Elder Maynes of the 70's presidency

Elder Maynes of the 70's presidency

Hi,

We had a special conference with Elder Maynes of the 70 presidency! It was pretty cool but weird hearing everything in double. First we heard him then the same phrase in Portuguese.

Tristan sang a solo?? Awesome!

That's pretty interesting about what happened in Gunner's casa.

I hope everything works out well for Shawn.

Hooray on starting the pool deck!! Here's a hint: I don't know if your Elders have the same 4 hours of service rule I've got but you could always ask them!

My birthday also falls on P-DAY!!!

OY VAY!!! is right! Good luck with work

My week wasn't too good but I think this week will be better

Questions/ Answers:

 1. Did your area get any changes, like Sisters being allowed to wear pants to track to  

    protect them from the Zika virus? And/or being allowed to wear large brim hats

    and special sun glasses to protect you from the sun? Or receiving very strong repellent to     protect you?

    I just found out about all these changes today.

2. How are you doing getting the Magda-Santos' neighbors to take lessons?

    Honestly I hadn't thought about their neighbors yet.

3. Are you teaching anyone new?

    We've got a couple new families now and I'm super hopeful about one of them in      

    particular.

4. Is everyone felling better in your casa?

    We've all pretty much gotten better. Now Capener and I are trying to get the others to      

    exercise and get up earlier.

5. Are you and you companion praying together morning and night?

     Yup yup

6. Any idea who will be transferred?

I think we'll all stay for at least one more. I don't want to pack my bags during my birthday

7. How is the family that you fasted with doing?

We finally saw some of them again today on our way to the LAN-house and they seemed pretty happy.

8. What happened in your week?

I had a down time due to frustration that made a few days stink. I ended up getting over it by using the Adjusting to missionary life handbook (basically just talks about stress) writing in my journal (which I'm not managing to do everyday anymore) and crying for a couple hours about stuff that has nothing to do with the mission.

9. Did you get the permission you wanted to go where you wanted to go on Pday?

No :( They're getting more strict about it again which is a good thing but still stinks at times.

Anyways...

I love you!!! 

Day of the Flu shot

Me, D. Silva, Rodrigues, and M. Pereira
on the day of the Flu shot

Day of the flu shot with Webster and Beatty

Me, Middleton, and Kebker (flu shot day yet again)

This sunday

This morning wearing Medeiros' proselyting shirt

(size 1 in men's Brazilian size)

Questions /Answer time:

1. What's new for you? Investigators? Less actives? baptisms?

We're working with a family to reactivate them. We did a fast with the family and I think it went well. I'm also thinking of buying a new picture frame for their family sealing certificate. We've got a family we're teaching that I'm really hopeful for. " I"and her two sons (we still haven't met the father yet cause he's never home when they're available for our visits) "I" really likes the peace our lessons bring, and her boys really like us.

2. What new recipes would you like this time?

I haven't gotten around to trying out any of the first ones yet because we had a division in Penha Tuesday, zone conference Wednesday, and I was sick the rest of the week with Medeiros catching what I had when I finally started getting better.

3. How's it going with your companion? Praying like a family? I hope so.

We've only missed one night praying together so far and that was because Medeiros was feeling really wiped out from the sickness and fell asleep before I realized it. But yeah, Medeiros is still helping me a lot.

4. How is the wardrobe going?

I haven't gotten any new clothes yet because the store we went to ended up being a bust. I tried out some of Elder Capener's an Medeiros' shirts to see how it'd be. I can fit into size 16 (possibly 15) with the only problem being that the neck is too small for me. And Mederos' shirts are too small for me but look really good in a fashion way haha. Remember my small white shirt I'd wear to school? They fit like that.

5. Is it getting an easier being a DL.

It's a little easier. Being DL isn't really hard, it just takes up a lot of time that I used to use to relax and plan better...

Congrats on the new calling Mom! You'll do great!

I love you!!!

Mother's Day Skyping

Hi All,

We didn't get a really big letter today. So there isn't much to share. Sorry...
BUT we were able to talk to him because it was mother's Day! 
He did ask us to share his love for you all and that he is feeling well. 
We had a wonderful conversation with him, thanks to the Magda family.
They shared their home with Elder Lundy on Mother's Day so he could Skype with us.

Winds of Change...

...We got a few new investigators that might actually be interested.

The problem right now with working with less actives is finding them and catching them in their homes.

The other family (M's family) accepted us in and we were able to visit. We're going to do the fast on the 14th going into the 15th. We're going to fast for a blessing for them that they can keep up with work and be able to pay their bills and such.

I know all about those sort of excuses to not read the scriptures and stuff like that :/ (I told Elder Lundy about a Sister I'm visiting)

As for the weather... I feel like a whimp!!! It's getting to low 60s/high 50s and I'm getting chilled. It's because I lost around 60 pounds of blubber... But yeah I'm going to buy some new clothes that fit better and that are a bit warmer today.

I'm in the Jardim Tietê ward. We end at 12:30 and usually have lunch right after. Elder Medeiros and I are planning on calling around X our time here in Brazil. We're going to confirm our Skype location this week.

I love you a lot

IN the picture is (left to right)
Elder Medeiros, Elder De Souza, Me, and Elder Capener

Questions for you this week:

1. The who, what and where of your new companion? In other words tell me all about him.  

Elder Medeiros is 23 years old. He's the only memer in his family. He's from the state of Pernambuco, the town/city of Gravatá. He's got 3 months in the mission, I'm his "mother" in the mission and I'm partially retraining him because his first comp didn't do the first twelve weeks with him. He likes anime and stuff that I like too so we've got something to chat about when we're feeling overwhelmed from the new workload.

2. Have you started off your new companionship right? Are you praying together morning and night?

We're praying together in the morning but not at night yet. I had just remembered that and I was going to ask him about it tonight. But we get along and it seems like we already work together better than I worked with Furtado.

3. Are you reading the how to's of being a DL and all the rules?

We had a DL meeting this past sunday to go over stuff with the ZL because 2 of the 3 DLs in our zone are new this transfer (Me and Capener) And yeah I'm studying all the stuff I can find.

4. Tell me something about what your responsibilities are as a DL?

I hold baptismal interviews, I check up on the other two companionships in my district each night, conduct district meeting every tuesday morning, and report about my district to the ZLs

5. Have you gotten some clothes? LIKE A SUIT?

Like I said before (I think) Furtado gave me a new suit coat my first week with him. But other than that no.

6. Are you well?

Meh. After becoming DL I spent everyday feeling sick with a full body ache and I couldn't sleep. I'm getting a little bit better...

7. Have you been hearing much about the impeachment of the Brazilian President?

Whenever I hear about politics here recently it's about the impeachment but I haven't heard too much

8. ARE YOU EATING RIGHT?

Not really

9. Can I have a picture of your new companion?

Possibly. I'll try sending one week took this morning

10. How did your week go? Did you get any investigators or reactivate any less actives?

After this past weeks' work we might get some new investigators this week, and we'll definitely be working with a bunch of less actives. We've got one familyof less actives that we'll be visiting tonight to plan out a fast with them.

Oh so one night when I went to bed about 15 minutes early (because my brain was already fried) and Medeiros showed up at the foot of my bed and threw something at me. It ended up being a stuffed Charmander that he was giving as a gift to me. :3 He's got a Bulbasaur that he keeps on his bed.

Welp I gotta go...

I love you

Elder Lundy and Elder Furtado
At the Santos' for lunch

   

  So yeah, I don't have much time today because Furtado needs to pack. He's being transferred to a different area. I'm staying where I am and receiving a companion who has less time than I have in the field. I'm also the new District Leader. I'm not looking forward to that second part, but oh well... Now in my zone, all three district leaders are American :3 

Sadly I don't get to be companions with Matos for his last transfer, but I hope I'll be able to get along with my new companion Elder Medeiros (I think that's how his name is spelled) I'm going to take this transfer slow due to the newness and the fact that we don't have investigators right now... We had a family that wants to be baptized but sadly they live in the other ward's area so we had to hand them off this past Sunday. 

Oh, the next transfer date should be the day after my birthday. The other missionary in the photo was Elder Furtado. I don't know if you've even seen him yet. I think I've got maybe 3 photos with him present.

Hurray for the success of the Little Red Hen event! It's about time haha. I'm glad it worked out well! We have zone conferences every once in a while. I think I've only had two legitimate zone conferences so far. I've only been to the mission home maybe a total of 3 or 4 times and only for random legal paperwork and stuff...

This week we finally had a service project. We were helping the Elders Quorum president move houses. His house was three levels below street level so there was a lot of running up and down stairs with bags and boxes. Then the three of us rode in the back of the moving truck to his new house (still within our area thankfully) and helped unload everything there. 

There's not much else to talk about...

I love you!!!!

General Conference Week

Austin Peterson just finished his mission?? Seriously?? Wow! Tell him congrats for me!

That's a cool story about conference. I saw all of it but the Prophet's talk at the beginning of Sunday's first session. . . They have instantaneous translations so we watched it at the same time. And yeah I think it was just about midnight when I went to bed after the priesthood session. We got a ride from the church to our casa.

I don't like deadlines but that's because I'm the type to worry about them. If you say it needs to be done by this time get it done by that time. If you say you're going to be there at such and such time, be there at such and such time... Furtado doesn't understand that...

Oh! I'm already on my third journal. The cover of this one says Keep Calm and Be Happy... hopefully it'll help. I write in my journal everyday and haven't missed yet, although it's usually just a list of what I did in the day. Yeah...

My mind works just as weirdly as yours (Dad), but in different ways. For example: I was reflecting on how I was nearly hit by a vehicle for the third time in the mission field and my mind thought about how it was really a brush with death this last time, then my mind went on a "I think old-timey hairbrushes are cool but I'd never use one" tangent which led to me coming up with one of my most interesting story ideas yet! :3 (But don't worry about that almost getting hit thing... I'm alive and unharmed :P )

I exercise almost every day and eat three meal almost every day too. My weight's been between 80 and 76 kilos recently. (176-168 pounds)

I went with Elder C. Santos to visit Elder Matos today. Matos was traveling from the mission office to his old area and I wanted to take the chance to see him in case I didn't get the chance before he ends his mission.

I love you Mom and Dad!