Week 65 ~ Alright guys. Get ready for a dose of reality VWU

Elder Vester didn't send out an email last week, that is why there wasn't a posting. He has been kind of down because you has had some health issues. This week he shares with us. Keep him in your prayers, please. As it turns out he has vascular seal and he isn't sterile. He will be home sometime after Dec 26, since the Church has a black out on travel over the holidays. Kind of bummed that you didn't make it home for Christmas but we will have Christmas when he gets home. He will have surgery and than head back out to the mission. He might just be home for a month. Sorry no pictures this week.

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You guys ready for this.

Sit down, get you a glass of hot-cocoa, and get ready for a big fat slice of "oh my goodness" pie.

I'm sick.

Or to be specific, I'm afflicted.

I've been going back and forth between Vitoria and Nova Venecia for the last 4 weeks, and we have yet to come to a full conclusion as so what is going on with me.

I've been prohibited from working, and I feel icky. (I've pretty much just hanging out with my recent converts. They are kinda the best ever.)

I've also been transferred, and I've got to pack today, and say goodbye to all my wonderful people I love here.

We thought in the beginning that it was a hernia, and now we're thinking its something to do with my "no-no square". The doctor said that I need to do surgery, and if I don't do it soon, I'll be sterile, (If we're not already too late.)

I know the Lord will not let me take on challenges greater then I can handle, so I'm just doing my best to trust in him, and know that he is in charge.

So, maybe I'll spend Christmas at home, maybe not.

I'm just ready to get this taken care of. lol

So, keep me in your prayers, and MAYBE YOU ALL SHOULD GET OFF YOUR LAZY BUTTS AND WRITE ME SOMETIME.

Love you. <3

Elder Vester

Week 64 ~ Naruto's Grandmother Gave Goku His Name?:VWU

Here is Elder Vester's email, he is happy and doing good. That is definitely something to be thankful for. Just got to love this kid! Enjoy!

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This week has been great. c: I've had some very wonderful people to teach this week. And 2 of them have a baptism date for 27th. What a perfect thing for me to be grateful for. <3 Best Thanksgiving day eve I'll have had in the mission.

So, I'll tell you a little about my dates.

Fêlix- He's a little old man, who has a lot of love for his wife Luìza, (Who was baptized last week). He's progressed very, very well. He managed to stop drinking last week, and for the last 5 days, he has not smoked. So, we're very excited for him this week. He's been prepared along side his wife for the last 15 years, and I'll be happy to be able to baptize the last member of this family.

Juliano- One of the most elect people I have ever met in my life. He's 19, and I have no doubt that in a year, he'll be serving a mission. He is the cousin of one of our investigators, and he just appeared out of nowhere, and took to the Gospel very fast. Every time we gave him reading to do, he always did it twice, and sometimes even more before and after the chapter to understand the context a little better. He's been one of the best investigators I've ever had the pleasure to teach. He reminds me a lot of Lucimar from Cachoeiro. He's had a lot of people trying to get him to not get baptized; his aunt kinda attacked him the other day saying "If you don't have sex with girls all the time, you'll turn gay, and you'll never be my nephew again." (It's the truth she used the term "Bicha", which is incredibly offensive, and very hurtful when used wrong. It's even stronger then the English word "faggot".)

He's had friends that have stopped talking to him, and he's been attacked on every side.

And through it all, he's remained strong. I'm so grateful to have been able to help him come to know the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I've really loved it here in Nova Venécia, and I'll be sad to say goodbye, and I hope to come back some day. It'll be great to see everyone here again.

And I'm very grateful for the chance I've had to spend this time with Elder Hidalgo. He's been a perfect companion, and he's a very self-driven missionary. He'll go far in life, and I'm honored to have been his companion.

So, I'll be missing you guys this week, with Thanksgiving and black Friday coming my way.

<3 Love you all, and see you next week.

Elder Vester

 

I made a brasilian desert called "Pavê" It's delicious, and I'll make it when I come home. :D

I love Açaí. Behold my shirt. :D It's great.

I saw this magnet in the branch president's house and thought "THE HILLS ARE ALIIIIVEEEEE"

Look at my soon to be recent convert, Juliano. He's amazing, and I'll really miss him a lot.

Look at my cute notebook I made. :D

 

Week 63 ~ Sou Loco fora da casinha? VWU

Maybe I need to remind Elder Vester that most of us don't speak Portuguese! I am not sure what it says.
Enjoy his email.

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Luíza, Joel, and Fêlix.

So, this week went by pretty quick.

Let me just talk about the highlights.

We had a wonderful little lady get baptized in our branch.  She's the quorum president's mother, and he was baptized about 15 years ago.

For the last 5 years, He has been working with Luíza, and finally was able to help her overcome her fear of water, and he had the pleasure to baptize her. However, due to the heavy rains, the water plant had some kind of malfunction, and the entire city was filled with muddy, contaminated water in the pipes. So, she was baptized in dirty water. There was no other way.

And, the spirit was amazingly strong there. Her Husband, Fêlix, who is a hard core catholic, came to my companion afterwards, and asked what he needed to do to be baptized. He'll be baptized on the 28th. He's already stopped drinking, and is smoking less and less. I'm super excited.

We've also got another kid we are teaching. His name is Juliano, and is one of the most prepared people I've met on my mission. He's 19, and I have no doubt that he'll serve a mission.

We also did divisions with the Zone Leaders this week! Elder Dos Santos was in my very first district when I got into the field, and It was a lot of fun to work with him. I'd like to be more like him. He's pretty great.

And, today I'll be headed to a sister in the ward to do some crafting. Oh goodness I am full of excite.

Ahanywho.

I miss you all tons, and hope you do well. <3333

Stay fantastic my friends. <333

Tchau~

Èlder Vester

Almost the whole family.

Behold the waters of Nova Venécia.

It's filthy. (Explained better in the letter.)

And Elder Dos Santos!

Pizza night last p-day. :D Deliciousssss

I thought this sign was hilarious. "Sorry for the inconvenience, we're trying to improve your quality of life."

I'm spiderman momma. :D

 

 

 

Week 62 ~ Wei Pon Pon = Macumba? - VWU

Another short email from Elder Vester, but something is always better than nothing. Just another slow week.

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So.
President has made music free. I can listen to any music that does not have garbage in it; and as such, I got me a pin drive, and threw on some of my fun asian music. There is a song called "Wei Pon Pon", and apparently it has the sound of Macumba chants. (Black magic)

:D Is that not just delightful.

So, this week has had a lot of failure, and I refuse to write a sad email again.

Because we all know the mission is lollipops and smiles. Also ridiculously delicious brasilian chocolate.

Yes.

So, I'm just going to hope I've got something worthwhile to write for next week. lol

Sooooooo, yeah. Love you guys, and I'll chat with ya'll later.

Stay wonderful.

Èlder Vester

 

 

:D The cookies here in Brasil try to teach children their times tables. It's pretty great.

I also got me some pizza. there is a new pizzaria that just opened, and they are awesome.

MEWTWO USED BLIZZARD? Op, no. It's just the freezer. :D

Just some of the hills he has to climb!

 

Week 61 ~ Opps Cap'n, my mistake :VWU

Sorry I didn't get this out right away. Here is it now, not a long email but lots of pictures. Enjoy!

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SO, I've got like, nothing new going on. It's the last week of the transfer, and we've just been kinda trying to get people to go to church. It's been rough, seeing as no one went this last week. lol, but, it'll get better. :D

I'm staying another transfer here in Nova Venécia, and maybe this week I'll have something worthwhile to write about.

Love yall!

Élder Vester

finished this hat this week for my district leader. he bought the yarn, and I made it. :D It was a fun challenge

Elder Vester still has the knack!

The sunset the other day.

I bought some fancy new socks! (I love the difference between his arm and leg color.)

We celebrated Halloween. :D Twas goooood

We took the tobacco from our recent convert, trying to help her live the word of wisdom a little better. We then dumped it in the sink, and flushed it down the drain.

Do you see these 4 streets? The one on the middle right is that super tall hill from the first week. We have to go up and down these hills, several times a day. This photo was taken in  Bom Fim, and takes more then 40 minuets of powerwalking to get to it.

A view of the night-life. Not too exciting, but it's something,

'll get so fat here, if the hills don't kill me first. :D

so, the açaí place also has regular ice cream, and I decided to try the Kinderegg Milkshake. :D It was wonderful. (He is so funny!)

These next pictures are of the apartment that he is living in now.
I was able to find his apartment on Google Earth, which was fun!

Week 60 ~ Why, I do believe we've had a change in route captian! :VWU

Here is the email from Elder Vester for this week. Enjoy!

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We went to Colatina for the conference, and there is a small "Cristo, Rendentor" statue. (It's half of the size of the one in Rio) And I snapped a photo of it as we crossed the bridge.

So, this week has been pretty up and down. I won't lie. We had a lot of trouble in the work. It seems like God is really trying us to see just how far we are willing to go to have results. And sometimes, we are blessed with something different, when what we really wanted was something else. I can't say I'm not blessed. I just need to look how the Lord is blessing me. So, lets hope all turns out well.

We really had some growing moments this week. I've truly learned just how important it is to believe in one another, and to have good desires. I firmly believe that we attract to us, exactly what we think of. If we think we're small, weak, and unable, we end up believing it, and limiting ourselves, just because we're scared to fly.

And I can testify, that when we learn to fly, we find out just how amazing it is to soar.

One thing I learned this week, is that it's even better when we can look back, with happy hearts and uplifted hands, and see just how far we've come. To see how the Lord fulfills the promises he made in Ether 12:27. To make our weaknesses, become strengths to us. And I am so grateful for the mission, and for the chance I've had to learn, and grow. It's pretty great.

So, returning to Desires. Is it a good desire for an elder to wish to baptize? Yes, absolutely yes. However, we need to make sure our desires, are in line with the Lord's desires. 

I've learned that God will test, and try our desires, to see if what we desire, is what we really want. And if it is, and he sees it fit to bless us with it, he will.

But, often times, he will give us something else, just as good, that will be of better use to us. Sometimes, we really really really want that salmon, and he gives us a better net in which to catch it. Not exactly what we wanted, but will be much better use to us in the long run.

So, one more thing, is the fact that sometimes, we need to learn to take correction. Elder Gavarette made a lot of changes this week, and I've got some adjustment, and acceptance to do. There was some turntailing, and some pretty low things done this week. So, I'm ready to learn again, and take these new directions willingness to obey.

I always remember my Dad saying "The true test, is to see who will do the dishes when Dad is out of the kitchen."

And let me tell you. I now understand a lot better.

But, That's another story. :D Hit up my journal for that when I get back.

So, I'll sign off now.

I love you all and wish you well.

Elder Vester

 

 

Look at my cute new shoes! I love them; :D

This is the owner of the ice-cream parlor. He's a really neat guy, and lived in the states for some time. He gives us discounts sometime. :D (But his wife has no idea how to take photos, so these are kinda horrible. lol)

More Açaí.

It's gotten so hot lately, that you can even see a tan line from my glasses.

(I doubt these show very well, but there ya go.)

 

Week 59 ~ Eating My Stress away in Açaí~ VWU

Elder Vester had a good week and the best thing about this week is that he has conference and Michael's Mission President, who is now an Area 70 over the Brazil area, will be there. We meet him as a family when we went to Utah when Michael and Shannon blessed Lacey. So Jacob is looking forward to that.
So enjoy!

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Howdy Yall
This week has been so rough. Really. One of the hardest weeks I've had in a long time. However, once again, I have learned; Dedication and obedience Always pays off. The joy of Baptizing someone makes all the fight with Satan and his forces Worth it.

Cuz let me tell you, I worked my tail off for this baptism. If any'll read my journal, you'll understand better just how much crap I went through this week. :D

You guys don't even want to know how much Açaí I ate this week.

(It was a lot.)

Here is Nicolina! She's my newest recent convert.

Worth it.
First, our other date, Marco, totally fell. He's running and hiding from us. This week, it was literal. He was hiding inside his house from us several times. So, we've moved on, as to not waste his time, and the Lord's time. I'm tired of working with wishy-washy people, so with any luck, I'll be able to find some more serious people to teach.
And Nicolina! She's this adorable little old lady, who is now happier then every that she has found the restored Gospel.
She really gave us a run for our Money, but, she finally got baptized on Sunday. It was a fight, literally every day. After our visits, there would be people from the church Assembly of God, that would come to her house, and tell her that we do macumba (A kind of black magic that only exists in Brasil) , and we're a cult, and we do all these other things, trying to make her not be baptized. Every day we got to see her, she told us she did not want to be baptized because of this, and this, and that. And at the end of every lesson, she Always said she was excited for her baptism. This however, is nothing to credit me. I know that the Lord was there helping every step of the way, and I'm amazingly grateful for this chance I had to learn and grow, from everything I went through in the last week.
I've come to a better understanding of teaching pure doctrine this week. Nicolina needed that we only teach the basic doctrines of everything, and that really put me to the test. I've come out of this week with a greater testimony of the atonement, and just how important the ordinances of salvation are.

And Sunday night, we just chilled at her house, and watched the Testaments, and she made dinner for us.

Score muffins. :D

And I'm very excited for  this week. We'll be having one of the area 70's coming to the mission to give a conference for the entire mission. My brother Michael served in the Paraguay Ascension mission, and was Gaverette's assistant for quite sometime, and I've met him before. It'll be fun to see if he remembers me.

We also have a few more people that quite possibly will be baptized this Sunday. So, fingers crossed, and  prayers sent heavenward for me, alright?

I'm off to go shopping, and send Christmas presents for my wonderful Family.

Love you all, and miss you.

Com Amor verdadeiro

This is Helder, he's kinda a punk, but the photo is silly, so I added it.

Èlder Vester

Behold my District! 

Elder F.Cunha/Neilson, Elder Johnson/bezerra, and my companion and I

Nicolina with the Branch presidente

Nicolina with Irmá Maria Schmidt. (Our fellowshipper~)

 

Aaaaand I woke up to some beautiful fog. <333333