well now... 6-30-14

so lets just get down to the dirty details! so like i said there was a transfer this last week! to my surprise i was called as the new district leader here in the area! cant lie im pretty thrilled about that! 

things in the area are going about the same! we have been having lots of trouble finding new people to teach because of the holidays. (week of São João here) and the world cup, to sum things up, this week has been about complete craziness with all the drunks on the street and loud music!  but hoping that things start getting better! im super excited because our district is super young! im the oldest with 8 months on the mission, elder martins has 6, and he and i are both training new missionaries! its been a lore of fun with all of us super excited to work! makes the work more fun even when you arent having lots of sucess!

saturday was a nail biter for brazil! almost lost the chile, but they won in a shoot out! i have never heard so many yells and fireworks in my life! out house was shaking for about 2 hours straight after the game! (good thing we have skipbo to not bore our selfs to death during the games!) haha

well it was just a week of grit and spit and lots a duct tape work! haha but not to many results! actually when i think about it, we are still working way better than any other time of my mission, even when we are working bad! haha it is funny but nice for a change, to have a pattern of sucess other than of unsucess! its been great! for the first sunday in the area, we didnt have anyone visiting church, there goes our streak of 7 sundays ina row of having an investigator at church! but it was awesome while it lasted, cant lie! haha hoping that we can get ana vitoria baptized this week and also patrick.. two of our eternal investigators! haha but i think that things are finally going to go right this week!

well i hope that every one is doing well! i love hearing for you all! hope every one has a great week! amo todo de voces!! 

Elder Ryan

PS Brock Adams is like my favorite person here in the misison.. or was.. because he left now! haha but! he is awesome, he was my zone leader in my first area, and he helped me out tons! 

8 months... whoa 6-23-14

well this week will mark 8 months already.. that passed by freaking fast! haha but it is the end of the transfer here, and it passed by faster than all the others! it feels like time just goes by faster and faster everyday and i dont have any time in a day anymore! haha 

this week was a good one! not a whole lot to report on, nothing super funny or cool happened, but what do you do about it?? haha but the work is actually continuing surprisingly well! we arent teaching as many people as i would like, but things havent completely stopped like i thought they would this month! (except on the days of brazil games!) 

things are great with my companion! we really get along great and we joke around and laugh tons! really have been loving the area, just about everything here in our area! its has been really great! the work is as hard as ever and there are the stressors of that, other than that.. all is well in paradise! 

bought a basketball this week! today we played lots! hahah unfortunately i couldnt manage to dunk anymore.. that is a little sad!  haha but i think we will be playing every day this week for exercises! that should be great (shaw if you are reading this you will be sad.. because im not fat yet! hahah) 

well hoping that we will have 2 baptisms for this week... they arent super commited.. but hopefully all will work out well! sorry that this email is super lame and without lots of excitment! mas fazer o que??

thanks for the emails! love you all and hope you all have a good week! 

Elder Ryan

The Update 6-16-14

so first thing is first, im sure that you all are dying to know what is happening here in Maceió during the world cup, so lets just start this sucker off with all juicy details! so we arent aloud to leave out house during the days that Brazil plays, i didnt really know why at first but after thursday.. i understood why! the entire game, there are fireworks being lighted off.. and when brazil makes a goal... you just start hearing the entire city screaming!! and then start even more fireworks.. and then the fires in the middle of the roads! it is freaking madness it is soo sweet! to bad that we cant leave the house! but it was so loud at the end of the first game when brazil won, that our house started shaking a little bit! so Dope! hahahaha

but now the update on the work! so it is pretty tough to find new people to teach because everyone is always watching a game of the cup! it is pretty annoying, cant lie! haha but we have learned a little better this week how to work for referals from the members, and also working with less actives and finding new people through them! but it was a good week over all, really different because of the cup, but over all was good! we had planned this week the baptism of Ana Vitoria, our over prepared investigator, who i am pretty sure knows way more than i do about the gospel! but out district leader did the interview, and she passed with flying colors, like he said that he was in shock a little bit! haha but she doesnt want to be baptized yet, even though she believes it all.. she is even doing personal progress... like even the active members dont do that! haha its an interesting situation, but im hoping for a moment of inspiration this week to discover what it is that she needs help with this week! 

everything is good with me and my companion! really liking working with him, we really click and work well together! he is really good, for only having one month on the mission, he surprises me everyday with the things that he does! either im a super good trainer... (i think to think that this is the reason! hahaha) or he came super prepared (the real reason! haha) 

this week was elder Cordeiro´s birthday, and the members, his family back home and I planned 2 suprise parties for him! the first was on saturday night in the church, he couldnt believe it, it was awesome! and the second was on sunday night, one of the members planned a family night in her house, and he was all psyched because she told him that she would bring some new investigators for us to teach.. and then when he got there , there was the surprise party! it was hilarious because after he told me that he was a little sad because there wereny investigators there! hahaha he cracks me up sometimes! but it was a good weekend because we ate lots of cake! haha 

things are really good here in the ward im in! we had ward counsel this last week and it was all things that were good because all the members got all excited to help us, and started asking us when they could visit our investigatores with us! it really makles all the differences in missionary work to have the members always helping you! 

also this is the last week of pres Gonzaga.. a little strange to think that he is already leaving and that we will have a new pres soon! 

but all things are good here in paradise! hoping that we can have a little more sucess during this month of soccer games! but all is well! 

but that is it from me! boa semana por todos! 

Elder Ryan

well here you have it! 6-9-14

So this week was an interesting one! 

this week was a week of everything falling through! i feel like i have already said that about a few of the weeks (or many possibly!) of the mission!  but i have never had a week like this! seriously everything that we planned would fall through, and then a plan B would fall as well! but it was a good because i learned alot how important it is to be persistent! 

i dont think i have ever worked so hard! we walked so much and talked to tons of people, it was funny because at the end of the week, i was feeling sad about how we didnt have such a good week.. when we added up our numbers of the week, we had had one of the best weeks number wise, of my whole mission! even though it was super hard, im glad i didnt give up this week, because there were a few days when it just seemed like a better idea to go home and sleep! haha but for some reason, we just kept working.. (i think im going a little crazy! ahaha)

one good thing about this week is that we have been teaching a Ana Vitoria. she is progressing really well, she has already been to church three times and she probably knows more about the church than i do! i have never seen anyone search so much to know that something was true! it was hilarious because at church one of the sunday school teachers told her that she needed to be baptized this week so that the next sunday she could teach the class! it was hilarious. but she is a little nervous about baptism, but im hoping that we can help her out this week and that she will be baptized this saturday! 

things are going really great here overall! My companion is all better, after going to the hospital twice, but he is back to working shape! it is crazy how fast he is learning. he puts me to shame already and i have 6 more months than him! haha but things are great on this end! i love the area, love the people, and i love sharing the gospel! it is all things that are good! haha hoping that things can continue at least a little bit during the rest of the month seeing as the world cup is starting on tuesday. we have to stay at home during the hours of the games of brazil, so that will probably mean lots of skip bo! hahah but that is the report for the week! 

hope that everyone is well! appreciate all the emails and letters! boa semana pra voces! 

Elder Ryan!

what up from Maceió 6-2-14

well this week was all things that are good! hahha

it seems like every thing is falling into place in this area, it has been really great! this week we had zone conference! i played the piano and didn't completely choke! ( just a little) haaha but it was really good! learned a lot! Pres and Sister Gonzaga are great to hear from! the talks are really helpful and help´me get excited to be a missionary! was a great meeting! way nice to sit in a air conditioned chapel all day too! ;)

my companion this week got dengue fever! it has been a bummer! but he was a super stud and worked everyday this week until saturday! we had tons of success, finding lots of new people to teach and teaching the people that we had already found! just when i think that the members here have done all they can, they start helping even more! it was been mind blowin for me! really enjoying working with the members, it brings way more success! on saturday w went to the church early to fill the baptismal font, and my companion laid down while we were waiting, and he looked so dead that i called sister Gonzaga and she sent him to the hospital! he went the companion of my District leader, who we live with, because he too was sick! but they went to the hospital and were told they cant work for the next couple days! so i have been working with Elder Silva the last two days and it has been a hoot! it is really cool and we are basically the same person! we have had 2 of the same companions and we bothed passed in Viçosa. but it has been fun with him, but hoping that my companion can get back into working shape soon!

The story of the Week: so on wednesday night we were in a meeting for missionary work in the ward. we were just sitting there waiting for it to start and one of the ward missionaries walked in with a young man of 14 years. i  had already seen him at church and at all the church activities. i thought that he was already a member! so the ward missionary walked up to us and said, "this is anderson, he wants to be baptized!" well that was cool! so we taught him the next 2 days, he already knew everything because he hsa been visiting the church for the last 3 months and we baptized him this saturday! was legit! haha but just goes to show that the lord is the one doing the work! sometimes we are working and searching in very place we can think of, and the Lord is preparing the people and when we least expect it, they fall into our hands and we get the blessing of baptizing! haha but that was a cool experience!

well that about sums things up for this week! love you all!

Elder Ryan

PS mom skip bo has become a every night deal! We play one or two games everynight before we go to bed!

7 months of the mission are down! 5-26-14

 well tomorrow marks the 7 month mark, it feels like the days are passing by without me knowing what happened to them! its crazy! so here is the news of what has been happening in my life here in Maceio!

monday i got a package! thanks mom and dad for all the treats! i have already started using that "one shoe" haha just kidding! but im hoping that the other one actually gets here! haha needless to say that food lasted like 2 days! haha

but this week started with 2 days of everything falling through! like every appointment we planned got dropped and every backup plan we had dropped to! it was ridiculous! haha but the after those first two hard days, things really took off! we worked every day with one of the members, contatcting a bunch of refereals that they gave us and teaching lots of people! we found lots of people who are really interested and this week we had 4 people visit church on sunday! i didnt know what to do because i had never had so many investigators at church before! haha but it was awesome! we have also been working lots in what is called the "Grota" here, or the flavelas that are in these mini canyons that they have every where here in maceio! dont worry mom, they arent too dangerous! haha but my thigh muscules are getting yoked from walking up and down the hills! we are working with 2 families which has been probably my favorite part! they are progressing really well but they need to get married before we can baptize them! so that is always tricky here, because the judicial system is a little wack! but hopping that they ca get married before the world cup because when the world cup starts, every thing will be closed! the world cup here is literally a holiday! like every one is stocking up on food and stuff because all the stores will be closed during the cup! its ridiculous! soccer is there life here! but things are going really well here! i love the area! we have great members here who help a ton and the people are awesome! training has been a hoot! i get to put my spin on things, which has been nice for a change! things over all, are looking up. its possible that we will have baptisms for every saturday for the next month! hoping that every things works out well!

funny story for the week! we taught the dad of one of the members here, everything we tried talking to him about, he just wanted to argue! it was a struggle! but i was settled on never going back there! i was sitting there on the stand on sunday (because i lead the music) and i saw him walk in! i about stopped breathing i couldnt believe it! hahaha i was seriously so surprised! so that is the funny story about the guy who hates the mormons and every thing we teach and then goes to our church on sunday! haha

well that is about everything from this end! thanks for all the letters, im finally starting to get them through snail mail! so keep sending them! thanks for all the love and support! Até próximo semana!

Elder Ryan

first week as the trainer! 5-19-14

well to start things out this week... i am now training! WHAT???? haha my newe companion is named Elder Cordeiro, or in engish, Lamb! haha but he is really cool! he is eighteen and i can smell the mtc on him! haha but he is really good he is already really prepared and such! he is really good at working with the members, one of the things that im not exactly strong in! but he markes days for us to leave with the members all by himself and has already planned to family nights to take our investigators to! he is a stud! he also teaches really well! its like im not even training him, just helping him adjust to missionary life! i really like working with him! he is really excited and has a real strong desire to do his best! makes things really great and way more fun! my new area is , called... Paradise! haha serious though! and it really is paradise! the members here are really good and help out a ton! members can make or break missionary work, and they are doing so much here it is seriously heaven! haha

we got here and had a paper on the desk that said we needed to visit this old lady who had already been to church 3 times... when we got to her house we asked her if she had already talked to the missionaries, she said only at church had she seen them, but that they had never stopped by her house.. they next thing she asked me was, "what day can i be baptized??" i about fainted i was so surprised!! ive never had anyone ask me that! haha! but we told that we could baptize her this saturday, we taught her all the lessons and such. she stopped smoking cold turkey after we taught her the word of wisdom. she was a super Eleita!! we baptized her this saturday! it was awesome! my companion was thrilled to baptize in the first week of his training! she chose me to baptize her! it was really cool experience! ive never seen anyone so prepared by the lord! i feel like we really didnt do much, we just gave her the information that she needed to hear! 

im really liking being senior companion! it has been really nice to call the shots and finally i feel like my opinion has some weight! haha it has been a really great transition! haha  over all this transfer has started amazing! we also have a possible baptism for this week too! patrick! really all he needs is for his mom sign the form, and after, baptism! things are really looking up here in paradise! really loving it here. my area is in maceio, with lots of flavelas, but its weird i dont feel in danger like ever! haha im sure that if i was here not being a missionary i would walk in half of the places that i walk in every day here! haha! but everything is good on this end! hope that all for you is well! love you all and appreciate all for you letters! 

Dad. you almost gave me a heart attack when you said that the excursion was dead!! haha 

Bom semana por todos! 

Elder Ryan