Week 71

Monday, April 22, 2019

This week we had a lot of fun and met a lot of great people. Highlight was Easter Sunday! I got to give a talk with my old Trainer elder Satre and it was tons of fun to coordinate with him and get prepped. I taught in a story like manner reflecting on the life of the Savior and his true mission and purpose. I tried to imagine how Elder Holland would give the talk. It’s funny cause here people don’t know how the prophet and apostles sound because the all the videos are dubbed over into Portuguese. But here in Brazil the Catholic Church treats Friday before (when Christ died) as a bigger holiday. I’ve had the chance to boldly proclaim and teach that we choose rather to remember the success and victory that could only be won by Christ in the atonement and especially the resurrection. Satan has tried really hard to commercialize the holiday and distract its true and original purpose. But we get to sucker punch him in the face when we remain focused on its pure and simple meaning. Christ lives and rose from the dead so that we may do the same. 

This next week is stake conference and so we will wait until next week to baptize a few of our youth. But we are excited to help Erik and his older brother Gabriel be baptized. They are two young brothers who have cousins and a grandmother who are members. We have been trying to strengthen the young men’s quorum. 

Sunday I turned 20 and left being a teenager. Ha-ha I'm super grateful for all the time I had to spend with you guys! Thank you all for being wonderful influences on me and helping me grow. Ha-ha ill still need plenty of help growing up don’t worry. It was funny because I didn’t tell anyone that it was my bday and my trainer who I live with told bishop and he announced it in sacrament meeting and all the sisters in the ward got mad at me for not telling. We had a family home evening with one family who made me a cake and we taught their nonmember relatives. Sunday was an awesome day of work. We were tired as heck but God really made up for it in the blessings he sent. 

Over all I Love you all tons and hope you all had a great Easter and have a wonderful safe week!!! 

Elder Lee

Week 70

Monday, April 15, 2019

So not a lot to report this week. As every missionary knows you get to a point when you need to find new people and knock doors all day every day to get a new base. That was this week for us. We had only a few people progressing and had to replenish our supply of families to teach. So this week we went crazy finding new people. It’s not always the most fun work but a process essential. 

God knows everything and it is amazing and fun to see how he lets his work precede. We did a contact with a woman who gave us her info and we made an appointment the next day. When getting there we clapped hands and called but nobody answered. Thinking that nothing would come out of the experience, a boy came out across the street and we managed to teach him and mark a date. He asked us if baptism had the power to forgive all his sins. He is hard to find during weekends but we have high hopes for him. Please pray for Wellington. 

Another fun story was getting Acai (fruit like ice cream). We did a contact with the family running the store and taught their family. In the door way of the street. And every 2 minutes another person would come and listen until we were teaching in the road about 10 people. 

Spiritual thought: Prayer is action. We don’t pray that the lord with prepare people and send them to us to be baptized. We pray that we can find the people that the lord will put in our path. That we can talk to everyone and find where we teach and teach where we find. Miracles come only after all we can do. The Savior's grace saves after... all we can do. So let’s get up and do it! 

I love you all tons! Hope you all have a great week and a great Easter! 

P.S The Best soccer team ever... Flamengo 

week 69

Monday, April 8, 2019

This week was really great! First of all we had transfers and everyone that lives with me stayed. So I guess at least one more transfer in Rio! I was super excited stay. There are so many amazing people here. Transfers are always hard but I’m beginning to see that leaving here will be especially hard. But we just have to work and fight until the end and confide that these relationships and friendships we make are eternal.

This week I got to give a presentation in an English school for about 30 people. We taught the restoration and got a bunch of references to pass for other missionaries. But I enjoyed getting to practice a little more English ;)

Conference was super amazing! I loved how the topics were not assigned but worked so well together. In the recap we see that the topic of missionary work with members, repentance, temples and the gospel centered home was a majority of the talks. I got to watch the last session in English and I loved the talk given by president Oaks! He is so firm but in such a loving way. The other highlight for me was Pres Nelson in the priesthood session. He really hit hard that we all have a need for repentance. I loved how he taught repentance is not an event... But rather an eternal process required for exaltation. Another quote I loved (remember I’m translating into English so it might not be correct) But Salvation is an individual experience... But Exaltation is a family experience. 

I hope you guys all learned as much as I did. I love you tons and hope you all have a great week. Now is the time to act. Now is the time to present the never ending plan of redemption and happiness with our friends. Now is the time to prepare for the approaching and anticipated return of our Savior. I trust you all and God trust you all! Keep up the amazing examples! Love ya all! 

Elder Lee

Week 68

Monday, April 1, 2019

So this week we were super blessed to be able to baptize two little amazing girls Nataly (age 10) and her sister Nichole (age 9). They are daughters and nieces of a family of recent converts and less active members. But we have been really working to help the family catch the vision and fortify their roots in the church. The elders have been trying for a year and something always came up. Even I had cut them a few months ago with Elder Garcia. But I felt that we needed to return and the timing was just right. This little victory really helped us in our position with the ward. They all told us it was a lost cause and to let it go. Even when calling them to invite them they doubted. But in the end God and his mercy came through. Now we really have the trust and confidence. The only sad thing is that I might be transferred in a week. But in that case I can feel good in the sense that we left the area a lot better than where we found it. 

We also have another family that we have managed to help return to church. Lais is really progressing and seeing that the world doesn’t bring happiness. She is really experiencing joy in the church of Christ. We had a fun family night with her and a member who lives by here. I got to do my favorite thing and teach lots of young kids. Ha-ha I’m excited to be a dad and teach my kids the gospel. I’m super grateful for my parents and all that they taught me. 

Conference is coming and we are all excited to see how the church will change policies to better our efforts in building the lords kingdom here on the earth. I hope that we can all embrace and run into the changes and use them to grow our own testimonies. Change is a sign of progress. I have a huge testimony of revelation and modern prophets and apostles. As Joseph Smith taught, Salvation is impossible without revelation. I’m so grateful we have a God who loves and thinks of us constantly to give us divine help. 

I love you all and hope that you all enjoy the broadcast and have an amazing week! Thank you for all the prayers and thoughts. They really make a huge difference and I can feel them every day. Love you all!!!!

Elder Lee

Week 67

Monday, March 25, 2019

This week passed by super-fast! But we had a lot of good experiences! We are working with a lot of part member families and are having success bringing less actives to church and finding there relatives that are not baptized yet. This week we will most likely be able to help Nichole and Nataly who are 9 and 11 be baptized and confirmed. They are part of less active family and are super fun. They are very smart and have a cute sassy attitude that makes it fun to be around them. We are also working with a woman who is less active. She was able to go to church and loved it. It's amazing how the same class can have different impacts on people. She left crying feeling like it was exactly what she needed. From a teacher she didn’t even know. The members here are great at helping our families feel welcome. There really is no better place in the aspect of love and fellowshipping than the church of Jesus Christ. What a marvelous blessing it is that we are here and have the chance to help others safely arrive as well. 

Sunday we had a family night with one of our friends Rayanne and Ciça. We made epic American brownies and gave it a fun spin. The mom worked at a super fancy restaurant here in Ro and gave us a few tips. I love this family! It’s gonna be super hard to leave. But we know that Friendships can be made eternal through the blessings of saving ordinances found in Gods church. I love you guys tons and am so grateful for the many prayers. I hope you all have a great week and continue being the light to the world. 

It’s so important that we are worthy and ready to serve now. Everything we do, every action we take is something that will affect the missions of people that come after us and that we find around us. Love you all tons!!! 

Elder Lee

Week 66

Monday, March 18, 2019

So this week we had lots of fun adventures. First of all we had a full straight week of work without meetings, traveling of anything like that. So it was nice to start and finish plowing and working. But this was one of the most tiring weeks of the mission I think. Also we are in the water tropical lightning storm season. So it’s really cool to have lightning storms everyday almost. 

One day, we were coming back from a far area and it was getting a little late. This was during a rain and lightning storm... We were drenched and ready to go home after a super long day of work. But we felt we needed to return to the house of a family we did a contact with. The family didn’t seem too interested and so I questioned why but trusted the feeling. We walked through a field of dirt and grass and just went for it. What we didn’t know was across the field the family was watching us with a friend of theirs... the friend committed that those two people were so determined that they must have something really important to do. To her surprise we showed up to talk to them. The family isn’t too interested but she was so impressed she decided to listen to the message and we marked a date with her for baptism along with her friend. A lot of times we receive promptings that don’t make sense and don’t accomplish what we are thinking or even wanting. But God really does know best. 

This week we had Saint Patrick’s Day... truth is I forgot. But an investigator asked me what it was... Luckily I wore a green tie without thinking. Then I celebrated by eating mint ice cream. We are teaching the owner of one of Brazil’s most popular ice cream popsicle stores... we got the hook up. (This is the family of Rayane on of the coolest people ever)     ;) 

This week was a lot of work and we are excited to start the next week running. Tonight we have a family night with Rayane one of our most progressing investigators. Please pray for her to recognize her answer! I love you all and hope you guys have a great week! 

Elder Lee

Week 65

Monday, March 10, 2019,

Hey how are you guys all doing! This week was crazy and tons of stuff happened. But just for the record I am still alive and everything worker out. Okay let’s see....

This week was carnival and everyone left. But we worked tons with everyone that is here... Also we had a visit from president and I had to give training in front of him and he luckily liked it. But first the first time in my life I got nervous to talk in front of people. But it went well and the next day we had zone conference. 

So after that I got a call from the secretaries saying that I was illegal.... I had to travel to the capital to get myself legal in this country. But it all worked out in the end. I was scared because I had to change states and they always check your identity. Captain Charisma still lives... that and God is good. But it was a 5 hour ride and two hours in a woman threw up on me and not my comp. And the worst part is that I let my comp have the window seat and it was really the seat the secretaries bought for me. And the sad part was it was the only bus in Brazil that is air conditioned so the windows don’t open. And nobody could clean it up. Sad stuff. But it allowed us to do a contact with her. 

Then in Vitoria we go to the office late and nobody was there. We waited until 11 pm watching drug deals and finally they got there. The next day I did my interview and got everything worked out. I have to return to the USA before the end of November. But with transfers it will be the end of October I think. Unless I can get it expanded... Who knows if the prophet extends the mission? Love you mom ;)

On the way back we passed a riot for women’s rights and the bus got stuck for a long time. Traffic is not the greatest here in Brazil. But after a lady on the bus almost got pulled out and wrecked for yelling at the people we made it to the station and caught the other bus home. 

Sunday night I burned my entire hand cooking. The pot I was using broke and I caught it and all the boiling water came down on my hand. We ran out of ice in the house and for a while I used frozen beans. But that didn’t last too long. After lots of pain I got to sleep. But it’s all good now. Over all it was a good week, filled with lots of adventure. Next Carnival I will be in the USA. It’s a weird thought. 

Spiritual experience. On our way home from lunch Sunday I got the impression to visit a person. I went and was disappointed to find he was in a different place. So I went to the other place and he had already gone to a different place. We determined to go to another family and I felt bad for not accomplishing my prompting. But in the way it timed perfectly to find a woman who is a relative of one of the members we are activating. We were able to mark a date with her and we will start teaching her. I was able to realize that our promptings are to be followed immediately and not to be questioned. Everything has a purpose and our heavenly father is a lot smarter that we are... When are in doubt whether something is a prompting or just an idea wait and think... is it inviting you to do good... if so who cares as Elder Bednar says. Just follow it. Or as Nike teaches.... Just Do It

Over all I love you all tons. Sorry for the delay. Internet here is bad. We are in a lightning rain storm. But love you all! Have an amazing week!!!!

Love, Elder Lee