12 Dec 2011 - Palmeiras Area (Dad)

I bet Grandpa is excited that Jimmer is playing on Sacramento, maybe he will get to one of the games :) That reminds me, my companion is from Fairfield, CA. He claims that it is nearish Concord. Random fact...

Well I'm trying to think of a cool story or something like that since I haven't told on in awhile. We are currently playing an intense mix of soccer and ultimate frisbee on P-Days. We play on the outdoor soccer courts (same as basketball courts) and you play the same as ultimate frisbee but you have to throw it into the goals. So basically handball/soccer/water polo/frisbee/sun bathing/sweating a lot....all those sports mixed together. The only time we can play is 1 o'clock because all the children are in school. It also happens to be 6000 degrees outside. If we tipped a cow over on the pavement and covered him with potatoes and carrots we could have roast beef in 3.78 seconds. So anyways I get to live out my dream as a receiver. It's fun. I asked Evan to send me a football so hopefully I will get that :) We went to help some old lady move too. She is a sewer so we had to move 4 sewing machine attached to what seemed like 5 inch think steel tables. As you could imagine the machines weighed a lot and they must have sharpened the edges of the tables to make moving then extra uncomfortable. Not to mention the blades they used as legs to the tables to slice off toes more easily. Somehow we managed to get all these things in the truck. After we had finished all these hard labor we were on our way home in the truck and the guy stopped. So two of the Elders jumped out thinking that he was only going to that spot. He kept going after a few seconds and the Elders started running after us but they didn't make it. They got off far far away from our house...suckers. When the other Elders and I finally got home we made the startling, disappointing discovery that the keys were locked inside the house. So we had to jump the fence and reach in through the window to grab the keys.

This week we worked a ton. Just when we thought the work was done, we worked a ton more. My companion was dying the whole week going to bed at like 9:30, poor kid. After all that work, only 2 people at church and our baptism didn't work out. It was disappointing. I want to have some sort of success after working 2 tons. The Lord is wiser than I am though. When you are at the end of the mission you want to have more success too. You are supposed to know more and be better but I guess people still have their agency... We can all learn good lessons from this. Always bring keys, check to make sure if you will be moving heavy machinery before you promise to help move, and the Lord's ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. That doesn't mean you need to receive insight to understand His ways and thoughts before we do something. It means we need to do it without that perfect knowledge and if the Lord desires to give us knowledge so that we may know why we are doing what we are doing so be it. I love you all and I know that this church is true. Joseph Smith really did translate the Book of Mormon. Read it, ponder it, study it EVERY DAY. It is a perfect book, it will change our lives. It has already changed our lives. Don't think to yourself that you read it enough and that you study it enough....do it more.

5 Dec 2011 - Palmeiras Area (Dad)

[Ryan returns from Ukraine Dec 14th. Hm, that date rings a bell. Seems like there is something else special about it.] I was thinking that Ryan was coming home soon because our transfers here end on the 19th. 14th.............hmmmm not ringing any bells. Is that when Kwanza starts? or maybe Hanukkah. I remember it has something to do with an old white haired man, Santa or you. Oh yeah it's your birthday ;) [I'm anxious to see you, but I also want you to have the greatest next 6+ months ever, being totally focused on the Lord's work.] Well technically I will be getting home on the 29th of May so you don't even have to wait until June ;) With the blast of all the General Authorities I have learned a lot and how worthless I was for the last 1 year and 6 months :) Just kidding.

We had our Stake Conference this week and it was pretty good. Pres. Souza told some good stories and being an example. We had a Area Seventy too, Elder Puerto. He mixed things up and talked about standards and how the Gospel changes people. It was a really good talk and I'm grateful to see people changing everyday. I know that this church is true and the Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior. I know without a doubt because the Lord our God has revealed it to me. I know that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by the power of God!

28 Nov 2011 - Palmeiras Area (Mom)

[I have to admit that I totally forgot about writing, since I didn't do it before Church.] Oh I see how it is. Forgetting your favorite child ;) This week was another bummer. We are working tons and trying to change one of the craziest wards that I have ever seen but it isn't working too well. That is really my only pressure that I feel. I have to do well and President is breathing down my neck but oh well. At least I'm working so that is good. Training isn't that hard, sometimes you wish that he could talk more so that he could deal with the crazy people :) I'm a little bummed out because it has been 2 weeks in a row of utter failure. Our baptism fell through because he drank coffee and the rest of his family left him in his house alone, taking everything that he owns.

 

[Trying to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year.] It is good to read the Book of Mormon. When you are done you can try Elder Bednar's counsel and get a cheap copy and read it tons. That way you can study on a certain thing rather than reading and trying to get everything, which is good. The reading will go faster and you will learn a ton on the chosen subject.

 

I love you, I'm so grateful that you are my Mommy. I haven't always been a good kid/child but I'm learning slowly. You taught me well and I'm remembering what you taught us. This is truly the only place I want to be right now in the whole world. I sometimes have dreams that I am at home and then I feel really sad and depressed that I'm not on the mission anymore. I love you!

28 Nov 2011 - Palmeiras Area (Dad)

[Thanksgiving was last Thursday. I'm assuming they don't celebrate the Pilgrim's feast in tropical Brazil, but maybe you americanos remembered to stuff some stale bread in an old rooster and roast him up.] Yeah we didn't do anything for Thanksgiving. We have 6 Americans in the home we are all poor bums and don't want to spend money on anything. We eat chicken everyday anyways. It is almost the same thing as turkey. I eat stale bread everyday so you don't have to worry about that.

[I sent him Michelle's Thanksgiving Facebook photo of Michael downing a bottle of sparkling cider.] Yep looks just like Michael. Apparently, he is an Intramural champion. I didn't know Sparkling cider chugging was an intramural sport there.

[I mentioned that I spent the Thanksgiving holiday lazing about and watching football.] I can't wait til I get to laze around and watch sports all day. The thing I miss the most is taco bell and being able to sleep whenever you want. Oh....and you guys too :) I guess life is all about being tired all the time and doing things that mean something instead of lazing around darn.

[Have you recovered your health yet?] I have semi recovered from my health. I still have a hacking lung and I don't know if that will ever leave. [Where is Palmeiras?] Palmeiras is in the southern part of Fortaleza. It is at the end of the city and after that there is no more city. It is by Jangurussu, say that 3 times fast.

This week we had zone conference and Elder Costa (the Seventy) was there and talked a lot to us. It was really good. He talked a lot about making the best time out of the mission and that we should love this place a lot. I really do love it here and I'm glad that I'm here. I know that this is the best place ever that I should be and nothing else would be a better thing for me to do. Sister Costa talked to us about how we should come to know that this is the best place for us. The other Elders are being annoying right now and they are trying to waste my time so it is hard to actually say anything of worth. I really felt the spirit while I was there though. I was able to think about why I'm here and if I had some other motives. I know that I'm here for the right reasons and that the Lord loves me. If I ended my mission now, I would have no regrets and I am trying my best right now!

21 Nov 2011 - Palmeiras Area (Mom)

When is Thanksgiving? We are living with 5 Americans so maybe we can do something for Thanksgiving. My 1st Thanksgiving was LAME!

[We hosted an empty-nester FHE.] Good ole empty nester FHE. You guys should still play some sweet games! You should all go out to the church parking lot and play mini van tag. The person with the most paint scrapes loses, you know healthy fun adult games. Or you could go to the Pharmacy and see who has the best blood pressure numbers and pulse. That is what I use to do with my roommates every time we went to the store :)

Did you find Elder Hawkes in the photos? I tried to get my pretty face to show up. People were going crazy. "Get out of my way" "Your fat head is in the way" People go crazy to see Apostles. It was fun, he invoked some cool blessings so that is always fun.

21 Nov 2011 - Palmeiras Area (Dad)

[Not getting an email from you on Monday is always a bummer for me. I guessed that it probably had to do with the visiting General Authorities, but I still missed hearing from you.] Well you guessed right. Elder Bednar came on P-Day so they said we could email on the 15th. Unluckily, that was national get-drunk-and-don't-open-any-store-so-that-the-poor-Elders-can-e-mail day aka a national holiday. So President let us use email on Wednesday. [... as a parent it means the world to hear from your son, especially when you hear how much he loves serving. Being a parent--and being a missionary serving others--makes you appreciate and comprehend so much more how our Father in Heaven feels about us.] It is true though, I have felt a part of the love that God feels for each and everyone of us. Especially when people reject us saying that they already have the truth. You just feel sad because they are so sure, but they aren't putting their faith in the right beliefs. Imagine how faithful and powerful they would be if they had the true church and its true teachings.

Elder Bednar did things a little differently. He just didn't talk to us but he asked us questions and had us read 2 of his talks before he came. So he asked what we learned and it was more of a missionary lesson rather than a talk. It was cool. It is always fun to get Q&A time with an Apostle. They always disappoint our feeble, worldly minds though. One Elder asked if Elder Bednar would teach us a little about the Atonement. We were all waiting for angels to minister and see visions and stuff like that. Elder Bednar just told us to get an inexpensive copy of the Book of Mormon, read it a lot for 6 months thinking about the Atonement. Then write a one page paper about what you learned. "Lame!" thought the feeble, give-it-to-me-now part of the brain. He said that he could tell us what he learned, but it wouldn't matter much to us in 3 years. It wouldn't stick, but if we learned it ourselves then we would never forget. Yeah yeah punch our feeble brains out of the way and dust off the ole thinking caps and stuff :) It was great though. He said he has done that for many gospel questions that he has had during his life. So I guess we can all learn something here. Stop waiting for the mysteries and answers to fall from the sky and go out and get them by hard work and brutally subduing your feeble worldly brains with hard work and inspiration! YEAH!

16 Nov 2011 - Palmeiras Area (Mom)

I'm doing well. This week was a good week. Elder Bednar talked to us and Elder Evans, a Seventy, talked to us on Friday. Elder Costa, Area Pres. of Brazil, will talk to us the 23rd I think.

[We just finished watching the movie 17 Miracles.] Never heard of that movie. It should be good. It was an intense story. Everyone has to die eventually, so why not die there in the cold, frozen plains and end the suffering. Besides Zion is in Missouri, they already saw it :) They will be in a wonderful Zion anyways.

[Are you sure they will not be letting you go to the ground breaking ceremony for the temple?] I'm sure, he forbid it. Only the Bishops and their families and the Stake Presidents and their families will go. Who knows why, but at least Elder Bednar talked to us. He didn't shake our hands for some reason but oh well. It's cool though, the temple is officially being started. I don't know what it is going to look like.

[Mom is keeping a notebook of her thoughts as she studies the Book of Mormon.] That is a good idea. Elder Bednar told us that we should have our own "Small plates" like they had in the Book of Mormon. Don't write down everything that happened in life, large plates, but the small spiritual things that happened, small plates. Then we will have our own sacred record. He also gave us a good study idea. Get a new cheap paperback Book of Mormon and read it as much as you can for 6 months than write a one page report about the Atonement to learn more about it. While reading you will mark things about the Atonement of course. He says he has done it many times since 1995. He says one of his only treasures is all the paperback Book of Mormons that he has in a bookshelf. Each of them answered a different question. He wanted to know more about the Plan of Salvation so he would get a new Book of Mormon and read it and write a 1 page report.

Something else interesting that he did was invoke blessings upon us. Imagine an Apostle invoking blessings upon your head! He blessed us that as we read the scriptures we will gain a greater love and understanding for them. We will learn to love them and always use them in our lives. He said some other stuff but I don't have my notes with me.

Well my time with an Apostle has come and gone, it was too short but it was great.


[Here's a picture of what the Fortaleza Brazil Temple will look like.]