weekly letter 25 de julho

hey all! p day again, I can´t believe how fast this is going, it seems like I blink and the week is gone. on p days we wake up and do our normal schedule of study then go to the super mufato (equivalent of Safeway) and buy food for the week. today I bought bread, bologna, and cheese for breakfast and dinner sandwiches along with milk, bananas, and crackers for snacks. I'm really glad we eat in members´ homes every day for a big lunch, otherwise I have no idea what I would eat. after shopping we head to a lan house to use the computers, its something like 1.50 USD to use the computer for an hour. 

this week has been a week of miracles in my zone, we had something like 7 baptisms yesterday and Saturday. I had my first zone conference this past Thursday which was really great, I really love my mission president, he is truly inspired.

 the lesson that we have really heard is that there are lots of people that are prepared to be baptized, who have already gone to church a few times but just nobody invited them to be baptized. these people are family members of less active members and recent converts and old investigators in the area book.

 the field is truly ready to harvest, the hard part is finding those people that are ready. because when you find a person that is ready they will accept the gospel and get baptized in a few weeks.

 me and my comp made the mistake of trying to teach people that really don't have the will to change, they like the lessons and talking about God and we have great spiritual lessons, but they don't read and they don't pray to know if these things are true, we found that if these people don't accept our challenges to read or pray, then they simply won´t progress and its a better idea just to stop visiting them.

 I'm glad I'm learning these things now early in the mission, I see a lot of people that have 10 months or a year and have very little baptisms because they made this mistake to waste time on people who don't have the will to change.

 well, that's about it for this week, have fun at the reunion everyone, you should guilt all the cousins into writing me or something :)

 tchau

-Elder Leete

Random Pictures

My two comps at the CTM

Roommates at the CTM

Brazilian district at the CTM

Me and CTM President

Brazilian Comp at CTM

American District at CTM
Me, my two comps: Elders S and B, and Instructor

July 18, 2011

looks like my email from last week didn't get sent, sorry everybody just sent it now.

the time here is really weird, it feels like I just had a p day yesterday and here I am sending another email. I still haven't quite come to realize that I'm going to be here for another 22 months, I guess that's just kind of how it goes with me, I wont get really excited until like my last transfer, then I will blink and I will be home again.

this week has been a little frustrating, we taught a lot of people and had high hopes for this past Sunday to bring a lot of people to church. it was ´domingo do amigo´ so everyone in the ward was supposed to bring a friend, but just about nobody did and of the 10ish investigators that we invited and said for sure they would come only one showed up. we even had a big ward party the night before and there were lots of investigators there, but nobody went to church. its pretty easy to get discouraged after something like this happens but right after we just went back to work and went to a baptism because my comp had to do the interview (he is the district leader). baptisms are really great, you can always feel the spirit there really strongly.

everything is going well with me, a little jealous of you guys because you get to relax and stuff. the two biggest things i miss are the ability to drive a car everywhere instead of walk and being able to just be lazy and sit around. cant really do either here. everything's all good though, it makes the time fly by.

hope everyone is enjoying their summer vacation! Love you all!

 -Elder Leete

2 pictures at the ward party (was a traditional caipira -cowboy- theme). one of me and my comp Elder F and one of the zone leaders elder f and elder l





July 11, 2011

hi everybody! seems like everyone is doing all right, enjoying the summer. 

the weather here is the most annoying thing ever here, last week was freezing and rainy but the last few days have been incredibly hot and sunny. I'm not excited for when the summer comes and it will be even hotter and more humid than this. 

other than that everything is good with me, we have a couple of families we are teaching that seem really excited about the gospel who we are hopeful to baptize. I've learned that the hardest thing is to get people to come to church! you can really tell between the investigators that are really interested or not by who goes to church.

I don't know what else to say, was cool to hear your missionary story, here we get lunch every day from a member, and barely enough allowance from the mission to buy stuff for breakfast and dinner, but i never am hungry really, because the lunches are quite substantial. I love the food here, I probably will get tired of rice and beans in a year or so, but as of now I'm loving it.

I gave my first talk in sacrament meeting yesterday, was a little scary but was good.

gonna attach some more fotos (oops i meant photos)

love you all

Elder Leete

Kevin's Missionary Scripture

Docrine and Covenants 100:5-8
5 Therefore, verily I say unto you, lift up your voices unto this people; speak the thoughts that I shall put into your hearts, and you shall not be confounded before men;

6 For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say.

7 But a commandment I give unto you, that ye shall declare whatsoever thing ye declare in my name, in solemnity of heart, in the spirit of meekness, in all things.

8 And I give unto you this promise, that inasmuch as ye do this the Holy Ghost shall be shed forth in bearing record unto all things whatsoever ye shall say.

In the Mission Field

this  past  week has been crazy! last Tuesday I woke up early to  go to the airport and travelled alone to the mission. when i got to the Londrina airport I was welcomed by president and sister t and the APs. I spent the morning in the mission office being oriented and waiting for my trainer elder F. Elder F  is awesome! we chatted a little (in  Portuguese only, he doesn't speak English ) and went out to do contacts on the street.  I'm  still not used to doing contacts, it feels weird to me to just walk up to someone and start sharing the gospel. I'm getting over it though.  I find that I am able to speak the language well,  just as well as anyone here that has been out for six months already so it is a real blessing to me. I am already able to teach full lessons. the hard part is listening,  every person has a different accent and uses a lot of slang and stuff.

after a few hours we took a bus to my first area in the city of M  my area is the Centro c B area. the area I'm in is a lot like Oregon, is very green but just has different types of plants and trees. its in the middle of winter now, and like Oregon in the middle of winter it rains a lot.  it has rained every day since I've been here, and since I'm out walking in it all day I've had a cold for like the past five days. lots of coughing and sneezing but its all good. my area  is in the poorer parts outside the city, most of it is paved. the poorest part in my area, T, is a completely red clay dirt and like two room brick or wood houses. because of the rain, this area turned in to mud and I think dyed my shoes a little red. but its all good, my shoes always kept my feet dry.

the best proselyting is in the t area because everyone is really humble and has an honest desire to come closer to Christ. in most of my  area   (and in  all of brazil outside the major cities) you can walk up to anyone and ask if they would like us to come by their house later and share a message about Christ and 80%  will say yes.  this people truly are something special and the field is truly white ready to harvest.

in my  house live  6  missionaries. me, Elder F,  Elders B  and  Fr and Elders C and F. Elder C is finishing his mission today and either Elder B or elder F are going to get transferred tomorrow. They are all great guys and excellent missionaries, Elders c and F are the zone leaders and  my comp elder f is the district leader.  the work is really tiring here, walking all day , every day nonstop. the food is either delicious or nothing, we have lunch in a different member´s  home every day  and usually we don t eat much more than crackers or a sandwich  for breakfast and dinner.

 I Had my first Baptism yesterday! a woman that elder f and his past companions were teaching got baptized  she thought it would be cool  to have an American do it so I did. I only taught her once or twice this  past week but it was cool. we have a couple more investigators lined up for the next couple of weeks so I'm excited

the  work is great! just really tiring! but I'm safe  and have a great trainer so I think we are going to really do some great things in the area that hasn't had much success in the past few months

I love you  all!   good luck with your summers! just remember your poor freezing missionary  down here in the winter!

-Elder Leete

the attached foto is of me, Elder F (left) and I Q(middle) a guy  from the city that was serving a mini-mission to fill the spot of Elder F´s old companion who went  home early. Elder F has had three companions in the past month so he is glad to have me arrive and be more  permanent.
 
PS here all mail  goes through the mission home in Londrina which is an hour away and so  we only get it like once a month or less when the zone leaders have to g o there for meetings so expect a long delay