7/28/14
We had a great week. I think this transfer I have worked the hardest, and as such I've been happy these past few weeks. As a goal this week Elder Zarkou and I want to invite one thousand people to church.
We are teaching a lot of people, unfortunately the vast majority of our teaching pool is unmarried, which complicates things a little.
I did a division this week in a beach front area, but as usual I forgot my camera.
It really is amazing how God loves each one of us individually. In another division we did this week we returned to our own area. As I am still relatively new to the area (and just flat out can't navigate), I was a little nervous I would get myself and the other Elder lost. God, however, put about half the ward in my path that day to give me directions to everywhere I needed to go. To me it was a simple, but significant faith building experience.
I'd like to end with a few of my thoughts. As this week I will be half way done with my mission shortly a lot has been on my mind.
Above all I am amazed about how short the time really is. It doesn't feel like that long ago that I was still at home. On the other hand it amazes me how much I've changed in such a short period of time. I can't express how grateful I am for the mission.
We had a great week. I think this transfer I have worked the hardest, and as such I've been happy these past few weeks. As a goal this week Elder Zarkou and I want to invite one thousand people to church.
We are teaching a lot of people, unfortunately the vast majority of our teaching pool is unmarried, which complicates things a little.
I did a division this week in a beach front area, but as usual I forgot my camera.
It really is amazing how God loves each one of us individually. In another division we did this week we returned to our own area. As I am still relatively new to the area (and just flat out can't navigate), I was a little nervous I would get myself and the other Elder lost. God, however, put about half the ward in my path that day to give me directions to everywhere I needed to go. To me it was a simple, but significant faith building experience.
I'd like to end with a few of my thoughts. As this week I will be half way done with my mission shortly a lot has been on my mind.
Above all I am amazed about how short the time really is. It doesn't feel like that long ago that I was still at home. On the other hand it amazes me how much I've changed in such a short period of time. I can't express how grateful I am for the mission.
7/21/14
We had an excellent day last Sunday. Three of our investigators made it to church. All three loved the service and intend to come back. All three are unmarried, and as such we will need to work with them to make future marriage plans.
Aside from that the week was unremarkable. We did a lot of street contacts, we taught a lot of people, however unfortunately not many are progressing.
We found a guy named Junior on the street last night and taught him a little bit, then invited him to be baptized. He accepted, and with luck he should be baptized soon.
Aside from that I am happy and healthy. I hope all is well at home.
We had an excellent day last Sunday. Three of our investigators made it to church. All three loved the service and intend to come back. All three are unmarried, and as such we will need to work with them to make future marriage plans.
Aside from that the week was unremarkable. We did a lot of street contacts, we taught a lot of people, however unfortunately not many are progressing.
We found a guy named Junior on the street last night and taught him a little bit, then invited him to be baptized. He accepted, and with luck he should be baptized soon.
Aside from that I am happy and healthy. I hope all is well at home.
7/7/14
Life is good here in João Pessoa. Today especially was awesome. We like to joke here that if you want to know what P day is like in João Pessoa look up on youtube the opening song in Tangled, "when will my life begin" I thnk it is called. Maybe we are terrible for thinking this way, but it's funny all the same. Today however was an exception. Elder Zarkou has a ingrowned tow nail, so we got to to the center and after explore the city. We went to a local Art shop.
The week was taxing, but over all, it went well. Demus didn't come to church unfortunately. We had about ten people that we found who on Saturday said that they would definitely go. Sunday came and all of them fell through. We did however have Geronimo at church, an investigator of the previous Elders who is marked this week to be baptized.
The ward mission leader here served in Belo Horizonte and was in the same district as Daniel. It's amazing how many people I have found that know him.
That was our week, Pretty uneventful.
Anyway as for a thought to close off I was thinking about what you said about how Missionary Work is truly Love work. The best way to start being a missionary is just to love everybody
Life is good here in João Pessoa. Today especially was awesome. We like to joke here that if you want to know what P day is like in João Pessoa look up on youtube the opening song in Tangled, "when will my life begin" I thnk it is called. Maybe we are terrible for thinking this way, but it's funny all the same. Today however was an exception. Elder Zarkou has a ingrowned tow nail, so we got to to the center and after explore the city. We went to a local Art shop.
The week was taxing, but over all, it went well. Demus didn't come to church unfortunately. We had about ten people that we found who on Saturday said that they would definitely go. Sunday came and all of them fell through. We did however have Geronimo at church, an investigator of the previous Elders who is marked this week to be baptized.
The ward mission leader here served in Belo Horizonte and was in the same district as Daniel. It's amazing how many people I have found that know him.
That was our week, Pretty uneventful.
Anyway as for a thought to close off I was thinking about what you said about how Missionary Work is truly Love work. The best way to start being a missionary is just to love everybody
6/9/14
Hello everyone!
This week has been extraordinary. On Sunday we baptized our happy-go-lucky construction worker friend Leandro. It's been a little while since we've had a baptism. It was so nice to remember how great it feels to see someone enter of the waters of baptism. People seem so happy and you can truly feel the change within them. He is doing very well.
His baptism was a bit of a struggle to prepare for. The day of his baptism the water in the chapel shut off. We called up some missionaries serving in adjacent areas and we started to fill the font by bucket. After about an hour of us scrambling from the spigot to the baptismal font we had collected just enough water to baptize a guinea pig. While we were thinking about what else we could do to baptize him the water in the chapel miraculously turned back on and we were able to fill the font. He had a wonderful baptismal service.
Djalmir and Josenilda are doing very well. We had a great conversation the other day. We commented on how much he enjoyed the baptismal service and how everyday he feels more prepared for his own. He told us that before we met him his wife had asked him to frequent a church with her. He said eventually he would but later told us at the time he had absolutely no desire to. He told us that now he won't skip church again in his life. I left that lesson extremely happy.
World cup is coming up. We received permission to watch Brazil play. We had a Brazil themed zone meeting where we all bought cheap Brazillian jerseys and wore them throughout the meeting. There were a few jokers from Argentina who showed up sporting light blue and white (the colors of their team) instead of the green and gold.
We are preparing for Djalmir's and Josenilda's wedding. We turned in a declaration from the church saying bishop will marry them. The wedding will be the 23rd.
Overall I'm happy and healthy. Elder Wisner has two weeks left on his mission. It's been weird being his companion because it reminds me that my mission will in fact end at one point as well. I love Brazil and the mission with all of my heart but at times it feels like I´m going to die here. It's weird seeing first hand that is not the case. Today for P day we are making João Pessoa Monopoly.
Hello everyone!
This week has been extraordinary. On Sunday we baptized our happy-go-lucky construction worker friend Leandro. It's been a little while since we've had a baptism. It was so nice to remember how great it feels to see someone enter of the waters of baptism. People seem so happy and you can truly feel the change within them. He is doing very well.
His baptism was a bit of a struggle to prepare for. The day of his baptism the water in the chapel shut off. We called up some missionaries serving in adjacent areas and we started to fill the font by bucket. After about an hour of us scrambling from the spigot to the baptismal font we had collected just enough water to baptize a guinea pig. While we were thinking about what else we could do to baptize him the water in the chapel miraculously turned back on and we were able to fill the font. He had a wonderful baptismal service.
Djalmir and Josenilda are doing very well. We had a great conversation the other day. We commented on how much he enjoyed the baptismal service and how everyday he feels more prepared for his own. He told us that before we met him his wife had asked him to frequent a church with her. He said eventually he would but later told us at the time he had absolutely no desire to. He told us that now he won't skip church again in his life. I left that lesson extremely happy.
World cup is coming up. We received permission to watch Brazil play. We had a Brazil themed zone meeting where we all bought cheap Brazillian jerseys and wore them throughout the meeting. There were a few jokers from Argentina who showed up sporting light blue and white (the colors of their team) instead of the green and gold.
We are preparing for Djalmir's and Josenilda's wedding. We turned in a declaration from the church saying bishop will marry them. The wedding will be the 23rd.
Overall I'm happy and healthy. Elder Wisner has two weeks left on his mission. It's been weird being his companion because it reminds me that my mission will in fact end at one point as well. I love Brazil and the mission with all of my heart but at times it feels like I´m going to die here. It's weird seeing first hand that is not the case. Today for P day we are making João Pessoa Monopoly.
5/19/14
We found a really cool family to teach, DJalmier and Josenilda. He sells popsicles at the beach for a living. They, however, are not married legally, but that hasn't stopped us in the past. She went to church with us this Sunday and said she really liked it. We began to teach her siblings.
This past Monday we were invited by our cashier at the grocery store to attend a local Batista church. He gave us directions and said (in essence) that the church was impossible to miss. After about an hour of walking we found the church, in a very secluded, forested, part of the area. We were afraid for a little while they were
trying to kill us. Once we found the church everyone was really welcoming. The local pastor was 20 years old and looked like the lead singer for Simple Plan. The service consisted mostly of gospel rock songs. I enjoyed it but I didn't feel nearly as edified as I do after taking the sacrament.
We found a really cool family to teach, DJalmier and Josenilda. He sells popsicles at the beach for a living. They, however, are not married legally, but that hasn't stopped us in the past. She went to church with us this Sunday and said she really liked it. We began to teach her siblings.
This past Monday we were invited by our cashier at the grocery store to attend a local Batista church. He gave us directions and said (in essence) that the church was impossible to miss. After about an hour of walking we found the church, in a very secluded, forested, part of the area. We were afraid for a little while they were
trying to kill us. Once we found the church everyone was really welcoming. The local pastor was 20 years old and looked like the lead singer for Simple Plan. The service consisted mostly of gospel rock songs. I enjoyed it but I didn't feel nearly as edified as I do after taking the sacrament.
4/28/14
We had a lot of cool things happen this week. I'll start my letter by sharing some stories.
While my companion was doing an interview in Prosind I started talking with some of the members of the ward. One of them asked if we knew an "Elder McGuire" in the mission. We said no. He responded saying that one of his companions, Elder McGuire, had sent him an email saying that his cousin was serving in this mission. I asked him where he served, he responded Belo Horizonte. I found out that his companion was actually Daniel McGuire, and I was the cousin he was looking for. It was pretty mind blowing.
While we were doing street contacts we stopped at a tree that had four little monkeys resting. We stopped to take a picture. The people surrounding then gave us fruit to feed them. I got to feed a monkey! My companion took a picture which I'll send.
Last night we went to talk to one of our potential investigators, André. We found out that he is a member of the Candomblé, a society of Brazillian witch doctors. When we passed by his house they were in the middle of a session, and then left shortly thereafter.
I think the most special part of the week was Mariana's confirmation. We, after a few weeks of conferences, finally got the chance to give Mariana the Gift of the Holy Ghost. She is attending seminary and other church activities. It truly is the best feeling in the world to watch someone accept the gospel and become an active member of the church.
I'm happy and healthy, and I hope you all are too.
We had a lot of cool things happen this week. I'll start my letter by sharing some stories.
While my companion was doing an interview in Prosind I started talking with some of the members of the ward. One of them asked if we knew an "Elder McGuire" in the mission. We said no. He responded saying that one of his companions, Elder McGuire, had sent him an email saying that his cousin was serving in this mission. I asked him where he served, he responded Belo Horizonte. I found out that his companion was actually Daniel McGuire, and I was the cousin he was looking for. It was pretty mind blowing.
While we were doing street contacts we stopped at a tree that had four little monkeys resting. We stopped to take a picture. The people surrounding then gave us fruit to feed them. I got to feed a monkey! My companion took a picture which I'll send.
Last night we went to talk to one of our potential investigators, André. We found out that he is a member of the Candomblé, a society of Brazillian witch doctors. When we passed by his house they were in the middle of a session, and then left shortly thereafter.
I think the most special part of the week was Mariana's confirmation. We, after a few weeks of conferences, finally got the chance to give Mariana the Gift of the Holy Ghost. She is attending seminary and other church activities. It truly is the best feeling in the world to watch someone accept the gospel and become an active member of the church.
I'm happy and healthy, and I hope you all are too.
4/22/14
Yesterday was dia de tira dentes, a Brazillian holiday to celebrate a revolutionary who disguised as a dentist, decapitated the head of an oppressive ruler (or so I understand). Semana Santa (easter week) here was awesome. All the member made us fish for lunch, which was awesome. We had stake conference, the topic was missionary work. President and Sister Nogueira were there and said hello to us all. While we were sitting down a few days back a small monkey darted from his tree, ran to my companion and darted back, it was cool to see. We are having a very good time in Brazil, I'm happy and well.
Yesterday was dia de tira dentes, a Brazillian holiday to celebrate a revolutionary who disguised as a dentist, decapitated the head of an oppressive ruler (or so I understand). Semana Santa (easter week) here was awesome. All the member made us fish for lunch, which was awesome. We had stake conference, the topic was missionary work. President and Sister Nogueira were there and said hello to us all. While we were sitting down a few days back a small monkey darted from his tree, ran to my companion and darted back, it was cool to see. We are having a very good time in Brazil, I'm happy and well.
4/14/14
We had transfers this week. Elder Vieira my previous companion left to serve in Mamanguape, one of the more interior parts of the mission. The companion I have now is named Elder Wisner from Atlanta. He has two transfers left in the mission. He speaks Portuguese better than any American I have thus far met. He´s a very hard worker. I´m exited to spend the rest of the transfer with him.
A few days ago we had a zone fast to help have investigators at church.We got a call from a man named Hector, who spoke to us in English asking for directions to the local church. We spent the longest time trying to figure out where he is from, as he spoke English well, but with a distinct accent. It turns out that he is in fact Brazillian, but lived in Scotland for a time. We later learned that he also knows Spanish and Russian. He talked to him a little about baptism. He says he is very open to the idea and would like to learn a more before he commits. Another instance of God´s hand in our lives.
We are making plans to start an English class soon.
Overall I am very happy. Life is very good right now.
3/10/14
Hello everyone!
I hope you all are well. I had an eventful week.
As my companion is the district leader we are required to spend a good amount of time traveling. In João Pessoa many of the motorists travelling to and from one city to another will stop at bus stops and call out where they are travelling to in hope to pick up passengers and earn a little extra cash. It´s nice to find these people, by doing so you are assured a seat and get where you need to go faster for the same price as a ride on the bus. As we have a captive audience as well we often use these opportunities to teach lessons. One the motorists that usually frequents Mangabeira grew quite fond of the "Americano" (myself) that sometimes rides with him. He has a thick Paraibano accent and has no perception of what we know as an inside voice. He loves to talk to me and quite truthfully I can´t understand a word he says. My companion translates 20 decibel Paraibano Portuguese to a much more manageable spoken Paulista Portuguese. Apparently he is going to visit the Whitehouse soon and chat with Obama, and I will he quite enjoys riding with the missionaries . He gave us his phone number and told us to call if we are ever going to Mangabeira. Despite not being able to understand a word he says, I think he is one of my favorite people in the area.
In Brazil the biggest challenge for the missionaries is finding people who will commit. As such in our street contacts we generally only teach people who first accept an invitation to church. Saturday night while my companion was talking to a man on the street I decided to contact someone myself. I quickly found that he was stone drunk. He sayed he wanted to hear the word of God. I opened the Book of Mormon and looked for a passage; while I was flipping he shouted that he demanded to hear the word from the beginning, so i flipped to 1 Nephi chapter 1 and started to read. As I didn´t have time to read the while Book of Mormon to him I extended the invitation to go to church and left. Sunday came and we started making calls to confirm the commitment to come to church with the people we met in the past week. Everyone flaked out. A little descouraged we passed by the chapel later in the evening to find that same man, as drunk as we found him the night before, had made it to the other ward and was listening with the other Elders. They then (Hopefully in jest) commited him to baptism.
This morning we woke up 4 am to go see the sun rise; we got rained out. On our way home we decided to take some side trails and we found the most beautiful floura and fauna. Pictures hopefully to come.
I'm happy and doing well
Hello everyone!
I hope you all are well. I had an eventful week.
As my companion is the district leader we are required to spend a good amount of time traveling. In João Pessoa many of the motorists travelling to and from one city to another will stop at bus stops and call out where they are travelling to in hope to pick up passengers and earn a little extra cash. It´s nice to find these people, by doing so you are assured a seat and get where you need to go faster for the same price as a ride on the bus. As we have a captive audience as well we often use these opportunities to teach lessons. One the motorists that usually frequents Mangabeira grew quite fond of the "Americano" (myself) that sometimes rides with him. He has a thick Paraibano accent and has no perception of what we know as an inside voice. He loves to talk to me and quite truthfully I can´t understand a word he says. My companion translates 20 decibel Paraibano Portuguese to a much more manageable spoken Paulista Portuguese. Apparently he is going to visit the Whitehouse soon and chat with Obama, and I will he quite enjoys riding with the missionaries . He gave us his phone number and told us to call if we are ever going to Mangabeira. Despite not being able to understand a word he says, I think he is one of my favorite people in the area.
In Brazil the biggest challenge for the missionaries is finding people who will commit. As such in our street contacts we generally only teach people who first accept an invitation to church. Saturday night while my companion was talking to a man on the street I decided to contact someone myself. I quickly found that he was stone drunk. He sayed he wanted to hear the word of God. I opened the Book of Mormon and looked for a passage; while I was flipping he shouted that he demanded to hear the word from the beginning, so i flipped to 1 Nephi chapter 1 and started to read. As I didn´t have time to read the while Book of Mormon to him I extended the invitation to go to church and left. Sunday came and we started making calls to confirm the commitment to come to church with the people we met in the past week. Everyone flaked out. A little descouraged we passed by the chapel later in the evening to find that same man, as drunk as we found him the night before, had made it to the other ward and was listening with the other Elders. They then (Hopefully in jest) commited him to baptism.
This morning we woke up 4 am to go see the sun rise; we got rained out. On our way home we decided to take some side trails and we found the most beautiful floura and fauna. Pictures hopefully to come.
I'm happy and doing well
3/3/14
Hello everyone!
Things are going well in Brazil. My companion and I are working to try and open a group or a branch in an area called Colinas do Sol. The walk to Colinas is absolutely beautiful. We pass through the most forrested part of the area picking berries along the way and sometimes we see little monkeys in the trees. We are now in Carnival which in my area isn´t really that big. Most of the people that really want to party have left town, which if anything has made the area calmer. Aside from that, not much is happening.
My thought of the week, optimism is a sign that you are feeling the spirit
Hello everyone!
Things are going well in Brazil. My companion and I are working to try and open a group or a branch in an area called Colinas do Sol. The walk to Colinas is absolutely beautiful. We pass through the most forrested part of the area picking berries along the way and sometimes we see little monkeys in the trees. We are now in Carnival which in my area isn´t really that big. Most of the people that really want to party have left town, which if anything has made the area calmer. Aside from that, not much is happening.
My thought of the week, optimism is a sign that you are feeling the spirit
2/26/14
Hello everyone! Things are going well in João Pessoa. We had our transfers today, I'm in the same area with the same companion, but two more Elders moved in. This week was pretty typical, we talked to a lot of people, we had a lot of good lunches. We went on exchanges with the Zone leaders. I was in their area. As a joke my zone leader told every person that we stopped by that I was extremely thirst but too embarrassed to say anything. As the Brazillians are very hospitable they made sure I was well taken care of. Within a period of about a half hour I had drank seven glasses of water, a glass and a half of soda, and two glasses of drinkable yogurt. The last glass I drank midway through Elder Herrera started laughing, which made me laugh which in turn made the water I was drinking squirt out my nose. Aside from that I don´t have much else to say. I hope all is well at home.
My thought for the week came from one of my district leaders in Az
Confidence is born of pride, faith is born of humility.
Hello everyone! Things are going well in João Pessoa. We had our transfers today, I'm in the same area with the same companion, but two more Elders moved in. This week was pretty typical, we talked to a lot of people, we had a lot of good lunches. We went on exchanges with the Zone leaders. I was in their area. As a joke my zone leader told every person that we stopped by that I was extremely thirst but too embarrassed to say anything. As the Brazillians are very hospitable they made sure I was well taken care of. Within a period of about a half hour I had drank seven glasses of water, a glass and a half of soda, and two glasses of drinkable yogurt. The last glass I drank midway through Elder Herrera started laughing, which made me laugh which in turn made the water I was drinking squirt out my nose. Aside from that I don´t have much else to say. I hope all is well at home.
My thought for the week came from one of my district leaders in Az
Confidence is born of pride, faith is born of humility.
2/17/14
These two weeks were different. One of the Elders in our apartment went back to São Paulo. To accomadate the change my companion was paired with another Elder and my district leader is now my companion. My current companion is having knee problems so there may be another switch within the next two weeks, only time will tell.
We had a baptism this week, a woman named Ironilda. She was taught previously by other Elders at work, and I got to perform the baptism. It was interesting, I think I knew more about my first proxy baptism as a deacon than I did this woman; all the same it's always incredible to see someone come unto Christ.
Due to my companion's current knee condition there are days in which he can't work. Because of this I do a lot of exchanges with the zone leaders and other priests in the ward. I've benefited greatly from Heavenly Father's help as he has helped me become self sufficient. As you all know under normal circumstances most goats have a better sense of direction than I do. These past few weeks however I´ve been able to navigate the area relatively well. God has also helped me with the language. I am able to comprehend a good amount of what the people are saying.
The food here is incredible. Some of the members in the ward are teaching me how to cook. Last Saturday I made a Cocorão, or in English coconut squares. They were awesome.
To close I would like to share a message about effective prayer. Always remember that every prayer we say is a personal conversation between you and our Father. He wants to hear specifically how you are doing, what is going well in your life, and how He can help you. As prayer is a conversation always remember to talk to Him and not at Him, listen to him as well. Prayer has provided me with so much strength. It truly is one of God´s greatest gifts to man.
Now to truly close I think I´ll leave you all with some language mistakes I made (for grins).
"Irmã sou grato pela oportunidade que tenho para ficar contigo"
"Sister, I´m grateful for the chance to make out with you"
Fortunately I said this in a practice. In Portuguese there are three words for "to be" ser, estar, and ficar
Estar and Ficar are very close in meaning. Estar means to be with and ficar means to be located. ficar with someone apparently is slang for make out
These two weeks were different. One of the Elders in our apartment went back to São Paulo. To accomadate the change my companion was paired with another Elder and my district leader is now my companion. My current companion is having knee problems so there may be another switch within the next two weeks, only time will tell.
We had a baptism this week, a woman named Ironilda. She was taught previously by other Elders at work, and I got to perform the baptism. It was interesting, I think I knew more about my first proxy baptism as a deacon than I did this woman; all the same it's always incredible to see someone come unto Christ.
Due to my companion's current knee condition there are days in which he can't work. Because of this I do a lot of exchanges with the zone leaders and other priests in the ward. I've benefited greatly from Heavenly Father's help as he has helped me become self sufficient. As you all know under normal circumstances most goats have a better sense of direction than I do. These past few weeks however I´ve been able to navigate the area relatively well. God has also helped me with the language. I am able to comprehend a good amount of what the people are saying.
The food here is incredible. Some of the members in the ward are teaching me how to cook. Last Saturday I made a Cocorão, or in English coconut squares. They were awesome.
To close I would like to share a message about effective prayer. Always remember that every prayer we say is a personal conversation between you and our Father. He wants to hear specifically how you are doing, what is going well in your life, and how He can help you. As prayer is a conversation always remember to talk to Him and not at Him, listen to him as well. Prayer has provided me with so much strength. It truly is one of God´s greatest gifts to man.
Now to truly close I think I´ll leave you all with some language mistakes I made (for grins).
"Irmã sou grato pela oportunidade que tenho para ficar contigo"
"Sister, I´m grateful for the chance to make out with you"
Fortunately I said this in a practice. In Portuguese there are three words for "to be" ser, estar, and ficar
Estar and Ficar are very close in meaning. Estar means to be with and ficar means to be located. ficar with someone apparently is slang for make out
1/27/14
Hello Everybody!
Missionary work is going well here in João Pessoa. These past few weeks I have learned and grown a lot, one of the things I learned I would like to share with you all.
The first being that I am not, nor will ever be, nor does the Lord expect me to be Superman. I've made a lot of little mistakes, as everyone does, while becoming familiar with the culture of Brazil. I didn't know the language as well as I thought I did. There are certain things that I never expected would be difficult, such as remembering peoples names. It was quite frankly a little frustrating to begin with. I had unrealistic expectations of myself which didn't help me improve nor did they make the work any easier. It took about a week to help me learn to slow down, work on one imperfection at a time, and enjoy the time I have. It´s a lot easier to feel content with yourself and with the work that you do when you don't expect perfection in everything.
There are certain aspects of Brazilian culture that I absolutely love. The Brazillians don't have a lot of stuff. They have what they need and are content with it. Food is a high priority here. Lunch as the big meal to me makes a lot more sense. I'm not hungry throughout the day and I feel it gives me more energy. I quite like Brazilian food. I have yet to get tired of beans, rice, and juice.
I live with three Paulistas and as such they teach me how to speak like the Paulistas do, much to the dismay of some of the members of the ward. There are several members who try to correct my "paulistian" and ensure that I speak proper João Pessoan Portuguese.
The language is going well. The Spanish I learned helps a lot.
I'm happy and doing well. Hope all is well
Hello Everybody!
Missionary work is going well here in João Pessoa. These past few weeks I have learned and grown a lot, one of the things I learned I would like to share with you all.
The first being that I am not, nor will ever be, nor does the Lord expect me to be Superman. I've made a lot of little mistakes, as everyone does, while becoming familiar with the culture of Brazil. I didn't know the language as well as I thought I did. There are certain things that I never expected would be difficult, such as remembering peoples names. It was quite frankly a little frustrating to begin with. I had unrealistic expectations of myself which didn't help me improve nor did they make the work any easier. It took about a week to help me learn to slow down, work on one imperfection at a time, and enjoy the time I have. It´s a lot easier to feel content with yourself and with the work that you do when you don't expect perfection in everything.
There are certain aspects of Brazilian culture that I absolutely love. The Brazillians don't have a lot of stuff. They have what they need and are content with it. Food is a high priority here. Lunch as the big meal to me makes a lot more sense. I'm not hungry throughout the day and I feel it gives me more energy. I quite like Brazilian food. I have yet to get tired of beans, rice, and juice.
I live with three Paulistas and as such they teach me how to speak like the Paulistas do, much to the dismay of some of the members of the ward. There are several members who try to correct my "paulistian" and ensure that I speak proper João Pessoan Portuguese.
The language is going well. The Spanish I learned helps a lot.
I'm happy and doing well. Hope all is well
1/15/14
I made it! Things are going well in João Pessoa. It isn't as hot as I thought it would be, although I am still sweating over the keyboard as I type this. I was able to sleep through most of the three flights I had, which made travel very easy. I met my new presidente. He is more straitlaced than President Sweeny. He seems like he will be great. I met my second trainer, Elder Valentim, from São Paulo. One of the first things I have noticed while here is that the Paulistas are much easier to understand than the João Pessoans. I spent the morning in the Police Station, jumping through a few beaurocratic hoops so that I can actually stay in this country. Recently I met with the other companionship that we live with, both Paulistas. I have a feeling Portuguese will come very quickly as I will be around it 24/7. The fruit here tastes like fruit should, which I quite like. The area I am in is a little run down, but overall not bad. We will have pictures monday. I'm happy and things are going well. Talk to you Monday!
I made it! Things are going well in João Pessoa. It isn't as hot as I thought it would be, although I am still sweating over the keyboard as I type this. I was able to sleep through most of the three flights I had, which made travel very easy. I met my new presidente. He is more straitlaced than President Sweeny. He seems like he will be great. I met my second trainer, Elder Valentim, from São Paulo. One of the first things I have noticed while here is that the Paulistas are much easier to understand than the João Pessoans. I spent the morning in the Police Station, jumping through a few beaurocratic hoops so that I can actually stay in this country. Recently I met with the other companionship that we live with, both Paulistas. I have a feeling Portuguese will come very quickly as I will be around it 24/7. The fruit here tastes like fruit should, which I quite like. The area I am in is a little run down, but overall not bad. We will have pictures monday. I'm happy and things are going well. Talk to you Monday!
1/8/14
Hey everyone! Things are going well in Arizona. I got tranfered from Phoenix to Mesa today. It was weird saying good-bye to all the people that I have gotten so close to. I'm so happy to have had the chance to serve here.
We spent the last day in our area saying good-bye to our investigators and recent converts. Sage is doing very well. At the time we left had taken an interest in missionary work. When occasion permitted we would take him out to teach with us. By the time we left he knew most of our investigators and a good number of our less actives. He feels a genuine love for these people, which is touching to see. Our other recent converts, Jamie and Destiny Ortega were having a tough time on the day we visited them. My companion decided to recount to them their conversion story. They were touched by it, the spirit felt was so strong. She offered to say the closing prayer and in the prayer she asked God to help her stay active in the church. I was touched.
I am now enjoying what I like to call the Maricopa Zone-One Week-Wonder-Week
I have three companions right now. Elder Ronnenberg was a former Assistant to the mission President from Denmark. Elder Kowano, from Japan, is finishing his mission this tranfer. My third companion, Elder DeBruin is from Utah. All of them are excellent missionaries. It's weird being in a different area.
Life is good
Hey everyone! Things are going well in Arizona. I got tranfered from Phoenix to Mesa today. It was weird saying good-bye to all the people that I have gotten so close to. I'm so happy to have had the chance to serve here.
We spent the last day in our area saying good-bye to our investigators and recent converts. Sage is doing very well. At the time we left had taken an interest in missionary work. When occasion permitted we would take him out to teach with us. By the time we left he knew most of our investigators and a good number of our less actives. He feels a genuine love for these people, which is touching to see. Our other recent converts, Jamie and Destiny Ortega were having a tough time on the day we visited them. My companion decided to recount to them their conversion story. They were touched by it, the spirit felt was so strong. She offered to say the closing prayer and in the prayer she asked God to help her stay active in the church. I was touched.
I am now enjoying what I like to call the Maricopa Zone-One Week-Wonder-Week
I have three companions right now. Elder Ronnenberg was a former Assistant to the mission President from Denmark. Elder Kowano, from Japan, is finishing his mission this tranfer. My third companion, Elder DeBruin is from Utah. All of them are excellent missionaries. It's weird being in a different area.
Life is good
12/23/13
Life is good in the Country Club ward. We have found a lot of new investigators recently. One of them, Roger, is a man in his late 20's who recently lost a son. He is looking for God more in his life. He keeps commitments and is a pleasure to teach. We teach another man, Earoll. He has Word of Wisdom challenges, but has a desire to overcome them. Another woman by the name of K. is related to a recent convert, and has a lot of questions. We practice resolving concerns with the Book of Mormon. A challenge we face is that most of our investigators work on Sundays. Less Active work is going well. We teach a man named Dave who after 30 years is coming back to church. We talked about patriarchal blessings. I'm happy and things are going well with my companion
Life is good in the Country Club ward. We have found a lot of new investigators recently. One of them, Roger, is a man in his late 20's who recently lost a son. He is looking for God more in his life. He keeps commitments and is a pleasure to teach. We teach another man, Earoll. He has Word of Wisdom challenges, but has a desire to overcome them. Another woman by the name of K. is related to a recent convert, and has a lot of questions. We practice resolving concerns with the Book of Mormon. A challenge we face is that most of our investigators work on Sundays. Less Active work is going well. We teach a man named Dave who after 30 years is coming back to church. We talked about patriarchal blessings. I'm happy and things are going well with my companion
12/16/13
Things are going well in Arizona. I'm happy, and learning a lot. I'm excited to go to Brazil, but not as much as I had thought. My language studies have gotten a lot more effective. I arrive in Brazil three weeks before Carnival. Elder Holland is coming to the mission two days before we leave. The work is a little slower right now, but it is nice. It gives us a chance to assess ourselves and become better missionaries. In the ways of interesting stories, one of our investigators sang the hard rock rendition of Alma 7 11-13. We got to go to the temple on Friday, happy birthday to me! I always love the chance we have to go. The Mesa temple lights are great, they still don't beat DC.
Things are going well in Arizona. I'm happy, and learning a lot. I'm excited to go to Brazil, but not as much as I had thought. My language studies have gotten a lot more effective. I arrive in Brazil three weeks before Carnival. Elder Holland is coming to the mission two days before we leave. The work is a little slower right now, but it is nice. It gives us a chance to assess ourselves and become better missionaries. In the ways of interesting stories, one of our investigators sang the hard rock rendition of Alma 7 11-13. We got to go to the temple on Friday, happy birthday to me! I always love the chance we have to go. The Mesa temple lights are great, they still don't beat DC.
11/27/13
Happy Thanksgiving everybody.
We came home Monday to find that our apartment and another apartment near us had been robbed. The other guy was in the process of moving to his girlfriends house, and had anything expensive moved out, and by nature of us being broke Mormon missionaries we didn't have much of worldy value. They caught her and we got our stuff back.
We found a man named Tyrone this week. He came up to us and asked us if a black man could join our church. We said yes, and he got really exited. He came to church and everyone was very friendly to him. He loves learning about the gospel and is getting ready to be baptized at the end of the month.
We have been doing a lot of work with less active members this past week.
Happy Thanksgiving everybody.
We came home Monday to find that our apartment and another apartment near us had been robbed. The other guy was in the process of moving to his girlfriends house, and had anything expensive moved out, and by nature of us being broke Mormon missionaries we didn't have much of worldy value. They caught her and we got our stuff back.
We found a man named Tyrone this week. He came up to us and asked us if a black man could join our church. We said yes, and he got really exited. He came to church and everyone was very friendly to him. He loves learning about the gospel and is getting ready to be baptized at the end of the month.
We have been doing a lot of work with less active members this past week.
11/18/13
Hello everyone,
Another great week in the Grand Canyon state. I love street contacting Latinos because they will tell you anything and everything that is on their mind. We found this one guy named Arturo. He wasn't at all interested in the church, but he had funny stories. We went up to him and said hello, then he started talking about how one time he want back to Guatemala and went to a restaurant. He wasn't used to the food and ended up bathroom bound for three days. He eventually went to the farmacia and they gave him three pills, which cleared his system in a day. We later find out that they had given them antibiotics meant for horses. He talked more about how he used to get all dressed up when he was younger and impress all his lady friends with his dancing.
We got to go hiking today. We saw the sun rise over Phoenix, which was absolutely beautiful. I'll probably have pictures next week for it.
Lessons are going well.
The highlight of the week was the progression of our less actives. Sage did baptisms for the dead this week, and Jamie received a calling and is actively participating in it. It's so gratifying to see.
I would like to end my letter with thought about the children of Israel. In their time with Moses they saw many amazing miracles, they saw God's hand in their lives in many miraculous ways. The miracles they saw however were spaced over the course of a lifetime. It reminded me of how important it is to record the experiences we have. There will be times that it seems God doesn't take an interest in our lives. By keeping a record of these experiences we can always be reminded in these times of how much God really is in our lives and how much he cares.
Hello everyone,
Another great week in the Grand Canyon state. I love street contacting Latinos because they will tell you anything and everything that is on their mind. We found this one guy named Arturo. He wasn't at all interested in the church, but he had funny stories. We went up to him and said hello, then he started talking about how one time he want back to Guatemala and went to a restaurant. He wasn't used to the food and ended up bathroom bound for three days. He eventually went to the farmacia and they gave him three pills, which cleared his system in a day. We later find out that they had given them antibiotics meant for horses. He talked more about how he used to get all dressed up when he was younger and impress all his lady friends with his dancing.
We got to go hiking today. We saw the sun rise over Phoenix, which was absolutely beautiful. I'll probably have pictures next week for it.
Lessons are going well.
The highlight of the week was the progression of our less actives. Sage did baptisms for the dead this week, and Jamie received a calling and is actively participating in it. It's so gratifying to see.
I would like to end my letter with thought about the children of Israel. In their time with Moses they saw many amazing miracles, they saw God's hand in their lives in many miraculous ways. The miracles they saw however were spaced over the course of a lifetime. It reminded me of how important it is to record the experiences we have. There will be times that it seems God doesn't take an interest in our lives. By keeping a record of these experiences we can always be reminded in these times of how much God really is in our lives and how much he cares.
10/16/13
Things are going so well in Arizona. This Friday I had the opportunity to go to the mission office and sign papers for my visa, which if patterns are correct should mean I will get it this month. If nothing else it shows that my visa is getting looked at. I had my first baptism this Tuesday for Sage. He got to speak at church and he talked about how happy he felt afterward. I was so exited for him!
Things are going so well in Arizona. This Friday I had the opportunity to go to the mission office and sign papers for my visa, which if patterns are correct should mean I will get it this month. If nothing else it shows that my visa is getting looked at. I had my first baptism this Tuesday for Sage. He got to speak at church and he talked about how happy he felt afterward. I was so exited for him!
9/30/13
Today is my two month mark, and it has gone by so fast. I haven't experienced that depression people seem to talk about associated with the first few months in the field. This is the happiest I have ever been in my life. We were pretty busy this week. We had eleven non members attend sacrament meeting, we had to open up the foyers to fit everyone in. We put another investigator on date, we saw her write in her BoM; "October 29 (her date), the start of a new me." It was amazing. We brought one of our investigators to a baptismal service. We had to postpone the baptism we had planned, but Dave still is coming to church. You meet the most interesting people on the mission. One of our investigators has eleven names. The most interesting and most notable of his names is his last, Vanderbilt. We call him Jay Davids (a combo of names 3 and 4) Albert Einstein came to his eight year old birthday party, he speaks seven languages, and has personally received priesthood blessings from David O McKay. He often expresses his distaste for improper grammar, most minorities, and Fast and Testimony meeting. I think I have found the inspiration for Penny from the Big Bang Theory. One of our less actives, Amanda, looks and acts just like her. We have to teach her outside because her husband often isn't home. We have lessons while she takes her cat on a walk. The funny thing is, unlike the Lewertson's cat, this cat actually needs the release. I'm glad I'm in Arizona, I almost don't want to leave. On a less spiritual note, we had companion exchanges and we're in a trio with the district leader. My companion has an Idaho Farm Boy build and my district leader is a big Tongan. We all got to enjoy cheap Mexican food for lunch and dinner that day, which was great until we realized that our apartment only has one bathroom.
Today is my two month mark, and it has gone by so fast. I haven't experienced that depression people seem to talk about associated with the first few months in the field. This is the happiest I have ever been in my life. We were pretty busy this week. We had eleven non members attend sacrament meeting, we had to open up the foyers to fit everyone in. We put another investigator on date, we saw her write in her BoM; "October 29 (her date), the start of a new me." It was amazing. We brought one of our investigators to a baptismal service. We had to postpone the baptism we had planned, but Dave still is coming to church. You meet the most interesting people on the mission. One of our investigators has eleven names. The most interesting and most notable of his names is his last, Vanderbilt. We call him Jay Davids (a combo of names 3 and 4) Albert Einstein came to his eight year old birthday party, he speaks seven languages, and has personally received priesthood blessings from David O McKay. He often expresses his distaste for improper grammar, most minorities, and Fast and Testimony meeting. I think I have found the inspiration for Penny from the Big Bang Theory. One of our less actives, Amanda, looks and acts just like her. We have to teach her outside because her husband often isn't home. We have lessons while she takes her cat on a walk. The funny thing is, unlike the Lewertson's cat, this cat actually needs the release. I'm glad I'm in Arizona, I almost don't want to leave. On a less spiritual note, we had companion exchanges and we're in a trio with the district leader. My companion has an Idaho Farm Boy build and my district leader is a big Tongan. We all got to enjoy cheap Mexican food for lunch and dinner that day, which was great until we realized that our apartment only has one bathroom.
9/23/13
Hey everyone,
It's been a pretty crazy week, I'll share some of the stories I remember. This week was stake conference, we decided to watch a broadcast in a different building because one of our investigators doesn't like crowds. We asked for directions and started driving down. When we got there we, in place of a church, found a Kingdom Hall for Latinos. We later found that we were to go to 18th avenue in stead of 18th street. We were late, but on the bright side our investigator is still on track to become a Mormon and not a Testigador de Jehovah. He is getting baptized this Saturday. We got to help dig irrigation ditches for a member for service this morning, and while doing so we got to meet his neighbor. We will teach him tomorrow. I think I have found the person the character Penny from the Big Bang Theory is based off of. One of our less actives looks and acts almost identically to her. We put another investigator on date, and I am really looking forward to his baptism. We were able to experience some other pretty amazing things this week, which I can't wait to share, but don't feel it is appropriate to do so over email. I suffices me to say that I have seen first hand what amazing things the priesthood can do. When I come home remind me to share them. I'll leave you with some of the lessons I have learned thus far:
1. The Word of Wisdom was inspired by God.
We have an investigator who comes to church consistently, diligently pays a full tithe, and serves in every instance he can, but can't get baptized because he's so addicted to tobacco. It breaks my heart to see.
2. The better you plan your study time the less chance of you falling asleep while studying.
I'm pretty sure this one is self explanatory.
3. Any opportunity you have, thank your bishop.
The bishop of the Country Club ward is incredible. As a missionary you see a good portion of the challenges he has to face. Just by nature of the calling he has to work many hours and make a lot of decisions which make people angry. Any desire I may have had to become one has been eliminated.
4. The most hypocritical thing I could ever do is declare myself an atheist.
I'm glad I've spent the time I have in Phoenix. I have seen the hand of the Lord in a lot of the work we have done.
Hey everyone,
It's been a pretty crazy week, I'll share some of the stories I remember. This week was stake conference, we decided to watch a broadcast in a different building because one of our investigators doesn't like crowds. We asked for directions and started driving down. When we got there we, in place of a church, found a Kingdom Hall for Latinos. We later found that we were to go to 18th avenue in stead of 18th street. We were late, but on the bright side our investigator is still on track to become a Mormon and not a Testigador de Jehovah. He is getting baptized this Saturday. We got to help dig irrigation ditches for a member for service this morning, and while doing so we got to meet his neighbor. We will teach him tomorrow. I think I have found the person the character Penny from the Big Bang Theory is based off of. One of our less actives looks and acts almost identically to her. We put another investigator on date, and I am really looking forward to his baptism. We were able to experience some other pretty amazing things this week, which I can't wait to share, but don't feel it is appropriate to do so over email. I suffices me to say that I have seen first hand what amazing things the priesthood can do. When I come home remind me to share them. I'll leave you with some of the lessons I have learned thus far:
1. The Word of Wisdom was inspired by God.
We have an investigator who comes to church consistently, diligently pays a full tithe, and serves in every instance he can, but can't get baptized because he's so addicted to tobacco. It breaks my heart to see.
2. The better you plan your study time the less chance of you falling asleep while studying.
I'm pretty sure this one is self explanatory.
3. Any opportunity you have, thank your bishop.
The bishop of the Country Club ward is incredible. As a missionary you see a good portion of the challenges he has to face. Just by nature of the calling he has to work many hours and make a lot of decisions which make people angry. Any desire I may have had to become one has been eliminated.
4. The most hypocritical thing I could ever do is declare myself an atheist.
I'm glad I've spent the time I have in Phoenix. I have seen the hand of the Lord in a lot of the work we have done.
9/9/13
It's been a pretty crazy few days. I made it to Scottsdale to the mission home and I met my companion, named Elder Miller. He's twenty four years old from North Idaho and has an Idaho farm boy build I am actually serving in Phoenix right now, I owe myself an ice cream; I guessed right back when we were doing the map. The fist day out I spent meeting members. We had lunch with a Sister Hesterman, an older lady with a hobby for every day of the month. She was very nice to us and fed us well. The next day started with a zone meeting at the church. In our area the big focus is reactivation, 75% of the ward doesn't come to church. We talked about how to better teach these people so they stay active. I don't remember much of the meeting, I was fighting hard just to stay conscious, and ultimately lost. Church was fun, I met a lot of people. We later went to teach Kelsy Hake, one of our progressing investigators who is married to a member. I didn't realize she was a nonmember until half way into the lesson, either way it went well. We taught a homeless kid named Joseph we met on our way to a lesson. His ten year old buddy asked us if he had to be white to be a mormon, then told us proudly his was Mexican. If nothing else we got to clear up that misconception. We ended with the lesson at the Footracers, a Native American family. I mixed up their names with the name of some church official with the last name of Echohawk about three times during the lesson. Aside from that, the lesson went very well. I could feel the spirit very strong. I got to involve the kids which was fun. We played rugby this morning. I love you all. My thought of the day is as follows: Two people can do anything, as long as one is God.
It's been a pretty crazy few days. I made it to Scottsdale to the mission home and I met my companion, named Elder Miller. He's twenty four years old from North Idaho and has an Idaho farm boy build I am actually serving in Phoenix right now, I owe myself an ice cream; I guessed right back when we were doing the map. The fist day out I spent meeting members. We had lunch with a Sister Hesterman, an older lady with a hobby for every day of the month. She was very nice to us and fed us well. The next day started with a zone meeting at the church. In our area the big focus is reactivation, 75% of the ward doesn't come to church. We talked about how to better teach these people so they stay active. I don't remember much of the meeting, I was fighting hard just to stay conscious, and ultimately lost. Church was fun, I met a lot of people. We later went to teach Kelsy Hake, one of our progressing investigators who is married to a member. I didn't realize she was a nonmember until half way into the lesson, either way it went well. We taught a homeless kid named Joseph we met on our way to a lesson. His ten year old buddy asked us if he had to be white to be a mormon, then told us proudly his was Mexican. If nothing else we got to clear up that misconception. We ended with the lesson at the Footracers, a Native American family. I mixed up their names with the name of some church official with the last name of Echohawk about three times during the lesson. Aside from that, the lesson went very well. I could feel the spirit very strong. I got to involve the kids which was fun. We played rugby this morning. I love you all. My thought of the day is as follows: Two people can do anything, as long as one is God.
9/3/13
This week was a very busy one. I have several stories to share with you. The first being we got to here from another apostle. Neil L Anderson came to the MTC to address us. He was much more interactive than most other speakers. He brought one of his missionaries from back when he was a Mission President. He, the missionary, spoke on how in the first week of his mission he had crashed his bicycle and was robbed, and how we will face similar trials. Elder Anderson then talked more about some of the blessings of missionary work. I enjoyed the devotional immensely. That next day we had the opportunity to host new missionaries. In true Landro fashion I got him and myself lost trying to find his residence and we circumnavigated the entire MTC. The worst part was I was trying to lead him to my own apartment. The shortcut that I thought I knew didn't work. In my defense I do know how to get home, my ability to create last minute shortcuts, however, is admittedly a little lacking. My companions and I were chosen to demonstrate to the new missionaries how to best begin teaching. We were given clip microphones that then lead into a room full of brand new missionaries and an MTC staff member pretending to be an investigator. This was the first time since our first day here we had taught in English and our demonstration was a little short of a disaster. We asked a few questions in Portuguese and introduced the doctrine a little bit too quickly. We left and the minute we had got out of the door my companion turned to us and said "CAUTION, WE NEED TO GET TO KNOW HER BETTER" and of course, he had forgotten to turn off his microphone. His advice was broadcast-ed through the speakers to all the missionaries in the demonstration room. Fortunately our new missionaries were mostly foreign, we pray every night the translators took pity on us and didn't do their job. Our next lesson went exponentially better. Sister Heaps is in our zone. She got a very warm welcome from Elder Carlson, my second companion. I had introduced her earlier in the day. My companion saw her again then waved her down like an airport grounds crewman yelling ELDER LANDRO, ELDER LANDRO IT'S YOUR FRIEND FROM MARYLAND. I almost killed him. The other night my sub conscience decided it was time for another adventure. I, completely asleep, walked to the door, then turned on the light. I woke up this time making this the first one that I remember. Visas are being passed through the DC consulate so there is a chance I may be in Brazil shortly. I'd like to close with a slightly less jovial experience. For our final class with one of our teacher he took us on a walk in the main administration building, stopping us at various paintings, depicting different events in the saviors life. The day before I had made a few mistakes that quite frankly I felt awful about, but didn't have the humility to fix. For the longest time I felt like I was harboring what I could best describe as a spiritual parasite.I felt guilty about what I had done and my mind kept returning to it. In time I finally built up the courage to fix my little problem. I felt so clean afterward, like the parasite I has harboring was finally removed. Returning back to our walk we in time came to the picture of Christ in the garden, suffering for our sins. I was reminded of how awful I had felt just a few hours before, and how clean I had felt while looking at that picture. The atonement became real to me at that moment. The only reason I could feel so clean was because I knew, that sometime during the atonement process Christ suffered for that sin specifically. I'm sure Christ was very aware at that time of how I would feel when I would pass that sin to him. I think that waswhat drove him to suffer so long for so many people. I know that Christ lives, I know His atonement is real. It was humanity's greatest gift and I challenge all who read this letter not to waste it. There is no better feeling in the world than the feeling you get after you repent.
Até Mais
This week was a very busy one. I have several stories to share with you. The first being we got to here from another apostle. Neil L Anderson came to the MTC to address us. He was much more interactive than most other speakers. He brought one of his missionaries from back when he was a Mission President. He, the missionary, spoke on how in the first week of his mission he had crashed his bicycle and was robbed, and how we will face similar trials. Elder Anderson then talked more about some of the blessings of missionary work. I enjoyed the devotional immensely. That next day we had the opportunity to host new missionaries. In true Landro fashion I got him and myself lost trying to find his residence and we circumnavigated the entire MTC. The worst part was I was trying to lead him to my own apartment. The shortcut that I thought I knew didn't work. In my defense I do know how to get home, my ability to create last minute shortcuts, however, is admittedly a little lacking. My companions and I were chosen to demonstrate to the new missionaries how to best begin teaching. We were given clip microphones that then lead into a room full of brand new missionaries and an MTC staff member pretending to be an investigator. This was the first time since our first day here we had taught in English and our demonstration was a little short of a disaster. We asked a few questions in Portuguese and introduced the doctrine a little bit too quickly. We left and the minute we had got out of the door my companion turned to us and said "CAUTION, WE NEED TO GET TO KNOW HER BETTER" and of course, he had forgotten to turn off his microphone. His advice was broadcast-ed through the speakers to all the missionaries in the demonstration room. Fortunately our new missionaries were mostly foreign, we pray every night the translators took pity on us and didn't do their job. Our next lesson went exponentially better. Sister Heaps is in our zone. She got a very warm welcome from Elder Carlson, my second companion. I had introduced her earlier in the day. My companion saw her again then waved her down like an airport grounds crewman yelling ELDER LANDRO, ELDER LANDRO IT'S YOUR FRIEND FROM MARYLAND. I almost killed him. The other night my sub conscience decided it was time for another adventure. I, completely asleep, walked to the door, then turned on the light. I woke up this time making this the first one that I remember. Visas are being passed through the DC consulate so there is a chance I may be in Brazil shortly. I'd like to close with a slightly less jovial experience. For our final class with one of our teacher he took us on a walk in the main administration building, stopping us at various paintings, depicting different events in the saviors life. The day before I had made a few mistakes that quite frankly I felt awful about, but didn't have the humility to fix. For the longest time I felt like I was harboring what I could best describe as a spiritual parasite.I felt guilty about what I had done and my mind kept returning to it. In time I finally built up the courage to fix my little problem. I felt so clean afterward, like the parasite I has harboring was finally removed. Returning back to our walk we in time came to the picture of Christ in the garden, suffering for our sins. I was reminded of how awful I had felt just a few hours before, and how clean I had felt while looking at that picture. The atonement became real to me at that moment. The only reason I could feel so clean was because I knew, that sometime during the atonement process Christ suffered for that sin specifically. I'm sure Christ was very aware at that time of how I would feel when I would pass that sin to him. I think that waswhat drove him to suffer so long for so many people. I know that Christ lives, I know His atonement is real. It was humanity's greatest gift and I challenge all who read this letter not to waste it. There is no better feeling in the world than the feeling you get after you repent.
Até Mais
8/25/13
My sleeping patterns have become very unusual over the past few days. A few nights ago my companions woke me up laughing, apparently I had, in my sleep, gotten up from my bed, climbed down the ladder, which to me is the biggest accomplishment beings as I have a hard time climbing down awake, put on my shoes, went to the door, stood there, and walked back up the ladder and lied back in my bed. Last night apparently I was sleep preaching in broken Portuguese to the people of Kirkland Ohio. We have another Elder on our floor named from Singapore going to the Montreal Chinese speaking mission. He is about 5'4 and has been given, affectionately, the nickname The General. We do push ups and pull ups every night. He waits for us to be done, then proceeds to do double of what we just did. One time while I was doing push ups he grabbed a bag of cookies and silently ate them while he watched me struggle. I debate whether or not I want to know what he was thinking at the time. Life is going so well, I am growing so much.
8/15/13
Week two in the MTC. Because we had some Elders leave for the MTC I was assigned another companion, a BYU physics major from Oregon. It's been an adjustment keeping track of an extra person, we forget/leave without him him a lot. Every day is similar here so it's hard to remember the things worth writing about. Regardless this is what happened this week. Every MTC district is assigned a district leader. Ours is a very straight laced, focused guy form Texas. He recently suffered a concussion and has been stuck in his apartment all day for this past week. The effects of the concussion along with the added effects of cabin fever have had a pretty large impact on him. Our once strict leader just the other day sneaked into our room while we were in the shower, with a black shirt over his head to make himself look like a ninja, hid in our closet and jumped out. He's become quite fond of British accents, and reverts to speaking with one frequently. The Provo Temple recently re-opened after undergoing renovation and we had the opportunity to go this week. Going to the temple is always a great experience. My closing thought this week is about The Book of Mormon. While I've been out here it's been a comfort and a guide to me, it truly is an inspired book.
¡Até Logo!
Week two in the MTC. Because we had some Elders leave for the MTC I was assigned another companion, a BYU physics major from Oregon. It's been an adjustment keeping track of an extra person, we forget/leave without him him a lot. Every day is similar here so it's hard to remember the things worth writing about. Regardless this is what happened this week. Every MTC district is assigned a district leader. Ours is a very straight laced, focused guy form Texas. He recently suffered a concussion and has been stuck in his apartment all day for this past week. The effects of the concussion along with the added effects of cabin fever have had a pretty large impact on him. Our once strict leader just the other day sneaked into our room while we were in the shower, with a black shirt over his head to make himself look like a ninja, hid in our closet and jumped out. He's become quite fond of British accents, and reverts to speaking with one frequently. The Provo Temple recently re-opened after undergoing renovation and we had the opportunity to go this week. Going to the temple is always a great experience. My closing thought this week is about The Book of Mormon. While I've been out here it's been a comfort and a guide to me, it truly is an inspired book.
¡Até Logo!
8/6/13
Today marks my first whole week in the Missionary Training Center as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . I am having a wonderful time here. I am learning so much about Portuguese, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and myself as a person. The minute you walk in to the MTC you are assigned a companion, who you stay with everywhere you go (with the obvious exception of the bathroom stall.) Mine is a prospective army recruit from Indiana. He's tall, thin, and very easy going. We are a very effective pair, while I spent high school studying Spanish, he studied German, which gives me the opportunity to help him with language. He however is not at all directionally challenged like I am and without his help, I would probably be lost somewhere near Reno by now. You and your companion are then assigned to a district , which is like a small missionary community . Ours began with ten Elder and three Sister missionaries, but we are getting smaller by the day. Two missionaries have left for Sao Paulo with visas and two are now resting for medical purposes (one most notably is out for dislocating his elbow after diving for all ball trying to win the king spot in a game of four square, he ended up on top and is now commonly referred to within the district as the King of Four Square.) Visas for Brazilian Missionaries are a challenge to obtain. Every missionary assigned to serve in Brazil waits anxiously for the arrival of his/her visa, and whenever one is obtained mania ensues and nothing gets done for the next twenty minutes, It's really quite funny. The thing that amazed me the most about life in the MTC is how much autonomy you really have. You have three hours of classes a day, and the rest of the time is self directed. You are given very challenging assignments. Within our second day here we began teaching full gospel lessons in Portuguese. It truly is amazing how quick you pick it up. I'll end on more of a spiritual note with the biggest lesson I have thus learned while here. I have learned while I was here how much God expects of me, of all of us, I have also learned that if you put in the effort he will help you, slowly but surely become the person he expects to be and that person is incredible. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be one of His missionaries, his gospel has helped me in my life in countless ways.
¡Até Logo!
Today marks my first whole week in the Missionary Training Center as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . I am having a wonderful time here. I am learning so much about Portuguese, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and myself as a person. The minute you walk in to the MTC you are assigned a companion, who you stay with everywhere you go (with the obvious exception of the bathroom stall.) Mine is a prospective army recruit from Indiana. He's tall, thin, and very easy going. We are a very effective pair, while I spent high school studying Spanish, he studied German, which gives me the opportunity to help him with language. He however is not at all directionally challenged like I am and without his help, I would probably be lost somewhere near Reno by now. You and your companion are then assigned to a district , which is like a small missionary community . Ours began with ten Elder and three Sister missionaries, but we are getting smaller by the day. Two missionaries have left for Sao Paulo with visas and two are now resting for medical purposes (one most notably is out for dislocating his elbow after diving for all ball trying to win the king spot in a game of four square, he ended up on top and is now commonly referred to within the district as the King of Four Square.) Visas for Brazilian Missionaries are a challenge to obtain. Every missionary assigned to serve in Brazil waits anxiously for the arrival of his/her visa, and whenever one is obtained mania ensues and nothing gets done for the next twenty minutes, It's really quite funny. The thing that amazed me the most about life in the MTC is how much autonomy you really have. You have three hours of classes a day, and the rest of the time is self directed. You are given very challenging assignments. Within our second day here we began teaching full gospel lessons in Portuguese. It truly is amazing how quick you pick it up. I'll end on more of a spiritual note with the biggest lesson I have thus learned while here. I have learned while I was here how much God expects of me, of all of us, I have also learned that if you put in the effort he will help you, slowly but surely become the person he expects to be and that person is incredible. I'm so thankful for the opportunity to be one of His missionaries, his gospel has helped me in my life in countless ways.
¡Até Logo!
7/28/13
Today I have been officially set apart as a missionary for my church. For the next two years my life will be 100% dedicated to the service of the Brazilian people
Today I have been officially set apart as a missionary for my church. For the next two years my life will be 100% dedicated to the service of the Brazilian people