August 29, 2011- Still Growing and Happy

hi all!

 once again, its really weird to think everybody is going back to school but im not, im working hard here, we have a couple of candidates for baptism which i hope will happen in the month of September sometime.

i've been on the mission for just about 4 months, which means my mission is 1/6th over, it makes me sad, i'm running out of time to save these souls!

i don't really know what to say more, the work goes on, i'm sunburned and bug-bitten but really happy. i've grown more in the last four months than i thought i could, and i'm growing more and more every day, every time i bear my testimony every day. (which is quite a lot)

i'm praying for you all, and i know you are praying for me.

eu amo vocês

-Elder Leete

P.S. make sure you figure out all the import/export laws of brazil before you send my package, an elder in my district has had to shell out like 200$ worth of fines in the past. make sure you use the us postal service, i heard sending stuff in the pre-sized one price for whatever you can fit in the box is the best

August 22, 2011 New Companion

wow, its already halfway through august, the time is flying really fast.

my new companion Elder P is really cool, not crazy like Elder F but its a nice break. there is also a big difference in accents, he is from the northeast so he pronounces all his "s"s like "sh" and "r"s like "h". its interesting and only leads to confusion every once in a while

we have been working hard to find new investigators, at the start of this new transfer we cut all of the old ones that were not keeping commitments to read and pray about the Book of Mormon and who weren't going to church so we have to start all over again. its sad to see how people can be disinterested in the single most important message they can ever hear, but if they aren't reading and praying or going to church they will never receive a testimony from God and will never get baptized so we just have to find someone else.

it also is really hard when members don't give us references! so as a present to me, I want EVERYONE who reads this letter to write down the name and address of a friend who you would like to see in the celestial kingdom and GIVE IT TO THE MISSIONARIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! DO IT!!!!!! you will never ever ever regret it!!!!! us missionaries are wasting our time and your money when we have nobody to teach. there is nothing more frustrating than trying to find people in the street or knocking on doors, it is about half a step up from laying in bed dreaming of teaching lessons to people who really want it

 well that's my little rant for the week, we have one investigator that is progressing and has hope of baptism, we just need to get her to church on Sunday.

all is well here, sickness went away by Tuesday now I just need to remember to not eat fish from Paraguay

love you all!

-Elder Leete

August 15, 2011

another week gone by, everything's going good, we found some more people who really appear like they are ready to hear the gospel.

I would be really jealous but right now I can't even think about going on rollercoasters, I spent last night throwing up and today I'm really happy it is p day so I can sleep. don't worry, its probably just a combination of eating weird things yesterday and not drinking enough water. The weather here really stinks, its winter and its like 90 degrees all the time. walking around all day every day in this heat really gets you. but when it rains here it gets really cold, last week it got down to 30 because it rained for like three days straight, and houses in brazil are built to have just about as much protection from the heat and cold as a cardboard box. last week I was under my one blanket that I have wearing two pairs of pants and my winter coat shivering , and this week I've been sleeping with the fan on full blast with maybe a sheet.

but that's the life here, ill get used to the heat eventually, hopefully before summer rolls around. . .

this week was the last week of the transfer and tomorrow I'm getting a new Brazilian companion, Elder P. I'm staying here in M  and Elder F is getting sent to F  to be a zone leader

that's about it for me, i'm going to go back to the house and sleep now

-Elder Leete

fotos dessa semana

me and elder f in flamengo (meu time de futebol) jerseys. I look ridiculously skinny in this picture I don't know why

a puppy that wandered into our house Saturday night, we found him sleeping on elder f´s backpack in our study room. we named him Poopinho, the old guy that owns the house took him, I hope he´s not dead

August 8, 2011

this week makes six weeks in the field, wow that went fast

 

since I arrived one week early for transfers this means that this week is the last week of the transfer, so me and Elder F have to work really hard to get another baptism before he gets transferred out of the area (this was his third transfer here so he is probably going to get moved)

 

this past week we saw some crazy stuff, people praying for an answer if they should listen to us then immediately opening up the bible and opening to a random scripture and having it fit exactly with our message and responding to their question. this happened with two different people this past week, and now we just got to get them to pray and have faith to follow their response. but the absolute hardest thing is to get people to go to church! everybody has an excuse! its really frustrating

 

my testimony is strengthened every day, I absolutely know that this church is true. there is no other explanation for, well, EVERYTHING!

love you all!

-Elder Leete

 

photos for today:

 Elder F in his snazzy white baptism outfit. he found the pants in the house we live in and he sewed them to fit him. beware my sisters: he is finishing the mission in November and i gave him permission already to go to the states and try to marry one of you

 

Me and Elder F and L who we baptized last week

 

our "mesa de estudo" i bet you can guess which part is mine

 

Aug 1, 2011

BATISMO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

the beginning of this past week we didn't have anyone to baptize, but trusting in the training we got in our zone conference the week before we set out to see a miracle happen. on Tuesday, we were talking to a couple of girls that my companion Elder F baptized last month, and while we were talking their brother appeared. jokingly, we asked if he was excited to get baptized this weekend, he is shy so he kind of laughed it off then their mother appeared, (she is not a member) and we told her that he is going to be baptized this Saturday, and she said "that's wonderful! you are the only one of my kids that are not baptized yet! and its your birthday this week too what a great present to get!" after this we turned to him and asked if he was gonna get baptized this Saturday and he said yes! MILAGRE!!

this week we spent teaching him and he really is one of the elect, no problems with any of the commandments and really understands well the savior´s role in our lives, and notwithstanding his shyness  he was excited to be baptized and get integrated in the young men's program (he is 17)

this week was another crazy week for the mission as a whole, the goal this month was to baptize more people than the mission ever has in a single month, and we accomplished it! 150 baptisms! 2 of them were me and Elder F´s!

that is really all that happened this week, we have been working in a slightly richer neighborhood this week so lessons are harder to teach. that's okay though.

  

Love you all! have a great reunion! say hi to all the extended family for me

-Elder Leete

 p.s. I forgot my camera cord, you guys will get a picture of the baptism next week