December 20, 2014

I have been thinking about what I could do for a Christmas project.  I decided that I wanted to do something to help Canindé.  I love that city and the members there.  Since all the members there are recent converts and are still learning the gospel, I decided that I would buy Triple Combinations, Liahona Magazines, Temple Magazines, DVDs of the Restoration, etc. and send it to them.  I wrapped them all up and coordinated with Elder Z* to deliver everything.  He was super excited to do this.  Two weeks ago I never knew how to wrap a present well.  I can now say I am a pro!  I have got it down to a science.  It was a super fun project.  However, it didn’t stop there.  I decided that I would wrap up some regular copies of The Book of Mormon to pass on to missionaries and ward members to give as gifts to their friends and family.  Yesterday, we were eating lunch with a member, V*.  After we left a message with him, we presented one of the wrapped books for him to give to a friend and refer him to the missionaries.  He thought it was so cool and asked for 10 more.  He is going to give them to all of his employees.  I am making some more for Elder H* and his companion because they are awesome missionaries and I know they will go to good use.

I had another experience with this project this week.  We took many taxis while driving around the city preparing for Christmas.  As is customary, we always talk with the taxi drivers.  We had one taxi driver who definitely was not religious at all but while we were driving, I felt that I should give him one of the wrapped copies of The Book of Mormon.  So at the end of the ride I asked him if we could give him a Christmas present.  I presented the wrapped book to him and his nature completely changed.  He became very happy and said, “Wow, for me?  That is so kind of you!”  It was amazing to see how happy he became.  Fun project.  It will be interesting to see how it goes.

Subway with Elder T and President Evans 

With Elder B

With Elders H and Z

Dinner at N's Home

December 13, 2014

An amusing experience:  This week we tried to organize a Family Home Evening with L*.  We made the appointment with S*, her sister, but we still needed to tell L*about the activity.  She lives in one of the toughest parts of Campo América and it is a true favela.  Elder T* called S*’s daughter to ask for her aunt’s number.  She laughed when he asked this and then said, chuckling, “Well, she doesn’t have a number but I have the number for the payphone in the middle of the favela!”  Elder T* thought, “Oh, why not?  Let’s try!”  He got the number and then thanked her.  He called the number and a woman answered.  He said, “Oi, L*?”  The woman said, “Who?” with a tone of anger.  He responded, “Hello, is L* there?”  She responded, “Oh, one minute.”  Then, in the background, Elder T* heard her yelling at the top of her lungs over the music blasting, “L*!  L*! L*!  Come here!  Phone!!!”  He heard some muffling in the background and then about 30 seconds later a female voice came on the phone and very happily said, “Ms. L*’s Residence.”  Elder T* just started laughing and then went on to tell her about the Family Home Evening.  This is a classic example of Brazil.  I don’t know how there is a payphone in the middle of the Jaguaribe Favela but, apparently, it is L*’s personal home phone in the middle of the street.

This week, we also went to lunch at Irmão R* and Irmã K*’s home.  They are a very simple family that knows how to live the gospel.  We had a good conversation.  R* makes his living by creating high quality surfboards in his home.  He is famous in Brazil for his surfboards.  As you walk into their home, all you see are countless surfboards.  This reflects the culture of Fortaleza so well—very laid back.

Yesterday, we had the opportunity to teach B*.  When we arrived, he asked us who our favorite prophets from the Book of Mormon were.  I decided that I would share one of my favorites.  I shared the story of Enos with him.  We had a very good conversation about the importance of diligence in the work of the Lord and in life.  It was really neat to hear the final prayer.  B* is very timid and shy and has a hard time socially.  However, he offered the final prayer.  He thanked the Lord for giving him “two sincere friends” and asked the Lord to bless us unconditionally.  He asked the Lord to permit this friendship to continue throughout eternity.  I was very touched by B*’s words.  He is a very sincere individual and I have learned a lot from him.

Elder Z* called me this afternoon explaining about the situation in Canindé.  He told me that he had been waiting for water for many hours and it still hadn’t arrived.  I told him I knew exactly what he was going through and that I felt so sorry for him.  Canindé is so tough.  He explained the feelings and sentiments that he is confronting right now and they are the very same ones I faced when I was there.  It was comforting for him to know he isn’t alone in the experience.  It is amazing how much a friendship can help life be a whole lot happier.

I love the Plan of Salvation.  It has become so real for me as I have been on my mission.  I have come to recognize that mortality is very short.  It makes perfect sense that the Lord created a Plan of Happiness.  It makes perfect sense that we would need to follow a Redeemer who would guide us safely home.

 Drinking coconut water with Elder "T"

The Beach

The streets of Fortaleza

Surf Shop in "R"s home

December 6, 2014

One night this week, when we were returning home around 9:15 at night, we were walking on an empty street.  There was a very worn down, dirty, garbage sifter sitting on the side of the road thinking.  We passed right by him, told him good-evening, and continued walking.  We had walked about 50 yards when I stopped and asked Elder Thieme if he had a “Ele É O Presente” card.  He smiled, said no, and then went on to tell me that he was thinking the same thing.  We turned around and walked back to the man.  He was a man who looked like he lives on the streets, had a worn down buggy to collect trash, and has definitely felt the effects of drugs during his life.  I asked him, “Excuse me sir, do you know where Rua Rui Barbosa is located?”  He smiled and said that he thought it was a few streets down.  We went on to talk with him.  In the middle of the conversation, a shop owner came out with a 2-Liter coke bottle filled halfway with water.  The man had stopped to ask for water since he did not have any money to buy it.  It turns out that he spends the entire night scavenging for trash in order to provide for his family.  We were shocked to find out that he has a family.  He has a wife and two children, 10 and 9 years old.  We were both very humbled by the situation.  At first glance, we would have simply thought he was a homeless man due to drug addiction.  However, he explained to us that he walks about 10 miles each night to Aldeota in order to find the valuable trash.  He returns home every morning about 10:00, eats with his family, sleeps, and then does the same routine all over again.  We told him that we had a message about the Gospel of Christ and we would love to share it with him.  He was super happy and told us that the missionaries could come by.  Who knows if anything will come of it, but I know that the simple action of us turning around and taking the time to talk with him made him light up.  It made him realize that he is of worth in the world.  These small actions create true humanity…

It has been a very interesting week.  It has been super busy in the office but things are working out.  I have taken the time this week to completely memorize the song “Come Thou Fount.”  It is by far my favorite hymn.  Now, anytime I get discouraged, I start singing it!  I love the Gospel.  The Lord answers prayers. 

He always listens to our prayers. 

November 8, 2014

This past week has been very interesting to say the least.  At the beginning of the week, I had to organize a collective marriage for the entire mission.  It is going to occur on the 29^th of November and the judge is going to marry about 30 couples for free (a really big deal here because people don’t have the money to pay for marriages.)  They will then have a large baptismal service afterwards.  At the last minute the mission president put me in charge of organizing everything and but I was never told any of the details.  Turns out that Monday night was the deadline, so I had to rush and travel all around the city to get legal documents from the missionaries.  After spending countless hours on Monday, I travelled to another area of the mission to deliver the documents on Tuesday.  I have never been so tired.

However, there were some neat experiences this week.  As I was running around the city to deliver the documents, I began talking with the taxi cab drivers.  I have found that this is one of my favorite things to do.  They are so nice and so willing to talk.  It is interesting because the topic of the church always comes up.  Elder Z* and I had the opportunity to talk with one of them about the church and it was a really great conversation.  We wrote down his address and the missionaries are now visiting him.

This morning we did a service project for a member of the ward who lives in our apartment building.  We decorated for Christmas.  She is the mother of Derek’s mission mom.  It was super fun decorating for Christmas.  It is funny - everyone decorates for Christmas here

during the first week of November. 

I hope you all have a great week!

November 15, 2014

This week has been of the craziest of my mission.  I am so tired.  It all started out with this marriage fiasco again.  Everything fell through with the court house and I had to reorganize everything.

We then had Zone Conference this week on Wednesday and Thursday but I wasn't able to attend.  I had to wake up at 5:00 AM to take six Elders, who are going home on Monday, to the Federal Police station.  I had to renew their visas in order that they can leave the country.  Since their documents were approved only last week it meant that I couldn't make an appointment at the station--we were on the standby list.  I spent all day there waiting to be attended.  Finally, in the late afternoon we were able to get their visas renewed.

November 22, 2014

Wow, this week has been very interesting.  I started by taking all of the missionaries (19) to

 the airport on Monday.  That was crazy.  But, after a lot of organization and hard work, we

were able to get it all worked out.  It is the largest group of missionaries that the mission has ever taken to the airport at one time.

This past week, I have been super tired.  However, we are getting a lot of work done.  I can’t believe how quickly the week flew by.  Elder Z* got transferred on Monday and is now in Canindé.  He is super excited.  I called him yesterday and he told me that he definitely has gone from one extreme to another.  He no longer has air conditioning, the water stinks, and it is incredibly hot.  I told him I knew exactly what he was going through.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving this week!

November 29, 2014

I hope all is well with you.  This past week has been a good week.  We have done a lot of work.  On Tuesday, I had a interesting experience.  We had worked all day in the office and went out to tract at night.  We went to Campo America (a “flavela,” or “ghetto”) in our area because we met an inactive member who lives there and wanted us to do a visit.  We found them on the street in the small alleyway.  (As a side note, the alleyways in the flavelas are small and the majority of the people spend all their time on the street in chairs drinking. The culture is very interesting in the flavelas and most of the time we teach on the street.)   We began to “bater papo” (converse) with them and they were really friendly.  We asked the inactive members about their history with the church and they explained that they fell away because they were embarrassed about addictions with The Word of Wisdom.  However, they still really enjoy the church and go occasionally.

I had the opportunity this week to give a training session on prayer.  The week was so rushed that I did not have any time to prepare the training.  Therefore, on Wednesday morning I woke up and opened the Ensign from last General Conference.  I decided that I would read President Uchtdorf’s discourse on revelation and prayer.  It is a fantastic talk and I ended up giving the training on it.  If you have an opportunity this week, I encourage you to read the talk.  I really enjoy a quote from the talk.  He says, “Your personal testimony of light and truth will not only bless you and your posterity here in mortality, but it will also accompany you throughout all eternity, among worlds without end.”  The testimonies that we gain here in mortality will remain with us as we pass through the phases of The Plan of Salvation.  I look forward to the day when our testimonies of the pre-mortal existence, mortality, and beyond will be combined to work collectively for our benefit.

The attached picture shows our Thanksgiving Dinner.  Sister E* suggested that since we couldn’t find anyone serving turkey, Americana would hit the spot.  It was great.