December 2, 2013

Dear Family!

This week was alot better!

Thanks for the prayers! It truly helps! I felt alot better.

I had my first interview with the prresident and it was kinda tough with the language barrier. but he gave me a blessing and the spirit was so strong, he said some really cool things, i couldnt understand it all which was annoying because he said some awesome things but idk what context it was in and stuff, it was so cool! he is awesome!

Tell zach we watched the go getter!!!  ha. and my comp took it to a whole other level later that night when we were contacting... ha. it was cool.

Well we had almost all forgot about thanksgiviving, ha, its hard to talk too much about that stuff out here.  But we always eat a ton here. Im glad to here thanksgiving went well for you guys!  I would glady eat all the left overs!   Yesterday we ate so much...a massive lunch, then at a less actives house they fed us more then we had a family night and ate more.. we only eat a small breakfast sometimes and almoco and we never eat dinner so it was kinda nice. ha. I almost puked i ate so much.

Well our baptismal date fell through she called us and said she didnt want any more meetings but my comp  pretended he couldnt hear her over the phone so when we had divisions, he and the ZL went ther and talked to her...Idk really now how it all is, but she hasnt answered us and didnt come to church. That really sucked.  We have this goal as a mission to have  a white christmas and have everyone baptize on the 14, i have faith we can do it, but idk how.  I dont wanna be the ones to not baptize...

ha...i luv ya levi but...you had that one coming for a while! 

Ha, i just died laughing when i read that!  im glad you guys are alright!

I thought a little about austin this week, thats really sad, i wish i couldve heard what zack and steve said about it.

Its getting really hot here... im sweating so much!!!

ive learned i have alot of things to work on, im really negative and im good at pointing out other peoples flaws and jjudging others.   Im really trying ot work on these things.  I need more faith when we talk to someone, sometimes when we talk to people and i think how weird they probably think we are and theyll never be interested in this.  even though time and time again my judgement is proved wrong.

We had a nice family we met one night and we sprinted to catch them and they were cool but when we went to there house, the dad just wanted to bible bash. I was so sad, their whole family is gonna suffer because the dad is to stubborn to pull his head out.  But they did an intense prayer for us to realize the truth before we left. so that was nice...

I went on a division with the ZL and it was cool, we had a drunk guy  all over us, i thought i was gonna have to pull and east vally on him...but i restrained.

Well thank you for the support and the updates! I love hearing about those things, i will finish reading all the email when i get back today.   Go T-Birds!  Im so pumped for them!

NGUNNGU

Amo Voces!

-Elder Grondel III

November 25,2013

Dear Grondels!

 

Ya right, I knew you would forget about me when Bryson got home! Ha. JKJK Its all good!  Thanks for the email this week.

Thats so sad to hear what happened with austin. I feel so bad for them.  He is in a better place tho, I know the ward will take good care of his family.

 

Well we are still working with our investigaotr, she has a lil probalem with the word of wisdom. But she is awesome.  We went to a bunch of ohuses before church and called people the night before and noone came to church, my comp was really depressed, they even had a ride for one of our investigators and they didnt come.  People say yes to everything here so its hard to tell who is serious sometimes. so that was sad this week. The other companionship is having like a baptism every week, and investigaotrs at church. Im not comparing!...just sayin. ha

This was a tough week, i am so freakin exhausted, but im making sure im always up at 630. Ive been trying to do 100 push ups and situps a day, my comp works out like crazy, he has a pull up bar i use a little bit. He had a comp from centralia who gave it to him.

 

We get fed really well by the members here, its usually really good. We had churrasco a couple times this week its like their barbecue, and its really good!  Ha, lots of people think im from Brazil, they say i have a brazillian face, not an american face. Ha. I havent gotten to tan yet, we have had some rain, and i guess the rainy season is starting up pretty soon.  I had a humbling experience the other day, we went to this less actives house and it was in a reeeallly poor area and the girl had one fake leg, and her mom was with her, and she was just the happiest girl in the world and thier house was barely a house to be honest, and the mom started crying it was crazy to see these people in these circumstanes and the girl was so happy! wow.

 

Well the lenguage is really difficult, i will probably complain about that for a while. ha. but it really is frustrating.  My comp and i are really trying to be exactly obedient.  He is a good guy.  He is really positive and it helps me cause ive been really homesick here. Weird. im 20, im not supposed to get homesick.  I get overwhelmed alot with the time, I hate being the beginer, I just wanna be good!  The culture the people the language the walking the expectations, AGHH! It kills me sometimes.  This is definately a testing period for me, wether I will shrink or blossom. Im so grateful for the atonement, and the enabling power of the atonement. I need it right now, thats the only way to get through times like these.

 

But thank you for all the help, I heard you called the mission office.  Thank you! I will try and do that today. 

 

Go tbirds!  They are in the semis??? thats crazy I wish I could be there to see.   NGUNNGU.  Jake could end up playing in a state championship if someone gets hurt, be prepared!   

That stinks byu lost, almost the same score as last year.  Ha, two more years and i know someone who can help out in the middle, if his knee gets better.

 

If you can throw my little pin drive in the package too thatd be sweet if not its ok. it should be in my old back pack.

Well I love and miss you guys! i hope everything goes well up there and you arent having to much fun without me!

i am going to print your talk off and read it later for inspiration, thanks DAD!

Amo Vôces!

 

-Elder Grondel III

 

 

 

November 18, 2013

Hey Family,

I loved the pictures! Thats so cool he is still baptizing.  Like a boss.

Well i thought the presidency told you, but we emailed last week on wednesday because we had a member come on our regular pday, which is Monday.  So we got to email again this week. I thouight that might happen.  But its all good!

Its been pretty rough out here, the language is killin me.  It was so nice in vegas because i could communicate with ppl and be there friend and, not to sound cocky, but i could rock the lessons in english...im so bad in portugeuse, my comp teaches alot and talks with them alot while i just sit and look like an idiot.  then when its my turn to talk, i stumble over every word. im basically useless.  There is so much to learn with the language I dont even know where to start! 

We set a baptismal date last night and i completely ruined my part of the lesson but my comp rocked it so she said yes, we get to prepare her for baptism now! That was exciting.

I feel like we just wacked Black Hills 54-6 but i missed a ton of tackles.  

My comp and I are doing this personal sanctification thing and its cool.  We did a fast and that was sooo hard. no water for 24 hours here?! that was fricken tough. we right down all the things we do or think that keep the spirit away. theirs alot! ha.

Jacob- Keep being tough! I wanna see your pic up in the weight room one day

Caleb- Sounds like your doing good but stay away from those 8th grade girls! Dont catch all the fish in the lake!

Olivia-i miss you! be smart and stay away from boys! 

Levi-Sounded like you had a great football season! Now its the offseason, time to get to work and get buff.  JK. just dont play to much of the new COD!

Gerritt-i miss you dude!  keep being awesome, I cant wait for you to school me on rollerblades!

Bella- I miss you! keep being a pretty princess and be nice! 

so we were in goiania all day last wednesday for visa stuff and we had to get this package and it wieghed like 5.5 kg and costed a ton!!! just an fyi.   But I need some deoderant as well in the package. and anything eelse bryson thinks I need.

Amo Vôces!

hope to hear from you guys next week, or next year, or sometime!

-Elder Grondel III

November 13, 2013

Hey Family!

Well Im finally in Brasil! Its really cool.  My trainer is awesome, he is working my tail off!  My first full day I had 16 contacts...He says Fala com TUDO MUNDO!!!  and we really do. its tough sometimes, when i ask for there adress and stuff i cant understand the names cause they talk so fast and their weird names, so its annoying, my tranier tries to help me.  He is from Provo, UT and has gone to every BYU home game since he was 4 or 5. ha. so we talk about that. Hes a cool guy. He is so freakin bold sauce. We talk with everyone and he pushes people pretty hard. Ha.  Weve had some cool lesson and some rough ones.  One family just laughed at me the whole time I was teaching and bearing testimony, even the mom was laughing at me! It was really tough.  I havent really gotten to homesick until I got here. Im trying to focus on the work and the people and not myself.  Vegas was so chill, I have alot more responsibility here.  We are in a house of 4 Americans, my comp really pushes me to speak Portugeuse.  Im trying, but sometimes its sooo frustrating. 

Im in a city just North of goiania called Anapolis.  I guess its in the world record book for having the most different churches.  My trainer and I have opened up a new area,sorta,ther was two missionaries here but they just added two more, my comp and I, to the ward, I feel bad, the people have to feed us so much food.  I eat alot at lunch, i like having the big meal in the middle of the day, it helps me stay full all day.

On Monday we had the area President come and it was pretty cool, my comp translated most of it for me,but I didnt understand it all.  My mission President is cool, we had dinner at his house the first night and it was good. 

We had a miracle last night!  We were teaching a guy we contacted and right after the prayer, his really good friend, A MEMBER knocked on the door and he sat in with us for the lesson! It was sweet! Best one weve had yet!

Lots of people let us teach them here but lots of them alreay have there church.  Im getting better at understanding people, but I really struggle with the language, There is so much to learn, I wonder if I will ever learn it!   Its gonna take alot of work, I kept this artcile with me called the enabling power of the Atonement by Elder Bednar, Its really good, the reddeming power is talked about alot but not as much the enabling power,  Its so cool to see what blessings and help are waiting for us!  I am gonna have to completely trust on the Lord, there is no way I can learn this language on my own.

HAHA.  Ya Bryson is exaclty right!  I havent freakin stopped sweating since I got here!!!   Its not like just a good sweat, Im constantly pouring sweating out of every pore like a fire house!!! Its so nasty.   

Your prayers have been holding my knee together!  There was one day it was killing me and I was praying reallly hard and we got home and my comp gave me a knee brace i had forgotten his last comp gave to him early that day.  Its 

been helping alot.  

For my package i need a few things...More protien please :)  and razors mach 3 gillette. and some peanut butter. I left my PB in Las Vegas. OH! My debit card isnt working! Please help me with that, he had to buy everything for me lastweek. A scripture case would be nice, like two, one for my regulkar size bible and one for my regular size BOM...(my portugeuse scriptures) There is a kid in my ward who is serving in Florianopolis right now and I met a kid at the mission comferene who knew Bryson from the MTC, he said he wrestled him there. HA. Good to hear Hunter and Tyler are Okay, I hope everything is good for them. Hope they find those other missionaries.

Time to go sweat somemore and spread the word!

Amo Vôces!

miss you guys a ton!

-Elder Grondel III

October 28, 2013

Hey!

 

It's good to hear everything that's happening!  Sounds like fun stuff back home!

 

So we had our first baptism, it went really smooth! my talk was short and sweet.  It was exciting!  We have another one set for an investigator that's been one for a while but hes just so busy, so we taught him once and we set the date for nov 9.  He had a date previously but it didn't work out so we hope this one does!

 

My freakin comp from the CTM emailed me, he got his VISA!!! what the hek. Ha.  Guess my work here isn't done.  We haven't been able to meet with our 19 year old investigator, he called us a week ago and said he was losing his fire and wanted to meet so we planned and it didn't happen so its been WAYYYY to long. Its frustrating because he was doing so well!  We met with the Black lady and her husband again who are really strong baptisit type Christians and we brought this old guy with us who has served mission basically his whole life since being converted and they clicked really well, we completely abandoned our lesson we planned and talked about the BOM and it was sooooo cool. She was crying and loved meeting with us. The first time we met with her she started off by saying that she didn't want us wasting our time with someone who already has a good relationship with God and didn't need it and we asked her what her expectations were and she said she was expecting us to try and convert her and that she was NOT going to convert because she likes the path she is on but she is willing to here our message. HA.  And then after this last lesson she shouted, "If God wants me to be a Mormon I'll be a Mormon!"  She has the greatest desire I have ever seen to just find then truth and willingness to do whatever God wants of her and she has such an open mind and heart.  Dang, It was soooo cool!  And I guess she is a Gladys Knight FINATIC! So we got here some VIP tickets to the front row of The Gladys Fireside choir testimony show thingy next week!  And there is a black lady in our ward who was converted because of this show, so we are hoping the same happens with our Investigaor!!! It's so exciting to see the work happening!

 

Our DL and ZL's went to a training from the mission leaders of the church and said it was crazy! They are training us on new ways of teaching and stuff, and they talked a lot about how missionary work is gonna be a lot of online stuff, and we had to take a survey about preach my gospel last week.  So we are guessin they are making a new manual for missionaries...but IDK. They said that the gospel is being preached to every nation right now and that's being done through the internet, it doesn't say missionaries have to physically be in those countries, and after the gospel is preached to all nations, the end will come.  It's crazy this is such an exciting time for missionary work.  They said the missionary conference that happened in June or something, (I didn't see it) but they said it was just as monumentous a moment in church history as the first vision and the restoration are.  CRAZY! 

 

Im so glad you guys are still missionaries.  I always wondered why you would go and talk to the investigators that came to church all the time and stuff and invite certain families over. You guys were such a great example to me.  I am so grateful I have parents who have continued doing missionary work!  I now see how badly as missionaries we want members to befriend these people! It's vital!  I wish I understood how much more of a missionary I could have been back home, maybe it's just something you have to experience. Thank you for your example!

 

Ive been fed really well!  after our lesson that we set a date at, a member that went with us took us to pizza hut, (his son played corner at Utah State for two years and is still on scholarship but helps as a trainer because he messed his knees up)  But he gave us pizza and we were so hungry we went home and ate it then we had a dinner about an hour later with a lady from el Salvador and she started putting food on plates and I thought that was the plate she was gonna put in the middle of the table for each of us to scoop the food off of, but then she made three of them!!!! My plate was massive and I wasn't even feeling hungry.... then she put huge pieces of chicken on them... I ate it all!!! :) I was proud of myself and I ate desert! Ha.  But I was prepred because earlier that week I did thw two pound challenge at a place called cheeburger cheeburger.  This burger was huge!!!!  Put my brazillian comp did it so I had to...I almost threw up, but I did it and I got my picture on the wall! Theirs a couple missionaries up there, a family here takes all of them there, they are awesome.

 

Well besides getting fat, things are pretty good, we have transfers a week from today.  My knee started killing me this week, I could barely walk. Don't call the mission lady please!!! I went way to hard on it last pday. im just gonna lay there today.  I always think Im just gonna stand there and play pass, But that is never the case, I cant hold myself back so Im just gonna have to do nothing today.   My crown is back on.

 

 

HOLY CRAP!!!!!!! President just called....I GOT MY VISA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!    Wow....Im so pumped!  I leave next Monday!!!!!  ya, definitely don't call the mission lady about my knee.  I don't care if I can never play football again, I just wanna get to Brazil and do what I was called to do!!!!!!!   AGH!!!  My brazillian comp and I are freaking out right now.

 

Well I love you guys and miss you a ton!  I will call you next week at the airport! :)

 

Amo Voces!

 

-Elder Grondel III        -Brazil Bound!!!

October 21, 2013

Hey Fam!

 

So another week flew bye.  Brittons married?! that was quick.... well congrats for them!

We got a txt on last Monday night from this Woman who is a member and weve been teaching her 12 yr old son, she said he was ready to be baptized! So that's kinda cool, his younger brother was baptized and he always comes to church so it was just a matter of time, so the Baptism is this Saturday, he asked me to give the talk about the Holy Ghost.  It was funny because we taught him a couple days before that and he said no to baptism and we tried to help him but he kept saying no then we got that txt on Monday! so that was awesome!

 

We have been meeting with that 19 yr old and he is awesome! He feel happy and said he felt comforted and a blanket around him when we meet with him. Ha. We were like, that's the spirit dude!!!  he came to a baptism with us last week, hes golden. His family life is tough so that wears him out.  But he is a really cool guy!

 

Oh, my crown came off like 2 weeks ago...I have to go to the dentist this wed. Ha. I feel bad, ive just been a medical mess for the mission lady down here. And that thing I got in my stomach from taking to much Ibuprofen my senior is happening again, but its getting better since ive stopped taking it...weird huh,

 

Levi that's awesome! I wish I could see you tearing it up!  Keep working hard!

 

Im so sad to hear about Bryson not going to BYU....that's so lame. We were supposed to win a Nat'l Championship there!!!   My ZL went to Utah State and He said it was Awesome and a ton of fun, I guess their student section was ranked like #4 a while ago, they get rowdy!  Sounds like Brysons thing.

 

I miss Lexi! my ZL asked for her Address, I haven't given it out yet because she isn't on a mission.  JK!  She needs to do whats best for her, she just cant get married till I get back! Same with Bryson!  I pray for her every day!  she has so much potential!

 

That's so crazy Hannah is taking the discussion, good for her!

 

I was so close to killing one of my comps the other day...He drives us INSANE!  I am studying and praying for patience and love ...and im really praying for my VISA!

 

I used to be able to be chill and just go with the flow, but that's because I didn't care about much, but out here I actually care and so I get frustrated about a lot of things, I have definitely felt the Lord softening my heart and helping me forgive and forget a lot!!! Because I know the work cant be done if I have those bad feelings.

 

I went to the Doctors for a check up on my knee and its feeling better and he said it could take a few months but now that its getting better it should continue to get better but I need to continue to be careful on it.   A thought came to me that maybe part of the reason im here is so I can get my knee better by riding in a car all day instead of going to Brazil and walking on it all day everyday.   Im ready now tho, I want my visa!!!

 

We have a really cool thing happening here soon, Gladys Knight is coming to our Stake center with her Choir and she is going to talk about her conversion story and her testimony, she is apparently a very powerful speaker, it's perfect because we are teaching a Black Woman who is pretty well known preacher lady who loves Jesus, and she loves Gladys, so we are hoping that will help.  We are telling everyone to bring nonmembers and that you have to or else you don't get tickets. Ha.  but I guess in the past they get like 200 plus refferls after these things! It's Nov. 7,Idk if I will still be here but im excited for it!

 

So, confession time.  We were at the Ward mission leaders house and after correlation I asked about the BYU game he said he was watching before we got there and we went to check the score, and watched like two maybe three plays...I watched KVN and someone else sack the QB and whose the linebacker #34?  and I saw Taysom Hill just bout get his head ripped off on a facemask!  I got so pumped...I wanted to sit down and watch it so bad! then he turned Cinderella back on for his daughter, she was crying. Ha.  but he txted us later and told us the score! Go COUGS!!!

 

IDK about the journal, whatever you think works best. I trust you.

 

That's crazy Olivia!  you will enjoy YW! There are really fun activities!  You're such a great example to Bella, maybe one day she will be as nice as you...maybe

 

Gerritt I saw a kid with your same helmet! made me think of you! miss you man!

 

Bella! Im jelous of your room,  mine room here isn't as pretty as yours.

 

Caleb- I hope 8th grade is being to rough on you! how is football?

 

Jacob- I read this thing today about the Youth in the church, it said the Lord is truly hastening His work!  and He has called the Youth to action! Their is a purpose for why He has saved you to be a youth of this generation!  Don't let the evils of the world and high school pull you away from your TRUE purpose!  Doesn't mean you cant have fun though! I hope your wrist gets better and you can get back out to reppin the 35!

 

I hope Landon is doing well in Utah! We helped a guy move that was like exactly Landon, he had 4 million guns just like him too. and the werid shoes and the beard, it was weird.

 

Well I miss you guys a ton!

 

The church is true! I have seen so many miracles in the short time ive been out here. it's crazy!

 

Amo voces!

 

-Elder Grondel III

 

October 14,2013

Dear fam!

JACOB PUT A CLUB ON IT!!!  Haha

Sorry to hear about that tho, it sounds like it sucks, I freakin hate injuries, my knee feels a little better it cracks and popsalot. So i pop alot of Ibuprofen.  Always seems to do the trick., that and a little adrenalin.

Well we had a great week this week!  the blessings just came flowing in! We started teaching a Brazillian family of four that my comp tracted out a while ago, the dad is from Rio, and the Mom is from Goiania! How about that huh?  We brought two members with us who both speak portugeause, one of them was from brazil, and they got along really well.  It was my first like real lesson, i got to recite the 1st vision in English and it had been kinda rough when I practiced it, but it came out perfectly when I recited it in the lesson! It was so cool! The spirit was strong!   

We also talked to that 19 year old kid again, and he is so prepared, he has had some interesting experiences and we talked to him for a while  that night and we gave him a chapt to read and he read that and the intro and the testimony and the witnesses.  Hes a really coo guy,  then...he came to church!!! I was so pumped! it was only stake conference and he made the last hour but it was awesome!!!  I know his twin brother on a mish has been praying so hard for him.  Our mission President and his wife were there and they spoke to the whole stake, we were so lucky! They are trying this new program thing for easier member missionary work, its a 4 step thing, and it apparently has worked really well in other areas so they introduced that and gave the stake a 6 week challenge! The members here have been doing great work, they are awesome and are really excited to help us out! Missionary work cannot be done without the members!!!

I was at a door and the TV caught my eye, and I saw Utah beat Stanford!!! I freaked out and my comps were like "calm down! theirs ppl watching!"  ha, oops. neither of them understand the importance of that...silly comps. 

Their has been a little butting heads in the tripanionship, me and my brazillian comp are trying to have so much patience, we keep reminding eachother to pray for patience cause we know if we think ill thoughts or anything towards our comp than the spirit will leave...and you CANNOT teach without the spirit.  So we are trying so hard, I feel bad sometimes cause we talk about him in portugeuse, so he cant understand, its funny. but WRONG!  I have alot to work on! I got mad the other day and , I lost patience and then I get more mad that I cant just let things go....so ive been studying alot about charity and patience and humility, Broab sent me some cool suff aobut that. Tell him thanks for me!..and the comp who makes us both insane is like 5'2''  and a baby so we could easily dismember him...agh!

I had to go get a new police letter down for my visa  down by the strip, at the metro police station. We just happened to sit next to some brazillians and my comp spoke with them and they asked about the book we had so he shared that with them! i could sorta understand...i didnt say much. Ha.  Its scary speaking portugeause to people who are real brazillians! dang.   But we got the letter and took it to the mission office so I hope that means my visa is gettin close!   

Well I love and miss you guys!!!  It's so good to hear whats happeing at home! Bryson has already written me more times than I wrote him on his mish...Ima Selfish guy.

Amo Voces!

-Elder Grondel III