Monday, February 27, 2012
February 27, 2012
Phew, so 2 days from now makes the 6 month mark... WOW. Time has literally flown by, I can't believe I'm already at the quarter mark of the mission, it does not seem that way at all. I feel like it was just last week that I was giving Jenae a hug goodbye in front of the MTC all the way up there in Provo. Man it is crazy how quick it has gone by. But I've also learned so much in this time and if I can learn the same amount in each 6 month period that I have in this one, I will be a happy camper. I have gone from the kid who just went to church because of my family and friends there to trully loving the gospel. I love sharing the gospel with people it is one of the best things especially when you get to watch a persons life change for the better right in front of your eyes as you have the oppurtunity to help them. It has trully been the best experience for my life already and now I have the priviladge to keep doing it for another 18 months. Que Bencao!!!
But today is just going to be a short quick email with some photos, I don't have a ton of pictures cause I sti haven't figured out what I should be taking pictures of, and most of my pictures end up being of Elder Williams and all the random things he does. As difficult as the time has been with him for 4 months now being complete opposites now that the transfew is coming to an end and theres a 90% chance that we get changed up I'm looking back and seeing how great of a companion he has been. As much of a nut that he is, its been a great learning experience with him and we ahve become friends through all of it. But so next week I will know what is happening and it will most likely be some kind of a change at the very least.
One thing lastly and quickly that this week has brought to my rememberance yet again is the importance of love in our lives for others. If I didn't love these people even a little bit I would have already been home by now, I have been rejected and cursed out enough times already that it just wouldn't make sense to stay here. But I know the importance of the gospel and Christ in my life that I will keep chugging along searching for those who are ready to accept the truth.
Eu Te Amo!
Elder Gleason
P.S. 4 Nephi 4:15 (love of God) and Moroni 7:8-9
Monday, February 20, 2012
February 20, 2012
Hello friends and family! It has been a really great week for us here in Jardim California. We are trully beginning to be blessed for all the hard work we have been putting in for these last 2 months we've been here now. Opening up an area that didn't have any missionaries in it for a while is a lot slower than I was expecting it to be. But these last coupld weeks things are really starting to go well. I really do love this ward here, I feel at home. There are some amazing people here. They have a love for the missionaries just like I know the Albany ward does for the missionaries there. The only bad thing about that is that whenever we're at members houses they're offering us food and most of the time that food is desert. Luckily somehow I am staying at about the same weight but its getting difficult that is for sure haha. Yesterday I think we had about 4 different deserts. Because not only is it the members but the owners of the house we live in are alwayssss bringing us food, at least 2-3 times a week. And its always good. But I need to work on controlling the eating habits haha. But the people here are always just like "no no eat eat. Just have a little bit. Are you not hungry? But you guys walk all day long you need food. Did you not like it?" Those are just a few of the things they say to us on a daily basis haha.
So this week like I said went really well, and we've been blessed to be able to find some families that are searching for the truth and for a better life. Its been a lot of fun to actually mark an appointment and have people there when we go. And even better to actually see the people coming to church. Yesterday we had 6 investigators at church and 3 less actives!! We were unfortunately waiting for a lot more that said they would go but still! It was the most we've had at church yet.
Also, our baptismal date that we have marked is progressing super fast and yesterday told us that he doesn't have any doubts that the church is true. And hes super excited to be baptized. I just hope that I'm here for it because the date we marked is after transfers and its likely that one of us will be transferred. But if he keeps going at the pace hes at we're going to remark the date sooner because hes definately ready. But everything in its right time. Its just been really awesome to watch a persons life trully change based on the effect of the gospel and the church in their lives.
Oh and so yesterday there were 3 amazing talks in sacrament meeting. One was from a recent convert who was baptized in October. He is one of the strongest people I have ever met. He is always saying when we're at his house "To be Mormon, is to be happy." And his wife just had their 2nd child, 1st boy. He's a week old and we saw him for the first time the other day and as Diego (the recent convert) was holding him he turned him to us and was like you see these elders here, one day you're going to be just like them with a name tag right here in your pocket...SO AWESOME!! He was baptized like 4 or 5 months ago and is already telling his 1 week old baby about being a missionary! And his wife was telling us about all the stuff that was happening because there was a lot of problems leading up to the delivery and she was just like, but my baby was born with no problems. And later she said I will never leave this church, and I will raise my kids and family in this church because I know that it is the true church of Christ.
I love my mission and all these amazing people that I am meeting here in Brasil and to have such amazing experiences already in such a short period of time. And like Diego says, I know "To be Mormon, is to be happy." This gospel trully brings eternal happiness and I cannot wait to raise my family in the gospel and send off my own son on a mission in the future. The gospel of Jesus Christ is on the earth today in the perfect form. It has been restored for our days and we need to take advantage of this priviledge that we have.
Eu Te Amo!
Elder Gleason
P.S. 3 Nephi 27:6-8, and John 10:16 with 3 Nephi 15:21
Monday, February 13, 2012
February 13, 2012
Well Happy Valentines Day tomorrow! One of the most random holidays that probably shouldn't even be a holiday haha. I never understood why we have Valentines day. I think that girls probably started it so that they could get flowers and chocolate, cuz honestly, who doesnt like chocolate.
Well this week went really well, and again super fast. I feel like it was just yesterday I was talking about my beloved peanut butter being gone, and its already been a week since it was finished off. Oh but one thing that hasn't changed from the good old BYU days is the chocolate milk addiction. It may even have gotten worse. They have this brand here called Toddy and it is amazinggg. I have a pretty big glass every morning for breakfast and use up an 800 gram container of Toddy every 2 weeks. All the members here think I'm crazy and they all laugh at my "diet" for what I eat here. Because I literally buy the exact same things every single week at the grocery store. And have set nights when I eat cookies haha.
It is getting harder and harder to know what to say in emails because the weeks just fly by so quickly that I feel like nothing is even happening during the middle of them. But this week we taught a guy from Peru (we thought he was from Paraguay) I can't remember if I already talked about him or not. But his accent is so thick its almost impossible to understand his Portuguese because its been mixed wtih Spanish. Even Elder Williams being fluent has a really hard time understanding him and the members we bring who are Brasilian say its tough. But in just 2 weeks he has almost finished the Book of Mormon it is so crazy. He loves to read and he told us that the first time we were there but we had no idea that it would be as much as it has been. We had marked a couple places for him to rad but he just decided to go from the very beginning and is now finishing up. We asked him if he received an answer that the Book of Mormon was true if he would follow the answer and be baptized and he was just like of course i would, theres not other option than to follow. Such a neat experience.
Also one of our other investigators is married to a member who was baptized a long time ago and he has received the missionaries and gone to church many many times but never was baptized. We had marked a date with him last week and then just this past Saturday he told us that he really wanted to be baptized. The look on his wifes face was priceless it was just straight up joy and happiness. So awesome. On Sunday she told us that that was the first time he had ever born his testimony or talked about baptism in the way that he did. She is so excited and of course we are super excited as well.
Unfortunately our baptism that we were supposed to have this past weekend fell through because the adoption process has taken a step back. Now the kid is back in the home he was at before he had been adopted and the papers look like they're going to take a couple of weeks. So it will probably be a little while before he is baptized but I know it won't affect anything because he was like jumping out of his seat the first time we asked him about being baptized.
Well that has been my week I can't really think of too much else. It was a fast one but also an amazing week. I love this gospel and love seeing the changes in people's lives that it has made and is making. Especially personally in my own life.
Eu Te Amo!
Elder Gleason
P.S. 3 Nehpi 14:14..and a couple quotes I found this week:
"A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step, so watch your step." -Lao Tzu
"What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say." -Ralph Emerson
Monday, February 6, 2012
February 6, 2012
Hello North America. A very sad thing happened a couple days ago.. I ran out of the peanut butter my mom sent me for christmas. I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did but now it is gone. I have come to realize there are 3 specific things I miss a lot about the great North America (not counting family and friends).
1. Peanut Butter
2. Taco Bell
3. Degree Deodorant.. deodorant here is absolutely horrible.
But all the great things about being here serving the Lord on a mission can overtake that for the short 2 years that I'm here. Can you believe its already been over 5 months since I left? So weird to think about.
Oh and this week we had some new elders come into our zone and one is from Fortaleza where Elder Receuver is serving. And what do you know but the week before this guy went into the CTM he met Elder Receuver! Such a small world! How does that even happen haha. Oh and I know I butchered the spelling of his last name, sorry Reveuver family....
Well this week has been a pretty good one, we've been able to work really well with our ward and have gotten things done. I think I've already written home about it, but we are working in 2 wards at the moment with our focus on our own, Jardim California. But this Sunday we will have a baptism in the other ward Vila Angelica!!! My first baptism!! The kid being baptized was adopted by a member family and hes 13 years old and super awesome. We've been teaching him for a few weks now and hes a super good kid and he knows the church is true. He'll be baptized this week! But it has really been tough working in 2 areas especially when everythingi s by foot. We have a 30 minute walk to our church building and we've had to do it a few times this past week and we'll do it again this week. What makes it worse is that it has been scorching hot. It went from straight rain rain rain to straight blazing sun sun sun. I don't think I've ever sweated so much in my life. Its gross. I've been taking like 2 showers a day just to help my self cool off. Especially before going to bed because that part is even worse, it is so hot at night when we sleep and we have one tiny little fan that has to cool the both of us...doesn't work out so well. So if anybody has some crazy miracle way to cool down PLEASE let me know. But besides the heat things are going great. We've been able to work with the young men a lot in our ward and they're loving it. Yesterday one of them even talked about it while he was bearing his testimony, it was sweet. These kids here are so great and are going to be some awesome missionaires.
Lets see besides that theres nothing too big going on and I haven't had any amazing inspiration this week to talk about anything in specific like I felt last week so I'll just end here. But of course know that I know without a doubt this church s true and is the only true church on the Earth today. I know people are probably sick of that line...but deal with it haha. My testimony of that line grows stronger and stronger each week here.
Eu Te Amo!
Elder Gleason
P.S. 3 Nephi 11--Yes I know its a whole chapter but it is one of the best chapters and it is amazing.
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