Week 48...Paulina, Brazil

Hey, sorry I haven´t wrote you guys a good letter in a little bit. There is always something going on. This week we are in the house of the billionare again. I love this place. We played a good game of basketball this morning and after that we ate Apple Jacks. It´s funny how much things are changing. I didn´t really like it that much and my stomach is killing me now. I think it will be a little rough when I go back and eat there. It´s crazy to think how much things have changed in one year.

Other than that things are going pretty good. We are going to have a baptism this week and in 16 days a family of four will be getting married and will baptize. We are super excited for them and they are doing so well. I remember so much of dad when I talk with them. I love it too because he works on cars as a hobby so I always have someone to talk to. Also, I have learned how to say almost all the names of the car parts in Portuguese. It is funny because my companion gets lost the same way as mom gets lost when we start talking. I knew that the Saueressigness would come in handy at sometime. Other than that things are going great here in the south. The weather is getting cooler. Love you guys a tons and take care.

Love,

Elder Zachary

P.S. I don´t know if you guys already sent the box but you guys could send a kansas state tie if you wanted. I'm needing a little more purple in my blood.

Week 47...Paulina, Brazil

Today we went to the temple!! That is why I´m emailing super late and on Tuesday. Things are going really good here. This transfer is flying by but it is full of success.(sorry I don´t have too much time to email.) Yesterday we marked three baptisms. One for this week, one for the next, and then one for the week after that. We are super stoked about this and the future is looking pretty good for this area. I think I am really lucky because I literally got put in the best area in the mission. The members are super good and the city we are in is super rich. There is an oil refinery right next to where we live so they make a ton of money of them. Actually our city is the 2nd richest in Brazil. I feel like I´m at McDonalds because I am lovin' it. Anyways, that's about all that I have to say for this week. I love you guys a ton.

Love

Elder Zachary

Week 46...Paulina Brazil

This week went by super quick. It is really starting to get crazy how fast time is passing. This next month I will make 1 year on my mission and then it will just be downhill from there. It is really tough because it is already going by sooo quick, I can´t imagine what it will be like after that. We had a leadership meeting this week, that´s why I´m emailing on Tuesday. We have leadership meetings every Monday, on the first week of the month. Just for future reference.

This week was really tough for our work. We are in trio now but one of the missionaries will receive his companion in this next week. It is really tough because we are trying to keep two areas going. We are using the members alot to help him but this leaves us without the help of members. We have been really blessed with our efforts but still it has taken a toll on us and our results.Things are all good though. We have a family that we are working with and they are planning to get married. It is so cool to see them change. The father reminds me alot of my dad. He is really stuborn and doesn´t want to change but he has set his mind that he will change. Although things aren´t the best in his situation right now he is going to do what it takes to get baptized. I also told him that I´m stuborn and that I won´t leave till I see him get baptized. That family is sooo great and I´m looking forward to see him enter into the temple. 

We are also meeting alot of cool people going to Campinas all the time. We met this 7' tall guy that was super cool and I also talked with this guy that was born in Africa, played basketball in Europe, speaks English, French, Italian, Arabic, and Portuguese. To say the least he was super interesting to talk to. The only bad thing is that he lives outside of our area so we can´t visit him. Things are going really good here. I love you guys a ton.

Love,

Elder Zachary

Week 45...Paulina, Brazil

Just to start things off, if I spell a lot of things wrong it's because I am using an IPad. Yeah, that's right. Our mission just got released to use iPads and since I am zone leader they gave them to us first. No I'm just kidding we are sending emails in a billionaires house today. We are having a huge barbecue in his house today. It is crazy to get in we had to go through security and he has an Austin Martin in front of his house. It is literally something out of a magazine.

Outside of that this week has been really good. To start things off we almost had two baptisms this week but in the end we only had one. She is super awesome and it was the first time that I got to enter into the waters of baptism. Her name is Maria de Fatima. We found her from a contact on the street. I don't have too much time because there is a lot of food and stuff to do. I love you guys soo much.

This week has been busier than ever. This week was the best week that I think I have had on my mission. I am really happy with my situation right now. Sometimes it´s hard because we have to focus on the zone a lot but the Lord is literally raining blessings from heaven. This week we had a baptism of Aparecida. She was a reference from a member and was really elite. She had already been reading the Book of Mormon and the only thing is she had to stop drinking coffee. She stopped super quick though and we had her baptism last Sunday. It was super special. She had all her family there and her brother baptized her. I was also super excited because all her family aren´t members and I gave a talk last Sunday and they left it open so I got to explain a little more about the gospel. The week before we didn´t have any investigators in the church and last week we had seven. Things are really getting better. We had a family show up that we invited to come Thursday and they just showed up. It´s a little tough because it´s three teenage girls and their mom so we don´t really know their intentions but at least they showed up.

This week is the start of a new transfer. I am super happy because I will stay in the same area with the same companion. He has helped me learn so much and made the transition so much easier. We are working really good together now and this next week I wouldn´t be surprised if we had four baptisms. Our only problem this week is one family that is really good. They say all the right things. They have so much potential, it´s just that they are a little bit prideful and won´t come to church. If you guys would pray for Renato and his family this week, I think that would really help us out. I´m sure that the Lord is preparing him it´s just that we need a lot more patience. I love you guys a ton.

Love,

Elder Zachary

 

Week 42...

Well this week is going to be transfers. I am super excited and super nervous about this next transfer. I personally think that President is going a little crazy or maybe the smog in Campinas has a little too much smoke in it. President called me Sunday and said that he had something very serious to say to me. He said that he wants me to stay in Mogi Mirim eight more months. I´m really excited to see how much I can grow. It will definantly be tough but I think I can do it. Just kidding, but President really did call me and asked me if I would be willing to be Zone Leader. I accepted and I will learn today where I will go and who will suffer in my zone. I just think it is crazy that he would choose me. I have never trained or been a leader on my mission.

 

Outside of that, my week was pretty normal and really good. I figured that I would be leaving and prepared all my good byes. As always though things threw me for a loop. We have an older lady in our Ward that is 75 years old. She always helps us out a ton, always giving references. This week she was in the hospital for an infection in her leg and pneunomia. She isn´t looking too good. Also, our relief society president´s daughter in law was pregnant and her baby died. She was just one month away from giving birth. It was really tough to see them go through this. It´s crazy how tight we can get after just a little bit of time together.

Also this week I was preparing everything for my companion to take over the area. We left everything ready. We prepared the house and President bought a new refridgerator, washing machine, oven, and microwave. Then we learned last night that my companion would be leaving too. So that means that Sisters will be going to our house and be enjoying that lovely house that I worked 7 months for. I really hope they enjoy it. I´m sure that they´ll do fine with all the members there. I will really miss that Ward. Anyways love you guys a ton.

Love

Elder Zachary

P.S. I don´t think I´ll ever have to buy clothes again.

Week 40...Mogi Mirum

It´s crazy that I´ve hit 40 weeks. Time is still flying by like always. Especially since it super nervous for next week. Next week is transfers and I am feeling that I will be transfered. Actually, I am hoping to be transfered. I don´t know if that is bad of me but 7 months in one area is a little tough.

This week I was really trying to focus on the simple things that I think I was really starting to slip on. I noticed that I was letting people pass by and not talking to everyone that I see(which is still tough.) I also noticed that there were rules that I wasn´t obeying exactly. The thing I love most about the gospel is that the atonement is for everyone. Not just for my investigators or for my family back home but also for me too. It was a really good week for reflection and seeing where my mission is going. I think we all need to do that every now and then. Just sit back and think about anything and everything. I really am grateful for everything that I have and this oppurtunity to grow and be the person my Heavenly Father and my mom wants me to be. 

After this I really started to see the difference that I have made here and how much people I have had the oppurtunity to help. There are some people that I think I will cry leaving them behind. I also was able to see many blessings this week. We made one contact and he actually came to church. I think that is the first time that this actually happened. We also got a house in Mogi Mirim. We picked up the keys Friday and I think we are going to move there Wendsday. Also we had the biggest miracle. We went to Walmart and found Reeses!!! I bought more than ten packages because they were only R$.98 or about $.50. I gave about 6 of them away, so don´t worry to much mom. Anyways, I love you guys a tons and thanks for all the prayers.

Love,

Elder Zachary

 

Week 44...Paulina, Brazil

Well, this week I got over the shock and it was time to get to work. This week, I think I have grown more than almost all my mission. I feel like I say that everyweek but I think that is just part of the mission now. We all grow a ton(some in the waistband) and the time always passes by way to fast. I have actually been think about that alot recently. How in 6 weeks I´ll be halfway done with my mission. I have set some personal goals and am planning to grow so much more. I realized this week that I am really blessed when I learned that 6 Elders from my group will come here this week, including Elder Todd my companion from the MTC. I can´t imagine how they are feeling and how it will be. I feel like it took me 6 months before I could start to really understand and just now is when I feel comfortable giving talks and teaching in another language. Actually, this week, I think there was 4-5 times that they didn´t think I was from the United States. The only thing that they thought was different is that I was white but there are alot of German people in the South. That made me feel pretty good.

This week the growth but also the stress is starting to set in. I have learned that those two always go together. We will not learn when we are comfortable, sitting back, eating cheetos in our over stuffed sofa. I have learned to love my companion super quick and right now we are working super well together. It is funny because we have to correct people alot of times and I have a problem because I´m not very nice on the people that are here on a mission but that don´t want to work. My companion loves everyone and tries to make everyone feel good. So, to learn, we switched up our roles. Right now he gets to be the "bad cop" then I come in with all the mooshy, gooshy, feel good words, to help them know that we are trying to help. I feel like it is so much easier to rip them apart but I learned that the Savior isn´t always that way. I have been learning alot how to correct with love and that I need to love the missionaries more than the problems. Also, I learned that all people can change and we need to "let people repent" as Elder Holland said. 

This week I also had the oppurtunity to learn from the Assistants. We had splits with them last Tuesday and I learned so much from him. I had many questions about why the Lord chose me to lead 26 Elders and Sisters in the best zone in Campinas. He said that is because our mission is full of pride and the fact that I´m asking the question shows that I don´t have pride. Then, General Conference came and reapproved everything that I learned. Lastly, to put the cherry on the cake, we had a leadership meeting yesterday and President left nothing doubting in my mind of my purpose and what I need to help those around me. I have really been humbled this week as I´ve seen the Lord put words into my mouth, show me the people I need to talk to, and the Elders/Sisters that are going through problems.

I love you guys so much and thank you so much for all you guys do for me. 

Love,

Elder Zachary