After The Storm 10-26-15

This week was a good week and some interesting things happened. Lets get to it.

Tuesday was really hot... It was 34-36 Celsius (93-96 F) all day and we were dying.... humid and hot and well yeah. We also found out that our interviews with president would be on Thursday so we had to get that all planned and make the ticket schedule for the travelers. We got that all sent and the secretaries called us and said that they were basically gonna change everything because president didn't like it. Well okay then. I was curious about that because I sent the same itinerary to them that we did for the last interviews. But apparently that wouldnt work again. We did that and that was Tuesday.

Wednesday we reicieved the Elders at our apartment and talked about doctrine and things. We had our ward activity that night and we talked about the commandments and made some hand signs to remember them all. We also played hot potato which was fun. There was also a HAIL STORM that night when it was hailing the size of a golf ball!!! CRAZY!!! The power went out and it was really noisy becasue of the hail and thunder... Kinda scary and we found out later that some of the houses got holes in the roof! Scary stuff.

Thursday were interviews and they went smoothly and in my interview president told me to be ready for new responibilities. Sounds like I'm probably gonna be transferred.

And the weekend was normal after that. We had a broadcast from Sao Paulo from the area presidency and that was really cool. They talked a lot about missionary work and they broadcast from the MTC! I saw some of the people that I knew from there and it made me miss them a bit. But the messages were good and funny and made a difference for those who heard it.

Dad asked for some info about the food. Some of the foods that I will miss here are the tropical fruits, pastels, and the style of pizza. The fruits here are a lot better then Idaho. They are a lot cheaper as well. We have pinapple, mango, starfruit, limes, and bananas that are out of this world. And they're super cheap relative to Idaho. Pastels are like little calzones that you put meat, cheese, ham, onion, and even chocolate in and they are dep fried. Apparently there is a memeber here who wants to start a pastel business in the northwest US someday! That would be cool if in a few years there were pastel places in the US!!! But if not I will miss them becasue theryre super cheap and depending on where you go theyre huge!!  The pizza as well is different. Its more flat crust with more toppings. The flavors are different as well more or less. There are 4 cheeses which I will miss a lot!!! It is super cheesy and there are some liquid cheeses that they use to make it amazing.  They also have that dessert pizza that I sent pics of and that is.... Well... to die for.

Well family sorry I don't have more but I have some other stuff to get done. Love you guys! Take care!

Elder George

Another Week 10-19-15

S'mores

 One more week gone by and may I say that this one actually FLEW by. The week before crawled by and then time flew! So that made us happy. We are having quite a bit of success with one family. They are G, M,and M. They are super cool and they already believe that the church is true. They have to get married however... So I ask that you guys could pray for them to be able to get that put together to have a baptismal date on the 7th of November. We really do think it will work out. PLEASE HELP!

Anyway I was asked this week about the zone meeting that was supposed to happen. Well it was actually canceled because of lack of  time. We'll see when that happens because we have interviews once again with president this week! It'll be good to talk to him a bit.

So! This week the 2nd ward here had a ward party that we were invited to participate. So we went and it turned out to be a macho cake contest! All of the men made cakes and I GOT TO JUDGE THEM!!!! It was super cool. They weren't too bad really. They played music and stuff when they were presenting and it was super funny! I tried to be fair and just about all of the cakes were actually really good. I was rather surprised actually. 

Something that is different about Brazil: Most of the people here don't have school like we do there. The people here have various times to go. morning, afternoon and night. The kids have different times based on grades. So for example, the high school kids go in the morning, the elementary in the afternoon, and the middle school at night. It all depends on the city as well. But for the most part its like that here.

The houses here are made of bricks... Or wood... Really nobody uses sheetrock here. It's really expensive to do. so they use cement and bricks and wood. Basically anything the can find for cheap really.

 

Everyone shops at least once a week if not more. There really isn't a lot of storage of food here.. So everyone goes to the store a lot. Well, really close to our house is a store called Celeiro. Its basically a grocery store. We go shopping based on the food that we don't have. So if we're out of food we go buy food! no cars and no bikes though. Yay for carrying groceries!

So when the transfer happened we lost two sisters from our district... We now have the four Elders from last transfer and two of the sisters from last transfer so 6 in total. They are all super nice and we all get along great. The sisters are from São Paulo and the other from Argentina. They have very unique personalities. They certainly give the meetings a little more attitude if you know what I mean.

So today I was reading the Doctrine and Covenants and I was in the 108th section* and it is great. it talks about the forgiving of Lyman Sherman I think. But I put my name in and thought about when everyone does something wrong or is having a rough time. It says that if we try to be better we will be strengthened and blessed. I felt really good after reading that. Made my day :)

Well, we haven't been terribly busy lately but we are much busier then my first transfer here. We are finding and trying to help others everyday and that really makes the difference. 

But I guess that's it today! I love you all and I hope you all have a spiritual experience today!

Beijo!

Elder George

A sister in the ward who is leaving for her mission.

*https://www.lds.org/scriptures/dc-testament/dc/108?lang=eng

"Verily thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant Lyman: Your sins are forgiven you, because you have obeyed my voice in coming up hither this morning to receive counsel of him whom I have appointed.Therefore, let your soul be at rest concerning your spiritual standing, and resist no more my voice. And arise up and be more careful henceforth in observing your vows, which you have made and do make, and you shall be blessed with exceeding great blessings. Wait patiently until the solemn assembly shall be called of my servants, then you shall be remembered with the first of mine elders, and receive right by ordination with the rest of mine elders whom I have chosen. Behold, this is the promise of the Father unto you if you continue faithful. And it shall be fulfilled upon you in that day that you shall have right to preach my gospel wheresoever I shall send you, from henceforth from that time. Therefore, strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings. And behold, and lo, I am with you to bless you and deliver you forever. Amen."

And the rain, rain, rain came down, down down.....10-13-15

 

 

Friends And Family,

This week was the week of rain and as I started to write this letter, it started again... So we sthould get a little wet on the way home. BUT MISSIONARY LIFE!

So first things first. Our investigator M. is doing well... We think... we didnt get a chance to meet with her this week becasue she was visiting her sister to help her with a new baby. So we will go there today to see whats happening. Please pray for her though. She could really need it.

 

So Maybe you guys saw some of the pics that I took. Some of them were of buildings. One of them was an electronic store called Moroni! Another was the shoppin mall that there is here. I took a picture becasue we cant actually go in becasue its against the rules. So thats why I tried to take a pic of the whole thing. Others were in the rain in our area that I thought were cool little views. I thought that you would like to see a little more then me in Brazil and maybe just a bit of brazil. Let me know what you guys would like to know or see!

Well, Mom asked if I have given many priesthood blessings and on a mission and what that could be like. It really is quite a different thing, because you think about the person and about WHO they are to GOD. More often then not you don't know the person very well, and you have to give them a blessing that will mean something for them. You really have to be in tune with the Spirit, more than I was at home. You really have to pay attention to the promptings you receive. Also, I have blessed a house and other things that I will save to mention until later on. Its a great experience using the Savior's authority and acting as Christ's hands.

 

Well a little while ago we had our zone meeting and its getting time to do another one. We are gonna plan to talk about the role of the leadership of the church in missionary work. (chapter 13 Preach My Gospel- Link to material is https://www.lds.org/manual/preach-my-gospel-a-guide-to-missionary-service/how-do-i-work-with-stake-and-ward-leaders?lang=eng) And being zone leader makes it a little more interesting actually doing the training. I really do enjoy trying to help others be better, because in doing so I have the devotion and incentive to be better myself. It really changes you.

My companion is doing well. It is a bit different because organization is super important to him. He really is bothered when things arent organized and details aren't planned out, So that is a bit different then me. I find that a little planning and a little bit of "on the spot" really brings things to life instead of doing the same thing over and over again. So I am trying to help him see the benefit in that. He is 24 which is different and he is native Brazilian. He is nice and chill and enjoys the work. It really is a good time. He has been out 10 months right now and will make a year in December. We are getting along well! In our house everything stayed the same which was awesome. We were super excited to stay all together for a while more. I had been praying that we would all stay. I really like the guys here. It keeps things fun.

So yesterday we had Children's Day!!! Apparently its a national holiday and EVERYTHING closes. This is why the letters are being sent on Tuesday this week. There was a few little parties but we just stayed home. :)

Well the rain was a hard deal this week. We were wet one way or the other: when we stayed out of the rain we would sweat and when we would leave our rain jackets home to stay cooler it would rain and we would get wet. So we were just wet this week. We also had an investigator that has been going to church for the past few weeks that gained a testimony of the church in Gospel Principles on Sunday and wants to be baptized! That was cool. We marked a date and are gonna visit him tomorrow. He could be the first baptism for me! We'll see!

Well to leave a thought with you guys, I was listening to Elder Russell M. Nelson's talk from General conference (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/10/a-plea-to-my-sisters?lang=eng) and it really does touch those who have trouble keeping up with trials in life. His wife told him after a recent heart operation failure that he needed to "stop crying and get up, go back to work, and get learning." If we quit, others will have to learn painfully what we already know. I really liked that and I thought about that in the mission. With the time I have another missionary would have to suffer through similair things to know what I know. That is why I can't give up. 1 Nephi 2:15 Talks about the struggles of Lehi. (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/1-ne/2?lang=eng)  Its simple yet direct. Through our trials we can thank God or be bitter. It's our choice. We can rise or we call fall. There is no middle ground. 

I love you all and I hope that this large piece of memory helps someone learn something that they needed to. I really know that Christ lives and loves us. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise. 

Take care everyone,

Elder Deven George

A PS from Elder George's mom:

This past week I received a letter in snail mail. Deven said that he has been trying to play piano again. As a very young child, he took piano lessons, but hasn't played in about 8-9 years. When I questioned him about it he said,

 "Yes mom... I am still playing. In fact I printed some stuff today! I am gonna try and learn some hymns and things to play :) Sharps and flats are a hard deal... They make playing a little slower.. BUT I am liking it :)"

New Transfer 10-5-15

Watching General Conference in English


Well this week was awesome. We had a great time with our ONE YEAR PARTY!!!! On Thursday me and Elder S made one year in the mission and we went around all day shouting HUMP DAY!!!! And singing "Livin' on a Prayer." It was super fun. That night we weren't having to much success so we called it just a bit early and decided to start the party! So we got the pizza ordered, got our Axe spray, lighter, shirts, ties and Coke and we went nuts! When you make a year you burn a shirt and tie. I had some DI ties and we found some shirts that the other elders left and we went off. We poured on hand sanitizer and got the light and did the "blow torch" deal and we had an awesome time burning the past to get ready for the new "year" Certainly was an awesome night. We got two pizzas and coke and we were stuffed that night.

 

So that was Thursday. We also received the transfer call and all of us are staying again! We are excited and ready for one more together. On a plus side Elder J from my first Field District got transferred here and Elder F form my second area also got transferred here! So that should be fun to see them again!

CONFERENCE!!!! General Conference was OUTSTANDING. Me and Elder S got to watch it in English! So we felt more American. I know you should always go with questions to conference so I went with the question," What should I do now to strengthen a future wife and family?" Let me tell ya... Just a FEW answers to that one. I was taking notes like a mad man and managed 20 PAGES of notes. It was good to hear all the messages of the inspired men that lead us. I also was very happy with the new apostles. I knew instantly when they were announced that they were called of God. It was a very good conference. I was really rather sad to see it end. But now I can say only one more General conference until I get home! WHOOT! 

Anyway, We have one girl that has a date for baptism on the 30th of this month that we would really like it is she was prayed for a little more. She is a little afraid of what the answer will be if she asks. So if you guys could pray for her to be calmed and comforted about this I would be grateful. 

You little ones! I want all of you to send an email about your favorite talk from conference so that I can know that you at least paid attention to one talk! Tell me about it, who gave it, and why you liked it. I loved Elder Holland's. Surprise surprise. I thought of Mom and said to myself..."All missionaries in the world are gonna email their moms and apologize for everything they have done wrong now." Mom, sorry for being a rotten child. Should have done better but you can count on that I'll never be that person to you again. <3 So now for all those who read this it's your turn to think about your beloved mothers. Give them a call, write a note, send a message, make a cake etc. Do something to show your appreciation for them. I promise that if you do they will rejoice more then you can realize. 

I love you all and I wish an absolutely fantastic week for you all!

"Remember who you are and where you come from." (Elder Neil L. Anderson)

Elder George

*Here is a link if you are interested in watching any of the messages from General Conference:
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2015/10?lang=eng

WHOA!!!! WE'RE HALFWAY THERE!!!!! 9-28-15

One year old missionary shoes

Friends and family,

Today is the last Pday before I make a year!!! WHAT????? Life...

Anyway I just wanted to thank eveyrone for everything that you have done for me and all the support. It means the world to me to know that everyone cares that much about me. Never will I ever be able to make that up, but I hope you all know I love you guys.

Anyway, enough of the sappy sappy. Lets go to the questions of the week!

1-Who is in the pics you sent this week? And why did you send a pic of Captain America?

 - well most of them were our zone. The one with the sister is an Amercan sister that is in our zone. She is one of the few American sisters in the mission. So we took a pic. The reason why I sent the Captain America one is becasue I took that and the people here compare me and Elder S to Captain America. SO I sent that home ;)

2-What is your apartment like? We haven't really heard about that. High rise? Size? In a residential area or more city like? Primarily, are you in a pretty safe area?

 - Our apartment is in a residential area. It is a 3rd floor and its pretty decent now that we are really taking great care of it. 3 bedrooms, 2 bath, a kitchen, service area, and a living room. We also have a balcony witha  hammock! So that makes Pdays the good life ;) This city is really the safest I've been in yet. there really isnt anywhere thats dangerous. SO Mom you can take a breather. ;)

3-Have you ever received the post cards I sometimes send?

- I have gotten some postcards from people... Mostly from Brother B but I did get one from Mom that I remember off the head.

4-How are your investigators doing? Are you still having people progressing and learning?

 - The poeple are good. We are having some trouble with investigators running from us. They dont want it and the just dont tell us. They just cancel appointments and dont answer... so thats annoying but life goes on.

5-Do you serve in just one ward? or do you cover more wards?How many people are in your ward, approx. Is the church gigantic? It looks HUGE from the pic I saw on Google Maps. 

 - Well there are two sets in our ward and there are 4 wards in the city and the stake is in like 5 cities. In every ward in this city there are 2 sets of missionaries. Because the areas are so big and we dont have cars or bikes there has to be two sets or else nothing would get done. Our ward isnt very big. There are about 70-80 active members. THe chapel is big because two wards meet at the same time here. They dont usually have that... So thats why it is so big..But the chapel at home chapel is WAYYYY bigger then this one... Just to give a frame of mind.

6-What blessings can you see in your life because of being on a mission? (name at least 3)

 - Well, first I learned how to speak another language and be able to communicate with all the people in their own language. That was tough but that definitely is something that I can use for the rest of life. Second, I learned the power of repentance and the role it is in our lives, but without the Atonement we couldnt even repent so... I guess I learned the power of the Atonement then. Third, I learned for myself that God really does live. I know he Loves each and every one of us and he KNOWS us more then we know ourselves. 

7-What is something you really miss about home?

- Well, I REALLY MIISS A BIG THING OF PEANUT BUTTER.... AND HOT COCOA.... AND.... well.... snow but I dont know how that would work to send... But if you could send a few packages of those instant PEanut Butter cookies I would be SUPER grateful :D

8-Will you share an experience where you saw God’s hand in your life recently.

- Well, this week we had our Zone Conference and so we had to train all of the missionaries in front of president. I was a little nervous because my companion worries about things. So When we got to the time to train he just kinda locked up and I had to step up. I just swallowed and went and did it. And it was awesome!!! I really felt that God was inspiring me to change things on the fly and it really made a difference. That was really what I saw this week!

But that sums up the questions this week! I love you all And I WISH YOU ALL ONE YEAR LESS UNTIL YOURE NOT RID OF ME ANYMORE :D 

Elder George

 



Silly photo

Hellooooooo 9-21-15

Friends and family,

This week was a good one!! Like always I have the Q and A Here for you and we'll see what the people want to know! meaning mom.....

1-What are you eating these days when you are not being fed by members?(you mentioned that you were trying to eat healthier) Do you cook together with all of the Elders in your apartment?

- Well we do cook a lot. I made mashed potatoes, Sausage, eggs, smoothies, stuffing, and a few other things. It tasted a lot better when we actually cook so thats what we do when we have time. Everyone takes turns really. Its nice to get stuff done and when we get home have something to eat. Makes life easier.

2-When do transfers come again? Do you have an idea of what will be happening? Are you hoping to stay in your area since the work is starting to move a little more?

-Transfers are the weekend of General Conference, October 3-4. I am REALLY hoping to stay. Things are really starting to go well and I love the area and the people that I see everyday. Especially the elders in the House... But I think something will change in the house.... :( Maybe in the district and certainly in the zone. There is rarely anytime where someone doesn't get transferred.

3-What are you doing for exercise? What do you do for activities on P-day? Have you seen any sights or other interesting things in your area? Animals? Foods? Anything different than here?

 -Well we do pushups and sit ups and weight bearing excersises now because President decided to prohibit P90x... :'( So now excersises are once again a drag. On pday we buy our food, make the food, eat the food, and then we do some odd thing. There are a bunch of fruits that are soooo good that we dont have in the US. I love Acerola. It like a cherry but a little smaller and a little more sour. Animals are about the same as the south US. They dont have squirrels which is funny. Never saw one.... :/

4-What was something funny that happened this week?

-So two missionaries just got home and everytime we see them they are a bit awkward... ITs kinda funny to watch them. You know how they are ina bit of shock at being a normal person again. 

5-What was the BEST thing that happened this week?

 - Well, we got the shoes that we ordered this week and they are AMAZING!!! I dont think I'll have to buy another pair for the rest of the mission. They are super durable and We are super happy about them. The soles are thermal! They withstand up to like 500 degrees without melting! WHAT???? What are you gonna do at that temp?!? Super cool. SUPER TIGHT!!! ( Just for Ster. ;)  )

6-How often to you have to speak or teach in church?

- Well speaking of that I spoke yesterday. It was good and I talked about Joseph Smith's First vision and how we enjoy the blessings of the Gospel becasue Of the work of Joseph the Prophet. I didn't really have any trouble with speaking and finding all the words that I needed. Makes me feel great to not stumble searching for the right words in Portuguese.

7-It sounds like you are getting more people to teach. How is that going? Are you seeing progress?

 - We are getting a few more people and they are doing well! One person read like 15 extra pages of the Book of Mormon this week! I was suprised! We should have mroe progress this next week. I'll let you know!

Well, Fam. It looks like my time is at hand. I love you all and wish a great week to you all. Make sure to look for opportunities to serve! We serve the Lord by serving others! I'll see you all next week!

Elder Deven George

Week of Burning 9-14-15

Friends and Family,

This week was the week of all burnings. Apparently there was a LOT of disobedience throughout the mission and Presidente emailed everyone about it. We also had leadership council with him this week which I will explain later. Lets get to the questions and answers then! 

What happened with the conference? What was interesting or meaningful to you?

 -Well it was the normal leadership council that they do monthly but with a lot about obedience and The things that come if you aren't obedient. So it was a strong burning for everyone. It wasnt very personal or anything so that was good and I'm not taking it too personally. I thought he conference itself would be a lot bigger then it was. We also got all the mail and stuff for the zone. It was a bummer because we were on a bus for 20 hours this week because of it. Super long!

You sent a lot of pics with different girls…..who are they all? (dad said, “how come he is standing by a girl in so many pictures?”) And were some of the pics with Elders from the MTC?

-So most of the girls we in our last district.  Most of them are leaving this transfer so thats why there were so many pictures. And yeah! There were all the members, except one Elder, from our MTC district there at the conference! I saw people I haven't seen in a year! So that was cool!

Did you stay in Florianopolis for that conference? Where do you stay? Who feeds you?

-So we were on a bus both of the nights. So we were exhausted this week. We had lunch at a resturaunt and we had to provide everything else. We left at 9PM on tuesday and arrived at 530 AM the next day. WE stayed all day, and had our bus back at 9 PM and we got home at 630AM on thursday... Lots of bus time.

I LOVE the pic of the picnic. I notice that there are 5 of you in a couple of pics. Is someone in a 3 person companionship? Is that your house you are outside of, or somewhere else?

 -Actually he is a missionary that just got home! He is super cool and he went to Belo Horizonte. So when he got home we were invited to lunch with them! It was super cool. His parents aren't members but that wont last too long now that he got home. We're gonna start working with them this next week I think.

I love that you have found some new people to teach. How are those lessons going?

 -The lessons are good! We found another family that is doing well. They are gonna read and pray about the Book of Mormon and we'll see what happens! A. couldnt meet with us this week. So we'll see what is going on next week!
Tell me something that you have learned or is important to you from this first half of your mission.

-  I learned that no matter how it may seem time passes FAST. You never know when your last day will come so you need to do your best everyday just in case there isn't a tomorrow. NOT that I've been in life or death situations! But just thinking about life, that's how it is.

Well everyone, Thanks so much for all the support and I hope everyone is reading their scriptures! At least a verse per day! That is a challenge for everyone! Don’t let the habit die!

With Love, Elder George