Saturday, November 14, 2009
Monday, November 2, 2009
This is really the last email...
So this is actually the final e-mail. My bus to Londrina leaves in about 30 min., so I´ll be seeing you cats around town soon. I´ll be hitting up the Fudruckers that they have in the Dallas airport, which will be a great blessing.
Woo-hoo!
I´ve got nothing more to say. See you soon!
Woo-hoo!
I´ve got nothing more to say. See you soon!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
This is probably my last email...
So, this will in all likelihood be my last e-mail, as next Monday we´ll be at the mission home in Londrina. The flight leaves on Tuesday, and the secretaries said that I´ll be setting foot in our lovely deseret on Nov. 3rd 11:15 Wednesday morning. Woo-hoo!
Actually I have a lot of mixed feelings about all of this ending. I remember back at the MTC thinking that when this time came, I´d be bouncing off the walls, and while there is a little of that, I´ll also be way sad too.
I´m going to really miss Brazil, especially the people and the food. I consider it one of my greatest accomplishments that I learned to like and eat tomatoes out here. I´ll show you guys when I get back. I´m sure Mom will be proud.
To sum it up, the mission was definitely worth it. Yeah, it kicked my butt a lot of the time (language, people, companions, just about everything come to think of it) but I´ve definitely enjoyed my time here.
I feel like my testimony has grown a bunch as well. It´s now clearer to my why the Church is so important, and why we do what we do. I´ve felt confirmations about things that I knew very little about here, and I´m happy with the progress that I´ve been able to make. It´s become more real to me that God does live, and that He is involved with our lives on a daily basis. Many a time I´ve felt and seen my prayers answered, though almost never in the way that I thought or wanted.
Jesus is the Christ, and I´ve seen his atoning sacrifice at work in my life and the lives of my investigators, some of which have a lot more faith than I do.
Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the restoration, and I´ve seen how important the truths that he restored are, and the world is pretty confused in general. His teachings are so important.
President Monson really is the Lord´s Prophet here on the earth today, and I´ve seen how his teachings and revelations guide us. (Just this week, Lu..., an investigator who reads a lot but has a very hard time remembering anything, read Pres. Monson´s “Sugarbeets and the Worth of a Soul” article in the Liahona and felt touched and that it applied to her)
The Book of Mormon is true, and though I´m only beginning to really understand it´s truthfulness and how good it actually is, I´ve found a deeper love for it out here.
Also, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints really is Christ´s church here on the earth, of which I´m glad to be a member.
Simply put, I´ve learned tons, and I see that I have to learn a lot more as well.
It´ll definitely be weird coming back home, and sad to leave here, but it´ll be good as well.
Welp, I´ll see you guys around town next week.
Anyone who happens to run into me, please give me a nice big hug and a can of root beer, both of which I´ve been without for a little while.
-Elder Heperi, over and out.
p.s. I´ll see you guys in a little more than a week. Oh, and for dinner, I wouldn´t mind anything, as long as you make it Mom. Cheers!
Actually I have a lot of mixed feelings about all of this ending. I remember back at the MTC thinking that when this time came, I´d be bouncing off the walls, and while there is a little of that, I´ll also be way sad too.
I´m going to really miss Brazil, especially the people and the food. I consider it one of my greatest accomplishments that I learned to like and eat tomatoes out here. I´ll show you guys when I get back. I´m sure Mom will be proud.
To sum it up, the mission was definitely worth it. Yeah, it kicked my butt a lot of the time (language, people, companions, just about everything come to think of it) but I´ve definitely enjoyed my time here.
I feel like my testimony has grown a bunch as well. It´s now clearer to my why the Church is so important, and why we do what we do. I´ve felt confirmations about things that I knew very little about here, and I´m happy with the progress that I´ve been able to make. It´s become more real to me that God does live, and that He is involved with our lives on a daily basis. Many a time I´ve felt and seen my prayers answered, though almost never in the way that I thought or wanted.
Jesus is the Christ, and I´ve seen his atoning sacrifice at work in my life and the lives of my investigators, some of which have a lot more faith than I do.
Joseph Smith is the Prophet of the restoration, and I´ve seen how important the truths that he restored are, and the world is pretty confused in general. His teachings are so important.
President Monson really is the Lord´s Prophet here on the earth today, and I´ve seen how his teachings and revelations guide us. (Just this week, Lu..., an investigator who reads a lot but has a very hard time remembering anything, read Pres. Monson´s “Sugarbeets and the Worth of a Soul” article in the Liahona and felt touched and that it applied to her)
The Book of Mormon is true, and though I´m only beginning to really understand it´s truthfulness and how good it actually is, I´ve found a deeper love for it out here.
Also, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints really is Christ´s church here on the earth, of which I´m glad to be a member.
Simply put, I´ve learned tons, and I see that I have to learn a lot more as well.
It´ll definitely be weird coming back home, and sad to leave here, but it´ll be good as well.
Welp, I´ll see you guys around town next week.
Anyone who happens to run into me, please give me a nice big hug and a can of root beer, both of which I´ve been without for a little while.
-Elder Heperi, over and out.
p.s. I´ll see you guys in a little more than a week. Oh, and for dinner, I wouldn´t mind anything, as long as you make it Mom. Cheers!
Friday, October 23, 2009
I hate this computer!
I hate this computer. I was writing a really good e-mail, and the whole thing just shut down. So, now you guys get to have the watered-down version. Sorry.
So it´s been raining for almost a week now. And raining hard. But, we´ve amazingly been able to teach a lot of lessons. It´s almost impossible to get into people´s houses in the rain, as most people aren´t even willing to come to the gate to talk to you, but we´ve had some success surprisingly.
On Friday, we were walking around in the rain when we passed a house with a Ford inside the gate. On the car were a bunch of stickers that said stuff like “Smith Bros. Roping Supplies-Texas” and others with a “Don´t Mess with Texas” saying on it. Me and Elder W. got a little curious, wondering if maybe some guy from Texas happened to live there. Anyway, we knocked on the door, but of course in the rain nobody came to the door. We kind of forgot about the house, and went on to others. About an hour later on the way back, it had stopped raining and we were heading back when we passed the same house. We decided to just try knocking again, and somebody actually came to the door. Long-story short, it wasn´t a guy from Texas, he just liked Texas a lot, but we found a family that seems to just have been waiting to receive the gospel in their lives. A guy named Vin... (24), his Mom, and his sister Ev... (19) all were very receptive and Ev... went to church this week and has a date marked for this Halloween. Vin... can´t go for now, as he has to stay in bed for a month or so. I guess he was taking a shower last month, when his bathroom floor just caved in and he sliced his Achilles tendon open, and has to stay in bed for another month or so. He said that he´s excited to read the Book of Mormon as he doesn´t have anything else to do. It´s funny, but I really think that the Lord inspired Vin... to put those stickers on his car to grab the attention of two American missionaries.
Our recent convert family, Ju... and Ro... are doing really well. Ju... got ordained a Priest yesterday, and he had a bunch of questions about it. The Branch Pres. asked him to bless the sacrament next week, so we got to help him out with the prayers.
I think that´s all from me for now. I don´t have any patience to write anymore after my big e-mail closed up.
´till next week, which will be the last one, I think?
-Elder =w= Heperi
So it´s been raining for almost a week now. And raining hard. But, we´ve amazingly been able to teach a lot of lessons. It´s almost impossible to get into people´s houses in the rain, as most people aren´t even willing to come to the gate to talk to you, but we´ve had some success surprisingly.
On Friday, we were walking around in the rain when we passed a house with a Ford inside the gate. On the car were a bunch of stickers that said stuff like “Smith Bros. Roping Supplies-Texas” and others with a “Don´t Mess with Texas” saying on it. Me and Elder W. got a little curious, wondering if maybe some guy from Texas happened to live there. Anyway, we knocked on the door, but of course in the rain nobody came to the door. We kind of forgot about the house, and went on to others. About an hour later on the way back, it had stopped raining and we were heading back when we passed the same house. We decided to just try knocking again, and somebody actually came to the door. Long-story short, it wasn´t a guy from Texas, he just liked Texas a lot, but we found a family that seems to just have been waiting to receive the gospel in their lives. A guy named Vin... (24), his Mom, and his sister Ev... (19) all were very receptive and Ev... went to church this week and has a date marked for this Halloween. Vin... can´t go for now, as he has to stay in bed for a month or so. I guess he was taking a shower last month, when his bathroom floor just caved in and he sliced his Achilles tendon open, and has to stay in bed for another month or so. He said that he´s excited to read the Book of Mormon as he doesn´t have anything else to do. It´s funny, but I really think that the Lord inspired Vin... to put those stickers on his car to grab the attention of two American missionaries.
Our recent convert family, Ju... and Ro... are doing really well. Ju... got ordained a Priest yesterday, and he had a bunch of questions about it. The Branch Pres. asked him to bless the sacrament next week, so we got to help him out with the prayers.
I think that´s all from me for now. I don´t have any patience to write anymore after my big e-mail closed up.
´till next week, which will be the last one, I think?
-Elder =w= Heperi
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Change in Luke's Return... Mom is NOT happy!!!
Dear Sister/Brother Heperi,
I am writing to inform you that there have been some changes made in Elder Heperi's travel plans. He will arrive in Salt Lake City Utah on the 4th of November at 11:15AM. He will arrive on American Airlines Flight Number 395. I am sorry for the late changes and any problems that we may have caused. We beg your forgivness and thank you for your patience.
Thanks,
Elder Dunn
I am writing to inform you that there have been some changes made in Elder Heperi's travel plans. He will arrive in Salt Lake City Utah on the 4th of November at 11:15AM. He will arrive on American Airlines Flight Number 395. I am sorry for the late changes and any problems that we may have caused. We beg your forgivness and thank you for your patience.
Thanks,
Elder Dunn
Monday, October 12, 2009
2012
So I got an e-mail from the Mission Office secretary, today. They said that my group is actually going to be flying out Nov. 3rd instead of Oct. 28th. I guess President has some type of meeting with one of the 12 (maybe in Utah?) that week and won´t even be in Londrina, so they told us they had to move the date. Anyway, I guess I won´t be back for any Halloween party after all…
This week was good. We made a really concentrated effort to get people to church, and we managed to get a couple. The attendance was a little weak as most people were traveling because today is a holiday(it´s Kid´s Day today. Who knew that that was a holiday like that?) The last 20 min. of the Church meeting were a little awkward, as no one seemed to want to bear their testimony, so everybody just sat there in silence and our investigators kept looking around thinking “Uhh, is something suppose to be happening right now?”
I guess some thing about the world ending in 2012 has been circulating around the branches here, and what´s worse is that a couple of the folks have been telling some ward members that they are pretty much 100% sure that it´s going to happen in 2012. I thought it was a joke an all, but apparently some of the other Elder´s investigators started hearing members talking about it, so the District Pres. had to go around talking to pretty much all the branches to squash the little seeds of apostasy before the grow any more.
We´re doing well here. The Zone is pretty happy, except for the Sister's who are a little stressed out with their areas, so we head out there once a week to go work with them. I think it´s a little difficult for them, because their city is about the size of Provo, and there are only 2 companionships in the city.
That´s it from me. ´till next time.
-Elder =w= Heperi
This week was good. We made a really concentrated effort to get people to church, and we managed to get a couple. The attendance was a little weak as most people were traveling because today is a holiday(it´s Kid´s Day today. Who knew that that was a holiday like that?) The last 20 min. of the Church meeting were a little awkward, as no one seemed to want to bear their testimony, so everybody just sat there in silence and our investigators kept looking around thinking “Uhh, is something suppose to be happening right now?”
I guess some thing about the world ending in 2012 has been circulating around the branches here, and what´s worse is that a couple of the folks have been telling some ward members that they are pretty much 100% sure that it´s going to happen in 2012. I thought it was a joke an all, but apparently some of the other Elder´s investigators started hearing members talking about it, so the District Pres. had to go around talking to pretty much all the branches to squash the little seeds of apostasy before the grow any more.
We´re doing well here. The Zone is pretty happy, except for the Sister's who are a little stressed out with their areas, so we head out there once a week to go work with them. I think it´s a little difficult for them, because their city is about the size of Provo, and there are only 2 companionships in the city.
That´s it from me. ´till next time.
-Elder =w= Heperi
Thursday, October 8, 2009
Week without P-Day
Yeah, so yesterday was enlighting. I guess if I´ve got to sacrifice my P-day, I might as well do something worthwhile. The meeting with Pres. Leal was good in Londrina, and I got to see a lot of my buddies, probably for the last time.
General Conference was good as well. Everbody was buzzing about the announced temple in Forteleza, Brazil (There are some Elders from there so they´re really excited.) I liked that Elder Bednar burned the people who proclaim their love from the pulpit, as some guy just did that last week in our branch last week. Hilarious.
We were a little disappointed with some of the turnout at conference. It seemed like barely anyone went. We even arranged to come by with a member to pick up Cle... and Ta... (our really golden family) only to show up at their door to find that nobody was home. Really sad.
One of the recent converts, named Ia..., brought some of her sisters and cousins to conference, and her little sister, named Io..., age 16, has got a baptismal date set for later this month. She couldn´t get baptized because she was living with her... ex-boyfriend ... but it seems that the Lord has blessed her because her ex-boyfriend ended up in prison as a result of some situation, so now she says that she´s good to go.
I loved Elder Heperi the Younger´s e-mail. I liked how many times he managed to work the word ghetto into the e-mail. It´s funny, because I kind of get the same reaction from people here too. I´m thinking that about 90% of the country here has never seen a brown American before, so people get a little weirded out.
My thanks to Rob, Talisa, grandma and grandpa for the letters this time. Whoa, I can´t believe that Dave´s getting married already. I guess I´ll be home in time for the wedding, though, huh? Yeah!
I think that´s all from me for now. Time´s short today. Till next time.
-Elder =w= Heperi
General Conference was good as well. Everbody was buzzing about the announced temple in Forteleza, Brazil (There are some Elders from there so they´re really excited.) I liked that Elder Bednar burned the people who proclaim their love from the pulpit, as some guy just did that last week in our branch last week. Hilarious.
We were a little disappointed with some of the turnout at conference. It seemed like barely anyone went. We even arranged to come by with a member to pick up Cle... and Ta... (our really golden family) only to show up at their door to find that nobody was home. Really sad.
One of the recent converts, named Ia..., brought some of her sisters and cousins to conference, and her little sister, named Io..., age 16, has got a baptismal date set for later this month. She couldn´t get baptized because she was living with her... ex-boyfriend ... but it seems that the Lord has blessed her because her ex-boyfriend ended up in prison as a result of some situation, so now she says that she´s good to go.
I loved Elder Heperi the Younger´s e-mail. I liked how many times he managed to work the word ghetto into the e-mail. It´s funny, because I kind of get the same reaction from people here too. I´m thinking that about 90% of the country here has never seen a brown American before, so people get a little weirded out.
My thanks to Rob, Talisa, grandma and grandpa for the letters this time. Whoa, I can´t believe that Dave´s getting married already. I guess I´ll be home in time for the wedding, though, huh? Yeah!
I think that´s all from me for now. Time´s short today. Till next time.
-Elder =w= Heperi
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