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

Week 85 Letter

Monday, October 8, 2012

Well, this week I am really without a lot of time to write because I have got to run to the mission office in a second.  Maybe from there I will be able to write a little more.  For the meantime, here is a short message.  I loved conference and we had some investigators there and a lot of my recent baptisms.  It was awesome.  I could hardly sing called to serve in English though, but everybody around me wanted me to try.  It was fun.  I guess that it has been a while.  Transfers came through and I will stay here but a lot of things in the zone have switched up.  I think that I am excited for the changes.  It will be good.  My companion is an American from California I think.  I have never met him but I will train him to be a zone leader.  It will be good.  This week we taught a lot and had to solve a lot of problems.  Sometimes as a missionary you feel more like a social worker, psychiatrist, lawyer, marriage counselor, finance worker, and more (sorry about the spelling, I hope that that gets better with time).  It is fun to see the instant help that comes from on high in each different situation.  Anyways, for lack of time, I have to close, but I love you all, and all is well here.  Have a great week!!!

Love Elder Lee