Week 102 Letter

Monday, February 4, 2013

Hey, did you get an email of my flight plans?  If not, I can forward them to you.  I thought that I should make sure that you knew, a little late to think about it, but I am trying, hahaha.  So, how are you?  I am in Rondonopolis still.  I will work here until Saturday, were I will return to Cuiaba, Varzea Grande and hopefully baptize an investigator that I was teaching when I left and is marked to be baptized this Sunday, and asked that I baptize here.  I hope that all goes well.

Well, here is my week, we have been looking for new people to teach and trying to strengthen the people that we baptized here.  Also, we have been running behind inactive members.  It was a good week, and we talked to a million people on the street is seems like.  We even called some bus stops to repentance and baptism because Elder Nunes did not believe that I would.  It was good and fun.  The branch is taking in some exciting breaths of air, and the work is good.  We have some people on track for baptism, which is awesome.  Sadly, I will not be here in person.  All the same, it will be great.  Everybody is getting sad that I am getting close to leaving, and I feel the same way.  It is hard to say good bye, I guess that I never got use to it, but this comes as part of the mission.  The good news is that there will be a great reunion again, and that will be a blast.  This week we are already full of appointments, and the work will go on.  I am ending my mission just the way that I had always imagined.  I love this work.  I am sorry that this letter is short, but I really do not know what to say, and I will see you all soon anyways.  I love you all, and wish a great week. 

With love, Elder Lee

Week 101 Letter

Monday, January 28, 2013

Well, here you go; my official letter for the week...

All is well.  We are working hard and we are excited.  This Sunday we had 3 new investigators at church that we will teach this week.  I am super excited.  Maybe one of them will get baptized before I leave.  This next Sunday will be my last in the area because the next on after I will be in Cuiaba I think.  My recent converts are great and growing.  This week my district picked up a new excitement as well.  They have been a little unexcited lately and thinking of how I could excite them again, I decided to do a fun Sunday activity.  We left with 40 pamphlets of the restoration and started doing power contacts on the street in the rain.  Pouring rain; it was fun and we started doing contacts using all kinds of techniques and fun lines.  It was fun and the district is super happy.  I am really going to miss this area and this people.  Well, I thought that this email was going to be longer, but I really cannot this of anything else to say.  I love being a missionary, and I still cannot believe that it is going to end.  I think that I am in denial, but I guess that that is a good thing.  I am focused and working harder than ever.  And smarter than ever too. Tony is going to love this work.  I love you all, and wish you a great week. 

Love Elder Lee

PS – I do not have my temple clothes.  I just brought my white pants to baptize, but I do not have them anymore, they disappeared after a baptism in Mapim, and I do not know who grabbed them from the bathroom.  My packet should be with the rest of my stuff, and I will need to buy knew pants.

Week 100 Letter

Monday, January 21, 2013

So, to first off answer the questions, I am a size 40 tennis shoe in brazil, which I think is a 9,5.  I still wear a 30x32 pants, 32 being the length (I forget which comes first).  I wear a med or small depending on the shirt style, my dress shirts are mediums, but the short sleeves are longer then I like, I do have an overcoat that I never used on the mission, but I kept it to give to tony, so tell him that he does not have to buy one.  Does that answer your questions?  On the web cam you get younger and younger every call home.  I am getting old, but I think that you will recognize me.  I am the same weight, height, and all as when I left.  So much for the plan of growing on the mission.  About the Brazilian restaurant - there are actual Brazilians at the restaurant?  That is awesome!!!  I am way excited to go now :) 

Some pictures for you…

This baptism was Saturday, and they were both confirmed yesterday.  My comp is Elder Nunes, super great guy, from Bahia, but also lived a part of his life in São Paulo.  This is my last are and last transfer.  Once again, it is going to be heart breaking to leave an area...    the two that got baptized are brothers and sisters, Lucas 17 and Thayla 15, and in the photo there are there parents who we are teaching, and a friend who I met the day before the baptism and invited her to come and watch.  It was a great baptismal service.  I hope to baptize the parents soon, they are so cool and we are great friends.  The dad is a little nervous about taking the step, but we will help him.  The wife wants to get baptized and says that she will when he does.  We just have to work with him a little more.

It is good to hear from Dad.  I sure love my dad, let him know for me.  I know that you know that I love you, but I never get tired of saying it, so, I sure love you mommy.  Tell the kids that I am excited to see them too.  Hey, what do you think about me entering into an indoor soccer league when I get home?  Maybe I will be able to play a little in college. 

Well I love you and have a great week.  Love, Elder Lee

Somehow I missed Week 97 Letter! :>

Monday, December 31, 2012

Thanks mom, I feel the same, but at the same time... old.  I think that it is because I have 21 years now.  I am still not use to that.   I loved the blog, it was awesome.  Everyone is so big and so good looking.  Tony looks ripped man!!!  His forearm looks bigger than my biceps, and I loved his and dad's shirt!  It was awesome.  Well, to catch you up with my week, this Sunday was a success that Rondonoplis has not seen for a long time.  The usual attendance of 50 went up to 70, and we were missing people still who are traveling for the New Year.  Elder Nunes and I brought 8 investigators to church this Sunday which helped a lot and it seemed like the branch got a breath of excitement.  We will run around this week trying to get people on date for baptism now.  It is looking good.  It will be kind of hard though because of New Year’s because we lose a day in the week, but we already have a wed full of appointments, and all of them look promising.  So, that is about my week.  It was great talking with you all, and by the blog I can tell that you had a great Christmas.  I will have to miss the New Year bowl, but get ready because I am going to be there for the mission bowl in Feb.

I think that I am here for the rest of the mission, I am still district leader which surprised me because President said that he would release everybody on their last transfer, and my companion Elder Nunes is from Bahia, but really he was raised in Sao Paulo.

I am 4 to 5 hours by bus from Cuiaba.  I am not sure how many miles though.   I love you all and wish you a great new year!!!! 

 Love Elder Lee!!!

This picture is a bridge and the water is too dirty to see if there are animals, but I am sure that there are some brook fish there.  I just thought it would be a cool pick with the creek and the horse that was there.  I walk by this bridge almost every day to teach a family that lives on the other side.

We also went to a members house to help her make bread that she sells as a service project.  She has had a hard week, and I think that she appreciated the help.  It was fun, and the bread turned out really well.  I promise that I will try to take more pics this transfer.  I will have to buy a new battery charger though, because mine broke, but I will look for one today.

Me and Elder Nunes

Week 99 Letter

Monday, January 14, 2013

What the heck?  What is it that TB does?  Does it have side effects?  If you have it, how do they get rid of it?  Is it just taking meds for a year?  What a mess, but I am sure that it will be alright.  I am sure that Dad had a great conference.  He is the man.  This week we had a good and busy week which resulted in Karina's baptism that happened on Saturday and her confirmation that happened yesterday.  I will send the pics.  Her mom and brother went.  Her brother Robert is 15 and he also went to church for the first time yesterday and really liked it.  We will start teaching him now.  So, it was a good week, although it was hard trying to teach some of our other investigators.  As far as finding people home we did not have any luck, but I felt good about this week all the same.  It has been three months since this branch has seen a baptism, and I think that we kind of gave another breath of life to the members here.  It was good, and we are expecting more.  I love the mission.  Anyways, that was my week, I cannot really think of anything else at the moment... it did rain all week, and we got super wet a few times, but it was fun and lousy at the same time.  It did clear up for the baptism though, which was a little disappointing because I was excited to baptize Karina in the rain, because the baptismal font is outside of the chapel/house. It is a normal font, but just outside.  It kind of looks like a big bath tub, lol.  It sure is nice living in a country that has the best medical treatments, huh?  Here people die from dangy all the time, that mosquito disease.  Two missionaries here in Rondonopolis have dangy right now, out of the 12, but nobody in my house.  I think that I might luck out and go the full two years without catching it.

Yeah, I think that that is what it is.  Anyways, I sent the pics.  Keep me posted, I will pray from here.  So, yeah, that is all that I can think of, so I hope that you like the pics.  I love you all!!!!

Elder Lee

She is almost 14, that is her mom, and the other is her 15 year old brother, big huh.  We already wrestled one time, lol, it was fun.  ;)

Week 98 Letter

Monday, January 7, 2013

Wow, for Tony that is awesome, I am really excited for him and I am super happy that he will be speaking Portuguese.  I think that it is the coolest language in the world!  That is awesome.  The only thing is that nobody told me when he is going. Do you know when he will leave?  I am looking at the blog right now, waiting for Tony’s video to load.  I did read the email, and I am glad that you are already making plans for me when I get home, because I will need something to do, and I have not really thought about anything...but we will work on that when I get home.

  

My week was good and bad.  The start of the week was hard because everybody was traveling, but we really set out to work.  We worked both Monday and Tuesday and it paid off.  A lot of the people that said they would make it to church were not able to make it sadly, but we did have 4 visitors there, and if all goes well, Karina will get baptized and her mom said that after her divorce process she will also be baptized.  So, it is good.  We are teaching a lot here, and we have a big teaching pool. Most of the time there is not time to do everything, so we are running all of the time.  Poor Elder Nunes gets tired sometimes, but it has been a long time since he has baptized so the idea of baptizing picks him up a lot.  We are doing well together.  I did have an interview with president this week, the routine interviews and it was great.  It really did not seem much like an interview.  We talked a little about the area and them missionaries here and a little about my future plans, which I think he noticed are rather limited because he gave me permission to think a little bit about home, lol.  He is great.  I sure loved Elder Oliveira, and I am loving Elder Reber.  So, there is my week in a nutshell.  Pretty simple, but more because there was so much that I do not know how to say it all.  I did almost punch a drunk guy this week.  We were walking on a dirt road when a drunk guy came and starting messing with us and yelling and would not let us leave.  He had a cup of whisky in one hand which I took and threw away, gave him the empty cup, and told him to stop drinking.  He got made and picked up a stone and said that he was going to kill me, but I took the rock from him too and told him to go home, but he just got really mad, and when we were trying to walk away, he ran in front, threw the glass cup on the ground, shattering it, and punched me in the chest.  Out of reflex, I grabbed his arm, pulled it into me, and clenched my fist to knock his lights out when I saw a couple coming on the road and decided that that would not look good for the missionaries, so I twisted his arm and quickly told him to go home before he got hurt, and this time he listened and left.  I said good evening to the couple and they responded as if everything was normal, but after walking for another 10 minutes, the man and his family that we were teaching came behind us in their car and asked if everything was okay.  The couple that passed was the man's cousin and had told him that a crazy drunk was messing with the young men in white shirts and ties.  So, our investigator came behind to be sure that we were alright.  We were, and it was cool that he ran behind us to be sure.  Good thing that I did not punch the guy though, huh.  I think that a different story would have been told at our investigator's house.  Anyway, there is a fun story for you.  I love you all, and wish you a great week.

Love,Elder Lee

Week 96 Letter

Monday, Dec 24, 2012

Hey mom, so some updates for you.  Some of the plans have changed because of a mini transfer that had to happen before Christmas.  The transfer goes until the end of the year, but in order to send some missionaries home before Christmas, we had a mini transfer which affected a lot of the zone and district leaders because it was district leaders that were leaving, so I am now in Rodonopolis, MT.  So, I have already planned to use a computer of a member to do Skype with you and it will be in the afternoon here, although I am not sure what time yet.  I think that it will be from 3 to 4 o’clock in my time, do you think that that would be okay, because at night we have an appointment with a family and they do not have internet, so the night time will not work.  Anyways, if there is any problem, let me know.  I will try to pass by the lan house today in the afternoon to be sure that everything is okay.  If you want to call me today to mark a time, my new number is 066 9217 8035. Thanks mom, and until you call, love Elder Lee

Merry Christmas to all, what a pleasure it was to talk with you!  You all look so good, and I cannot wait to see you in person, but in the meantime, I am going to take full advantage of the mission.  I sure love it.  I just got done talking with you, so there is not a lot to say, but I promised to write a little, so here it is.  This week was good; I went around meeting some investigators and members, and really finding a new teaching pool because the work has been a little slow here lately.  There have already passed 2 months here that there has not been a baptism, so we are working to change the momentum.  I am excited to be here and work in this area.  I have officially been in every city now that has a church in Matto Gross and our part of Rondonia, which few missionaries can say, if any.  I have been extremely blessed.  I am happy that you had the chance to get to know  little bit about President Reber.  He is such a good and inspired man, and I think that we will keep in contact for a long time after the mission.  I sure love him and respect him.  I wish that there was some way for you to see all of the people that I was blessed to teach and baptize.  You would love every one of them, and I know that they would sure love you.  These people are so special.  Well, I love you all, and cannot wait to hear from you via email next week.  Great holidays!  

With love- Elder Lee

This was a note from Shane's mission President - 

Sister lee. 

Yes I am familiar with the process. I will be in the mission home in several hours and take of it then. What wonderful son you have. He is a great leader in the mission and has helped me so much. Great job as parents!  

Happy holidays to you all and thanks again for sharing a fine young man with us. 

Pres. Reber

Week 95 Letter

Monday, December 17, 2012

Mom, Happy Birthday!!!

I sure love you mom, and hope that you had a great birthday.  I hope that you accept this email as a worth present, lol.  I will send some pics for you because I know that you like them.  Sorry that I have been bad about taking and sending pics.  I will tell Tony to be better ( :  I did want to wish you a happy birthday though.  I have been thinking a lot lately about how blessed I am to have you as my mom.  I was even talking to President Reber Saturday morning about how involved my parents were in my life and how grateful I am for that.  Speaking of talking with Pres Reber Saturday, it is because he came with me to my house to announce to Will that his calling came and that he will serve in the São Paulo East mission and that he is will leave on Jan. 3.  It was awesome getting to hear the news with him.  Will promised me in Sinop that he would open his call with me present, even if he had to travel, and I must admit that I did not believe it, but the Lord works in many ways to answer his prayers of his worthy children.  It was awesome.  Anyways, I was reading a talk from a general authority, I think that it was Dallin H Oaks who was talking about the great plan of happiness, and he said that in our premortal life we progressed as far as we could without having received a physical body and a mortal experience and that the decision that we made there affect who we are here.  Mom, I know that you made great decisions there and that I must have done something really good to deserve you as my mom, or on the other hand, something really wrong and God thought that I would need all the help that I could get if I were to have a chance.  At any rate, thank you for being such a wonderful mom.  I have also been studying a lot about the nature of the calling of motherhood.  It is the most elevated and sacred calling that I daughter of God can receive.  It requires more work and patience than any other position.  It carries eternal consequences of most impotence.  |It is so important that it was reserved exclusively for women.  Mom, you magnify this calling better than any other.  You are a perfect example of every attribute that motherhood requires.  Patience, temperance, meekness, love unfeigned, courage, strength, internal beauty (external as well ;) eternal perspective, gentleness, longsuffering, selflessness, humility, careful hands, a firm mind, virtue, benevolence, knowledge, integrity, hope, faith, and among and above all charity.  I know that this is a short list, and I know that you have many more attributes and characteristics.  Thank you so much for being the mom that God wanted of you.  I hope that I have been the son that you wanted of me and I promise that I will continue to get better.  I sure love you mom, and I think that world of you, and I know that it is not just me that thinks that.  Every ward and branch that I have passed in in Brazil, you have come up in a sacrament talk.  That is really true.  You give hope, strength, and courage to people around the world.  You are a perfect example of being a light to the world.  You have a great light, and you let it shine forth. Thank you for always being engaged in a good cause.  Thank you for being engaged in raising and teaching me.  How blessed that I am.  I love you mom, and wish you a great birthday!!!  You of all people deserve it!!!!  Love you grateful and always indebted son,

Elder Shane Lee

Will is going to stay until almost the end of the year.  He has been waiting for a long time to go, so he is all ready.  Really, they called Pres Reber and told him that Will would only leave in March, but Pres Reber moved it closer because he knows that Will was just waiting to leave.  President Reber is awesome.  I still do not know what I am going to do for Skype, but I think that I will spend Christmas night at Joaquim's house, Aryane's family.  He and his wife are marked to get baptized on the 23rd.  I am super excited!!!  Anyways, they have a computer and internet, but I do not know if they have a web cam.  I will investigate and see.  If so, I think that I will Skype from there.  If not, I will have to use a lan house.  The problem is that on Monday I do not think that I will be able to email you, so if I do not email you, call me Monday at this number, 065 9236 5199, (my cell) and we can plan it out on the phone.

Thanks for the chirstmas package and mama-mia PJ's!  I loved it!!!!!

Baptism of Lucas, getting Will's calling, the young man who baptized Lucas is from Cuiaba and was doing a 24 hour division with us. he has a year in the church, is 16, and we thought it would be cool if he got some baptizing practice.  It was awesome!!!

Week 94 Letter

Monday, December 10, 2012

Tecnologia (sorry, that was Portuguese, I wanted to say technology) can be a headache, cant it.  So, to answer the questions, I do not know if they bought my plane tickets yet, but I think that I will be flying home on the 12th or 13th of Feb.  I will let you know more when I know more.  The second question, my investigators are doing well.  Lucas, Gizele's little 10 yr old brother was going to get baptized yesterday after the stake conference but the chapel ran out of water so we had to remark it for this Saturday, but all is well.  Aryane's parents have committed to be baptized before the end of the year.  That will be really awesome.  Will is going to stay with my until the end of the year waiting for his call.  I think that it should be coming soon.  My birthday was great.  These people are so good to me.  I do not know if the package came yet.  I just tried calling to the secretaries, but they did not answer the phone, so I still do not know.  I cannot believe the Jason already got his call, and to South Korea?!!  That is awesome!  That will be a "fun" language to learn, he will be great!  I did get the photo that dad sent me of Elder Sands and Sister Ward.  It is a small world, and being in the church makes it smaller.  I will send some pics to you.  I really do not know what else to write... This week we will have the Christmas mission conference and the day after will be a training conference for the leaders which will also be an all-day event.  I think that meetings wear me out a lot more than working on the street, but they are always good and really do make a difference.  The week after I think that I will travel to Carceres, a city outside of Cuiaba and Varsea Grande to do some divisions there.  I have already done divisions there as a district leader three or four times.  It is about 4 hours of a bus ride.  Usually we travel at night to take full advantage of the day.  The next transfer is at the end of the year, the 30t and 31st.  I really do not doubt that I will be transferred, which is sad, but it is part of the mission.  President said that he is going to release all of the missionaries going home from their leadership positions before the end of their missions to let them help and train other missionaries take their spots.  I am the only one in my group that has continued as a leader, but I think that I will be released this next transfer.  We will see.  President told me that he might have me train again on the next one, but he thinks that only 2 or 3 new missionaries will come.  It is all in the air, but I will do anything that the Lord asks and President Reber knows that.  Well, there is my week in an email.  I love you all, and wish you all a happy Christmas season!!!  

Love Elder Lee

Playing Soccer

Elder Grantham, Rodriguez, and I (Elder Herrera was traveling)

  Baptism of Gizele

Week 93 Letter

Monday, December 3, 2012

Hello family!!!  Well, this will have to be quick, but we had a great week.  Gizele was baptized Friday in one of the most spiritual baptismal services that I have witnessed.  It was awesome to see her there with her member and nonmember family.  She was so ready.  I had the privilege of baptizing her with the help of Elder Herrera.  Because she is paralyzed from the hips down, I carried her into the water, and well I was saying the prayer with my arm raised, Elder Herrera secured that half of her from falling into the water. Then I held her weight again and lowered her into the water and brought her up again and carried her out of the font.  It was awesome.  It made me think a lot about the way Jesus is willing to carry us if we just come to him and lay aside the things that easily beset us.  It was incredible, and then I was able to confirm her on Sunday.  All in all, it was awesome.  Also, we had a baptism of three kids in the ward that I was helping to teach.  I baptized one, Elder Rodriguez baptized the other, and Elder Willians baptized the third.  It was super cool.  The parents are preparing to be baptized as well, but they are waiting for their documents to come back so that the can get married legally.  It was also a great and full baptismal service.  All is well in Zion.  This week I am going to really work on the rest of Gizele's family and friends.  I am excited.  Well, that is about it, sorry that it was short, but it really was a good and busy week.  The zone is doing well, and this next week we are expecting that it only gets better.  I am doing a lot of splits this transfer to try and help everybody out with marking dates, teaching, and planning.  So far, so good.  Tomorrow I am going to help Elder Rodrigues teach a girl that came to church named Bruna, she is a friend of a recent convert.  It should go well.  I think that she is more ready than she thinks.  It will be really the first time that she will be taught by missionaries, and so we will teach the restoration.  Well, I love you all and send you all hugs.  Happy holidays!!!

Love, Elder Lee

PS - I did take pics, but I am not here with my camera, I will have to send them next week.  Their names are Karoline 13, Filipe 8, and Keilyane 10.

I did read the blog.  It was awesome.  I cannot wait to meet my two little brothers.  On Christmas I think that I am going to Skype, but I do not have a place yet.  It might be in the lan house here, we are good friends with the owner.

Hey dad, I wanted to wish you a happy birthday!  I know that you are probably not thrilled to be 47, but I am sure that you are still young.  I sure love you dad, and I really do look up to you.  I am thankful for everything that you have taught me.  Some of the things that you have taught me before are just now really sinking in.  Your lessons have left and continue to have a great impact on me.  Also, I am expecting a lot more lessons after the mission, because to be honest, I am scared spitless about the after mission life.  I know that I am in good hands though :)  I will have lots of questions and doubts, but I am really glad that I feel like I can tell you everything, and without fear ask for help, counsel, and advice.  I am going to need it.  Sometimes I feel spoiled that I have the perfect family, and when I try to tell people about the joy that their family can have, I perceive that they do not fully understand the meanings of these words as I do.  I really know that families can be forever, and that families can be happy here in this life.  I know this because I have been raised by goodly parents who love the Lord, and who are fully converted.  This last month I have been thinking a lot about the difference between a testimony and conversion.  A testimony is a belief or knowledge of something that is true.  Conversion is a testimony put into action and into practice.  A testimony can be received in an instant.  After one prayer somebody can receive a testimony, or in other words, a spiritual witness about any truth, be it about the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, tithing, or perhaps church attendance.  Conversion, on the other hand, is something that happens over time.  It is the changing of one's heart to submit to all things that the Father sees fit.  It is a testimony in action and a habit formed over time.  I know that my testimony has grown and been strengthened over the mission, but really, I have always had a testimony of these truths.  What has changed is my level of conversion.  I want to continue increasing my level of conversion for the rest of my life.  I think that this is what is meant by endure to the end.  To become converted to the Lord, and eventually become perfect, as he is.  Well, there is my thought for you.  I was not thinking about saying all of that in a birthday card, but I really do want to wish you a happy birthday, even though it is a little late and let you know that I love you dad.  From your grateful and proud son - Elder Lee

Week 92 Letter

Monday, November 26, 2012

Are you still there?  I just finished the essays.  I think that it is a good idea that you proof read them.  I did it on a word document.  Tell me if you can open this.  I am good, tired, but good, and ready to play soccer.  Funny how playing a sport is like resting on the mission.  It gives me a mental break.  I did not find a nativity yet, but I will be able to look today.  The weather is hot and raining.  The lowest that it gets is the high 70's.  Right now it is 12:15.  Just so that you know, my ACT test score was 27 I think.  I have not seen the blog yet, but I will look.  Are you needing anything else for the applications?  What did you think of the essays?  It has been a while...

Alright, I am going to run then.  All is well here and this week was good, although I hardly worked in my area.  I am going to do more division this transfer to help the zone.  We are needing it.  We do have a new missionary living with us.  You know him.  Do you remember Willians from Sinop, whose mission papers I helped with?  He has his call in finally, the branch was complicated, nobody knew how to send mission papers, and he is doing a transfer of a mini mission while he waits.  I never thought that I would train him to be a missionary.  It was awesome doing some splits with him.  He is super excited.  God works in mysterious ways.  It is pretty awesome all everybody is in the right place at the right time.  Well, I love you mom.  Have a great week!!!

Love, Elder Lee

Week 91 Letter

Monday, November 19, 2012

Alright, to start answering questions... the t-shirts of Brazil are going to be a little hard.  The only shirt that you can get that will say Brazil is the Brazilian soccer shirts, uniforms.  For an official, it is 200 R$, or 100 dollars in American money, but that is to get the official that is really Nike.  The thing in Brazil is that there are a lot of false shirts and it is not against the law, so I can get some false jerseys for about 30 R$ or 15 dollars each, but the sizes will be hard to find.  I can try though.  The other thing is the nativity.  I will have to go to the mall to look, but I do not have any idea where I will find one.  And I am sure that it is not cheap, but because you are buying with dollars it cuts the price in half.  I will really have to look though.  Christmas is not what it is in the states here.  In Brazil Christmas might be big, but I am in the poorest capital of the country. It is pretty sad.  I will look though.  Transfers were yesterday and I lucked out because I will stay here with Elder Herrera and the next real transfer is at the end of the year.  My week was good.  I was hardly with my companion because of a bunch of divisions and stuff but I stayed in the area and worked hard.  All is well.  Gisele, the girl who got shot is doing awesome.  She would have been baptized yesterday but her family was traveling so we marked it for this Sunday, another great reason why I stayed here this transfer.  She has read almost all of the gospel principle manual, is in 2 Nephi in the b o m, and she is reading our heritage as well.  She is loving all of it.  She is awesome.  Sadly, one of the families that I am teaching had a car accident so he could not come to church, but he is remarked to come next week and I will pass in his house a few more times this week.  All is well.  Did that answer all of your questions?  Here is a question, where are you at mom with my college applications?  SO, do you need something from me?

Love you all – Elder Lee

Week 90 Letter

Monday, November 12, 2012

Hi everyone!!!

Well, we had a good and busy week again.  We did not baptize, but we sure worked hard.  Gisele, the girl who was shot went to church and she is progressing steadily, although no sudden jumps.  She is liking it all though.  Yesterday we went to visit Aryane's family in the hospital because her grandma is sick and old and so the whole family has been there for the week and we went and paid a visit.  They really appreciated it.  Aryane's dad is really funny in his own way.  He loved that we came to visit and his first words were, hey Elder Lee, I really missed you, you piece of sh**.  When his wife insisted that he not talk like that, he excused himself by saying, hey, I really like this son of a b****.  It was really funny.  He is a really good down to earth guy.  I sure like him.  He said when all of this is over he wants to take us fishing.  He always promised that he is going to go to church a lot more when things calm down with his mom.  He loves that Aryane was baptized and that she is on a good path.  The mom is also very happy with her and with us.  A great family.  Jaiany's dad is warming up to us a lot too.  If all goes well he is going to come and play soccer with us.  I hope that he comes.  A lot of other stuff happened, but I am not remembering anything else.  It seems like the weeks blur and I cannot ever remember what was this week and what was last week or even two weeks ago.  Time on the mission does not exist.  We did meet a new family that we are going to teach.  This guy is really smart, legally married to his wife and has two smart sons who both speak English and have musical talent, which is hard to find in Brazil.  This man Silvio also has 6 different bibles, all a translation different.  We are going to really focus on the Book of Mormon.  I think that he is going to like it.  They are really active in their church, but smart people are attracted to the church because they recognize that the true church makes everything make sense.  We are going to teach them this week and maybe his older son, 18, will play soccer with us too.  We also meet two girls at church yesterday, a girlfriend of a member and her older sister.  They are 17 and 22 I think.  We are also going to teach them this week, although they are only really home on Saturday.  So, there is my week in an email.  I love you all, and I love hearing from you.  Thanks for your prayers and your love.  -Elder Lee

Week 89 Letter

Monday, November 05, 2012

Hello family!!!

Another week has flown by and this one ended on a really high note.  To start, we had a great Sunday turnout, although, as always, we were hoping for more.  We had 7 investigators at church and the other companionship in the ward, Elder Rodriquez and Grantham had 8.  It was awesome.  One of my main investigators came which was a miracle.  Her name is Gisele and she is 22 and suffered two gun shots in the back saving two lives at her work place in a robbery.  The after effect is that she is paralyzed from the hips down and cannot feeling anything in her legs or feet.  It was in the hospital that her aunt, an active member, gave her a Book of Mormon and this last week we found out about her and went to visit her.  She loved our visits and has been reading the Book of Mormon and soaking it up.  To give you an idea, in the gospel principle class I was assigned to teach last minute about obedience and the story of Nephi going to get the plates came up.  I knew that she had read it because you already explained to me Friday the whole story in amazing detail, so I asked her to tell the story to the class, which was full of investigators and some members.  She boldly told the story and all of the members, including her cousin who was with her, were amazed.  It was awesome.  I am going to teach her again Tuesday and invite her to be baptized this next Sunday.  She came with her aunt in the car and they brought a chair for her that is reclined so that she could kind of sit and laydown for the three hours of church.  She loved church.  She has an incredible attitude of everything that has been going on with her.  We transported her by picking up the chair and going from room to room for the classes.  It was awesome.  Last night I talked to her relatives and they all told me about how much she liked church and their faith that she would one day be baptized.  I think that they will be surprised to learn this week that she might be baptized so soon.  It will be fun to tell them after Tuesday if all goes well.  

The highlight of yesterday was Jaiany's baptism.  

She is the girl who I helped write a card to her dad asking for his permission to let her get baptized.  She gave the card to him Thursday and Friday received permission.  The dad really liked the card, even cried, and willing let her be baptized yesterday and even came to the baptism.  It was awesome.  Her mom and 6 year old brother Jair were also there.  It was super special.  She has been waiting 3 months to get baptized.  She was so happy.  Friday, when I found out that her dad was letting her get baptized I almost cried from joy.  One of those moments I guess when you feel like a lot of work and time and prayers were really worth it.  It was, for sure.  So, there are the highlights for you all.  It was a good week and this week I hope that it gets better.  Jaiany will be confirmed, and I am hoping to baptize Gisele.  I love you all, and wish you all a great week!!! 

Love Elder Lee

Week 88 Letter

Monday, October 29, 2012

I am doing well, but sadly the baptisms fell though yesterday in our zone.  We had a great work week, but a bunch of last second problems happened and everything fell, including some people coming to church.  Satan worked hard this week.  I did have two investigators at church, although we were expecting a lot more.  We will work for a better week this week.  Anyways, all is well.  I wish that I really only had to think in one thing, but being a zone leader sometimes seems like it is taking away my focus on where I would like it to be, with my investigators, but I cannot complain because I know that I am were God wants me to be and helping missionaries is part of my personal mission.  Thanks for your kind words and support, it really helps.  I got pics from Jackson.  It is kind of funny to think that he is in the Bahamas and I am in the middle of nowhere.  But this mission is the same.  I sure love the mission.  I am not sure that I am ready to come home.  If I asked to stay another transfer, would you mind?  I know that some other missionaries have asked and they did not let them.  Who knows though? This week I have been doing a lot of exercises so I am hoping not to come home fat.  Good thing that I am in a mission were we have to walk in burning heat every day.  I think that I sweat about 7 lbs. every day.  It has been hot these days, but then again, it is always hot.  I am use to it though.  I think coming home will be a temp shock for sure.  This week I taught an English class of a member who works at an English school.  I went with E Grantham, who has 3 months in Brazil.  They said that it was a lot easier to understand me, but I do not think that that is because my English is better.  I think that it is because I have to talk slower to translate from port to English in my head and because I say things in English the way that they should be said in port.  I think that all of you would understand E Grantham better, hahaha.  I think that I am getting better though because living with two Americans, we talk English every once in a while.  Anyways, I really do not know what else to tell you about this week.  It is getting harder and harder to remember what was this week and last week and today and yesterday.  It is all just a blur.  I love you all and thanks for the Halloween card.  It was awesome.  Here is Brazil they do not really celebrate Halloween, but as the Brazilian culture is to party, there are always some places that do a Halloween party and dance.  Have a great week!!!

Love, Elder Lee

Pictures from our last baptisms

Week 87 Letter

Monday, Oct 22, 2012

Wow, sounds like a crazy week!  I am glad that everything is okay.  My first though was how grateful that I am that God is protecting my family while I am here.  He can do more for you than I could if I were there.  His promises are real.  Ryan, I did want to say happy birthday to you!  Cangrats!  I cannot believe that you are getting so old!!!  You also look good.  You are one handsome devil and the bike looks awesome.  You will have to be trying it out when I get home, hahaha.  I bet that you ride it better than I would.  You are the man!!!  

So, this week was good.  We had two baptisms.  One was Mikael, the kid who was supposed to get baptized last Sunday but his mom and dad were not able to come so be baptized him Saturday and it was awesome because he parents came and they liked it.  We take advantage of the opportunity to talk to them and teach them.  The mom lives in Cuiaba in a different area but we will call the missionaries that work there.  The dad is a less active who has some serious problems, but I think that he felt some of the power of the atonement at his son's baptism.  Sunday we had the baptism of Gaby, a girl who I have been teaching for a while but whose mom just turned around recently to let her get baptized.  Everybody was very excited.  It was a great baptismal service, both of them with lots of people and a great and powerful spirit.  I am going to miss being a missionary and this is one of the biggest reasons.  I am going to miss the opportunity to baptize almost every week.  It is incredible to see people change and grab on whole heartedly to the gospel.  It is a joy and privilege to be a part of the great work.  My love grows more and more for God's sons and daughters.  I was talking to Elder Grantham last night and we were talking about how our perspective on life has changed. Are we humans living a spiritual experience, or are we spiritual and living a human experience.  I will try and send some pics of the baptisms for you, if this computer will let me.  I love you all and wish you all a great week.  You are all in my prayers.  

Love Elder Lee

Dad,

Wow, what an intense week.  I miss talking with you about stuff like that in the car with you dad.  I think that our talks in the car had more of an effect on me and my thinking pattern than you know and most of that is because you are my hero.  I sure love you dad, and I sure look up to you.  I know that you live a hard and busy life, but I also know that you never want to look at it like that.  You always seem to stay on the side of how blessed you are to live that hard and busy life.  I know that it was a great blessing to me.  I have learned from your example what it means to dedicate your life to the lord.  I also know of the blessings that come because I was able to enjoy many of these blessing because of your selfless service.  Thank you so much.  This week, I taught a girl who has a testimony of the Book of Mormon and the church, her mom has a testimony of the Book of Mormon and the truthfulness of the church, and they want to be baptized but the dad, who does not go to any church and is never home, will not allow the daughter to get baptized and the mom cannot because they are not married on paper.  So, I suggested to the young girl that she write a letter to her dad, explaining why she wants to be baptized and thanking him for being her dad.  She did not know what to write and was even afraid, so I suggested that I write a model for her to look at and help her.  In writing, it made me think about how hard it is to now have the dad that I have.  I know that you love me and want the best for me.  I know that you would do anything to help me.  I know that you are a wise and faithful servant to our Heavenly Father.  It really made me grateful and it made me feel a great desire to serve because of the amazing parents that I received.  I know that much is required because much was given.  Thank you dad and have a great week!  

I sure love you!

Week 86 Letter

Monday, October 15, 2012

It sounds like everybody is doing well.  I cannot imagine cold weather.  Yesterday it got up 47 degrees C, whatever that is; I think that it is well about 100 degrees F.  ( Mom insert - 47 c is 116 f )  It was a toaster.  I am used to it though.  I am going to have to go to the gym for sure after the mission because if stay the same weight sweating, imagine not sweating all of the time.  This week was good for our zone.  We are about to get into a really nice rhythm it looks like.  I am excited.  Mikael was not able to get baptized yesterday because his parents had to travel so we marked it for next week, but it looks like everything will go as planned.  My companion is Elder Herrera.  He is a tall, white, blue eyed kid which is a little different than what I am used to, lol.  He is a nice kid and we get along really well.  We hardly every talk English though.  We are excited to get a lot done this transfer.  That is about my week.  Living day by day and trying to get everything done.  I love the mission.  Next week I promise that I will send some pics to you.  I have to take some first though, ;) hahaha. I love you mom and I pray for you all.  You are the best!  Have a great day and an awesome week!!!

Love, elder Lee