book of Mormon I already knew this book was true." the interview was one of the most spiritual experiences of my mission.

Of course this week also had some downs. one investigator Marciana has had strong answers for all her questions thought the holy ghost yet is not willing to act, it’s so sad when someone KNOWS the truth and won’t act... godly sorrow.

This week we also helped a woman on the road carry her bed frame to the bus stop... I wish I had asked where she was going.

This photos is Brother José Gomes (or ward mission leader BOSS)

Brother Wander (2nd counselor in the bishopric BOSS)

And sister Lindalva (wife of Jose Gomes HOSS)

And then just us goofing around before leaving for the Lan House (internet)

Transfers are today... we´ll see what happens I’m in the middle of training so makes sense I’ll stay here... but you never know

LOVE YOU ALLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!

July 16, 2012

OPA!!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!!!!!! I know it’s not today but I won’t get to say it until after the day so happy birthday!
This week we had a BAPTISM!!!! FINIALLY!!! Man it was a dry spell here for 5 weeks but Francisco (FRAN-CIS-CO "that’s a fun name to say" -Elf) was baptized. I’m excited to see him progress. Also it was cool I got to do an interview for a man who has been meeting with the missionaries for over a year!! He said, "This past year my life has changed, I was a drunken smoker who wanted nothing to do with anything, now I have a purpose, now I’m living my life" He has a new son and was just married last week. It’s cool to see how we can change lives.
We have a new investigator; he is addicted to CRACK.... yeah. But like the whole ward knows him and he was a reference of them so the whole ward is backing us up... which is good. He is loving the Book of Mormon, and said during the 2nd visit "today is the best day of my life, when I read I feel strength." The Book of Mormon is awesome, if you haven’t read it you should, it’s a great book.

Well all I miss you and love you hope your all surviving the heat, someone was telling me the USA was hot and people were dying, then then said how tolerant they (as people of the north east of brazil) are super strong and don’t feel anything hot, which is totally true these people don’t sweat... it’s like 37 Celsius I don’t know what that is in Fahrenheit... but they don’t even have the fans on in their houses, they go and grab the fans when they see the sweat dripping from my chin... people CRAZY.... but they all say the worst is yet to be... Aug-Nov they say even the fans don’t help because they just push more to you, they say that they don’t even leave the house because the little children die... and that the stray cats and dogs die from lack of water, that the birds fly with one wing because they need the other to fan themselves... hahahah JK but they say it’s hot. That’s all love you!!

p.s. PACKAGE FROM DAIVD AND MOLLY IT WAS AWESOME I am going to eat a pop-tart today.. I'm excited.

Baptism of FRANCISCO, baptised by the member that gave us the referance, BOSS!

Ghost buster

Eating a "milkshakey"

The chapel, which is like on the other side of Brazil from my house!

PACKAGE FROM DAVID AND MOLLY!

A bird

UFO

Elder Macedo (in my district) and Domiciano (he is not in the CTM going to Honduras)

First day with Elder De Oliveira



Trainners and new missionaries

A day in the life of...a MISSIONARY

Daily life is pretty simple; I get up 6:20 (so that I don’t even come close to the 6:30 alarm). Say my prayer after my pushups (10 of them) so that I stay awake for the prayer. Then I do my morning exercises normally 5 minutes of cardio, 5 minutes of abs or arms (switching every other day) then 5 more of cardio.

7:00                       Shower

7:12                        Eat breakfast recently I’ve been eating eggs and like a dairy yogurt or something.

7:30                       Eat and study some scriptures or basically it’s whatever I want time

7:50                        Get in my missionary attire

8:00                       Kneel and pray for personal study

9:00                       Comp study

11:00                      Language study

12:00                     Leave the house (put on sunscreen)

12:30-1:00            Go to lunch, then we eat for an hour after that it’s on the road for teaching, preaching, inviting, baptizing you know the norm…

9:00 pm               Return to house

9:30                       Close the day, close our numbers, lessons taught that sort of thing

9:40                       Shower

9:50                       Eat, read some more scriptures

10:20                     Get in bed, write in journal and sleep

July 9, 2012

HEYYYY

Another week in the mission.

This week was pretty awesome.  We were in a taxi going to meet the new President, just driving along and then I hear this noise TICK TICK TICK.... it sounded so familiar.... I look at the dashboard and yes there is was the long forgotten TURN SIGNAL!!!!! I had completely forgotten blinkers existed... man want a crazy world I live in haha.

Last p-day we went to Shopping aka the mall. But it’s under construction but we ate McDonalds and I even got the special edition Olympic cup! McDonalds is the best. When I was ordering my Big Mac the lady could not understand me when I said big mac so I had to say it with a Brazillian accent... "Bigy macky" hahahah it was a funny experience, my comp and I had a good laugh.

Speaking of which Elder De Oliveira is so awesome! He is always down to do whatever needs to be done. It will be exciting to see him grow here in the mission... update on Elder F Souza, he is in Sao Luise training in an area that was closed for 3 years... President Dias closed it because the missionaries were going to the beach with the young woman form the ward... Elder F Sousa is having fun there, he said it tough and he has been fasting a lot also his comp cries and looks at the photo of his girlfriend every night... Geeze I’m so glad to have my comp. but he told me in one day there he marked 10 Baptismal dates!!! 10 in ONE DAY!!!! He’s crazy.

Also we met a returned missionary in our ward she has gone through a lot of difficulties I wont relate them all but this much I will say:

#1) Missionaries are protected

#2) A testimony of the church will get you through thick and thin.

I want to thank Molly and David for the Birthday package... IT’S AWESOME!!! POP-TARTS!!!

Well I love you all and am so glad for all you guys do!!!

Sorry no photos this week my SD reader is dumb and won’t work.... UGH!!!!!!!!

July 2, 2012

WOW JULY!!! That’s crazy!

I am continuing here in Angelim serving, serving, and serving. Our new President arrived here at the beginning of the month, yesterday haha. We are going to have a leadership meeting this week and get this mission going. Thanks for the photo Mom and Dad... he looks pretty stern, it should be fun. He already passed a new rule: no basketball or soccer, haha so we shall see what new ones he passes as well.

ALSO BIG NEWS!!!! I GOT THE PACKAGE!!!!!!! YAYAYAY with starbursts and with my post-it notes and also my music!!! Sooo sweet!! Thanks you guys! I am so happy I got it! And it was not lost in the pits of THE BRASILIAN MAIL SYSTEM!!!

This week was a good week kinda... we didn’t baptize but we have this investigator, Francisco he is a boss and will serve a mission, we marked ether July 12^th for him and he came back the next day and was telling us about what he learned... by quoting verse 6 and then speaking about how faith is an anchor for our soul (verse 4) it was crazy.. He will be baptized this week.  I’m excited for that. Sorry but I’m out of time... I love you all this hour of email was crazy I had a lot of things to do.... ugh LOVE YOU ALL!!!