The Office, Isabella and Adrianna

Well yet again I had another busy yet great week. I have been enjoying our work greatly both in and out of the office. So at the end of last week things went well. Nothing to crazy going on in the office. A whole bunch of stuff to go through for our mission cell phones, and also a few mission calls for some of the branchs of our mission. Im sure that just sounds super esciting.
Oh yeah in addition my P-day last week was on thursday but I wrote on Wednesday. But on Thursday I went with a bunch of other missionaries to go paintballing. I tried to get some pictures to put up but the missionary who took them didnt send them to me. Maybe next week.
But our weekend went quite well. We took eight investigators to church which was one more than last week so that was good. We took the entire family of Isabella and Ronaldo along with the entire family of Adrianna. These two families are coming along great. In the past I never really said much about people that I was teaching, so i want to do a little better with that.
Isabella is a great miracle for us. Everytime we go to her house she has another testimon growing experience to share. The first time she saw us she said she felt something different. When I first spoke to her she knew that difference. She sais that when we first talked to her she felt like her prayers of long searching had been answered. Like God had finally heard her prayers and that he had taken her out of the line of 4,500 people straight to the front. Isabelle has suffered alot in her life and her financial situation still is tuff.
Her family anlong with the family of Adrianna have both been keeping the Word of Wisdom and they are seeing great blessings in their lives because of this. I am so grateful to the Lord that he is blessing them that they can get the testimony they need to stay firm keeping this commandment. The two families say that they have noticed a great increase in abilty to sleep at night and also just all around better health. The two had coffee addictions along with occasional drinking, mostly on Ronaldo´s part.
But we are greatly blessed to be teaching these two families. They greatest thing of all is that I know these are pure blessings from a loving Heavenly Father. We dont have much time to work but the process of their conversion is going along perfect. If the process continues like it is, Adrianna´s family will be baptized Saturday. Isabella will get married this Saturday and then bpatized the following week.
 I continuely pray for guidance and success with our investigators. To finish of the update, today we had an activity at the mission home which went well. Everyone seemed to enjoy it. But congratulations to Adam and I will always keep him and all of you in my prayers. Untill next week I love you and miss you all.

Sites, Newsletters, Blitz, and Conferences

Well I have had a pretty busy week, which seems to be getting more normal. But lets begin with the weekend. At the end of last week I was working alot on getting our missions site up and also I worked alot on our missions newsletter which turned out well.
Then we finally got some time to get out and work on Saturday which was great. But our missionary work really got great when Sunday came. We, once again, didnt have much time to work during the week but we were wtill greatly blessed. On sunday we took a complete family to church and almost another complete family. The family which didnt all go we had only met them the day before church and we didnt get a chance to know the father but he is excited to go this next week and they all excepted the invitation to be baptized. We are excited for all of our investigators that went to church. It´s funny for me to think about my last area. We worked so hard to get just one or two people to church. Then I get here we have two back to back weeks that we only got to work for six hours and we took six to church both weeks. I think as I also said last week I dont really know how it happens.
But this weeks start has been a busy one also. On monday we got everything ready for conferences this week. Then yesterday we had our first of three zone conferances. Our first was on tuesday held in São Miguel an interior city of Alagoas. This week they are holding an open house for the new chapel that will be dedicated this week. The conferance went well but the cool part was the blitz that we did in the city following the conferance. All fifty missionaries there left with 100 invitations each to invite the city to go to the week´s events. It was exciting, they are going to baptize a ton this transfer.
Then today we had another conferance which went well. This one was here in Maceió. It was a bit more normal. Then on Friday our conferance in Sergipe will be held.
But things are going well, as I mentioned I have been real busy. But I love the people we are teaching they are all progressing well. Last night we visited Adranna and her family. We taught them about the Word of Wisdom and they accpted our challenge to keep the commandment. With their acceptance to our challenge we also took all of the coffee that they had at their house. I am excited for them. Adranna is a mom of six kids who is seperated from her husband so she lives alone. We are quite excited and happy for her and her family.
In addition HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Erin, happy 18th birthday!
But I guess that was my week im not sure if I mentioned about our Mission´s website/blog that I did but here is the link for it English and then portuguese. But I love you and miss you all.

My Busy Week

2 September 2009
Farol-Staff-Maceió

Well I have had a pretty good week. We have been quite busy, our mission received the visit from one of the Chruch´s medics, Elder Brinton. I guess a long time ago they lived in our stake. I guess in that general area where the timothys live. They said the lived at thunderbird and the freeway, im not sure what side though. But we had a clinic here in the office then he gave a training at our Zone Councel. So as I just mentioned this last week we had Zone Councel also. It went well, it was a bit different now as a secretary then it was as a Zone Leader. But I am getting used to the change. Then today we had a huge activity that I plannes here in Maceió with almost 80 of our missionaries. It went well we played some soccer, football, ate some food, and watched a few disney movies which was fun. Everyone seemed to enjoy it!


I have been working on a few new things for our mission which I am excited for. First of all I have been workig on a mission newspaper or I guess it would be better to say a newsletter which we have decided to call "O Farol" which means in english "The Lighthouse". We have chosen this name because of our missions theme which is 3 Nefi 12:16. Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works, and so on. Also as part of the newsletter I have launched a new mission website as part of "O Farol". Here is the link to the site. http://brasilmaceiomission.blogspot.com/ I have also launched a site in Portuguese but this link is just the one in English, generaly they will have the same information.

But I have had a great week though. I have really seen the hand of the lord in=2 0our work, in our area, and also in the lives of those we are teacing. We do not have a lot of time to do missionary work but the Lord has blessed us richley because of our sacrifice. In the short time here I have seen so many miracles. I saw similar things when I was a Zone Leader. There were somedays that we had almost no time to do our work but I know for the lord anytime is plenty. He will always bless us when we make sacrifices for him and for his children. Sometimes I think to myself how will I get all my work done in the short time I have but I promise for the Lord anything is possible. During a full day of work if we manage to get 8 or more new investigators we did well. The standard of escellence for our mission or the bar of our mission is 30 new investigators per week. Which makes that about 6 per day. Well this last week we were rerally blessed on a day we only had an hour and a half to work. The loard blessed us with the ability to go to all our appointments and also find 13 new investigators in that short time. Things like this I could not explain, there are days on my mission that I try hard to find that many people and if I try hard enough I can pull it off but given to the small time we had there is not explanation. That is no explanation without the hand of the Lord in our work. Not only did he bless us with just 13 new investigators but it was that night that we met the six people who visited the church with us last week. I know that no sacrifice is to large because according to our sacrifices we are blessed. The Lord Jesus Christ showed the greatest sacrifice of all and not only is he eternaly blessed but his whole family also.

I cannot believe at how fast my mission has went by and how much I have learned and how my testimony has grown. I hope all of you are doing well cause I am doing great. I miss you all and love you all too. I did recieve a letter from Dad and also another from Grandma and Grandpa thank you very much for them. I always enjoy getting letters... hint hint... Until next week.

Zone Council

My Week

28 Agosto 2009
Farol-Staff-Maceio

Well this week I wrote a little bit later but things are going well. I have a had a but of a different week. Things are still going well though.


On Sunday I recieved a call from President Beynon, he has called me as the executive secretary. So on monday I left Arapiraca for the mission office. Things as I said are going well.

Before I left Arapiraca, on sunday morning we had a baptism that went well. It was the baptism of Williams the brother of Bruna, who we baptized last week.

I was a bit sad to leave Arapiraca which I liked a lot, but now I will be in for some new experiences. This week I have been being trained by the current secretary. We´ll see how things go after this week when he´s gone out of the office and I am doing things alone. Im sure it will be a good learning experience for me.

But I am doing very well, I love you all and I miss you too.

Changes...

21 August 2009
Arapiraca

Well this week I wrote a little bit later but things are going well. I have a had a but of a different week. Things are still going well though.


On Sunday I recieved a call from President Beynon, he has called me as the executive secretary. So on monday I left Arapiraca for the mission office in Maceio. Things as I said are going well.

Before I left Arapiraca, on sunday morning we had a baptism that went well. It was the baptism of Williams the brother of Bruna, who we baptized last week.

I was a bit sad to leave Arapiraca which I liked a lot, but now I will be in for some new experiences. This week I have been being trained by the current secretary. We´ll see how things go after this week when he´s gone out of the office and I am doing things alone. Im sure it will be a good learning experience for me.

But I am doing very well, I love you all and I miss you too.

My Week and Bruna´s Baptism

12 August 2009
Arapiraca

How is everyone doing, I am doing well, I am finally getting better after being sick for a while. First of all this last week we had a baptism that went well. Bruna was baptized, she is the neice of a firm member family. I attached a picture of the baptism for you all to see.


As I said though I am doing pretty good. This wek has been busy with lots of divisions. Last week shortly after I last wrote we began a division with the assistents then we did a division on friday night to get interviews done. On monday we had a division and tuesday another with a few missionaries from our Zone. They all went well, I enjoyed the all.

As I said we had the baptism which went well, Bruna as super excited we are working with her whle family, we[ll see how things go. Her parents wee riased in the interior, or in other words they were raised qute isolated so they have a bit of a different way of life. But we arent giving up on them.

Not so great but a friends grandma died in Vi;osa this last week. Actually someone that I spent sme time with when I was there. In addition one of our investigators father passed away. And also a members father passed away too. In addition a girl here in Arapiraca died from what they belive to be the swine flu but as far as I have heard they havnt confirmed it. Im not sure if I believe it or not.

But this week should be busy too Elder Frank is here visiting me and also tommorow is interviews with te president Im sure they go well. I love you and miss you all.

My Week

5 August 2009
Arapiraca

Well once again i had a pretty good week. As I said in my last e-mail we had a wedding last week. So things went all perfectly this last weekend and we had their baptism. I have already said alot about them but thingswent really well with their conversion. I attached their photo as normal.


As for this weeks start I sepnt my time in Penedo which is a small city not to far from here. The home of a branch of 160 active members and six missionaires. So I did a few exchanges there and they went well. I had a chanve to work with my son Elder Manning yesterday which was nice to see how he is improving on his mission. Not to much to talk about this week though. As I said we had the baptism which went well and then these exchanges.

It was a pretty fast week, time just flew by but I hope you all have a great week I love you and miss you all!