Dec. 16, 2009

Hey! How is everything going? How is every doing? How is the holiday season? I hope that it is going good. The holiday season isn’t the same here but I am still able to feel the special spirit that Christmas brings. It is kind of interest how the spirit is a little bit different during this time of the year. I realized that Monday night while we were leaving message at a members house. For some reason felt like we needed to visit this family and leave a Christmas message with them, so my companion and I did and we felt the spirit so strong as we talked about the Savior and this time of the year. It was a pretty cool lesson, I really enjoyed it. And afterwards we enjoyed cake and juice. The members here like us…..:). We also enjoyed the Christmas Devotional that the First Presidency put on and as I watched that I got a little trunky. Seeing Temple Square all lit up and beautiful really hit me. I really wanted to be at home to be able to see the lights at Christmas time. But you can’t always get what you want. But I really enjoyed the talks that they gave and what they talked about. It is always good to here the First Presidency. I also had the opportunity to watch a movie that the church made about the life of President Monson and I really enjoyed that too. I felt the spirit really strong as I learned what makes President Monson different from the rest of the world. And it was something so simple that I was almost surprised the willingness to ALWAYS follow the spirit without hesitation. So I have now made the same goal in my life, to follow all the feelings, impressions and thoughts that come to my mind, so that I can become an instrument in the hands of the Lord. This week was a pretty good week. I really enjoyed it. On Sunday two men that my companions and I baptized received the priesthood and that is always a good feeling to see the people that you teach progress in the gospel. I was talking to Elder McNeil the other day, our district leader who is going home in a couple of weeks. And we talked about how we both are grateful for the mission and how we both feel like we are happy with what we have done on the mission. The Lord has blessed me so much. I have had the opportunity to teach some great people that truly wanted to serve and follow the Lord. And now they are progressing so much in the gospel. And I am glad that I have been able to work with the Lord in this mission.Yesterday we had our interviews with our Mission President and that was good like always. But I didn’t have the guts to ask him about extending my mission. I didn’t feel like the time was right yet, but the next time that I have the chance I will talk with him and see what he thinks. But I really enjoyed the interview, like always I felt the spirit as we talked about the work and my family. I love my president because he really worries about me and my family. He asked about Juston specifically and wanted to know how he is doing.And today my companion and I are going to go to the center of the city to buy some Christmas presents because one of the families in our ward wants to do a present exchange on Christmas so I have got to go and buy a present. But yeah things are going pretty good, nothing to complain about. It is just weird to think that my mission is ending and the feelings that I am now having. It is weird and hard to explain but things are going good and I am enjoying the work. We are going to have a wedding this week and after the wedding we are going to see if we can’t baptize the lady too. But yea…..not much to talk about this week. I just hope that everyone is doing well and that everyone is enjoying the holiday season.Mom, I hope that everything is going good. I just wanted to ask you when would be the best time to call you and on what day would be better too. So that I can talk with president about that, but I need to know today so when you get this email write me back as soon as possible. But I love you and I miss you and I hope that everything is going good. I love you and until next week.
With Love,Elder Jory B. Spotts

Dec. 9, 2009

Hey! How have things been going? How was your week this week? How is the family? How are our friends? I hope that everything is going good. Our week was alright this week. Nothings amazing happened, it just seemed like a normal week to me. But we just keep going and we do the best we can. But I sure do miss you all and I hope that everything is going good.My birthday was awesome. I loved it, because they people here made it special. We started the day out by going to one of my old areas like I had told you and we had BBQ and Lasanga( I think that is how you spell it). And it was awesome, because I love the family that made it all for me, they are probably the coolest and best family that I have met on the mission. And the other cool part was that she invited a family that we baptized while I was there. And it felt so good to see them and talk with them, because it had been over a year since the last time that I saw them. We played uno and we just talked and ate and it was great. They made me a cake and sang to me too. Afterwards we came back to our area and we went to another member’s house and they made me a cake too. Then we went to another member’s house, Rosana, and this was the best part of the day. We should up and they had planned up a ton games that they were going to play. But I couldn’t play. They said that they were going to play and whoever won got to write all over my face with lipstick. And I said no way and said that I was going to play and if I won no one was going to do anything to me. So I played and I won every single game. At first they thought that they would get me, the American, with a Portuguese language game, where we had to repeat a long tongue twister piece by piece. But did I prove them wrong. I was the only one that got it right. So I marked and wrote on everyone’s face with lipstick. Then they wanted to play musical chairs. But the mother, Rosana, was running the music. And I won two times in a row and Rosana thought that was ridiculous so she wanted to play and we did. And the last two standing were her and I, and at the end of the music she was closing to sitting down so I pulled she chair out from under her and she grabbed the chair too, but I sat down first so I won again. And everyone got mad so they grab and wrote on my face anyways. I have tons of pictures of face all red because of the lipstick. My birthday was awesome. This week my companion ran into a couple of difficulties as well. It started on Saturday with a problem with the wedding that we are going to have on the 19th. So we had to take the bus to the Mission Office grabbed a paper and take it back to our area to be signed by the couple and the witnesses. Then on Sunday we ran out of water and we went three days without water. So we ended up having to take showers at Rosanna’s house and at the chapel. Then on Monday the landlord was asking for the rent and said that he couldn’t wait until today so we spent the entire day at the bank trying to take out money so pay him. It was very heck tick. But it is the life of a missionary. We have also been having trouble finding new people to teach. So we are now working in a part of our area that is a way long ways away to be able to try and find people to teach. And it has been the hardest part of the mission; it seems like I really don’t know how to find people to teach. But when I do they almost always progress really well. So we have been teaching a few people that have really been progressing well. We had 8 people at church on Sunday so that is always good and we are doing what president asks. So we are going what we can to help the ward grow and do what the Lord wants us to do. And that is all that we can do. So I am not complaining about anything. I am doing what I can.And this morning a member in the ward here took us site seeing. It was pretty cool. He took us to a waterfall, the area where they filmed Anaconda, the Hotel Tropical, where they are constructing the temple, and it was pretty cool. I got a little dirty but it was pretty cool, we walked on the beach and ate mango, and it was pretty rad. And now I am at the internet writing to you guys. So things are going good. I am looking forward to Christmas because president decided to rent a boat and take us out on the river to see the part of the river where the two rivers come together to make the amazon and the waters don’t mix. I don’t know what they call it in English. But yeah…..i love you guys and I hope that everything is going good. Mom, if you need me to call on a different day I can. Just let me know what day and I can talk to President and he doesn’t have any problem with it. But I don’t how I am going to call you, because I don’t know where the calling card is that you sent me. I don’t even remember receiving one and if I did I have no idea what I did with it. But I will try and find it. But I also thought that I would tell you something that you need to know. I think that I am going to ask president to extend my mission…………..but let me tell you why, because for some odd reason this has come to my mind recently. To be absolutely honest I wouldn’t complain if president sent me home honorable early for some odd reason. Because I miss you all sooooo much and I am getting excited to go home. But for some odd reason I am thinking that I might ask him just be a hundred percent sure that I am doing all that the Lord wants me to. So I am thinking about talking to him and one of the other elders in my group to stay with me. But we will see what happens. I just hope that you understand and don’t get upset. I also got the package and wanted to thank you. You just forgot to send two things that I asked for; A Real Salt Lake Soccer Jersey and an Ensign in English from November. You sent me a jazz jersey instead of the real salt lake. And with the analogy of the pregnant women…..i think that you just convinced me that I don’t want to have any kids, because nine months is a long time. And if my wife suffers that means that I am going to suffer too. So count me out. And I cant see your motorcycle that you are going to buy, you have to send it as an attachment. Because the computers here don’t let you see the pics. But yeah…..i love you and I miss you a ton and I hope that you have a great week, until next week. And give kaya and bruiser a hug for me.
With Love,Elder Jory B. Spotts

Dec. 2, 2009

Hey Everyone!!!! How are things going? I hope that everything is going great. I sure did miss you all on Thanksgiving and on Saturday…..wanting to see the BYU vs. Utah Game. But I am glad to hear that BYU pulled off a close win. It is always good to hear that they win the big game. It doesn’t matter if they lose all their games in the season, but if they beat Utah, it’s a good year. But I sure hope that everyone enjoyed Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving here was just a normal day for the American missionaries; no one in Brazil even knows what it is. But they don’t know what they are missing out on. But things here have been going really well. It seems like I am going to be able to finish my mission on a good note. The trunkiness is going away, I think that it was just a phase. But yeah….This week my companion and I had a pretty good week. We worked hard, found a few new people to teach, and we had two baptisms. The baptism on Sunday went great. We had a little bit of a problem with the bishop because he wanted to change the time of the baptism but no one wanted to listen to him so it started when everyone else wanted. My companion and I were willing to do whatever the bishop said but the rest of ward was against him. But the baptism was very spiritual like always. We planned the baptism and it went really well. I was the only missionary that participated in the program. I sang a special musical number and I baptized the women. But the other elders just sat back and enjoyed the baptism. But it went really well. The people we baptized were an awesome couple. Their son is a member and had been talking to them about the gospel for a long time and after insisting that they visit for such a long time they finally decided to go to church and they received a testimony of the gospel. They went to church about four times and then told us that they wanted to get taught by the missionaries. We hadn’t talked to them in the beginning because someone had told us that they were already being taught by some other elders because they don’t live in our area. But the elders didn’t want to go to their house. So they came to our chapel to be taught by us. And on the first visit they wanted to be baptized and they did get baptized. I really enjoyed teaching them; it was blessing that the Lord gave to both me and my companion.I also received a pretty big surprise on Monday. We went to Zone Conference and I enter into the chapel and sat down next to one of my old companions, Elder A. Oliveira, and we started chatting and then I heard some say my name behind me. So I looked back and I saw Abelardo, I don’t know if you remember him. But he is a recent convert that one of my companions and baptized when I was in São José. Well he was there at the conference because he is going to serve a short time mission because he is preparing to serve a mission. He was the young man that we baptized after having to cast out a demon, I think you remember. But he his really good and now is going to serve a mission and we are serving in the same zone together. It was really cool seeing him there at the conference. I can’t even explain the joy that I felt when I say someone that I taught and baptized being a missionary. The blessing that the Lord gives to missionaries are amazing and you can’t receive these types of blessing doing anything else, only on the mission.But the Zone Conference was really good too. President talked a lot about The Book Of Mormon and how we need to testify more about the Book Of Mormon in our listens and we need to use it more. Because in Preach My Gospel it says that we should teach about it in the first lesson, but most of the elders don’t teach it until the second visit. Because a lot of people don’t take care of it and it seems like a waste to give one to somebody and then they throw it away or don’t read it. But President said that we should always teach it in the first lesson. Only if the Spirit tells us not to we should. I really enjoyed the spirit that was felt at the conference and what I learned. They also put together a video of the Talk that Elder Jeffery R. Holland gave about the Book of Mormon at General Conference. It went really good. And as for today my companion and I are going to go the party that the member family is going to put together for me and then at night two other families said that they are going to make me cake and have a little too. So I get not just one party but three on my b-day. That is how special I am, the people love me.  But things are going really good, just having a hard believing that I can now buy beer in the States. I feel like I am getting old. And I am starting to feel like I don’t want to go home at the end of my mission. I think that I am just going to stay here. I already feel like Manaus is home. I love it here and I love the people, I already have tons of people that say that I am a member of their families and I already have a Brazilian mother. And I can find myself a wife really fast here. I have got everything that I need. So I don’t think that I wanna come home. Just for vacation…..jk. But I really do love it here and am going to miss it a ton when I have to go home. But I miss you all too much. But I hope everything is going good for everyone, I miss you all.Mom, well it sounds like thanksgiving was pretty cool for you guys, I worked. But I am glad to hear that it went well. I love you all and I am looking forward to see you all again pretty soon. And I will be able to call home for the last time on the 23rd. because that is when we are going to have our Christmas program and president wanted us to call home on this day. But if it is a bad day he said that we can call on a different day too. But yeah, apply to those schools as soon as possible for me. But I love you and I miss you and thank you for the happy birthday, I am getting old. But I haven’t gotten your present yet but I think that I will get it pretty soon. But I love you and will talk to you next week. 15 more P-Days
With Love, Elder Jory B. Spotts

Nov. 25, 2009

Hey everyone! How have things been going? I hope that everything is going good. How was thanksgiving? I am sure going to miss my favorite holiday. And I am going to miss you all very much tomorrow too. But you will all have to let me know how everything is going and how the holiday went. And you are going to have to tell me about the BYU vs. Utah game as well. That is always the best game of the year and hopefully BYU wins this year. But things here have been going pretty good. Just work and work. But things have been going pretty good. We have been losing and finding new people to teach all the time. It doesn’t even seem like we really get to know the people before they decide to reject the gospel. But we are going to have two baptisms this Sunday. So mom you read my letter wrong….sorry. But we didn’t have a baptism last week. But the baptisms are going to happen this coming week. And my companion and I do not seem like to be the as happy about the baptism as the couple that is going to be baptized. We talked with them yesterday and taught for the last time before their baptismal Interview and they are really excited. They are totally ready for the baptism. Everything we ask them to do they do it. We asked them to stop drinking coffee and they stopped immediately. They also asked us about a few things that the love to do like play Domino and face cards and they said that they are willing to stop if they have to. But we explained to them that they can. They know that the gospel is true and are really excited about their baptism. I learned a lot from them teaching them. I learned that I didn’t have anything to do with their conversion….it was ALL the spirit. They were prepared by and touched by the spirit. And I am excited for the baptism on Sunday.Things have been going pretty good with my companion as well. We are getting along well and things are looking pretty good. We are working well together and I am really enjoying the mission. I think that I am now having the best time of the mission right now because I have learned the language and I have almost mastered the mission techniques. i cant say that I am the best missionary because that would be a lie. At times I feel like I have no idea what I am doing, but when I follow the Spirit and the Lord everything works out. We are looking at having a few baptisms next month as well. We have a few investigators that are really interested in the gospel and they are really enjoying the lessons. But yeah the mission is going good, but I am having trouble forgetting how much time I have left. I cannot get that out of my head to matter how hard I try to forget I always remember that I have got 17 weeks left……16 more pdays.But I really cannot think of anything to write to you all. This letter is going to be a little bit shorter than usual…sorry. I still love you all but I am not really remembering anything that is going on. We did have a bbq with some of the ancients….the old missionary, and I am one of them. It is really weird to think about that. I don’t feel any different. And next week there is a family in one of my old areas that is wanting to put together a little party for my birthday. So next pday I am going to have a party and that will be pretty good. But yeah………I sure do miss you all and I love you and I hope that everything is going good. Mom, I wanted to ask you something but I forgot….oh yeah…..were you able apply to those schools for me yet or not. If not you need to get on that. Because if you don’t it is going to be harder for me to enter into them. So please apply as soon as possible and send loves to everyone at Grandmas house for thanksgiving. I love you all and I miss you;
With Love, Elder Jory B. Spotts