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
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
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
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
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
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
June 25, 2012
Almost forgot to send an email home for everybody about the week today. I got caught up with the MIAMI HEAT email from my Dad.. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!! Obviously I already knew they would win the championship but it has made the week a little more stressfull thinking about how they were playing and I wasnt watching with my heat jerseys and visor. Pretty stressful stuff to be added on to the missionary work. But the Lord has blessed me with them winning (a little bit of a apostasy here). But now they'll win next year when I'm still here and then keep winning. For all the doubters. Yeah, strengthen your faith haha.
Anywho this week was a decent one, it rained about half the week and I can't stress how much I can't stand the rain here. The only good thing about it all is that it is a lot cooler out and I am no longer sweating for just standing in the street. We were supposed to have 2 baptisms on Saturday but both of them unfortunately fell and we didnt even get to talk to the guys. They werent home during the entire week and we only saw them for about 5 minutes for the week. And they're still smoking.... But things will get better, we´ll remark they're baptisms for a couple weeks from now and keep working with them. They're some amazing guys and will be great members of the church as well. The young woman we're teaching is continuing to progress and we finally talked to her mom last week and she said she wants to see more changes in her daughter before she lets her be baptized. She made a list of 10 things that she needs to change and then she´ll let her be baptized, so thats what were working towards right now.
Transfers are next week and its kind of weird, I've now been in this area for almost 4 months and I feel so at home, its weird to think about having to leave this area whether it be now or in the future. The members here are so awesome and are a part of my family now. I love these guys. But we´ll see what happens, it´s all up to the Lord and what he needs from me and where he needs me. Oh and things with my companion have gotten a lot better and hopefully we´ll get some real good work done to finish off the transfer and these 2 transfers together.
Well I´m not positive what else there is to talk about, emails will probably continue to get shorter and shorter throughout the mission. Theres not tons of new things that happen weekly to talk about.
Eu Te Amo
Elder Gleason
P.S. 2 Samuel 7:22 and Mosiah 14:4-7; 15:19, 28
Anywho this week was a decent one, it rained about half the week and I can't stress how much I can't stand the rain here. The only good thing about it all is that it is a lot cooler out and I am no longer sweating for just standing in the street. We were supposed to have 2 baptisms on Saturday but both of them unfortunately fell and we didnt even get to talk to the guys. They werent home during the entire week and we only saw them for about 5 minutes for the week. And they're still smoking.... But things will get better, we´ll remark they're baptisms for a couple weeks from now and keep working with them. They're some amazing guys and will be great members of the church as well. The young woman we're teaching is continuing to progress and we finally talked to her mom last week and she said she wants to see more changes in her daughter before she lets her be baptized. She made a list of 10 things that she needs to change and then she´ll let her be baptized, so thats what were working towards right now.
Transfers are next week and its kind of weird, I've now been in this area for almost 4 months and I feel so at home, its weird to think about having to leave this area whether it be now or in the future. The members here are so awesome and are a part of my family now. I love these guys. But we´ll see what happens, it´s all up to the Lord and what he needs from me and where he needs me. Oh and things with my companion have gotten a lot better and hopefully we´ll get some real good work done to finish off the transfer and these 2 transfers together.
Well I´m not positive what else there is to talk about, emails will probably continue to get shorter and shorter throughout the mission. Theres not tons of new things that happen weekly to talk about.
Eu Te Amo
Elder Gleason
P.S. 2 Samuel 7:22 and Mosiah 14:4-7; 15:19, 28
June 18, 2012
Well it finally stopped raining this week so I'm finally dry again which is nice, I like taking my showers inside the house instead of outside. This week went by pretty fast with what feels like almost nothing happening. But unfortunately a young woman we were supposed to baptize this week didnt go through because we still havent been able to talk to her mom and get the baptism autorized. Which stinks because this girl is super awesome and really wants to be baptized. But hopefully if things go right tonight we´ll be able to talk to her mom (finally) and get her authroization about it all. SO pray for that to be able to happen. I have no dount that this girl is going to be a leader in the church in the future, and all thats waiting on it is a signature from her mom.
Well I know a few weeks ago I said im not sure if I had ever talked to so many people in my life in a 1 week span, well this week I definately beat that out. I talked with sooo many people in the street there was one day we were going to lunch and it took like 20 minutes to walk 2 blocks because I just kept stopping everybody. I find it pretty exciting to stop the people and see what they´ll say or even what I'll say to them haha. Every conversation is different and I have met all walks of life and all types of situations that people are passing through. And I think that though the mission can be tough at times, I have no doubt that there are millions of people and families passing through much tougher times than I am . The mission is tough but its just like they say all the time in General Conference its preparing me for the rest of my life. Everyday things happen that make me think how I would face the same situation and debate what would happen with the choices I would make.
Also, yesterday I got another shirt from one of the members here in the ward, actually its my first that I've gotten from this ward. But one of the guys here gave me one of his soccer jerseys and signed it, next week I'll have a picture of him and me with it. I keep telling everybody that the team I will root for for the rest of my life will be the team I have the most shirts of. As of now i root for Palmeiras because I have 3 shirts from them.
Oh and of course gotta talk about the Miami Heat. I'm definately being blessed for being here on a mission with them winning the championship. Just a couple more games and my dad will be buying me a championship shirt and then doing the same thing next year as well. D Wade <3
Eu Te Amo
Elder Gleason
P.S. Mosiah 5:7,13,15 and 1 Samuel 12:24;16:7; 17:45-47
Well I know a few weeks ago I said im not sure if I had ever talked to so many people in my life in a 1 week span, well this week I definately beat that out. I talked with sooo many people in the street there was one day we were going to lunch and it took like 20 minutes to walk 2 blocks because I just kept stopping everybody. I find it pretty exciting to stop the people and see what they´ll say or even what I'll say to them haha. Every conversation is different and I have met all walks of life and all types of situations that people are passing through. And I think that though the mission can be tough at times, I have no doubt that there are millions of people and families passing through much tougher times than I am . The mission is tough but its just like they say all the time in General Conference its preparing me for the rest of my life. Everyday things happen that make me think how I would face the same situation and debate what would happen with the choices I would make.
Also, yesterday I got another shirt from one of the members here in the ward, actually its my first that I've gotten from this ward. But one of the guys here gave me one of his soccer jerseys and signed it, next week I'll have a picture of him and me with it. I keep telling everybody that the team I will root for for the rest of my life will be the team I have the most shirts of. As of now i root for Palmeiras because I have 3 shirts from them.
Oh and of course gotta talk about the Miami Heat. I'm definately being blessed for being here on a mission with them winning the championship. Just a couple more games and my dad will be buying me a championship shirt and then doing the same thing next year as well. D Wade <3
Eu Te Amo
Elder Gleason
P.S. Mosiah 5:7,13,15 and 1 Samuel 12:24;16:7; 17:45-47
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Zone Jacana before the transfers
Miami Heat symbol J.R. made from a soap bar
The Bible scripture case that Elder Alexandre finished for him
Getting warm by the fire
On Monday they burned old couches and a bunch of other stuff from Fagners house, this is the tower
Awesome older woman in their ward who made them little hand towels with their names on them
Close up of the hand towel
Anderson, whos 8 from their ward and is basically already a missionary. He hands out pass along cards when hes taking the bus and talks abnout the church to people
June 11, 2012
I don't know how it is possible to have so much rain. It doesn'tmake sense how the clouds stay in the same plae for an entire week without any change. It literally rained the entire week without stopping and is still raining today. I can't lie I actually got pretty cold a few imes but of course I didn't tell any of the Brasilians that, can't let New York down like that. Rain makes everything harder in the missionary work though, people really don't want to talk to you even more then usual. But I still kept stopping people in the street anyways, rain doesn't make the gospel no bless lives.Anywho this week was a decent one, not the greatest but definitley not the worst either. This weekend though the Temple in Manuas Brasil was dedicaed and the whole country of Brasl got to watchthe dedication. So on Saturday night we were able to watch the cultural event and then on Sunday all of the Dedicaton sessions. It was super awesome and of course spiritual. The members in Manaus sacrificed so much to be able to go to the temple for such a long time. They would travel more than a week just to be able to come here in Sao Paulo to go to the temple. And then pretty recently there was a temple built in Venuezuelu, no idea how to spell that, and it was "only" a 4 day trip to get there. But now after many many years they have their own temple there in the amazons. The dedication was super great and Pres Uchtdorf, Elder Cook and some 70´s were there. The chapel here became an extentio n of the temple and so everybody h to have a temple recommend to get in, and i was able to grab one fo the extras as well so i have a little memory of it. But my testimony was strengthened again about the blessings of the temple and how we trully can be sealed as a family for time and all eternity not just here on earth until death. The power has been restored to the earth through Joseph Smith and has been passed down until our day with a living prophet in Thomas S Monson. What a blessing we have tle to realize these ordenances and covenants with God to be able to live with out families for ever.
Well thts about it for this week, sometimes i feel dumb because i bear the same testimony about 10-15 times a day but i realized the other day its because the gospel will never change. It is the same since the beginning of time and it wont ever change just because some man wants to change things around. God is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Eu Te Amo
Elder Gleason
P.S. Mosiah 2:20-21. 41 and 1 Sam 2:1-2
Well thts about it for this week, sometimes i feel dumb because i bear the same testimony about 10-15 times a day but i realized the other day its because the gospel will never change. It is the same since the beginning of time and it wont ever change just because some man wants to change things around. God is the same yesterday, today and forever.
Eu Te Amo
Elder Gleason
P.S. Mosiah 2:20-21. 41 and 1 Sam 2:1-2
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