July 21, 2014

This week passed so fast.

We worked with the ex investigator a bit. but she is facing some bad problems and said she is to sad to leave the house....  once again..that familiar feeling of wanting to put my knowledge in someone elses head.  satan is so smart, he does this with everyone. even me. we want to be happy and get rid of our problems and change our life before going to church or reading the scriptures...but what people dont realize is that  the ONLY way to do achieve these things...is to come unto christ, go to church! read the scrips!  that is how to be happy and relived of lives burdens.

 Jake your looking tiny...but thats a nice shirt! ;)  theirs is a kid in this ward that watches football on  the internet and said he watches BYU games! i thought that was pretty tight. ha

well i love you guys! have a great week! 

-Elder Grondel

July 14, 2014

Dear Family,

This week was pretty good.  Brazil got WACKED! by germany. ha . it was kinda sad, all the excitement stopped. but everyone gave up on brazil before the game even started, we actually found a few people that said they were going to cheer for germany! ha.   The day after the game a drunk guy yelled to me and said laughingly "you guys got Brazil good!"   Haha.

well my bday was chill. my comp made cookies for me. ha.i took pictures but i forgot my camera at the house today.  i havent gotten my package yet.... :/

Thats true what alida said, the focus is alot on recent converts, because so many leave the church after getting baptized.  their is a ton of work and things required we have to do with them after baptism.

This week we we had a lesson with a member with an ex investigator and it was really amazing, she is facing some crazy trials in her life right now, i cant imagine being in her situation, but the spirit was really strong and we are excited to see her progress and change her life.  Satan is working a ton on her.  we will have to come with our "A" game this week!  

we finally got a ward mission leader, he got back from his mish the same time as bryson, and hes super tight, we are excited to work with him.

ha. its hotter there than it is here...for now.  its in the 80s and high 70s almost every day.

well i love you guys!  hope you have a great week! 

-Elder Grondel

July 7, 2014

Hey fam!

PARABÉNS pra BRYSON AND HANNAH!!!!!   Thats so cool! Im so pumped for you guys! What a great last 4th of july at shars house!  The wedding looks like it was pretty dang sweet!   what a wonderful birthday present, to hear that you guys were finally able to get married.

everyone looks great in the fotos!!! missin you guys!

HAHAHA. oh lex...trynna date in a city where everyones trynna get married :)

I have a song i want her to sing to all of her boyfriends,Its called - Promises I keep- by cherie call. she´ll love it haha.

Well the fourth of july here was pretty insane too, Brasil won the quarterfinals and we stayed inside and just listened to the fireworks and loud music all night. you would have thought that brasil was celebrating the 4th of july as well! ha. at least i didnt pass a fourth without fireworks!  ha

Well i wasnt transferred, and neither was my comp. should be cool.   

We have some great people to teach, i hope all goes well with them.  The ward is really excited about missionary work. should be great.

Thanks for the birthday wishes! 

Love you guys, have a great week!

-Elder Grondel

June 30, 2014

This week was alright.

We found a ton of new people to teach.  Its always nice to find new people to teach.  And we had to drop alot of our investigators. and it was really sad.  The couple we were helping to get married dropped us, it was really sad, we tried, we prayed our brains out.  I hope they have another oportunity with the missionaries in the future.  Its really tough when this happens. but its part of the work.  we have other people to find that will except the message!

Well the mom of isaias will be baptized this saturday by isaias! he recieved the priesthood yesterday!

I got a package and some letters this week!  zach sent me a package.  with more protein. ha. i have been kind of stopping working out in the mornings lately, but now i have to get going again. haha.  i still have to finish the protein you guys sent me, ha, its almost gone tho.

tell the ivanoffs thanks! they sent me reeses! they mustve known that they dont have peanut butter here to make reeses!  thanks a ton! was super good.

i will read the rest of the letters today, i got one from bryson! tell him ill read it today.

interesting that you sent me that thing about faith.  i just read chapter 32 of alma this week and thought alot about it and afterwards i studied faith in Preach my gospel.  i think the lord wants me to learn something.....ha.

caleb went early to efy this year.  but thats great he had a good time. i remember how awesome efy was! especially the first one!  Jacob didnt go to camp helaman?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?    PORQUE?!?!?!   WHY?!?!?!?!   AAGGHGHHHHHH!!!!!!     Dude jacob, i know how it is, camp helaman seems lame for losers and mormon nerds to play and read scrips in the mountains. But dude you make some great friends their, and its actually really fun.the leaders there are supper cool!  and you eat a ton!!! Its very spiritual as well. you need to go bro. its a life changer!

its basically been the 4th of july here, youd think it was world war 3 when brasil wins or makes a goal!   These days weve had to stay inside our house whenever brasil is playing. last pday we stayed inside the whole day.but its not only the world cup, its also another festivel this month so its nuts and schools on break! ha.

Happy 4 th of july for you guys!

well gotta go! BOA SEMANA PRA VOCÊS!

love you guys!

-Elder Grondel III

June 23, 2014

Dear Family!

 This week was alright. walked a ton. ha. our numbers were super stinking low.  We tried working in the neighborhood of the church this week wich is on the other side of our area and it is huuuuugggeee!  and its a little bit richer with a ton of apartments buildings. We tried to contact a bunch of the people over there, but noone likes to be in their house when we pass by...interesting huh?  So we walked a lot this week.  Two days straight we literally just walked the whoooleee day haha. But my legs feel fine! its crazy,  they have adapted to walking a ton, its natural for them to just move by themselves now.

Well last pday we went to the park with the young men and i taught them american football and we played for a bit.  i was all time quarterback, just to be safe.  We took some pictures there.  It was so weird wearing normal clothes in  public....i didnt like it, i was dying to get my shirt and tie back on. 

We went out to pizza with that couple at this pizza place thats really nice, they paid for us...i tried, but he said no, ha.  It was so strange for us to go from being rejected to having someone serve us pizza and soda pop, and to do something that normal people do.  it was very weird.

we had a couple baptism dates fall through but we weill remark them this week.  We are working with the mom of isaias right now.  And we are trying to find new people to teach, its always nice to referesh the teaching pool.

Today we will stay in the house all day, because they changed the rule and said that its more dangerous after the game of brazil in the world cup, so we will stay home all day, unless we recieve authorization to go to a family night with that couple ina members home.

We had a party at the church saturday, it was pretty cool! their was so much food! during this month theirs alot of parties and stuff that only happen here in brazil....i swear they are ALWAYS partying.

The re-missionary in our ward that served in florianapolis is the young men leader, and a while ago we had a meeting with him about how we could increase the misisonary work in the ward and how the young men could help. and last night the ward had a meeting and he talked about the importance of missionary work and he had alot of members participate as well, it was BOMB!!!! the ward is stoked to help with missionary work. the second sunday of the month the young men and woman will help with retention or rescuing less actives and the 3 sunday is missoinary work, in the parks and knocking doors and stuff. This dude is freakin awesome. ha. i broke his car door last week and he just laughed and wouldnt accept my money.  He speaks with so  much power and spirit and knows how to talk to people, he reminds me alot of dad, almost as cool as dad. They are both powerful leaders. i wanna learn how to do what they do.  Its a little hard for me in portugeuse to speak so powerfully, but i am trying. ha.  

Well i heard one of the elders from my district in the mtc, he is from portland, he finally got here in brazil after serving in cali this whole time. ha. 

Well im so happy to hear about the fam...levi, you look jacked bro. i wouldnt wanna mess with you.

jake and cake...you can either get fat and lazy or big and fast this summer...use this time wisely! My advice- GET BIG AND FAST, OR DIE TRYING!

I love you guys! have a great week/summer!

-Elder Grondel III

June 16, 2014

HAPPY FATHERS DAY! Thanks dad for everything. im trying to be ask good of a missionary as i know you were, but i have a long way to go. Thanks for the example!

Hey Fam!  this week was pretty good! it passed sooooo fast!

We have been working a ton and searching for the elect!!!  We taught a ton of lessons and are trying to work alot more with the members.  its been paying off.  last pday we went to this park that is seriously ENORMOUS that is in our area,  it has a huge track and a bunch of areas tand machines to do excersizes, at night they have a hiuge stage and do zumba there, its like a big outdoor valley! ha. we will go there today again with some young men from the ward to play basketball and stuff.  but i will NOT play.  i will just watch our work out or something.

The world cup has been crazy.  Everyone is always watching it, but we arent aloud to.  My comp heard from his family that the missionaries where he lives can watch it. lame!  we had to be in our house before the game started, we tried to study.  but it was just fireworks and people screaming the whole time! It is literally nuts the day of the games here, tomorrow their is another game. My comp is dying from not watching the games...ha. 

Theirs so many missionaries from our ward! wow! 

Our ward seems great, thats so cool the experience you guys had at the temple. wow.   

The work is great, we have a couple that is trying so hard to get married. its pretty tough here because of all the paper work. But they are so elect! She worked yesterday but he walked to church alone! They invited us out for pizza this week. So thursday we are gonna go get some pizza with them. haha.

Isaias was baptized and is very excited to get the priesthood next week and to put his faith in action.

so everything here in brasil is so fragile and cheap including the cars. and the other day i shut the trunk of one of the cars of a member....and i guess i broke it. ive been slacking withexcersizes in the morning, im so weak! dont know where the muscle came from. ha. we called him a few days after to mark a visit and he said i broke it and it costed 150 reais... i tried to pay him yesterday but he wouldnt freakin accept the money!!! but he did accept one of my last dollars i have with me.  He said it was all good and laughed about it, thank goodness. he is super cool.  

Well i gotta go! hope you have a great week!

LOVE YOU GUYS!

-Elder Grondel

June 9, 2014

This week was pretty good.

We worked like crazy and found some great people.  We found a couple that is super humble and looking for religion.  They are not married, so we are working with them to mark a date for their marriage.  When i askked if they had read and prayed to know if it was true, he said they didnt have time, but he said they were already feeling that it was true.  It was really cool to see  because they are truly looking for more peace and happiness in their lives.  Im excited to see them progress. we will have a family night with them and a member tonight.  

My talk went good, one of the members of the bishopric gave me a note during my talk that my time was up. haha.  i still had so much more to say!   The activity went alright ha, it was the first time, i think itll require a little more training and preperation next time.  

we are teaching this guy whose great, both the sundays we passed by with a member to take him to church he was waiting in front sitting on the sidewalk with his backpack.

Thats so cool both of them are playing football together! For the Tbirds. Green and yellow!!! i miss those helmets...alot.  Its soo cool here green and yellow is everywere!!!  We recieved an email today that we cant watch the games of the world cup :(  and we have to be in our house before the games that brasil is playin in start and stay their the rest of the day studying and excersizing or cleaning the house. ha. 

Im trying to learn all i can.  Lots of times i have to put my pride aside and learn...this is REALY hard for me sometimes. and accepting that im wrong. i hate it. ha

ha. my comp loves to teach me, about everything....i learned aboutthe big bang and theories of scientists and the story of albert einstein and all his wonderful theories this week walking in the road with my comp...it was just fabulous!   ha. but hes great

have a great week! Keep up the hardwork caleb and jake, Bleed Green!!!

-Elder Grondel III

June 2, 2014

This week was pretty good, it literally flew by.  We brought one guy to church yesterday and the ward did a great job in welcoming him! The practiced some of the ordenances and the words and stuff in priesthood and they let him be a part of the practices.  haha. it was really cool to see.  His brain has been used and abused by these evangelical churches here, (their is a ton in this part, those churches where one dude yells and everyone feels the spirit real strong that they start to speak in tongues, its pretty cool). we are having to tear out alot of apostasia he has in his brain.  But its going, he accepted a baptismal date.  We had another guy to bring to church but just like last week, his ex wife invited him to go somewhere with her...he has a testimony, he said in the first lesson he felt something different and he believed everything was true, darn woman!

The ward is really excited, we had a ward counsel meeting last night that went really well, the made a ward mission plan and all the programs are excited to contribute to missionary work.  The activity we are doing is an activity that our mish pres used when he was a stake pres that ended up dividing his stake 3 times.  The pres of the area said that our mish pres was the best stake pres in Brasil.  But its sunday where a ton of members invite people and we have a couple teams that help.  one goes and gets the people that need a ride, the other is one that accompanies the investigators as they arrive, and a couple other things. And the speakers are special this day...well they are supposed to be, im speaking, so...ha. 15-20min topic-whatever i want. ha

Thats good mom had a great birthday! dang i miss brownies and ice cream.  hahaha. my comp could probably eat that burritto easy...he eats soooo much! weve already had a few kids tell us that their mom made a ton of food because she heard we eat alot...ha. and then their mom turns all red and says no! i always make a lot! haha. ive been trying to eat a little less to not get to fat...but my comp is known in the mish for how much he eats. my comp is super excited he has a ton of plans and ideas for this area. he loves the work and teaches reall well. im learing alot from him. im the first comp to stick with him for more than one transfer in his mission! but it wasnt really a transfer bacause he got here halfway through the last transfer.

  Its good to hear the ward is working with the missionaries there!  i know how it is when you feel all alone/abandoned by the ward. you literally cant accomplish anything if you dont work together.

everyone is pumped out of their minds here for the world cup! starts next week! do people talk about it in the us?

Well gotta go!

Love you guys!     Boa semana pra vocês!!!

Tchau!

May 26, 2014

Dear family.

This week was alright.  we started out the week with everything falling through and we spent the whole pday last week making pizzas and stuff for this family night that didnt happen.  The rest of the week was kinda like that, but we did have some really cool experiences and blessings.  We found some great people and had a really spiritual lesson with a lady we are trying to help overcome smoking and drinking.

We are doing this activity in a few weeks to bring a ton of people to the church and it should be awesome.  We presented it to the ward yesterday in a motivational type meeting.  it went really well!  i hope we can make a big difference in this ward.

    Well happy birthday mom!  I hope its a great day for you! You have always really helped me a ton. Ive had so many times here when ive wanted to be able to ask you  for your advice and i cant!  Thanks for being a great mom!  I try to remember all that you taught me.  Because im seeing more and more everyday that you are always right.  Both wards ive served in here have needed someone to play the piano...and in remember you saying to me, "one day you´ll be in a strange foreign land on your mission and they´ll need someone to play the piano and you wont be able to because you wanted to stop playing piano!"  ha. and here i am...useless! haha.  but thanks for everything momma! happy birthday to you!  love you!

Love you guys!

Tchau! 

-Elder Grondel