The News! 2-2-15

Alright so my new companion is Elder Kimball! yes, is a related to President Kimball and no, its not his grandpa, its a bit more distant! haha he is from Lubbick Texas, and he is literally the Piano Man! he plays like a boss!

But this week was a really good one! things in the area werent looking to hot as we ended the last transfer, but me and kimball got off to a really good start working really hard, finding lots of new people to teach, including a really good new family (3of the 6 members went to church this week) and lots of lessons! we really destroyed together! it was a really fun week! it felt like we didnt miss a step together.. normaly it takes some time to adjust to your companion, but we just really clicked fast and worked really well together! 

So i dont know it i said this in my last letter, but last sunday i started visiting the members and telling them that i was probably gonna be transferred, saying good bye and talking pics.. well that night i learned that i was staying! so this sunday was pretty funny, everyone asking me what i was still doing here and all confused and stuff! but i was pretty sad at first when i realized that i was staying, but this week has changed every thing! 

Investigators: Suzana.. well that was really interesting this week! so she has been going to church and stuff and she likes it and all but she doesnt think she needs to live the law of chasity and she doesnt need to know that Joseph was a prophet to get baptized... she sees the law of chasity as if it has faded out with the times and doesnt believe that any one in the whole world lives it.. therefore she refuses to live it.. and she doesnt think that it is important to know if JSmith was a Prophet.. needless to say, there were some pretty intense lessons there.. but none of them really got us any where.. some times its rough because the people can just be so hard hearted and kinda blind.. we dont really know what we are gonna do with her...

Rafaela, Regina, Ester, Marcia, Flaviano: this is the super legit family that we found this week! they are progressing really well and are keeping commitments and everytime we teach there it just really flows with the spirit! they are marked for the 14th and the 21st. things are looking really good here!

 we have some others but most of them are waiting on marriage or having other problems.. we dont really know if we are gonna stay with them.. that probably is the hardest part of the mission, you start teaching and loving the people, just doing everything you can for them, but sometimes we cant help the people that dont want to help themselves, no matter how much we love them... i think it is the same thing with God. he loves us so much and wants to help us so much, but sometimes we dont let him into our lives. maybe it is because we are scared of what others will think, or maybe we think we can do it on our own.. but in the end, every one is gonna need help from the divine that they can find in no other place. 

This week i learned that when we just focus on other people and trying to help them, life is really busy.. but really happy! this was one of the best weeks of my mission, and i never have felt so good, and i realized that i stopped thinking about how i was gonna make it through one more week in Siquiera, or how i was gonna solve my own problems... i just worked, and it was a week full of miracles! 

Love you all hope that everything is going well for you!! love you tons!! 

Elder Ryan

transfers and the happenings 1-26-15

soo to start out, i was think that this would be my last week here in Siqueira Campos seeing as i've already been here for 6 months, but to my surprise, i stayed and Gauchay was transferred.. i don't know who will be my new companion until tomorrow, but im pretty anxious to know who it is. not really sure how i feel about staying one more here.. i mean i've been here forever now, and sometimes it gets hard because i feel like i've done so much and that there isn't anything that i can do more.. obviously a lie! haha but at this point, Siqueira campos is home now, and im happy that i stayed!

So this week the highlight was that Islei passed the sacrament and he brought his kids to church all dressed nice, it was way cool to see! love them like crazy! they have literally become my family here and it has been so awesome to see the changes that have taken place in their lives! Mécia is getting a little unexcited and i was ready to give up on her, but i think that i stayed in the area just for one reason.. i have a family to complete here, so before i leave, my goal is to see her baptized!

this week was a tough one in the are of proselyting, we have been working a lot in a place called Bairro América ( because all the streets are named after the countries in the americas) but im planning to start working more in the are that is a bit more rich, but it is way closer to the chapel, should be tough, but im needing a change of scenery! haha

we are working with Suzana, she is the lady that likes to talk a ton.. i'm not sure if i already wrote about her, but she went to church for the second time and she is progress fairly well, the only problem is that she doesn't want to get baptized! haha so that makes things kind of tricky, she is living all the commandments and such, she doesn't think she is ready yet, but its pretty clear to us that it's water time! but we´ll see what we can get done this week!

We also have been teaching Luciana. she is a good investigator, she has been keeping the commitments till now, but the best part is that the whole street are her family members, so it looks like there are lots of possibilities there as well!

so pretty much thats all i have to say about this week! we got the water problem figured out, which was good! and that is about it!

Love you all! hope you all have a great week!

Elder Ryan

New Years, and Wedding Preps 1-5-15

lrighty so i cnat believe that it is already 2015... i was talking to Elder Gauchay this week, and we realized that we are doing everything for the last time on the mission, like holidays and months and stuff like that.. so weird to think that im already in the year that i will be coming home.. it just doesnt feel real! feels like i just barely Got here! 

But this week was really good and stressfull! we have had a lot on our hands lately! so Islei and Mécia are getting married this week, and we are basically the wedding planners! haha wishing i had Cathryn´s event planning abilities right now, but i guess i will have to settle for the president of the relief soceity! ;) but its been a lot of work arranging how the cerminony with work, the food, the cake and clothing and such! but looks like everything should go alright! 

also this week we have been acompanying some really good investigators. we are teaching Jessica, she is a freind of a recent convert here in the ward, she is preparing for the 17th, we have been teaching her for like a month already, but she never had gone to church.. and finally.. Miracles!! she went to church this week! We are also teaching Carol, another referal from a recent convert, and she is markder for the 9th, things are looking really promising for her to! jsut need to teach her the last little things and should be a baptism this week! 

Also we are teaching Suzana. we found her this week looking in the area book for old investigators, her sister was taught like 1 year ago, so we decided to go there, and we found her. we started teaching her, and everytime we teach her, her eyes light up. she has been passing through lots of problems of depression and feels like every place that she has looked for the comfort, she hasnt found it... she is super ready to accept the gospel. so im pretty psyched for this month! we have lots of really good  people progressing in our area to be baptized this month! 

New years was good, we spent drinking Guaraná and playing chess and Uno.... legit! haha but it was a really good year. So Glad that i decided to come on the mission, the experiences that i had over the last year i kow that i couldnt have replicated in any other place. this last year has chaged me a lot, i have grown so much.. a bit sad to think that its coming to an end! just going to try and live up these last 9 months and "Leave it out all on the Court" as Kenward would say!

Hope that everyone is doing well! love you all and miss you all! Feliz Ano novo! espero que essa ano é o ano aonde todos de seus sonhos são realizadas!! 

Amo Todos Vocês!!! 

Elder Ryan