Monday, May 5, 2014

Week 38: Over the sewage pipes and through the woods...

...to lunch on Wednesday we go. (Next week, when I have a computer with USB, Ill snd the picture. Basically, theres a sewage pipe that we have to walk on to get to a certain neighborhood from our house. Its legit to the max.)

Hey everybody!

Sorry if this email will be a bit gramatically bad. Elder Taveira has been complaining for 3 weeks now that were using extra money to use a better quality LAN house, so we stooped to a different, much crappier lan house. SO Im writing everything a lot slower. But this week has been super good! After Joelsons baptism, weve been focusing all of our efforts in finding new people who can be baptized this transfer (we only have 3 weeks left, and Ill likely leave Julio de Mesquita afterwards, so Im working hard.) And this week will likely be the last opportunity for me to find people to baptize here. But here are some of our new people:

Estella (new!)- Elder Taveira and I had talked to her in the past, but she had always been thinking that shed move, so we never visited again. But we found her on the street this week, and she invited us to come visit her. And she accepted a baptismal date for May 24!! She came to the last 2 hours of church yesterday and loved it, so she has a ton of potential. Shes middle aged, and her mother died recently of cancer, and her brother has cancer, so shes feeling alone. Luckily, we know that her following Christ through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end will help her feel the love of God  in her life.

Kesley and Tatiana (new!)- We also talked to this brother and sister, 18 and 19 respectively. They had some interest, and accepted a conditional baptismal date! Weve got work to do with them (specifically, for them to shape up and go to church on Sunday,) But we have hope for them!!


Other notes:

This sunday, Ill get to talk to my family! We as missionaries get 2 calls per year for our families. The last time I talked to them was during Christmas, so Im excited. Im thinking that we can do the call at about 6:00 in the evening here via Google Plus (about 4:00 in Missouri? I dont know. Talk to me, family!) But Im super stoked! :D

Since Ive had some people ask me about it (and because my family announced it,) yes, my parents are moving to Utah. No, this does not mean that Ill never visit Missouri again. When I get back from my mission, Ill be 21 years old and will have been living by myself in South America for 2 years. I think I can visit Missouri on my own ;)

Ive found a new love for pastels here. You can look it up online, but theres a super good pastel place in our area. I think that Elder Taveira and I have eaten there 5 times this week. Its freaking good.

Alright, thats it for me, folks! Ill talk to yall later! Love you!

Michael/Elder Youd

Joelson' Baptism - Michael and Joelson - Elder Youd, Elder Taviera, & Joelson and family



Joelson's Baptism with Michael and Elder Taviera


Week 37: We got Joelson!!!!!


Hey everybody!

Thats right...after 12 weeks of incredibly hard work (and 7 years before of him working with missionaries,) Joelson FINALLY was baptized this week! Due to a lack of luck, we were never even able to teach Joelson this week, although I had a few conversations with him on the phone to help him out. But on Saturday morning, he came with his family, and he finally was baptized!! I had the honor to baptize him (picture included), and the whole service was incredibly nice. And, to add to that miracle, we were worried that we would have to wait 2 or 3 weeks to do the confirmation because of Allinis work schedule. But, by a miracle (and I still dont know what that miracle was), she was able to get work off on Sunday to watch Joelson get confirmed. For me personally, this has become one of my biggest achievements on my mission until now.

I would put information about the rest of our investigators, but Elder Taveira and I are doing whats called a "house cleaning": where we basically are about to start new. The rest of our investigators are incredibly resistant, and not wanting to hear much more. After using the majority of our Saturday to remind them about church and emphasize the importance of visiting the church to know if its true (you cant know if a church is true if you dont enter it!), but unfortunately, we didnt have any investigators at church this week. So well still visit these people, but we wont put emphasis on people that dont want to. And perhaps our lack of presence will incentivise them (I think incentivise is a word? Portuguese is killing my English) to go to church. But we will find Gods elects.

And in other news, we had transfers this week. Elder Taveira and I are still here in JDM for the next 5 weeks (its a shortened transfer), but Elder Carr and Elder Baldera both left the area. We now have two ancient missionaries here- Elder Bow from California (this is his last transfer as a missionary,) and Elder Ladwig from Brazil (he has one more transfer than Elder Bow.) Theyre working a lot to learn their area, so we dont talk to them a whole lot, but from how much weve talked to them, they seem like decent enough roommates. So all in all, itll be a good transfer.

Alright, everybody! Thanks for everything! On to individual emails! (Next weeks email will be longer, I promise!) Love you all!

Elder Youd

Week 36: I have a friend that wants to enter the United States. Marriage in your church is good?

Listen to my voice recording for details. Im engaged!!! (Just kidding, but I was offered a wife this week, which was pretty awesome. Thats right, ladies. Im getting skinny and the Brazilian women recognize it.)

Hey everybody! Happy Easter!

This week has been pretty good. Weve been mostly leaving people with Easter messages to try and get them interested in the gospel, and we had a ton of success with it. (If any of you want to know what we did, we read the following scriptures and gave an explanation with it: Mosiah 3: 2,3,5,7-10; Alma 7: 9-15; 3 Nephi 11: 1-3, 6-21.) We basically found a bunch of people with it, so all was well. And again, I was offered a wife. But here is some info about our bigger investigators:

Joelson-We remarked him (again) for baptism, for this Saturday. he was super calm about it when we remarked him, and he said that he wants to get baptized. We just need to calm his (member) wife down about it. She gave about 10 excuses as to why he couldnt be baptized this Saturday, all of which we (with Joelson) worked with. But pray for him, that hell be baptized this Saturday!!!

Hilda and Placido- Theyre about done. They want us to keep on visiting them (because we are freaking charming,) but they dont want to learn much more about the gospel. We will have an all-or-nothing lesson this Wednesday, and well see what happens.


Other notes:

-Easter is actually kind of a party here. On sunday, everybody was drinking a whole ton and partying it up in JDM. I wasnt exactly expecting that. Also, they have this kinda cool tradition of a giant chocolate egg. People buy giant chocolate eggs in stores, and put presents (little trinket type stuff) inside of them. Little kids open the egg, play with the trinket, and eat the egg. Also, the ward doesnt love us a whole lot, but they did give us a lot of chocolate for Easter. Although no chocolate egg. Theyre expensive. Like, 10 or 15 dollars.

Transfers are today. Were pretty sure that Elder Carr will leave, and the rest of us will stay. And this next transfer is just 5 weeks, so well see what happens. But I wouldnt mind one more transfer here. Its a good area, with good people and no hills. What more can I ask for? A car, new clothes, an American hamburger, and a girlfriend. But life isnt perfect, so Ill just ask for an area without hills.

People are getting pretty excited for the world cup, which will start soon. I think that we are just gonna stay in our house during the games and study, because people get nuts during the games. 

Alright, thats it for me everybody! During this time of Easter, lets all remember why we celebrate. Read those scriptures listed above, and remember, Christ suffered for us, he died for us, and most importantly, that He lives, and he has given us this path to eternal life with God and with our families, through following his Gospel (faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, enduring to the end.)

Love you all!

Elder Youd