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

 

 

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

Last Transfer, New Companion, Secret to Success

Last transfer day!

I will receive a new companion, Elder M. He is in my same group so we will finish the mission at the same time in 6 weeks. It will be weird for the two of us to finish at the same time.

This week we didn’t have a baptism in our area, but we helped another area have one. There was a girl that went to church a couple of times that wanted to get baptized, but is really timid and shy. We did a split with the missionaries there, and my companion went to their house Sunday morning,  got the baptismal form singed by her dad and after church did the baptismal interview. She had a lot of questions and concerns so it lasted for an hour and a half. Later, at about 5:00 we went to her house again to talk with the family and everything, and after another hour and a half lesson/conversation she decided definitively to be baptized. We ran to the chapel, filled up the baptismal font at fast as we could (hose, buckets, and everything) and at 8:30 that night she was baptized. It was a miracle! It was really great too because it had been a while that that branch hadn´t baptized.

I’m on the last transfer, last 6 weeks. My goal is to have weekly baptisms here, and I know that with the Lord´s help I can do it!

Good luck Jamie on your mission! Go and baptize everybody!! The secret to being a good and successful missionary is just eating, sleeping, and dreaming baptisms. The Lord gives us according to our desires. So just go a little crazy and do everything you can to help a growing number of people come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Crist and his atonement, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.


As for packages. . . .just some good old American candy. I miss it. And Brazilians love it.

I love you all!
-Elder Leete

Pray for Courage to make the Right Choice

BATISMO!!!

We taught a 12 year old girl last week and invited her to church, but when we got there we didn’t see her so we thought that she didn’t go. Turns out that when we visited her on Tuesday that she was there, just got the early, even before we did! She loved the meetings and wanted to get baptized, so yesterday we baptized her! It was as simple as that! Her uncle dropped her off at church, and he is our next target to teach, but he has kind of a crazy life. Also her parents aren´t legally married, but they will want to as they go to church so I hope the future missionaries will be able to baptize everyone.

Also we are teaching the girlfriend of the branch president´s son. She wants to get baptized, just is scared of offending her mom, who is catholic. I told her about my experience with Rebecca, and maybe I’ll find some good letters Rebecca wrote me with her testimony to show to this investigator. She could be baptized at any moment, she already lives the commandments and knows everything. Our first lesson with her wasn’t even a lesson, we just asked her a few questions, figured out her situation, and read the batismal invite in Alma 7. She accepted. We challenged her to be baptized on Sunday (we were teaching her Saturday night). She almost accepted, but on Sunday she said she wanted more time to talk it over with her mom. Pray for her to have the courage to make the right choice!

I’m starting to go a little crazy, I only have 7 more weeks on my mission, and I have to baptize 7 more people to reach my goal.
I think I can do it!!! I just got to go all out and confide in the Lord that he will put the elect in my path!!

Also for the past two years the mission has had a goal to baptize 200 people in one month. This is my last full month on the mission so this is the one where we will reach our goal!!!!

I love you all!
-Elder Leete

Finding the Elect that God has put in your Path

this week we had a Miracle!!!

BATISMOOOOO!!!!!!!

on Tuesday i was doing a split with an elder in another area, and during companion study he got a call from a guy that was wondering where the chapel is located. he expressed his desire to go to church here because he had moved recently from another state where he was going every week. 

we discovered that he is living now in the area where i´m serving with elder P, so we called him later to find out more details. turned out that he has been going to church for 4 years but couldn´t be baptized because he was living with his girlfriend and was not married.

he split up with her and moved here and wanted to fufill he dream of being baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ!!!!!

we didnt even have to teach  him anything! he already knew everything! was baptized on saturday and confirmed on sunday

it really goes to show how all that we do as missionaries really isn't about how smart or how well we have memorized the scriptures, its all about finding the Elect that God has put in your path. in 4 months i worked really hard with Elder S, but didnt baptize anyone. and in this last week God just sends someone out of nowhere. thats why you cant really measure your success by how many Baptisms you have, but by how much you feel the Spirit in your day-to-day proselyting and how much you try.

I love you all! we have a a couple that is progressing but is a little scared of the baptismal commitment. pray for them.

-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

It is Just the Work of the Lord, Baptizing the Elect

This week was more hard work for us, we found a lot of people that had a good chance of being baptized, but every single one fell through.

Until Saturday morning at 10:30am

The bishop called us and said there was a young man that wanted to be baptized at the mutual activity that was going on!

We ran to the chapel to find C, a guy that has been dating a girl in the ward, apparently he has been going to church off and on for three years because his parents don’t authorize his baptism. But this week he turned 18! We didn’t even have to teach him anything, Elder A did the baptismal interview right then. He was baptized on Sunday by one of his friends in the ward.

It made me realize how a lot of times we, as missionaries, as much as we work and work every day in the end it is just the work of the Lord, baptizing the elect. Where there are humble people who listen and accept the gospel there are baptisms. We just have to find them.

Love you all, Transfers are this week but I don’t know what will happen because the secretaries haven’t called yet, but if I’m still on the computer I’ll send another email to tell you real quick.

tchau

-Eler Leete

Left to Right:  Elder A, D (member friend that did the baptism), C, and Me

Sent: Monday, August 20, 2012 8:43 AM

Subject: transfers

I’m being transferred back to Londrina!! I’m going to work in the V ward, which is the neighboring ward of where I was working last time. It will be weird, I’ll use the same chapel and everything.

love you all!

-Elder Leete

Just Miracles!

Batismo!!!

We brought two 14 year olds to church last week, and as we taught them this week with their families everyone accepted! Everyone was really excited to get baptized this Sunday!

When we showed up to walk with them to church Sunday morning everybody was super tired and sick, it seems like Satan swept in and gave everybody a nasty cold. We woke everyone up and encouraged them to go to church even though they were tired and a little sick. As official representatives of the Savior we promised them that if they went they would feel better.

We stayed at their house for like half an hour until finally all the kids piled into a member´s car that lives nearby and went to church. We promised the mom that we would come back in an hour to pick her up (she wanted to rest a a little bit more). When everyone got to church they began to feel the spirit and everyone felt better, but still were unsure about baptism.

We called in another missionary to do the baptismal interviews for everyone and the interview is always a really spiritual experience, so everyone got re-excited and the whole family got baptized! Mom,  son, and daughter (there´s three more daughters but they have less than 8 years).

They had two cousins too that wanted to get baptized but their parents wouldn’t let them, but with yesterday´s experience I think it will happen this next Sunday. And with a little more teaching with the spirit I’m sure their parents will get baptized too!

só milagres!
Just miracles!

Great week for us, but the zone hasn’t been having very much success so me and Elder A will do a bunch of splits this week to try to work in a bunch of different areas and help all of our missionaries baptize someone by the end of the transfer. It’s a lot of work, and I’m sure I’ll end up spending a ton of money on the bus, but it will be worth it if we can help all these missionaries have the baptizing experience also.

Love you all lots!
Don´t have too much fun on your summer break!

-Elder Leete

Baptism is Easy, Retention is Hard

This week was crazy! (I’m starting to discover that every week is crazy on the mission) me and Elder A did a split with another companionship that works on the other side of the city on Friday, and while I was in the other area they talked with a woman on the street, entered to teach a lesson to discover that the house had live 5 less active people living there with 2 actives that are attending another neighboring ward because their friends go there. Anyway, turns out that they have a nine-year-old Brother that hadn´t been baptized yet! He already knew everything (growing up in the church and all) so he went straight to the waters of repentance on Sunday. On Saturday we did another split with the elders of the neighboring ward where they attend, so I ended up not even teaching him, but he lives in our area so it technically counts as a baptism for me.

Anyway, at the same time we found out that 2 of their cousins that live in the other ward haven’t been baptized either, so the other missionaries ran over there, taught them everything and they were baptized too. We did all three baptisms in the same service. Was really cool, the less active members in the family are all really excited to come back to church, in the two families makes like 10 people.

Crazy stuff, we just got to work extra hard with the ward leaders so that these families get home and visiting teachers and actually get visited so that they stay active this time, I’m finding here on the mission that baptism is easy, retention is hard. And retention is completely dependent on the willingness of the ward to integrate and visit those who get baptized.

Love you all, 

-Elder Leete 

Learning a lot about Patience, Faith, & Hope

sounds like everybody is having a great time! this week was a little hard for us, we baptized everyone that we were teaching last week and so we were having a hard time finding new people to teach this week. but, one of our investigators went to church this week that we didnt even excpect would go, so i´m really happy about that.

i sent a package this last week to r and in it put a memory card with an update of all the pictures i have, so tell her to share with you when she gets it. I couldn´t remember when i sent the last memory card so i bet there is a bunch of overlap but thats okay.

love you all, lesss miracles this week, we had a lot of trials in the zone, a lot of missionaries that had baptisms that fell through, so i´ve been learning a lot about patience, faith and hope. working and working and working and even when it seems like its not working out, working and working some more

love you all!

-Elder Leete
 

Picture from baptisms last week!



me and elder c with our beautiful jumpsuits and Al and Qui on the left and the sister missionary that taught him three years ago with her husband that came to watch on the right, was a really great day

A Great Week!

This week was a great week! We had a leadership training meeting for all the zone leaders. Which is always really great and spiritual and then we spent two days travelling to some small cities that surround M to do some splits with the missionaries that are working there.

Also we had a BAPTISM!!! 

I baptized B, a grandson of a member that was really into bad things, but after he went to church for the first time he lost all desire and wanted to turn good. It has been really cool to see his spiritual growth and how his whole demeanor has changed since we started visiting him.

This week also we have been teaching an old man that studies theology, his name is A, he studies the bible every day for hours. He said that he studies so much just so that when preachers talk to him he can beat them in a bible bash. He was taught by the sister missionaries like 3 years ago but wasn´t baptized because he was smoking.

When we visited him this week and left him a Book of Mormon he started to change, he could see that we could answer all of his questions and weren´t taken off guard by his tricks. We took him to church yesterday and when we did a follow up visit to teach the plan of salvation he said "I know that all of this is true, this is the true church because it has the true, pure doctrine." When he said the closing prayer he said "Thank you for sending these missionaries, I have been waiting for them. "He had stopped smoking just a few months ago and now feels ready to be baptized. So, we are going to baptize him this weekend!

I really know that this work is guided by God, there are people here that are ready and waiting to accept the truth, we just need to find them.

I love you all, until next week!

-Elder Leete

p.s. I spent 70 reais (Brazilian money) on bus fare this week, but it went to a good cause.

Life as a Zone Leader

Answers to moms questions:

So tell us about your new companion-where is he from? 

What is your daily routine as a Zone Leader like? You liking your new area? 

Sis G’s nephew should be about done with the MTC soon so keep an eye out for Elder M (he got there in March). 

My comp is Elder C,  he was my zone leader like 8 months ago when I was in the city M! It’s really weird, he is like the Brazilian version of me. We get along really well, the only problem now is to make sure that we are always talking and focusing on the work instead of wandering and thinking about profound doctrine.

The biggest difference about being a zone leader is that you have to follow up with everyone. Lots of missionaries are really great teachers and stuff, but sometimes let a baptism fall through because they weren’t following up enough or didn’t go the extra mile to help that person. Our job is to help them think about all these things and give feedback on their work and show an example with our work in our area.

It seems like we are always on the phone.

I saw Elder M! (not in person just on paper) he is working in the "centro c" ward in Londrina. That’s a great ward I’ve heard a lot about it, it´s the ward where our mission president lives. He´s being trained by a funny American missionary that I’ve met one or two times.

That’s all my time for today! I love you all and having a great time here, I think I even forgot to say that we had a baptism last week! An older woman named E!

Love you all!

-Elder Leete

Can't Deny the Testimony of an Apostle

Baptized again this week!!! The sister of the Girl we baptized last week!

Anyway I’m out of time. I love you all! I’m doing great, working hard and trying to find a way to get all my investigators to go to conference this week. I just gotta get them in the sound of the voice of an apostle; they can’t deny the testimony of one of them!

Love you!

Tchau

-Elder Leete

Need Peanut Butter

Mon 3/19/2012 8:21 AM

 This week was a week of ups and downs. I ran out of peanut butter, but yesterday we had a

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

We have been teaching a family of four for about a month now and we baptized one of the daughters this week! Her name is H. She was a little bit shy and her parents are really serious people so it was hard for her to say she wanted to but we just scheduled the baptismal interview anyway for after church and when she came out smiling her parent’s couldn’t say that she wasn’t ready. We baptized her that night!

Gonna try to organize and backup my photos now, sorry I can’t write more I got no time.

 Love you all!

-Elder Leete

Mon 3/19/2012 8:31 AM

I’m waiting for my package! You guys got to send it soon if you want it to get here in time for me to not get transferred out of this address! Make sure it’s got peanut butter! And all that music I wanted!

Thanks!

-Elder Leete