Week 49 - Feliz Ano Novo!

Hello!

Happy New Year everyone! This week went super great! 

First of all we got to go up to Boa Vista in Recife for our Christmas Conference. It was literally the best thing ever. President Bigelow taught us so much. I feel so enlightened. And, definitely I feel closer to my Savior. At the Christmas Conference we watched the bible videos of Christmas, had lunch, and listened to Pres. Bigelow.   Everyone got a Chocottone.

Week 48 - Feliz Natal/Another Terrible Haircut/11 Months

Hello Everyone!!! And FELIZ NATAL!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe that it is already the week of Christmas.  It does not feel like it at all. But honestly I am getting excited!

This week went pretty well! The highlight though was when Tawã somehow tracked down my phone number here in Lagoa Encantada and we were able to talk on the phone. When he told me he got his mission call to Colorado I literally flipped out!  I still cannot believe that!!!  I am so flipping excited for him! Best state ever.

Week 47 - Batismo de Fernando

Hello gente,

Yesterday was the baptism of Fernando!! He is the one guy who came up to us and asked if we could start teaching him because he was praying. We had stake conference all the way in Setubal (where I used to have district meetings), and afterwards a member named Paulo baptized him.  As he was entering the font, he slipped and fell and almost cracked his head open!! But he got up and was all good.  We were thinking how terrible it would've been if he had to go to the hospital and not be baptized.

Week 46 - deezy dezembro

Elder Gimenez and myself.

Hello everyone!

This week was pretty chill. It is starting to look a little like Christmas, but not really at all hahah.  I can't believe it is already December!

One day this week, we had a ton of lessons and Elder Gimenez rocked it at inviting people to be baptized.  Almost everyone accepted a marked date. We are realizing that the biggest thing we need to do is invite.

A Savior is Born

A Savior is Born

Week 45 - Dia de Graças e Batismo de Lucas

Oí everyone!

This week was pretty interesting if I do say so myself.

It started last Monday after we left the LanHouse (emails).  A random young man named Fernando came up to us and told us that he wants to be baptized. We were like whattt. He then explained that his girlfriend is LDS, and that he was praying Monday morning and felt like he needed to be baptized and serve a mission in the future. We were like whattt no way! So we got his address and invited him to church.  He came to church, watched our baptism and then a member invited him to a noite familiar. The Lord really is putting people in our path.

Week 44

This week was packed and it was rocking! We had a training for all the new missionaries and then on Friday we had a Zone Conference.

Week 43 - Pontes, Dias Bons, e Futebol

Hello everyone,

This week went pretty well! On quarta-feira, I had an exchange with Elder Borba. He used to be the secretary but now is my District leader. He is awesome. He is Gauche and leaves in January. I learned so much during the exchange about how to be a better missionary and trainer.

Week 42 - já pensasse?‏

Hello gente,

Another week passed by! The area is starting to progress. We are seeing that our group of investigators is growing! But we are really trying to get things moving so that we can have a baptism here soon.

Week 41 - Lagoa Encantada‏

 Hello everyone!

This week was jammed packed with things to do! First thing was Monday night I got into my apartment and found the Area Book. I found numbers for the leadership in my ward and starting calling. After calling a bunch, the Elder's quorum president answered and told me how to get to the Bishop's house. We went there and met the Bishop.

Week 40 - Another Bad Haircut‏

Hello all!

This week went super well! I went on exchange twice. Once I stayed in the Abreu e Lima with Elder Meneguzzi and the other time I went to the area Jardim Brasil with Elder Moreira (zone leader).

Week 39 - Conferência de Ala‏

 Hello everyone,

So this week was quite tough to be honest. But I learned a lot with Elder Gabriel for sure.

Week 38 - O Poder do Jejum

 Hello all!!

This week went by super quick and I had some cool experiences.

The biggest experience I had was as Elder Gabriel and I fasted on Saturday/Sunday. As we went to our lessons and taught, we felt the Spirit super strong. During one of our lessons, the person we were teaching had some doubts that he wanted to question us about. As we responded and bore testimony, I felt a power super strong in my chest.  I knew that the Holy Ghost was there with us touching the heart of that person.

Week 37 - Backstreet Boy Baptism - #GenConf‏

Hello all!

So we had a baptism this week!  Romario Soares da Silva is Wellington's brother.  Wellington was baptized recently.  The title of this baptism is Back Street boys because Romario dyed his hair to look cool like Justin Timberlake used to do his when he was in the boy band. Was he in the Backstreet boys or N'sync? I forget. While we were taking pictures out front I had everyone pretend like we were on the cover of that one N'sync album where they are puppets. Everyone laughed and agreed. It doesn’t quite match the album from what I remember but it was fun.

Week 36 - White Paint‏

Olá gente,

Not too many exciting things happened this week! But it was still jamming.

On Tuesday we had lunch at a member's home. She has some sort of disease/sickness that her kids couldn't be in the house for the last 14 days - because their immune systems are weak.  But she said because we are adults, our immune systems are not affected by it...well I don’t know if that is true because about an hour after lunch I started to get the worst feeling in my stomach.

Week 35 - Batismo de Heryvelton Gabriel Flor da Silva e Wellington Soares da Silva‏

oi gente,

This Saturday were the baptisms of Heryvelton and Wellington. They both have the same last name but rest assured they are not related. Lots of people have da Silva as their last name here in Brazil. Both baptisms went really well and a member made a cake!  Elder Zanni and I got some presents from the temple for them and they enjoyed those a lot. They were both confirmed members of the church on Sunday (yesterday). Both Wellington and Heryvelton are super excited to be members and have goals to receive the priesthood and get to the temple one day.

Week 34 - Temple Day

Hello Everyone!

Today I get to go to the temple so that is why P-day changed!

This week was another speedy one!  On Friday I went on exchange with Elder Stanbury who is from London. It was fun talking in English.  I asked him all these questions about England. I think he is the only missionary from England in our mission. With Elder Standbury we were able to visit Wellington's brother Homar and set a date for baptism. Later we got some pizza and had a great time.

Week 33 - Wake me up when Setembro ends‏

Hello gente,

T'was another otimo week.

Last P-day we went to a place called "Alto da Sé" which is in the Olinda area in our zone. It is this super sick place that overlooks the beach, and Recife.  Elder Zanni and I made some chicken and bought fix-ins for sandwiches.  We put it all in my backpack and then took a bus there.  We walked (super steep streets) up to the top and enjoyed the view.  We met up with the Zone Leaders and checked out some super old Catholic churches and then looked at all the souvenir shops.

Week 32 - Adventures in "Kuz Kuz"‏

Pedometer Totals for the Week!

Steps:121,288

Miles: 63.12

This week went by super rapidamente. It feels like every week on the mission is super quick!!  I can’t believe it is already p-day again. I guess that’s what happens when you serve a mission. I finished reading my first book in Portuguese!

Week 31 - Batismo de Edril Nicolas Oliveira Silva‏

Hello pessoa,

This week we had a baptism! It was Edril who is a 9 year old.  His dad is the only person in the family who is not a member of the church.  His dad is super cool and goes to church every week.  A member who is also a recent convert named Sidnei baptized Edril.

Week 30 - Primeira semana em Abreu e Lima‏

Hello All,

Pedometer Totals for the Week!

Steps: 96,309

Miles: 49.21

Lots happened in my first week in Abreu e Lima!  I was able to meet tons of the members and most of our investigators.  My companion Elder Zanni is a super consecrated missionary and I have a lot to learn from him even though he has less time on the mission.  Elder Zanni is from Argentina and his accent is super thick.  I am pretty sure he is speaking Spanish half the time, so it is kind of hard to understand - but we were are functioning. haha.

Week 29 - Transferencias‏

Hello all!!

This week I was transferred!!!  On Sunday we got the call to tell us who would be transferred - and it was me. Part of me wanted to be transferred but part of me wanted to stay as well.  After almost 4 months, it is like leaving home all over again.

Week 28 - Churrasco e "A Parabola do Guarda Chuva"‏

 Oí gente

This week was pretty mellow but I learned some great things and we had a great p-day today. We had great lessons with some of our investigators.  This week we are really trying to focus on working with members more and getting the ward more involved with missionary work.

Week 27 - Batismo de Grace‏

Batismo de Grace

Hello all,

This week was awesome!! So Grace was baptized!!! Yesterday after sacrament meeting, the Relief Society had a special meeting for Grace.  We sang hymns and a member gave a spiritual thought. Afterwards, Grace was baptized and everything went well except I had a little trouble with the word "commissionado."  But it was special. Grace said it was a super emotional experience.

Week 26 - O Milagre e Trabalhando Homens‏

Trabalhando Homens

Hello Everyone!

This week Elder Roque and I had a miracle.  On Tuesday we went to see our progressing investigator Grace. We were planning on confirming a date for her baptism for this past Sunday. When we got there, she told us that she decided not to be baptized and that she didn’t want to go to church anymore. I was super sad. We talked with her awhile and I asked her to pray one more time to know if the church is true. She promised she would and then we left.

Week 25 - Tapioca

Tapioca 

Hello all,

This week flew by once again, just like all the others.  Here are some highlights:

I tried tapioca for the first time.  It is not like American tapioca (tried that too). It is more like a Brazilian taco type thing. It is difficult to explain. But it can be salty and have meat and cheese inside, or it can be sweet and have coconut and sugar. I got a meat one with calabresa. It was wayyy good.

Week 24

 Me, Elder Roque & Sister Soares (Second person baptized in North East Brazil - 1960)

 Hello gente,

This was an awesome week!! Elder Roque and I have gotten to work and we are seeing Heavenly Father’s blessings every single day.

Week 23 - 6 MORE WEEKS BY THE BEACH!

I was not transferred this week, and I will stay (at least) six more weeks in the area Jardim Massangana with Elder Roque.  I was pretty relieved by this because I didn’t want to leave quite yet.

Week 22 - A Igreja esta ficando rica!!‏

Knocking on the Door - Not Much Promise.

This week was spectacular.  "A igreja esta ficando rica" was the line of the week because this lady in our ward says it soooo much.  It is hilarious. We learned a ton about planning to meet our goals. We have come to figure out that we definitely need to work more at the beginning of the week so that we don’t get behind by the end of the week.

Week 21 - 2 Meses no Brasil

Hello all,

This week flew by.  Today marks two months that I have lived in Brazil. I honestly cannot believe that. This week we had our Zone Conference on Wednesday which was super good. President and the leaders talked about using time wisely and planning more effectively.  It really got us all pumped to work harder and really share the gospel with everyone.

Week 20 - O reino da chuva tem cemçao‏

       

Hello,

Another great week in the mission field! This week we had a ton of rain. Which makes sense, since it is now June and technically winter.  Winter doesn’t mean that it gets colder - just more rain.

Week 19 - Juhno!

Crazy that it is already June! So this week was definitely great.

We have been trying really hard to get into the richer side of our area which is pretty hard.  However, we were walking by this one apartment complex when a lady was just sitting in her hammock on her porch behind the closed fence. We walked by and I thought nothing about it.  But then the Spirit was like GO BACK. So we talked with her and she invited us in.

Week 18 - First Baptism

Tudo Bem,

This week was packed!  I got my new companion Elder Roque and we went to work. Elder Roque is a super great teacher so I definitely got lucky. I have definitely used more Portuguese this week than any other week on the mission!

Week 17 - Aniversario‏

Hello Gente,

This week was super fun!  On Wednesday I got to go to the temple in Recife.  It is so pretty and has all these palm trees and a fountain and grass. That was definitely a highlight of my week. We traveled down there and then got Burger King afterwards. 

Week 16 - Pernambuco

Hello!

So I dont have a ton of time to write because we are traveling to the temple today.  It will be awesome.  I haven’t been to a temple since the MTC.  We will travel to downtown Recife and probably go to McDonald’s afterwards.

Week 15 - May the Fourth Be With You‏

So my topic line actually has significance because there is a guy in one of our District wards on a mission whose name is: “Elder Lucas Skywalker Bezzerra dos carvalhos.” Haha - like who names their kid Lucas Skywalker?!?  That is serious dedication to a movie - Only in Brazil, but maybe not.

Week 14 - Rain Keeps Falling on My Head…

Oí,

Another quick week in the mission! This week it rained a few days for like 30 min max.  However, the drainage isn’t super great so the streets flood quickly!  Plus it comes down hard.  So we were soaked. Still, it was a nice cool off from the heat.

Week 13 - VIVE BRASIL

Hello Everyone!!

I made it to Brazil!! CRAZY!  I am so happy.  Like, I literally love this place so much.

Week 12 - I Leave For Brazil

I am leaving to go to Brazil today!  I go to the airport at 3 today and end up in Brazil sometime tomorrow! I am really excited and have been looking forward to this day.

Week 11 - Post - Food Depression! - Liverpool, NY

Hi all,

 

This week again went by super quick! So on Tuesday (I think) we went to go see brother Monty in the veterans hospital! He has some breathing issues but he was able to make it out of the hospital after surgery and before Easter! So that was a cool experience.

Week 10 - Day of Miracles - Liverpool, NY

Hello All!

So, this week seriously flew by…like it feels like yesterday was p-day and I just emailed you all!  By the way, thank you for your emails!!

Week 9 - Liverpool, NY 1/88,000

Hey hey hey,

So this week wasn't too eventful but it was a good one! On Tuesday we had the opportunity of serving at a food pantry at a different church in town.

Week 8 - Liverpool, NY

Hello!

So this was a speedy and awesome week!!  We gained 6 new investigators!!  Investigators are people we teach who are not members, but are investigating the church. 

Week 7 - Liverpool, NY

Hello friends and family!  

                                                  

I've had quite the full week! Last Tuesday we arrived in Syracuse around 6:30ish and got picked up by the Mission President and we went to a place called Gino and Joe’s Pizza, which was so delicious. Then we stayed the night at the mission home.

Week 6 - MTC

Talofa Everyone!!

Talofa means hello in Samoan, except I'm not sure if it's actually spelled that way. This week I've been trying to learn how to say hello in different languages. 

Week 5 - MTC

NEW YORK UTICA MISSION!!!!!!!!!! Oh my gosh I was right!! hahahahahaha I am flipping going to New York!! I don't know where Utica is but whatever lol. I leave on March 3rd and my flight leaves at 7:30 am.

Week 4 MTC

Hello All!

Another speedy week for me. It's weird because the weeks go by so fast but the days feel long. Like every night we're like wow did we really do that this morning? It feels so long ago. haha. Anyways nothing to exciting this

Week 3 - MTC

Hello Everyone!!

This past week has flown by so quickly! I can't believe it's already p-day. Not much exciting has happened this week so this won't be too long of a letter.  We are now the oldest district in our zone which is so weird because it feels like we just got here.  Can I just say, I am so grateful for my district.

Week 2 - MTC

Hello Everyone!

 

Starting week 3 (really week 2 but the MTC is weird) at the MTC!  Pday is seriously like MTC Christmas. Portuguese is coming more and more everyday. I have the missionary purpose almost completely memorized and now I am working on the first vision in Portuguese. The 4 missionaries in our district who got their visas left this morning for the Brazil MTC, including my companion.  So I now have a new companion, Elder Hammond.

Week 1 - MTC

Ola! Tudo Bem!

I am finally at the MTC! In Provo, Utah...not where I originally planned going, but I am still having a great time waiting for my visa. My first companion is Elder Thompson and he's from Ohio. There are four people in our District (group of 14) who have now got there visas and travel itinerary, including my companion. They leave next Tuesday so I will get a new companion then.