Sharing Living Bread and Water

Crongrats to Micah! it´s weird to think that this stuff actually happens, you always think its waayyy in the future. to think that my mission will end in five more months is reeeaaalllly strange. 

Tell D to go on a mission. If he doesn’t he will regret it for eternity, and the people that he could have baptized will suffer in spiritual hunger so much longer.

The most saddening thing are the faithful of the great and abominable church, they just want more than anything to have a relationship with God and have the comfort of the Holy Ghost but they are completely blinded by false traditions that don’t and can't satiate the desire. 

It´s like watching a homeless person thrown in a ditch on the side of the street trying to suck on rocks to try to get some sort of nourishment as he slowly becomes thinner and sicker.

There is no greater feeling than to help that honest, good person out of the ditch and give him water to drink and bread to eat.  See the light in his eye when he learns that he has a loving Heavenly Father that hears and answers prayers.

There is also no worse feeling then when you stretch out your hand and try to pull the guy out of the ditch but he just doesn’t want to leave, and even calls you a liar or tries to shove his saliva-covered rock he´s been sucking on down your throat. In that case, you just got to give up and try to help the next one.

I love the Savior for having given me the truth, now I have to help others too.

Love you all,

 

-Elder Leete

Owls and Christmas Cakes

You got my pictures? Cool. These type of owls live everywhere here in Paraná (the name of the state where I’m in) they are those kinds of owls that live in burrows in the ground.

I remember Owls in the family, I loved those stories! I remember that dad would read it to us in the living room on Sunday afternoons. Also he made us read a little when his voice got tired. I think it’s one of the reasons that everyone in the family grew up to love to read.  It´s interesting here in Brazil, books are expensive so people rarely read.  When people don’t have a habit of reading society as a whole decays. The only book people read here is the bible. And in the bible they only read psalms and proverbs.

I’m gonna Skype you guys at 5pm my time. Thank you for preparing questions, I feel awkward when I have nothing to say.

This Sunday a bunch of members gave us Christmas cakes and candy, I've gained about 3 kilos in this area so far, it´s what I get for serving in a richer ward.

We have 3 couples here that we are helping to get married. One is a couple that me and Elder P found 1 year ago and baptized their two daughters. Another is one we baptized the two kids two weeks ago. The last is a couple that we have been working with for like three months, R and C. C finished reading the Book of Mormon recently! But also hasn’t stopped smoking. . .

I like it here in Londrina, the only annoying thing is that when missionaries are sick or there is an emergency transfer they always sleep in our house or president makes them work in a trio with us. Teaching in a trio is really annoying. But it’s also good so that me and Elder P don’t get tired of each other. At the end of this transfer it will be 6 months that we worked together. Or one fourth of our missions. It’s weird to think about. Also weird to think about is that this will be my last call home! For mother’s day i can talk to you all in person  

Love you all!

-Elder Leete

Only 3 More Transfers

Hello everyone!

One more transfer passes by and it doesn’t even feel like the time is passing. I only have three more transfers, or 4 1/2 more months. I’m starting to go a little crazy here in the Londrina 3rd Ward, the members are really great and everything but the area is being difficult to find really interested people. 90% of all our investigators are people that  have moved recently into the neighborhood from another city or from the farms in the countryside, people that aren´t the old Catholics that have been living in the same houses for the past 30 years.

At the end of this transfer I will have spent 6 months in this area, and 6 months with elder P (3 one year ago and 3 now).

I like it here in Londrina, the city is really nice, I wouldn’t even mind living here, but America is way better so I won’t.

We have 3 couples that we are trying to marry, so that means 6 baptisms after about a month if everything goes right.

I´m happy and working hard,

-Elder Leete

BATISMO!

Sounds crazy. . . Jennifer Graduating already! I only finished my freshman year. . .

but I've got some good news for everyone. . .

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

Finally we were blessed with a baptism here in  3rd ward! After 4 months of not having any success.

my first week here me and Elder S talked with a man on the street, he had just got back from work so he was really tired so we marked another day to come back, and when we went back he wasn't at home. a week or two later we knocked on his door again and found him and his wife at home, we taught them the first lesson and they even accepted to be baptized when they receive an answer to their prayers that Joseph Smith was a prophet.

We returned for a follow up lesson and they lost interest, didn't read the book of Mormon, and said that they were going to another church so didn't want to learn more.

About a month later me and Elder S met  the wife on the street and she said that her husband got sent to jail. We invited her to go to church so that God could help them resolve their problems. It was funny, we kept on seeing her in the street over the next two months or so and we kept inviting her to go to church. Finally, one Saturday night we were walking in front of her house and we saw her in the yard and invited her one more time to go to church. she said that she was praying so that she could find a lawyer to turn in some documents so that her husband could be released from jail and we said that if went to church we would introduce her to a lawyer in the ward.

So she went the next day and we introduced her to the lawyer, he couldn't really help, just point her in the right direction and give her some tips, and when she started to pay attention to the meetings she felt the spirit really strongly and wanted to always come back.

We then started teaching her and two of her kids, and a member family close by started to bring them to the church during the week to play soccer and volleyball, and the two kids started to really want to be baptized! But, only when her husband could watch, which means that he would have to get let out of jail.

Through a lot of prayer and reading of the scriptures the whole family developed more faith and after a few weeks, (this week) he got released!!

We baptized the two kids, and when the parents get married legally they can get baptized too!

só milagres!!!!

I’m very grateful for the Lord having helped us and that everything could go well for the kids to be baptized this week.

I love you all
-Elder Leete

Time Ticks By

The time ticks by, and Christmas doesn't seem like it will come this year, it just gets hotter and hotter. Hardly believe that I've spent the whole year of 2012 in a foreign country preaching the gospel. I’m also excited to have my LAST skype call with you all on Christmas! I’ll be home probably before next mother´s day!

The mission passes by way faster than I imagined it would. But I've got lots of people to baptize still!!!

-Elder Leete!