Welcome Home Elder Leete!

 

The last dot is filled in.



Waiting at the airport



Looks like another Elder is also coming home- turns out he was also in Brazil.



Here he comes!
He met up with Elder Bender in route home.  They were companions in the CTM, but served in different missions.



First Hug is with Mom



Greeting the sisters



Strong Brazilian accent



Souvenirs are handed out on the ride home: Earrings



and nut rings.

 



Home Sweet Home

 

All the Leete Kids together again.

 

Very Happy and Proud Parents.

Coming Home

see you guys thursday.

-Elder Leete

Still Working Hard

hahah definitely was a trunky letter. (yes, his mom is a little trunky writing about plans for when he comes home.) But don’t worry, I’m working hard. We baptized 2 more this week, real miracles; I’m lazy to write what happened, so I’ll tell you in person here in two weeks. haha :)    

BELÉM!!!!

parabéns!!!!! She  is going to baptize a LOT. It’s one of the most baptizing missions in Brazil!!!! (Kevin's cousin Erica got her mission call to Belem Brazil and will report to the CTM on Sept 4)

Have a great week everyone, this is my last week of real missionary work, all next week I will spend traveling.

I love you ALL!
-Elder Leete

Miracles like Skittles

This week was crazy, but good. We went to various small cities where missionaries never went before, one old man was baptized in the sister´s area (president doesn’t let the sisters travel to other cities) that we taught. He had already gone to church several times, we just had to teach him the lessons and challenge him to be baptized.

Also, in another city, there is a family of a missionary that is serving in northern Brazil. The family wants to get baptized, but they don’t have any way to get to church on Sunday. It’s a poor little city, and the bus is expensive. It’s also like an hour away from Apucarana (where I am, the closest city that has the church). I’ll just have to ask the district president to try to rent a van or get some member to bring these people church

But also we had 3 BAPTISMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The girl that me and Elder Hoskin baptized brought three of her friends to church last week, so we taught them all the week and two of them got baptized on Saturday after watching conference!!!

Also, there is a young man that came to church with his uncle, his sister and brother are baptized already, so we taught him everything and he was baptized on Sunday! (He originally was gonna get baptized last week but his mom wouldn´t be able to watch so he wanted to wait till this week)

God is pouring out the miracles; the hard part is working hard enough to try to catch them all!! It makes me remember an old skittles commercial that it starts to rain skittles and everybody is trying to run around and catch them in their hands. It’s kind of like that. I’m tired but happy.

I love you all!

 

-Elder Leete

 

 

Easter Candy, Suits, and Shoes

Feliz Páscoa!!

Seems like everything rolling along well at home. you should defiantly baptize that Japanese family that moved in. when a person moves they are way more acceptable to the gospel, they need new friends and stuff so you should invite them for family nights with other families that have children their age and let the elders leave the message of the restoration. Suggest that you give them a ride to church and accompany them in the classes. They will feel the spirit and want to be baptized.

I got the Easter package, I’m living with 2 Brazilians and an Uruguayan who all love peanut butter and the starburst jellybeans are the best candy I’ve eaten in 2 years. You just can’t beat American candy.

We had my last zone conference this week, yes that’s my new suit. My suits are still in goodish conditions, I think I’ll give one to a recent convert in Londrina if it fits him. My shoes I’ll leave here because they are still in good condition, except for the ones that I used before the mission which the soles are all destroyed. With a shine they still look good so ill return home with those.

How old is Alyson? How can she be getting married? I still think of her as like being 13.

requests to return home? Give the motorcycle a tune up and make a list of all the cool movies that have come out in the last two years. And get me a job. I feel like I’ve just been bumming off you guys my whole life I want to feel useful now.

I love you all!!! Only 4 more weeks!

-Elder Leete

Baptism, Easter, and Itinerario

it’s a very musical time of year now it seems. . .

that’s great that everyone is being so musical, it makes a difference in society as a whole, brazil isn’t very musical. . .every once in a while there won’t be anyone in the ward that plays piano so we sing a capella in sacrament meeting. It took some getting used to.

But that’s okay because we had a BATISMO!!!!!

The grandmother of the girl we baptized a few weeks ago was baptized and confirmed! Also Elder Petersen called me (he is president´s assistant now) and said that an older couple that we found and taught in Londrina third ward a few months ago was baptized too. That made me really happy.

i can really see the hand of the Lord in the every baptismal story, everyone gets baptized exactly when they open up their heart to accept the Lord´s will and not theirs. That couple i taught with Elder Petersen in the Londrina 3rd ward probably have been attending church for the last three months and when they had a spiritual experience, when the time was right, they made the right choice.

Well, I finally got my itinerary; I’m going from Londrina to Sao Paulo to Atlanta to Portland. It will be from 2 in the afternoon on Wednesday 24th of April to 12pm on Thursday the 25th, just lots of flying and layovers. que locura!

That’s okay that I’m signed up just for fall, I just don’t want to sit around doing nothing so if you guys could ask around the ward and stake to try to get me a job that will be nice.

Easter in Brazil is similar to that in the states, but the hunt for real eggs instead of chocolate eggs and only for like organized activities in elementary schools and stuff, never in house. But, the big thing that everyone does is buys really big, expensive hollow chocolate eggs with other chocolates inside. Every supermarket will have a ton hanging on racks from the ceiling to cover all the aisles. Look it up on google you will see the pictures.

I don’t have the courage to buy these eggs, they are always way overpriced.

Speaking of buying stuff, this week I gave in and bought a suit. It was expensive, so that means no more souvenirs for me. But it is good quality so I hope it lasts a long time. I also hope that I didn’t overcharge the card. But, at least I’ll come home looking pretty.

I love you all; I’m working hard as always!

-Elder Leete

Exciting things Happening!

New Rule that came from the missionary department from salt lake!!!!

I CAN WRITE AND RECIEVE EMAILS FROM ANYONE!!!!!! so hurry!! WRITE ME!!!

(If you want his email address, let me know- A. Leete)

 

some exciting things are happening on the mission, we recieve like 15 new americans who finally got their vistas, and like all of them and their trainers spent the week here in apucarana sleeping on the floor in the missionaries´ houses because they had to stay close to londrina to be registered with the Federal police and there was no space in londrina. so that was a big mess that me and my comp had to coordinate.

the mission is getting pretty big, we have 190 missionaries right now, some new cities are going to be opened, which is really cool. Elder Millet (who is the nephew or something of bishop Goodfellow) is going to open up a new city with his trainee (he slept on the floor in my house this week so it was cool to talk about the good old northwest).

no, saint patricks day doesnt exist in brazil.

i feel like i´m more homesick of my country than my family. (sorry family) i miss american houses and streets and cheap prices  in department stores and a bunch of little stuff like that. but when i get home i´ll miss the food here a lot.

anyway, thats about it. it´s weird, i dont feel like its my last transfer

but that is good, it means i´m not trunky
i love you all!
-Elder Leete