Hey there; Miss me?
Sorry that I didn't write last week.
Elder Chaves and I are getting along great. We study, plan, work, and teach in more unison than I have since Elder Souza (Elder Chaves was his companion too, so we swap stories).
We are helping an inactive woman to return to church.
We're also teaching a father and son who are in a part-member family. The only firm member of the family is serving a mission and they are preparing for baptism!
Life is good here and I love you all!
Elder Page
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Monday, January 23, 2012
23 January 2012
I got transferred.....the same house! Yeah this week has been funny.
So the GOOD stuff this week was that we baptized two children that completed families that are struggling to be active. And they and José's sons got confirmed! I spent all week trying to make sure that all of that happened. It was a little stressful, but definitely worth it. The ward is really coming together and things are starting to cook.
Then I got told that I would be transferred so I packed and, through a heavy rain, we went to the transfer meeting. When we got there I found out that I was transferred to Cajueiro Seco and Prazeres (two wards again). Before Dad asks to send the address, I'll tell you that it's the SAME HOUSE. I moved literally about 4 or 5 yards! So then I had to GO BACK in the same heavy rain to the SAME HOUSE! To make things worse, they rented a house for Cajueiro Seco and, as soon as they get furniture, we'll be moving again! I've just been laughing about it, but when President Lanius heard about what had happened, he felt really bad. I tried to tell him that it wasn't a big deal, but he didn't seem to believe me. I hope he just forgets about it. It's just another story to tell my family about!
So my new comp is Elder Chaves from Minas Gerais, Brazil. He's pretty cool and I already know him and some members, so it's all good.
Tracting in the normal sense (knocking on doors) is really difficult here in Brazil. We are encouraged to contact men and families that we see in the front of or near their houses. So we do quite a bit of contacting. The houses are made of a hollow, red type of brick and usually have ceramic floors (everywhere, not just the kitchen and bathroom). They are usually small. I teach more in houses because apartments are for richer people and there are few rich people in my area. Also the security in apartment blocks rarely let missionaries in if not accompanied by members and require that we not try to proselyte. Mostly the houses here look normal now. I actually dreamed that dad remodeled the house and it ended up looking like a big Brazilian house.
Well, I love you all
Elder Page
So the GOOD stuff this week was that we baptized two children that completed families that are struggling to be active. And they and José's sons got confirmed! I spent all week trying to make sure that all of that happened. It was a little stressful, but definitely worth it. The ward is really coming together and things are starting to cook.
Then I got told that I would be transferred so I packed and, through a heavy rain, we went to the transfer meeting. When we got there I found out that I was transferred to Cajueiro Seco and Prazeres (two wards again). Before Dad asks to send the address, I'll tell you that it's the SAME HOUSE. I moved literally about 4 or 5 yards! So then I had to GO BACK in the same heavy rain to the SAME HOUSE! To make things worse, they rented a house for Cajueiro Seco and, as soon as they get furniture, we'll be moving again! I've just been laughing about it, but when President Lanius heard about what had happened, he felt really bad. I tried to tell him that it wasn't a big deal, but he didn't seem to believe me. I hope he just forgets about it. It's just another story to tell my family about!
So my new comp is Elder Chaves from Minas Gerais, Brazil. He's pretty cool and I already know him and some members, so it's all good.
Tracting in the normal sense (knocking on doors) is really difficult here in Brazil. We are encouraged to contact men and families that we see in the front of or near their houses. So we do quite a bit of contacting. The houses are made of a hollow, red type of brick and usually have ceramic floors (everywhere, not just the kitchen and bathroom). They are usually small. I teach more in houses because apartments are for richer people and there are few rich people in my area. Also the security in apartment blocks rarely let missionaries in if not accompanied by members and require that we not try to proselyte. Mostly the houses here look normal now. I actually dreamed that dad remodeled the house and it ended up looking like a big Brazilian house.
Well, I love you all
Elder Page
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
16 January 2012
Hi!
So things are looking up here in Jaboatão dos Guararapes!
We have two more baptisms marked and they are children who complete families! The parents are coming back to church and the children are excited to be baptized. My companion and I are working well.
In Jardim Guararapes things are cooking. I don't know if you remember, but I told you that the ward is in danger of being closed. The stake is helping and asked us to focus on Jardim Guararapes. When I got here there were 19 people in church and it fell to 12-13 in the next few weeks. Yesterday there were 65 people! Some were visiting from another ward, but most of them were inactive members who came! It was amazing! I'm not saying that I made the difference, but knowing that I did my part, seeing such progress is gratifying.
One last thing: I learned a new Brazilian superstition these last few weeks.
If you sleep with a fan close to your head, you will get a cold or flu. This myth came from the fact that people do not often clean their fan blades (the covers are often really hard to take off) and so the dust builds up and blows into your nose. Anybody who sleeps like that, then wakes up feeling like dad in hay fever season. I've never had problems. Just every once in a while I notice that some plant is blooming and I take an allergy pill for a few days. I also clean my fan when there is visible dust on it.
I love you all!
Elder Page
So things are looking up here in Jaboatão dos Guararapes!
We have two more baptisms marked and they are children who complete families! The parents are coming back to church and the children are excited to be baptized. My companion and I are working well.
In Jardim Guararapes things are cooking. I don't know if you remember, but I told you that the ward is in danger of being closed. The stake is helping and asked us to focus on Jardim Guararapes. When I got here there were 19 people in church and it fell to 12-13 in the next few weeks. Yesterday there were 65 people! Some were visiting from another ward, but most of them were inactive members who came! It was amazing! I'm not saying that I made the difference, but knowing that I did my part, seeing such progress is gratifying.
One last thing: I learned a new Brazilian superstition these last few weeks.
If you sleep with a fan close to your head, you will get a cold or flu. This myth came from the fact that people do not often clean their fan blades (the covers are often really hard to take off) and so the dust builds up and blows into your nose. Anybody who sleeps like that, then wakes up feeling like dad in hay fever season. I've never had problems. Just every once in a while I notice that some plant is blooming and I take an allergy pill for a few days. I also clean my fan when there is visible dust on it.
I love you all!
Elder Page
Monday, January 9, 2012
9 January 2012
And my new companion is...
...Elder Xavier...again!Yeah it's weird, but he seems like he's doing well. And the amazing news is that this week things went super-well. WE BAPTIZED!!!! Jefferson and Janderson (see photo) were really excited. Sadly they showed up late so they weren't confirmed yet, but they're doing well!
We also got a ton of referalls from the members from Jardim Guararapes and things are really starting to get figured out here.
I'm doing good, but I'm starting to feel tired and stretched. I think that when I get to the end I'll feel like a old dog on a hot summer day: lazy!
Well, I love you all and I can't wait until May (YEAH, SKYPE!).
Elder Page
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| Baptism - Jefferson and Janderson |
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| This fruit is called the Jamba fruit. |
2 January 2012
Elder Page in 2012
Well, the world may not end this year as people are predicting, but unfortunately the mission is. Time seems to fly here.
We have two baptisms marked for this week (the two sons of José Jorge) and Samuel is progressing. It's going slow but we are picking up momentum. There members that like us and are helping us (we could use more referrals...). We have figured out that the solution is work hard and obey. We may be able to get something done this way!
My companion and I are getting to that moment of "please transfer one of us". You know where living with another person for 24 hours a day gets a little thin... We've managed to keep things together, but I really hope that he gets transferred. He's getting too stressed out in this stake (almost his entire mission has been in these wards).
Well, I love you all. In 5 months!
Elder Page
Well, the world may not end this year as people are predicting, but unfortunately the mission is. Time seems to fly here.
We have two baptisms marked for this week (the two sons of José Jorge) and Samuel is progressing. It's going slow but we are picking up momentum. There members that like us and are helping us (we could use more referrals...). We have figured out that the solution is work hard and obey. We may be able to get something done this way!
My companion and I are getting to that moment of "please transfer one of us". You know where living with another person for 24 hours a day gets a little thin... We've managed to keep things together, but I really hope that he gets transferred. He's getting too stressed out in this stake (almost his entire mission has been in these wards).
Well, I love you all. In 5 months!
Elder Page
26 December 2011
Feliz Natal!
So, I don't have a lot to say (I mean I JUST talked to you on skype!), but I want to tell you how much I love you and the gospel. I wouldn't be able to do this work if it weren't for your prayers and the love that I feel. I know that I'm horrible at sending letters and photos, but it's all part of my evil plot to make you want to send more to me (even if the letters just tell me to send letters!).I know that God is litteraly our Heavenly Father and that he sent his Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, here to suffer and die for us. One of the amazing things that I fianlly understood this year is how amazing Christ is. The veil fell over his eyes too! He was born just as you, me, or any other child that has ever come here, and with less comfort than many. I don't know what he was like growing up, but we know that he never sinned. That's what is so amazing: He never made any mistakes, and it's not because he was the Only Begotten in the flesh, but pecause of who he was! I firmly believe that even if he had been the son of Joseph that he would have still lived a perfect life! He is that much mopre amazing and marvelous because of that. I know that He never forgot any of the children of God, for whom He shed so many tears and drops of blood. He is still very much involved in our lives and He has now restored His church to bless all those who bring their burdens unto Him. I know that he called Joseph Smith, and now Thomas S. Monson, to be His prophet and revelator in the last days. He has given us more scripture and only refrains from giving even more because we aren't using what we do have to it's full potencial. He loves us and has given us everything we need to return to God's prescence, and more.
I love you all a lot.
Elder Page
21 December 2011
So, I don't want to weigh anyone down about anything here, so I'm just not going to talk about this week. Next week will be better, okay?
Anyway, I am super excited. I go to the temple today! I call in FOUR DAYS!!!! And we have a progressing investigator!!!!!!!
So life here, despite the first sentence, is good. I love it here (even with the problems we face). I don't want to say too much because I'll talk to you on Sunday, but I love you all!
Weird news: I am now "velhinho". That means that in less than 6 months, I will be done. It's not exactly a good feeling...I just keep saying it to myself because if I don't, I'll break down at the end of my mission. I found out that time here passes too fast to believe. The mission's got this feel like it's tightening; I'm running out of time to do things. One elder who almost has as much time as I do said, "It'll be weird because for the first time in our lives the focus will not be the mission." And he's right. I've spent my life preparing for and serving the mission and when I get home the focus is work, school, and family-building. I'm not all sad for the end. I've learned that change is actually good, because progress only comes with change. But it's still not easy to accept big changes.
I am so excited for Sunday,
Elder Page
Anyway, I am super excited. I go to the temple today! I call in FOUR DAYS!!!! And we have a progressing investigator!!!!!!!
So life here, despite the first sentence, is good. I love it here (even with the problems we face). I don't want to say too much because I'll talk to you on Sunday, but I love you all!
Weird news: I am now "velhinho". That means that in less than 6 months, I will be done. It's not exactly a good feeling...I just keep saying it to myself because if I don't, I'll break down at the end of my mission. I found out that time here passes too fast to believe. The mission's got this feel like it's tightening; I'm running out of time to do things. One elder who almost has as much time as I do said, "It'll be weird because for the first time in our lives the focus will not be the mission." And he's right. I've spent my life preparing for and serving the mission and when I get home the focus is work, school, and family-building. I'm not all sad for the end. I've learned that change is actually good, because progress only comes with change. But it's still not easy to accept big changes.
I am so excited for Sunday,
Elder Page