A New Companion Elder Soares

So I'll start with the answers to the questions:

1. What is your companions name? Elder Soares

2. Where is he from? Teresina, Piaui. It's a part of the north east of Brazil 

(All of my Brazilian comps have been from the north east so far ha ha)

3. How old is he? 18 and he'll turn 19 in December

4. Is he the Junior companion? Yup

5. Is he a worker? Yup. He's a really good teacher

6. What do you know about his family? 

They're all members. He's the youngest. One of his sisters entered the MTC a week after he did and is in the São Paulo Sul mission!

7. How long has he been out? 

7 months. He arrived one transfer before Ewerton.

8. How did it go with the lessons with your investigator and his parents? 

It went really well! G... told us that he has a testimony that what we've taught him and what he's read in the book of Mormon is true! He laid down one night and decided to ask the Lord is what we said was true and he said that his body went cold on the outside and started burning a little on the inside and that was when he realized that it is all true. Now we just need to work a bit more with 

T... and get them married

9. What are you studying this week? 

This week I'm studying the part of preach my gospel that teaches about planning and stuff because I need to get better about that and I'll have to do training on that tomorrow.

Saturday I weighed myself in the morning at 169lbs, then played basketball with the other elders and some of the young men from the two wards. Afterwards I weighed in at 166lbs... but I'm probably back up to 170lbs already ha ha 

Well it's not that I'm not eating any better by not eating.. It's that I'm just eating stuff like burgers and such which I don't consider eating well anymore :P

Yeah cold here is reaching 60 or a little below... (I've become a weakling) But yeah, I'm still dying from the heat during the day... it's annoying.

Well the success this week was with G... The frustration: I hate using the phone so I left it with Ewerton when he was here but now I'm the one who has to use the phone all the time so I forgot to call all our investigators

Saturday night to see if anyone would be going to church... 

we didn't have anyone at church yesterday.

That's awesome about Caleb! What happened to Maddie that she needed stitches?? Congrats for Tiffany!

I'd like to get started on my admissions papers for BYUI but I've got no idea what to do or how to do it or if I can even do it here.

Anyways, I love you! 

Picture from Elder Ewertons page

Another Picture from Elder Ewertons page

The Week Jack Arrived!

AY!!! Bigger family! (Another one of Elder Lundy's Sisters gave birth this past week. She had a son who she named Jack. He's named after his Great Great Uncle.)

1. How are G... and T... doing? They're doing well! We're teaching G...'s mom and stepfather now too. Oh! and they asked if they could invite more people to be present at the next visit!

2. Are you learning (ALS) sign language? I'm learning Libras (LIngua BRAsileira de Sinais) Brazilian sign language

3. How was President Silcox's visit for interviews last week? They went well! I got to tell him about the new members of the family and about Elder Kolb's new mission call

4. How did your studying on charity go to learn about overcoming vices? I didn't end up studying about charity this week because I was pretty preoccupied studying for the Plan of Salvation lesson for G... and his family

So I got to do three baptismal interviews for the sisters in Mogi Centro this week. They were all very cool and different. I think they were some of the more special interviews I've had the opportunity to do.

Elder Ewerton is being transferred tomorrow. I'm gonna be sad to see him go, but it's gonna be a really good experience for him. He's going to open an area and train a new elder! 

Welp anyways I love you!

1 Year Mark in the Mission Field!

Questions/Answers time:

1. What's one thing that inspired you this week to work harder? Our new investigators G... and T... They're very humble and interested, and even accepted to visit church the moment we invited.

2. Who impressed you with the most growth this week? Elder Ewerton! When I arrived another brazilian elder was teasing him saying "Oh you finally got an american companion. Now you're gonna work hard and you're not gonna like it at all" He was saying that Americans work hard and Brazilians don't (even though that elder is Brazilian) Well it was a bit like that. I was always pushing as to do a bit more which Ewerton wasn't used to because of his last companion's work habit. But this week, he was the one pushing us to work harder! :)

3. Where do you think you had the most growth? Not really sure...

4. When will you be going to the mission home again? No idea, but President Silcox will be coming out here for interviews this week! :)

5. Where you introduced to any new foods lately? Nope... Really I don't even feel like the food here in Brazil is really that different.

6. How is your health? I'm doing alright. I've been eating a bit too much paçoca lately so I've been having a bit of stomach troubles, but the paçoca is almost all eaten up so I'll be all good soon! 

7. What new spiritual thing did you learn this week. Well, the majority of our investigators have some sort of word of wisdom/vice issue so I told president that I would focus my study on that and this week he told me to focus on charity because it's directly linked to overcoming vices. So that was a new one to me!

That's pretty cool about the blog! I know that my friend B... from the Jardim Tietê ward has been checking out and she said it was helping her get psyched up for her mission!

So today, Ewerton and I went to his favorite restaurant Rock and Ribs to celebrate his 19th birthday tomorrow and me reaching the one year mark this week! We got GIANT burgers that took almost an hour to eat. Ewerton didn't finish his and I was feeling light headed after finishing mine haha :3 It was fun

I don't know if I told you yet, but I'm learning sign language too! Our area has quite a few deaf people and one I... has a deaf daughter so she does sign language interpreting at church for her and she's also teaching a free sign language class at church Tuesdays and Wednesdays

Welp, that's what I got for you this week!

I love you!

The week Alice arrived (My Niece)

(This week Elder Lundy had another niece arrive... "Alice" Born on Friday to his

Sister Bridget and Brother-in-law Ron. "Diana one of his other sisters is due this week but

we are all praying that her baby doesn't come until a few weeks from now.

She told us he is running small. Like the size you (Elder Lundy) were born at.

We want her baby a lot larger if possible. I know your fine now. But it would have been a lot

easier on us all if you had been bigger.") 

Ha ha good thing you threw in that last line.

My first thought was a sarcastic response, "Oh  so I wasn't big enough huh?

Well how 'bout now?" :P

Questions/Answers:

1. How is brazil reacting to the Olympics? 

I'm still not hearing too much...

2. Did the sweet sister get your shirts tailored?

I still haven't taken any more to her but I've got

three tailored shirts now!

3. What happened with transfers? Or is that in a few weeks. I'd check my notes but they

are at home. 

It's still in a couple weeks.

4. Tell me about the special person you're teaching! 

Which one? They're all special :P But hmm...

It seems like M... might be able to get baptized not too long from now!

She already follows the word of wisdom without even knowing about it!

5. What's happening with the list of lost members you found? Are you teaching any of them? 

We managed to set some visits with a few of them!!

6. What's different this week?

 I've been pretty tired (like always) so Ewerton was pushing me to work harder which

helped a lot.

7. Are you praying morning and night with Elder Ewerton? Things will develop/progress

much faster if you do this with him.

Only in the morning...

8. What are your impressions of your town?

It's nice. It's pretty calm.

I'm gonna try to attach a picture of Ewerton and I with the torch and the runner

Oh! So I got to tell your story about how you helped out our ward's Sisters being scolded by the

mission president (of our home's mission) (and how you stood up for what they were doing

for you and your ward) during the zone conference this week and you got the

approval of two whole zones of missionaries (and President and Sister Silcox I think)

I don't really have much this week because I've got a major headache and can't think

too well  right now. Sorry.

I love you!

 Ewerton and Lundy with the Olympic torch and the runner

The Olympic Torch 2016!

On 26 July, the relay passed through the cities of Suzano, Mogi das Cruzes and Jacareí on it prepared to leave the state.  Before reaching Rio on Wednesday afternoon, the flame visited towns close to the state border including Taubaté and Ubatuba.

                 

I find it funny that people say you're going to be an uncle 'again' as if I stopped being an uncle :P(Elder Lundy's sister is having her baby any day now.) 

(I asked him what happened to his shoes.)I threw them away the week they were destroyed. I've been using the other identical pair for a while now. They're pretty roughed up, but months ago I started just using them during church and fancy dress occasions and just using my black tennis shoes every other day. 

Elder Ewerton and Elder Lundy

I bought the clothes I wore at "Vulture's Peak" when I was still in Jardim Tietê. Vulture's Peak is a mountain in our zone. We walked over an hour to get there (because I was the only one with money to pay for a train ticket because everyone always wastes their money) then hiked up the mountain for about 2 hours. The trip back down was much faster because we took the muddy adventure path back down. And thanks to my boy scout skills I was the first down and cleanest at the end. ("Thanks to my boy scout skills" never thought I'd say that!) The torch event was pretty cool but of course it wouldn't have been anywhere near as cool if I was there without my zone. There was a lot of waiting and when the torch passed it was super quick and I almost missed it the first time but we went to the ceremony area and I got to see it a little better. The event ended around noon. No one was really interested in talking with a group of religious people while waiting for the torch sadly :( Well that's about it for me for now,

I love you!!

Picture from Elder Ewerton

Picture from Elder Ewerton