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.

*************************************************

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.

**********************************************

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!

************************************************

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!

*************************************************************

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!

*****************************************************

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

Week 58 ~ I like Brasil, but Brasil does not like me. Yup,. Diarrhea. VWU

Here is Elder Vester's email for the week. Sorry I didn't post sooner but I was out of town and then forgot.

********************************************

 

This week has been good, and bad at the same time.

So, I might have had massive diarrhea this week. But, that's over now, and I'm all good now.

I'M PRETTY SURE IT WAS BECAUSE OF THIS STRANGE CAT-FISH SAUSAGE THAT A MEMBER GAVE US. D: Do not want. lol

So, anywho. Marco, and Mariana. They were going to be baptized, and sadly..
Satan worked really hard with our baptisms this week, and both of them fell.  Even with trying to accompany them every day, they tried avoiding us, and not answering our phone calls, and even hiding in their house. And sadly, Sunday, the day of the baptism, we found out that a family member died. This sent Marco into a grief that I'm not sure how to help. My companion and I were sitting out front of his house last night, and he came stumbling down the hill to his house, and invited us in. He was very drunk, and actually sent us away. We'll be going back to his house today at 7;

So, I'm  a little flabbergasted as to what to do.

However, on Saturday, my companion, being the boss that he is, went and marked another baptism for this weekend;  Her name is Nicolina. She's a hilarious little old lady, and has lots of word of wisdom problems, (She smokes, drinks, and drinks coffee) But, it's all going well.
We had many splits this week! We were visited by the Traveling assistants. I had the pleasure of working with Elder Norman. It was wonderful. The closest I can imagine, to walking with Christ on my mission; Norman is truly an inspiration to me, and I would one day like to be how he is. I really learned a lot from him, and I'm ready to apply it.
I interviewed one of Elder F. Cunha's investigators this week, too. His name is Thiago. He's 13, and he had a lot of doubts. But, after more then an hour of him crying, and me talking, he said "I'm scared that my friends will make fun of me, and bully me, calling me litter pastor, and things like that."
That really threw me through a loop. I tried everything I knew, and I still could not help him see just how important it was to be baptized, that everything would be ok.
Finally, I called Elder Kibbie (One of the assistants), and he somehow managed to help him overcome this fear. I'm so grateful for the mission leaders. They know what they are doing, and I really look up to them.
I've also had a really good week, in terms of companionship. We actually had a really good, open, heart to heart talk last night after the fiasco with Marco. My companion is an amazing person, and an even better Elder. He's passed so many things already, and for being a young man of 18 years old, I am amazed at how well he has overcome the trials he has faced.
I'm grateful for this opportunity I have to be here, to teach the Gospel, and help others.

He caught a duck!

This is Jacob's MP3 player that doesn't work, but is cute!

So, I can't complain.

LIFE. <3 I love it.

And I'll see you all next week!