Great Week! (Week 88)

Hey family!

Well it was yet another wonderful, wonderful week.  We spent Monday in the hospital with an elder who had surgery on a hernia.  Tuesday we had a Zone Conference in Contagem and I got to see a few members from Riacho which was great.  Wednesday we had a Zone Conference in Sete Lagoas which was very cool.  Uncle Ted served there and they have a goal to divide the stake this year in Sete Lagoas so that is really exciting.  After the Conference, we did divisions with the Zone Leaders there which was a great experience.  We returned to BH the next day, did some work in the office and welcomed the new senior couple that we have on our mission! They are wonderful - they are from São Paulo and very excited to work.  They will be serving in our ward.  We have an american couple waiting for a visa and another Brazilian couple to arrive so the mission is just getting bigger and bigger.  In February, we will lose 5 missionaries and gain 17!  President is opening new areas almost every transfer! It is really exciting to be a missionary!

We have very high goals for the mission this week and we are excited for the baptisms that we will have today and tomorrow.  President changed the day that we invite people to be baptized to Saturday which will help a lot of the people be confirmed.  We are very excited and I am very grateful to be serving this mission.

Have I already told you this story?  If so, forgive me. Two weeks ago we did a division in Ipatinga with the Zone Leaders.  Right before we went home that night to plan and sleep, we decided to visit a less active member.  We entered the house and we meet her cousin who was there staying with her.  We taught him the first lesson and he accept to read the Book of Mormon, pray and when God responds, to be baptized.  That was all that I have heard about him  because I went back to BH.  But as I have called the Zone Leaders and followed up on things, they told me that this young man had a dream where he dreamed that he saw God and Jesus Christ and they told him that this was the true church and that he should be baptized in it.  He will be baptized today.  I am so grateful for the work of the Lord because He really does work and help us in all that we need.  He knows His children and loves them. 



I love you all! Have a righteous and happy week!



Elder Jacob

Hey All! (Week 87)

Hey Family!

It was a great week this week! Very busy as usual.  We had zone conferences every day this week except Monday.  Zone conferences are wonderful and I really loved them when I was in the field.  Presidente  Fortunato likes to do conferences with each zone every three or four months and it is that time of year again.  We did conferences in the three Zones in Belo Horizonte – BH, BH oeste and BH Leste and then we drove to Divinópolis, a city about two hours away and had a conference there as well.  All the conferences were very inspiring and it was really great to be with President and Sister Fortunato and learn from them more than I had before.

Elder Lima is a wonderful companion.  He is very smart and likes to teach me about the culture of Brasil and I am learning a lot.  He is a convert to the church.  His grandpa was a member and invited him to church but he didn´t like it when he went.  Then one day, he was in his room and saw that there were four copies of the Book of Mormon in his room which he thought was strange.  He decided to start reading.  He read the Book of Mormon, Gospel Principles and Our Heritage.  He then, of his own accord, decided to go to church.  This time, when he went, he loved church and felt the Spirit very strongly.  The missionaries started teaching him and he accepted to be baptized.  He went to church all by himself for 8 months until his parents were also baptized.  He gave up the family tradition of going to the mall every Sunday to keep the commandments – just because he knew that it was the right thing to do.  His whole family is strong in the gospel and he is an amazing missionary.  I am grateful to be serving alongside him.  He is a very inspiring person and a great friend. 

Other than that, I am doing very well! Happy, working hard and staying focused on the gospel.  Because that is what matters.  I love you all and hope that you are all keeping the commandments.  I know that those that keep the commandments will be happy and blessed all the days of their lives.

Have a great day!

Love,

Elder Jacob

Fast, Amazing Week (Week 86)

Hey all!

What a fast, amazing week it was! I am really tired today but very happy and excited! I am very grateful to be a missionary of the Lord!

We had a counsel of the leadership of the mission on Tuesday which was really really inspiring.  Elder Lima gave a training about planning and I gave one about doing divisions with the missionaries.  Presidente Fortunato taught us a lot about vision, faith and what we believe that we will accomplish.  It was great to talk with Elder Stadler, Elder G. Almeida, and a lot of other friends from the mission and see how they are doing. 

On Thursday, we woke up at 3 in the morning, got dressed and went to the Presidents house.  There was a girl from one of the branches here on the mission that was going to the CTM in São Paulo to serve a mission.  Since the mission president is responsible for the branches in districts, the President hosted her in his house and asked us to take her to the airport. So, we picked her up, took a taxi to the airport, got her on the plane and then went to to the train station where we got a train to go to Ipatinga, a city 5 hours away from BH.  That was a really cool train ride.  It was so smooth and quiet! I like trains, better than buses. We went to Ipatinga and did a division with the Zone Leaders there, Elder Carnaúba from São Paulo e Elder Sonnefeld from Virginia.  Elder Sonnefeld was in my zone when I was in Três Corações and he´s been a great friend to me ever since.  It was a great division and we learned a lot together.

The next day we had a zone conference with the whole Zone of Ipatinga.  I gave a training about finding new people to teach and Elder Lima gave a training about planning.  The Spirit was very very strong while we were there.  The President talked a lot about the Atonement and we all were taught by the Spirit.  It was such a blessing.  During the conference, we left and did street contacts for twenty minutes which was really fun.  I like doing street contacts - you never know what is going to happen! 

After the conference, we were leaving the church when a man came up to Elder Carnaúba and Elder Sonnefeld and started talking to them.  They offered to show them the chapel and they gave him a tour of everything.  When they showed him the baptismal font, he started to cry and told them that he felt like he needed to be reborn, that he had been to 25 different churches, already been a deacon, a pastor, an elder yadayayday in a lot of them and yet, felt like he was missing something.  The zone leaders invited him to be baptized, he accepted and he will baptized next week! They called us after all this happened and told us the whole story and it was really excited.

We got back to BH last night and now we are having our PDay.  So that was my week! I am really excited and grateful to be a missionary!

Love you all!

Elder Jacob

A Wonderful Week of Work‏ (Week 85)

Hey all!

Well it was a great great week! We worked very hard this week but I was really excited and animated. 

Being in the office is pretty different because the work becomes a whole lot more mental than physical.  But I am enjoying it a lot!

This week 14 missionaries arrived on the mission.  We were only expecting 13 but magically a 14th missionary straight from the MTC in Provo showed up.  So President Fortunato had to change a bit of the transfer but we got it all sorted out.  We went to the airport and got the 10 that came from Sâo Paulo, brought them to the office, then went back and got the 4 that came direct from the U.S. and brought them to the office.  Then we ate dinner at the house of President and Sister Fortunato, had a testimony meeting and went back to the office and gave them new misisonaries a training about some rules procedures and all that stuff about the mission.  After the training, we called all the duplas in the mission about TRANSFERS! It was really exciting and fun.  It was a very big transfer this week and everyone was really excited. There were a lot of people to call but we got it all taken care of.

The next day (friday) we woke up early and went to head off the chaos at the large bus station in BH where everyone was meeting.  We resolved lots of little problems, told people where they needed to go and sent everyone on their way.  It was very tiring.  Once everyone was sorted out and headed to their new areas, we ate lunch and then took Elder Viera to the airport.  He finished his misison with honor and went home yesterday.  After that, we accompanied the zones about confirmations and baptisms for this week. There is a lot of stuff to do and a lot of accompaniament to do, but I like the work.  I am trying my very very best.

One thing interesting was the fact that Sister Pedersen from Argentina also went home this week.  She and I were in the CTM together and have become good friends.  She served in Florença with me for the last half of my time there.  Her parents came and picked her up.  It just hit me how fast the time passes because I remember vividly the day that we both arrived on the mission and with all the arrivals that we had this week plus the fact that she was going home, made me think and reflect a lot about how the mission passes so quickly and how much I have changed in this time.  I am so grateful for my mission.  It is a great blessing and I am very excited to see how I can imrpove and grow in the 5 months that I have left. I am excited!

I love you all! Have a great week!


Elder Jacob

Merry Christmas (Week 83 & 84)

 

 

 

Hey Family!

It sure was wonderful to talk to you on Christmas.  I walked away from that call with my head really light and a feeling of great love.  I will be honest - it was a strange thing to talk to you on Skype.  It was almost like we were in the same room.  Everyone was a lot older and yet just the same as when I left.  I am so grateful for you guys. You guys brought me great joy - the best Christmas Present that I could get! :)

I don´t have too much to tell you guys since we talked just a few days ago! (What a Blessing!)  I got transferred to Santa Lúcia on Christmas day and now I am working with Elder Lima in downtown BH.  It is a lot different than Florença.  But I am really excited.  Really really excited! Like I told you guys in the Christmas call, I feel like I am at the point in my mission that I have to give my all because the end is coming.  Now is the time to dedicate everything that I have to this great cause.

And it is such a great cause! Think about it?  How wonderful it is to know that God speaks to men again on the Earth - that He is doing a great work among us and that the Truth - the complete and pure Truth - was restored to the Earth! I am so grateful to be a missionary of the Lord. 

It was a great Christmas.  Really happy and focused on the Lord.  We ate a ton.  We went to a member´s house to eat lunch and the brother there wouldn´t stop putting meat on my plate.  I felt like I ate a whole cow.  But it was great Brazilian barbeque. 

I know that the Church is true! I love you all and hope that you had a wonderful wonderful Christmas!

Love,
Elder Jacob

Merry Christmas! (Week 82 --we didn't get a letter for week 81 :( Elder Jacob was busy practicing for the Christmas Conference)

Dear Family,

Merry Christmas first of all! :) I hope the Christmas spirit is alive and well at home, because it is in full swing here in Brazil! 

Elder Wensel went home on Tuesday.  We had a great last few days together, getting him all ready to go.  We had a big family home evening with a ton of ward members to send him off and it was really spiritual.  

My new companion is Elder Stadler! From Curitiba Brazil!  I like him a ton.  We are getting along super well.  He is a new Zone Leader but really really animated and excited to work, which I like a lot.  He and I have big plans for the Zone - we want to animate and inspire our missionaries to have faith and believe that God will bless us.  We are talking to everyone about baptism - in our street contacts, we explain that we help people to repent and be baptized like Christ was baptized and the response has been really wonderful.  We have found elect people, people waiting to be baptized.  It is a very inspiring and gratifying way to work. I feel and have felt great joy this week working and helping God´s children.  I have gained a strong testimony that the gospel really is the truth.  In 3 Nephi, the Savior teaches HIS gospel.  What I learned as I read this chapter today was that there are many gospels, philosophies and doctrines in the world.  Even in Christianity, there are millions of doctrines and ideas.  But the fact is that there is only one true gospel, the gospel of Jesus Christ.  That is why it is so important to find and follow the TRUTH because the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ is the ONLY way that someone can truly be saved.  It is the ONLY gospel that is eternal and has the power to save. I am learning this more and more and I am so grateful for this.  It is blessing my life a lot. 

We didn´t have anyone with a date this week, but we sincerely prayed, worked and exercised faith that the Lord would bless us with someone. We were blessed yesterday with two baptisms.  Jaime, who is the father of a less active in the ward and Breno, the brother of a member here in the ward.  I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father for this great blessing.  What made the difference was our faith, our desire to have success and our diligent faith that the Lord would bless us.  My testimony grew a lot this week.  The Lord truly blessed us and gave us these two baptisms.  We are very excited to keep baptizing and helping this wonderful ward grow.

On Saturday, we got together with all the ward missionaries and the sisters and we sange Christmas Carols on the streets of Florença, handing out pass-along-cards like President had encouraged us to do.  It was a whole lot of fun! You know how I love to sing, and there ain´t nothing like Christmas carols to bring the spirit! We met a lot of people, sang all the Christmas songs like ten times and had a grand ol´time.  We are planning on doing this again this Saturday.  

Tomorrow is the Christmas Conference! It´s gonna be great.  I am very excited.  Pray that I can sing well and bring the spirit with my words and that all the other missionaries can do the same.  I am very grateful for Christmas and I am even more grateful to be a missionary!

I send you all my love and gratitude and devotion.  Have a very merry Christmas! :)  Love you!

Elder Jacob

Something ´bout Christmas brings out the kid in me! (Week 80)

Hey all!

Today is December 2.  Do you know what that means?  That´s right! It´s time to break out the Donny Osmond Christmas at Home album! The Best complete Christmas album ever made! If you haven´t listened to it yet, get on that.  It´ll change your life. 

It was a good week this week.  We worked hard.  No progressing investigators though - I have learned that our faith and our desire really make a difference on the work.  If you want to have success, you have to desire it for the right reasons.  We are looking forward to a great week this week.

We had an amazing leadership council with Pres. and Sister Fortunato this past week.  It was very inspirational.  To hear Pres. bear testimony of the divinity of the work and the existence of God was a great honor for me.  I can´t tell you how grateful I am to be serving with Pres. Fortunato.  Ever since I have met him, I have felt that he truly was called of God to lead this mission.  I felt that again this past week as we met and discussed the direction of the mission.  

Elder Wensel is going home next week.  This is his last week in the field.  He is a good misisonary and I am glad that I have been able to get to know him.

We are in BH today for another practice for the Christmas Conference.  I will be narrating parts of the program as well now.  Yikes.  Haha, seriously though I am really excited and anxious to do well.  

I love the gospel.  The gospel is the only thing that I know of that tells you what you are doing wrong and need to improve while at the same time giving you the hope, courage and desrie to make those improvements.  It isn´t easy to be a member of the Church, but it is worth it.  I have learned to not give up and get discouraged when you are reminded how mortal you are.  You just keep being humble and the blessings and the miracles will come.

I love you all! Have a wonderful week!

Start wrapping the presents! 

Start hanging the lights!

Start makin´ a list,

and checkin´ it twice.

Start hanging the holly and the mistletoe oh oh oh,

And off I go,

Back to where I used to be!

Something ´bout Christmas,

Brings out the kid in me!

Elder Jacob