Week 19

Monday, April 16, 2018

Hey FamLee!!! I sure miss you all but this week was a great and strectching week. I have learned to really appreciate trials. And the other night I heard my companion praying for more so now I’m buckling up. Haha he is a great elder who is ready to work and I’m excited to see what we can do together.  But quick update; we will stay in this area most likely until June 19thtogether. So I will leave with at least 6 months in my first and only area. It will really be sooooo hard to leave. I think I will cry. I didn’t cry when I left the states cause I was excited and knew I’d come home to you guys. But leaving here is sooo different. You don’t know what will happen to these people and just thinking about it makes me sick. But I have much more time here thankfully. 

This week we had stake conference and it was great. I am at the point where when we talk about the gospel I don’t have to think in English and then translate. I think in Portuguese first and then translate. Also This week we did a Zone conference call on the phone and I dropped my planner down a deep whole and was trying to get it out when they said that Elder Lee will now give a 10 minute training on true conversion.... haha a bit stressful and longest ten minutes ever. But it was good. 

My son (companion) is a wonderful elder from Utah and is going to be such a great missionary. I was really worried because teaching how to work is a lot harder than teaching language. But Todo via dar certo. Nothing crazy happened this week but it was long and short at the same time. We are learning to play the guitar together for a few minutes a night to relax and calm down. We play hymns for our investigators to start lessons. It was neat because one lesson we had a lady cry. (I’m hoping it was because of the sprit and not my playing...) But my comp sings really, really well. Anyways, you’ll hear more next week. And pics will arrive in half hour because I have to go back to the church for my camera. But I love you and miss you all! Keep up the great work!

I really love all the pics you send. I know it’s hard and takes time but it really makes my day. Thank you soooo much!!!!

This week was hard but in the good kind of way. We are going to travel out of my city for 3 days which is hard because I can’t work with my people but it will be good. We will return Saturday and work our guts out to fit everything in. But I’m excited. 

Week 18

Monday, April 9, 2018

So this was the first week of training another missionary and being district leader.... It could have definitely gone a lot smoother you know...

But challenges are all really just opportunities to grow. And if the rest of the next few transfers go like this last week I will grow a lot... like a lot a lot. 

Tuesday I picked up my comp and traveled back to my city. My phone broke 2 weeks ago but the mission said they would have a new one for me waiting when I came to the mission home. Yeah they didn’t have it. So I returned to my city late at night unable to call a member for a ride and it was pouring rain. So we walked to our house with his two suitcases. Then we finally got back to our house. As district leader I am responsible for talking to everyone in the district to get the numbers and then talk to the zone leaders and pass all the numbers and do a small update report on the other missionaries. But with a broken phone it makes that a bit more difficult. I also lost all my contacts and didn’t have my members or investigators numbers. Finding lunch this week was ruff because a lot of people just started giving us lunch which is good but I have no idea where they live and I can’t call and get directions or even to comfirm... So that was hard. But then I cut my foot Saturday and had to play futebol today of course so that was also fun. And my comp doesn’t speak anything yet so I have to always be paying attention to everything and it at times is a bit tuff. But this week will be better.

Tomorrow we will travel to the office and pick up my phone finally. This next Sunday we have a steak conference 3 hours away that I’m really excited for. The steak president told me I might have to speak so that might be rough. I don’t think I will end up having to though. And I really love the members here. I don’t know how I will leave them. And I especially love my investigators. There are those who I know I won’t baptize but it’s so hard knowing that I won’t see them make the commitments and covenants. But I have faith that other missionaries will come and help out. 

Fun things that happened this week was getting lost in the sister’s rea when trying to do a baptism interview for them.... I also bought a guitar and play a little at night to release stress. Haha it’s like the Latin lover version so it’s fun. I play while my comp tells a story ad it’s a blast. Good old comp bonding. But I love you all so much and hope that everything is going well. Spiritual thought of the week... Either 12:27

Keep being amazing!!!

Week 17

Monday, April 2, 2018

So Today I officially ended my training... And because of that my comp and I will separate. He will move to Vitoria the capital and be the assistant to the pres. I will stay here and train another missionary and be the district leader as well. Things are happening really fast and it will be soooo crazy. But pray for me to not die from stress. 

General conference was crazy awesome! I watched it in Portuguese of course so it was a different kind of spirit. But I look forward to getting the magazine and reading it all over again. But real quick I want to add my testimony that we really do have a living prophet. Richard G Scott said in the past that the most important part of General conference is not during the actual conference itself but after. This is because that is when we have the opportunity to show and demonstrate what we learned and how we will grow. 

I love and miss you all tons! I hope you all had a wonder Easter and remember that the most important day in history is the day the savior atoned for all mankind. I love how we have the opportunity to celebrate his resurrection and triumph over both Sin and death. Stay strong and continue to be the wonderful leaders you are! 

Haha highlight of the week was receiving a call from an older member who lived in the USA for a few years. She surprised us with Cereal, Peanut butter, and hot dogs, mustard and ketchup. Haha I really love the members here. We also went out for ice cream as a district to celebrate the baptisms that we had this transfer. All in all it was an amazing week as usual!

Com muito amor,

Week 16

Monday, March 26, 2018

Hey family another great and crazy week on the mission... (sorry, I need to work on a better opening line then that..) But the mission is treating me better than I deserve. This week we lost out on a few days of working due to a conference that we had. But it was amazing to be spiritually fed by our leaders in the mission and get a chance to re-focus on our purpose. It was a little scary because President said mine and my companions name and We didn’t know what he would say... but luckily it was all good things. The area is hard but I love it. I will truly feel a deep sorrow to leave. We have transfers this next week but I think I’ll stay and my comp will leave. Training is over and now I have to be a big boy. I’m interested and a bit worried to see what happens next. But at times like this is always great to remember that we are on the team of the lord and he has already won. 

The focus on our meeting with president was obedience. It was a humbling experience that reminded me no matter how good we think we are doing there is always ways that we can improve and grow closer to our Savior. I’m so grateful for the chance that we have serve missions. It feels like cheating because we make it sound like we are giving up everything and yet it is us that gets so blessed. I know that I have so many things to work on. 

I love and miss you all tons but am so grateful that I can stay here. There are days that I miss Walmart and dryers and laundry machines... But then I remember why I’m here. Continue to be a great example to me and the rest of the world!

This week we ate pizza for the first time!!! Haha and my comps mom sent him a giant recess and gross jelly beans. Being the person who I am, I accepted my comp’s challenge to eat 15 at once... Haha it was rough... And the shirt is my Not Today Satan shirt form Zeke ;

Com muito amor.

Elder Lee

Week 15

Monday, March 18, 2018

So this week was crazy. We´ve been having a lot of problems with people and have cut nearly all of our investigators. We also did splits with our zone leaders so that was a great time to have nobody... haha but it worked out because we had interviews for baptism with Leonardo and his 11 year old son. Their date was supposed to be this next up-coming Sunday but that didn’t exactly happen...

We have a zone conference for two days this week and we were worried what might happen to Leo and Danyel while we were gone. So Friday night we went to their house and taught them and straight up told them that we were planning on changing their date to the next day. The spirit in that lesson was so strong! And the ended unaccepting so we left and went to the church to clean the font and prepare. We called everyone that we could think of to invite them. I stayed up all night making cookies and jello for the refreshments and the next day we were all set... sort of...

It rained so hard all day almost. And when it rains in the rain forest... it rains... So we were worried cause nobody has cars and when it rains nobody does anything here. But what felt like hours later it stopped an hour before and there was such a beautiful rainbow. Talk about looking for rainbows after rain. But then we ran into another problem...

The son according to Leo wasn't ready and he wasn’t going to let him get baptized. So we rushed over to their house and talked him into it again. So it was crazy hectic before but ended up working out. I know the spirit is so strong because even when I sang a solo it didn’t go away. My comp and I also played a duet version of I like to look for rainbows that I wrote. All and all it was really great! Bu the work continues and we have to almost start over finding people. 

This next week will be cray to but I’ve learned to love it. I miss you all so much and hope that all is going well for you. Continue being lights and examples to the world. I love you famlee!!!

I will send pics with another email as well ;)

Mom,

Okay I will write you a letter real quick...

I’m doing well here. Health is back to normal and we are working hard. I have a conference tomorrow three hours away so ill travel tomorrow and return Wednesday night. We have two more weeks before transfers and I have no idea what will happen so stayed tuned... But this week was good. I’ll give more me the famlee letter with pics. But I have a song for you to listen to that will make you cry... I heard it in the road cause everyone here plays American music... it’s called 93 million miles away... haha imp sure you can already tell what it’s going to be like. But this week we baptized Leonardo and Danyel. Leo is the dad of 11 year old Danyel. Just for the record. Their date was next week but because we are leaving we didn’t want Satan to mess them up and he might drink coffee. Sorry that doesn’t make sense I think but I can’t figure it out. I am really missing my cute nephews and nieces. Shauna and her little family are really growing up. And it’s so weird to me that I have Evan whom I’ve never met yet. But I love you tons and hope you get a chance to read this and the family letter. Don’t worry it will fly by and I’ll be talking to you again next week. Read the family letter! Love you tons!!!

Elder Lee

Week 14

Week 13

So,

Josh didn't write an actual family letter this week.  He emailed back and forth with me for about 30 minutes.  He had a rough week.  He was in the hospital for a day with some parasite related problems that would be just too yuck to post.  Those of you with experience of being sick from drinking contaminated water know what I am talking about.  Anyway, he hung in there and is doing better and he was able to spend some time with his investigators.  He is hoping to continue to restore his good health and to get back at it 24/7.  I look forward to his next email and hope to hear better news.  He loves Brazil despite his trouble and loves his mission.