Tuesday, July 17, 2012

July 16, 2012

BAPTISMMMMMM!!!!!
Well after long hard work for these past 3 months since Fagner´s baptism we had another one this past Saturday with Ingrid! It was Elder Vazquez´s first baptism on the mission and my first time actually baptizing someone in my life. And it was really awesome! We have been working with Ingrid for a couple months now but her mom never wanted to authorize the baptism and she needed authorization because shes 14 years old. But we taught her everything and asked for the moms permission to do a baptismal interview and she agreed and then the next day Ingrid was interviewed and passed! Then the day after that which was Friday after much prayer and studying we went to ask for her moms permission yet another time. We talked to her mom about how she passed the interview and that she would continue learning after baptism and that she would now have the help of the Holy Ghost as well with her and she agreed! So on Saturday night we baptized her! And then on Sunday confirmed her a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! And who showed up for sacrament meeting but good ol President Martins. And when he went up to bear his testimony he talked right to her saying that 40 years ago he had been baptized when he was 13 and that 40 years from now she would tell people how he had talked to her about being a member for 40 years. It was fantastic and something that we were not expecting at all. But she is super strong and has a testimony and will be a great member of the church for many many many years for sure.
Also this week we were able to find another young man, Mateus who is 14 and is the son of 2 less active members. He had never been baptized when his parents were active but now we´re teaching him and he is progressing really well and liking it a lot. And he was at church yesterday as well and enjoyed it a ton and said he would be there next week as well.
Things are going decently in the area but nothing fantastic we´re working our butts off to find new people, but the hardest part for us is to find people who want to hear from us a second time. We have taught the first lesson a ton but when we go back for the 2nd time they dont want to hear anymore or they just arent home. Or they tell us right off the bat thy dont want to hear anymore a second time. But things will get better and rolling and I know that there are people here praying to hear the truth and our searching out God´s will. And we are here to bring it to them. My companion is doing super well and learning fast. His portuguese is going well also and I'm not really sure how haha. I don't know how to teach him the language based on spanish but he´s learning. And we´re always laughing, it makes the time go by so much quicker. The days are rolling by again. I cant believe I'm almost at the one year mark. Members here know when I have one year and they keep telling me its getting close but I just deny it. I dont know what normal life is like anymore and its weird to think that half of my mission is already coming up.


Eu Te Amo
Elder Gleason


P.S. Mosiah 28:3; 29:20
"The Lord will offer opportunities, but whether we are prepared will depend on us." -Pres. Henry B Eyring

July 9, 2012

Well I'm sure everybody is just dying to hear what happened with me this transfer. Well I am still in Guapira! I will be here most likely for another 3 months as well, not positive but it is likely because I am also training a new missionary and training is usually 3 months! So my new companion is Elder Vazquez and he´s from Paraguay! I have no idea how an american is supposed to teach portuguese to someone who speaks spanish but I'm doing the best I can to help him with the language haha. It is definately a new experience. But he is super awesome and hes learning really fast how to be a fantastic missionary. Also this transfer I am now District Leader and am over 3 other companionships not including my own area. So now I will do baptismal interviews and divisions in other areas. Woohoo!! It will be the first time that I'll finally leave my area. In my 10 months on the mission I have yet to leave my actual area, my companion has always left and I've had to stay. But its going to be a lot of fun being district leader and I'll even give trainings now every tuesday at district meetings. I must be doin something right.. haha
As for the week it was a decent one and we were able to find some really good families and we´re working hard to find a lot more. We are going to do some great work here together and I'm really excited. Hopefully I do a well enough job training him because it will be how his mission goes from here on out. So we´ve been doing tons of practices just during our study time to help him get used to teaching lessons and doing contacts. As for Elder Alexandre he is now in a different zone with another american that has a little more time than us on the mission. I did my best to help him change his mission around and I just hope that I had some kind of effect on him to change for the better. It was definately a tough 11 weeks with him but I also learned a ton and learned how to be a better missionary and to work hard.
Also last Sunday I basically had said bye to all the members here and they were all like sad and saying that I needed to go by before I left so it was a nice surprise to them when I was still there this Sunday. A couple members even asked me if I was now a member of their ward and if they could give me a calling. Good thing I love this ward and the people here or else it would be tough to stay here even longer. But theres not too much new stuff this week besides that.
Eu Te Amo!
Elder Gleason

P.S. 1 Kings 8:23, 60-61 and Mosiah 26:18,27; 27:31

July 2, 2012

Well first of all, I cannot stand computers here in Brasil, we use Lan Houses that are just loaded with old computers that are slower than slow. I just wasted 30 minutes trying to send pictues in this email and ended up with only 1 going through. So next week there will be more, I had another 4 that I wanted to send but I don't want to waste anymore time trying to get it done.
So tonight we find out about our transfers and whats going on, it is pretty certain that one of us will leave but that is now the question, who will leave. I have been here in Guapira for 4 months now and I love it here. Its pretty slumish and I have seen a lot of stuff I never wanted to or thought possible but the members are amazing. Yesterday at church I told like one or two people that this week was transfers and that I might be leaving and by the end of the meetings everybody knew it and was asking when I was leaving. I was just like we have no idea who is leaving yet! It was kind of annoying and I have now learned not to do that again for the rest of the mission. But I trully do love the members here they have been a home away from home. The work has been difficult and there hasnt been a ton of results that we are seeing in front of us right now but in the future I'm sure things will happen. And through it all the ward has really supported us and helped us out a lot. It´s weird to think that I will have to leave this area at some point in my mission whether it be now or in the future. You get so used to everything and love the people so much and then boom you gotta start over. Yesterday my companion was sick and we stayed at home and I just sat there thinking about everything and all the experiences that I've had up until now on the mission and all the amazing people that I've met. And then I thought about the fact that is was very likely that I would never see a lot of them again and it was saddening. But thats what facebook is for and all this new technology we have.
Anywho this week went by decently and we have a couple people progressing but no huge changes in anything. The young woman we are teaching, Ingrid, is doing super well and really wants to be baptized but we´re still waiting on her mom to authorize it. The other day we were at her house and her younger brother was there as well and he was asking all about the mission and how things are. He asked how many missions he could serve and when could he leave it was awesome. He said when he becomes a member that he wants to go out with us and talk to people. And he told me that when I'm going back to the US he wants me to go back to his house and say bye to them. Gah I love the mission and these Brasilian people so much!


Eu Te Amo
Elder Gleason
P.S. 2 Sam 22:2-3, 29, 47 and Mosiah 16:8-9, 11; 23:22-22