March 18, 2010
Hey!!!! I love you all and wasnt able to write a letter to you all this week because my companion and i went to one of my last areas to saw goodbye to everyone and we ended up running out of time. So I decided to break the rules real fast a send you all a quick email and let you all know that I love you and I will see you all next week. I miss you all and am excited to see you all and I think that I am going to call you when I am in the airpost too. I don’t know if you can or not, but I don’t see why not. But I will talk to my president and see what he thinks, so if I call you don’t be surprised but act happy to hear my annoying voice. But I love you all and as for presents, you can all wait until I get home because I have no idea what I want. But I am pretty sure that I am going to need some new clothes but we can go shopping and I don’t know what I want to eat for dinner either. I have learned to follow the spirit in teaching the gospel, so when I get home I will follow my stomach. So what I am in the mood for I will eat and be happy. I love you all until next week.
March 10, 2010
Hey everyone! I hope that everything is going good. It sounds like everyone is doing really good and that everyone is getting really excited to see me. I too am getting pretty excited to see everyone. But I am also really scared and I do not want to leave Brazil. I love it here, even if it is unorganized and hotter than heck and everything like that. It is getting harder and harder as it gets closer and closer. But I am getting excited to be able to do a few things that I could do when I wasn’t a missionary. I am pretty sure you all know what these things are. But yeah….
As for the week, things have been going pretty normal. The other night we participated in Family Night with one of the members and we invited a few inactive and recently baptized members to participate as well. And that turned out to be pretty awesome, two families went. One that is starting to return to church and went to church for the first time in ages on Sunday and another family that the mom was recently baptized but the father has been a member forever. Well the family night was awesome, they talked about family and the importance that the family has in our lives and it was really cool. Recently I have really been thinking that I don’t want to get married anytime soon because it just doesn’t seem to be my thing, but after that lesson I kind of moved my thoughts. But I really don’t want to get married to fast or time really soon.
We also received a referral from a member this past week and it turned out to be a guy that is ready and willing. He went to church on Sunday and loved it and then said that this is the true church and that it is the only true church. And he will be getting baptized pretty soon, he might be my last baptism on the mission or maybe I will go home first. Either way it sounds good to me, it really doesn’t matter to me. I just hope that he gets baptized.
Today we also went to the center of the city to finish up my shopping and I ended up buying this way rad thing that doesn’t even fit in my luggage so I have no idea what I am going t do with it. But I am going to have to figure out some way to get it home, because I am not going to leave it here because it is way too cool to just buy it and leave it. But yeah, things are pretty normal.
Juarez is going really good, we visited him last night and he is almost done with the Book of Mormon. And he is already getting really excited to see General Conference. And the rest of the families that we have baptized here are also doing really good still. I am super happy with the miracles that I have seen performed by the Lord here. Yesterday I got to talk really quickly with Franciane. I don’t know if you remember who she is, but my companion and I baptized her and her husband a year ago. And they are doing really good and are still strong in the church and are going to be able to go to the temple in a month. And I am going to visit them next week, I am getting excited to see them again. But it sucks because it is going to be last time that I will see them for a long time. As soon as I get home I am going to start saving cash so that I try and visit everyone here next year when the temple is supposed to get finished. But yeah, that is about all that has been going on around here. But I hope that everything is going good and that everyone is still missing me. Only two more weeks!!!!!!!!!!!! This is my second to last email. So enjoy them while they still last. Because the annoying red head is coming home.
As for the week, things have been going pretty normal. The other night we participated in Family Night with one of the members and we invited a few inactive and recently baptized members to participate as well. And that turned out to be pretty awesome, two families went. One that is starting to return to church and went to church for the first time in ages on Sunday and another family that the mom was recently baptized but the father has been a member forever. Well the family night was awesome, they talked about family and the importance that the family has in our lives and it was really cool. Recently I have really been thinking that I don’t want to get married anytime soon because it just doesn’t seem to be my thing, but after that lesson I kind of moved my thoughts. But I really don’t want to get married to fast or time really soon.
We also received a referral from a member this past week and it turned out to be a guy that is ready and willing. He went to church on Sunday and loved it and then said that this is the true church and that it is the only true church. And he will be getting baptized pretty soon, he might be my last baptism on the mission or maybe I will go home first. Either way it sounds good to me, it really doesn’t matter to me. I just hope that he gets baptized.
Today we also went to the center of the city to finish up my shopping and I ended up buying this way rad thing that doesn’t even fit in my luggage so I have no idea what I am going t do with it. But I am going to have to figure out some way to get it home, because I am not going to leave it here because it is way too cool to just buy it and leave it. But yeah, things are pretty normal.
Juarez is going really good, we visited him last night and he is almost done with the Book of Mormon. And he is already getting really excited to see General Conference. And the rest of the families that we have baptized here are also doing really good still. I am super happy with the miracles that I have seen performed by the Lord here. Yesterday I got to talk really quickly with Franciane. I don’t know if you remember who she is, but my companion and I baptized her and her husband a year ago. And they are doing really good and are still strong in the church and are going to be able to go to the temple in a month. And I am going to visit them next week, I am getting excited to see them again. But it sucks because it is going to be last time that I will see them for a long time. As soon as I get home I am going to start saving cash so that I try and visit everyone here next year when the temple is supposed to get finished. But yeah, that is about all that has been going on around here. But I hope that everything is going good and that everyone is still missing me. Only two more weeks!!!!!!!!!!!! This is my second to last email. So enjoy them while they still last. Because the annoying red head is coming home.
March 3, 2010
Boa Tarde Familiares e amigos. Hey everyone, how is everything going? I hope that all is well. But how is the weather looking? I am excited to feel the cold again. I am so sick of living in the heat; it is over 100 degrees almost everyday. But how is the family? How are our friends? How is juston and kaya? I sure do miss you all and I cannot wait to see you all. Well this week my letter is going to be a little short because not a whole lot has happened this past week. Because of the sickness, but I am better now. I just passed a couple of days on my bed at home. Only getting up to use the bathroom, drink water, and eat. I have never felt so sick in my entire life. I almost cried because of the pain that I was feeling in my head and my entire body. But we still had the baptism on Saturday and that was pretty cool. But I am thinking that it might have been my last baptism on the mission. But it was spiritual like always and we had cake afterwards,Yesterday we had a pretty difficult day, but it seems like everyday has been like that recently. We went knocking doors and talking to a bunch of people in the streets and no one let us enter in their house. But we were still able to teach a little bit in the street and we found a few people to teach as well. But things are difficult but I am still trying to stay busy. It is hard to not think about home because it is already getting so close, but we are still working. Today we went to see Carla and Jane Kelly. I don’t know if you remember them, but Jane returned to Manaus and is living with her mom again and Carla came with her to study. Carla finished high school and now is starting college. And it was really good to see them again. Jane Kelly´s family also got baptized. So it was really cool to see them and play some uno with them and then eat lunch with them. But then Jane Kelly started to cry when we were leaving because it is going to be one of the last times that I am going to see them. That has been the hardest part of the end of the mission so far. I almost cried today when I left their house today too. I am going to really miss everyone here. I love this place and the people that live here.But that is about all that has been happening. Two men that we baptized received the melchezidec priesthood on Sunday. Nelito and Francisco, and Juarez will start preparation here pretty soon too. But I love you all and I don’t really have anything else to say to you all. But I will talk to you all next. Only two more letters.
Elder Spotts
Elder Spotts
Feb. 24, 2010
Hey!!!!! How is everyone? How is the weather? How are preparations coming? I want home coming presents? It isn’t easy being a missionary and I think that they deserves presents when they get home ;). How is the sports world? How is the country? Well let me in on everything, because I am only going to receive three more emails. We will have to see how the letters go, if they will get here or not. And I wanted to know if Kaya has a boyfriend???????? Because I don’t know how many elders and young men here have said that she is good looking, and that they want to be my brother-in-law. Oh, and kaya needs to watch out for a crazy one that is called Elder S. Moreira. He keeps threatening me that he is going to go to the States when he gets off his mission in February next year. But everything here has been going pretty good. On Monday we had Zone conference and it was my last one on the mission so I bore my testimony in front of all the elders. And I couldn’t help it, I cried. These last few weeks are really hard. I am going to miss this place so much and the people that the Lord blessed me to teach. I have learned so much here and I am so glad that I decided to serve the Lord for two years. I have learned things here that I cannot learn anywhere else. I recommend that every young man serve a mission, no that every person serves a mission. Whether when young or old, because you learn things here that you cannot learn in any other place. Yesterday I also got really sick. I will try and describe to you all what I am feeling. I have a high fever, an enormous head ache that is none stop, my back aches, my legs ache, my arms ache, I don’t have any strength, and I can barely walk. I also get very tired very quickly. It sucks, and I think that it is dengue. I don’t know if all know what that is, but it is a sickness that comes from mosquitoes. And on the first time that you get it you live and pass A LOT of pain. But the second time you body cannot handle it and you begin to bleed from every open hole in you body. So pray that I don’t get it again. And pray that I can get better; I really need those prayers. But don’t worry, the Lord will bless me.Other aspects of the work are going good as well. Juarez is progressing really well. I confirmed him to the Aaronic Priesthood and ordained to the office of a priest on Sunday. And two men that we baptized here in this area are going to receive the Melchezidec Priesthood on this coming Sunday. So I am very excited about that. We are also going to have a baptism on Saturday and we have marked another baptismal date for March. And we are trying to mark some others as well. My companion and I are working a ton and having some pretty good success in the area right now. We are teaching a few families that are really cool too and are progressing pretty well. Hopefully they will get baptized as well.Last night at Juarez’s house he born his testimony to us and it was very spiritual, he really really knows that this is the Lord Church. He is also already started inviting his family members to go to church and we haven’t even taught him about the importance of missionary work. It has been going really awesome with him. And the members have started to help us a lot more too. We have been having meetings in their homes and they invite people and so do we, so we receive referrals too. The Lord has really been blessing us lately. It would have been cool if my entire mission could have been like this. But it seems like that now that I am getting the hang of the work and really know what to do I am already finishing. It is kind of annoying. But the mission has always been like this, President always transfers me when things are going really and the work is starting to progress, so I am already used to it.But that is about all that I have to say this week. Things are going good, I am just a little sick right now but I am happy because I am going to see you all in 28 days. I want a huge party and I want to invite a bunch of people to be at the airport. It songs like Justin Oberg wants to be there and I know that Clint will want to go. Just invite everyone that wants to go. Tell everyone and don’t have any party until I get home. Because I don’t want any one running out of cash before I get home. But I love you all and I hope that everything is going good. Give everyone hugs and kisses for me. I truly love you all and I dream about you all every night. Last night I dreamed that Justin and I were at our old house in Alaska and that we brought to sexy babes with him too. It was a pretty sweet dream I cannot lie. But I love you all and I sill talk to you all next week. Everyone better stay out of trouble and get ready to go to church on the first Sunday that I get home. and Mom you need to talk to my bishop and stake president as soon as possible so that they know that I am coming home and so that I can get released as soon as possible, because I don’t want to have to sin as a missionary(breaking mission rules) when I get home, but until next week. 4 more weeks, or as Elder Keller says, 3 more weeks and 7 days.
Elder Jory Spotts
Elder Jory Spotts
Feb. 17, 2010
Hey!!!! How is everything going? How is the family? Friends? The weather? The country? Preparations for my arrival? Have you talked with my bishop lately and is my stake president also knowing? Well I hope so and I hope that everything is going good for you all. Things here have been going pretty good. The work with my new companion has been going pretty good. We are staying pretty busy and trying to find some more people that we can baptize before I go home. We found some pretty cool families and people last week and we are hoping to have some success with them this week and hoping that we can find some more people this week.On Saturday the baptism went really well. Juarez is an awesome guy and has a very strong testimony of the church. And while we were in the water and I baptized him I managed to even hit his head on the stairs. And afterwards I told him sorry and he said that he didn’t even feel it. But it was really good. He was way prepared to baptized and yesterday we were at his house teaching him and he was teling a bunch of stories about how a lot people have already started telling him that he made he made the wrong decision and the he shouldn’t have gotten baptized and all that. But he told us that nothing that they say can change his decision or will they make him regret it. He said the he KNOWS that the that he has learned are true and that he is story to continue and never look back. He says that he has never felt happier in all his life than he does right now and that he loves the Book of Mormon and all the teachings of the church. It is just awesome being able to chat with him and hear all the things that he has to say. He should also receive the priesthood next week. And then on the 28th two men that we baptized are going to receive the higher priesthood, the one that s tarts with an m. I cannot remember how to spell it so I wont even try.We also had a pretty cool experience on Saturday. We passed by a members house to leave a message with them. And well the son, Kaleo, has asthma and started to have an attack. But to his medicine that he uses he needs energy in the house to use the machine and the mask. But they hadn’t had any energy for a couple of days. So he asked us to give him a priesthood blessing and so we did. And just a few minutes after we gave him the blessing he was breathing perfectly and the attack passed. He was feeling 100 % good. I have had so many experiences one the mission like this one, and I know that the priesthood is real and that it truly is the power of God.But yeah…..that is about all that has happened lately. Things are going pretty good, except for the fact that I still haven’t received my itinerary. The secretary said that he already bought my ticket and that he would send it to me as soon as possible but I am still waiting and I am little upset with him because he hasn’t sent it yet. But it looks like I will have to talk to him again and see what I can do about this. But I hope that everyone is doing good. I received a package from grandma and grandpa last week. And today my companion and I went to the center of the city to buy some presents for everyone at home. And I ended up spending 150 bucks or so. And we will go back in a couple of weeks to finish the shopping. But I love you all and I miss you and I cannot wait to see everyone. It is hard to believe that it has almost been two years.
Feb. 10, 2010
Hey! How is everything going? How is the family? How are our friends? Just how is everything going? Well I hope that everything is going good at home. It seems like everyone is getting pretty TRUNKY at home. Even mom is counting the days. But like you guys I too am getting a little excited to come home. Well I really don’t know what my feelings are. I am going to miss this place a lot. I have grown attached to the people and I love them soooooo much. If things were a little more developed here I would think about living here for the rest of my life. But I have things to do at home, so I am going to by coming home next month. But about my itinerary, I didn’t receive it yet. I am not even sure if they have bought my ticket yet or if the secretary knows that I am going home. I do know that a lot of the elders from group already received their itineraries. So I am going to call the secretary and talk to him about this and see what is going on, but don’t worry because he will send a copy of it by email to both mom and dad.But as for the things that have been going on here. Yesterday we had transfers and I received a new companion but stayed in the same area. HECK YEAH!!!!! It was just what I was wanting. And I am going to die without any worries, because I am just senior. OH YEAH!!!!!!!! But my new companions name is Elder Lopes, so he is now my second companion with this name. He is from São Paulo and he is pretty cool, he is a hard worker and a good missionary so I know that I am going to be able to enjoy this last transfer working with a good companion. And I am way excited to finish my mission here in this area too. I love this area and the members so I will be able to party with them at the end of my mission. Things have been going pretty good too. My old companion and I had a pretty good week last week. We were able to receive a referral from a recent convert that we baptized last year. The referral is his buddy and he really wants to change his life. He was telling us how one day he saw Nelito, the recent convert, walking in church clothes and was shocked. Because him and Nelito used to drink together and well this guy thought to himself, if Nelito can change his life so can I. So he talked to Nelito and then we got to him and we talked to him, but he is really interested in the gospel and we are going to teach him this weekend. So hopefully everything goes good with him. About Juarez, everything is going good. He is still planning on being baptized this weekend, we are going to go to his house today to talk with him and teach a few things and mark his baptismal interview. But yeah….things are going pretty good. I am trying not to get to trunky, but it is pretty hard not to think that I am going to return home after this transfer and that my group is now the oldest on the mission.Today we had a pretty rad P-day. We went to the IMPA which is a zoo where the animals don’t stay in cages but wonder in the jungle and they have paths where we can walk and see the animals. It was pretty cool! Then we went to a party that they had in one of the areas of a different elder that was with us and I had already met the people from his area so we went and had some fun messing and joking around with them. And that is about all that is happening right now. But I love you all and just wait for the email for the mission that well tell you all about when I get home on what day and all that stuff. But for now I don’t even know that right now. And mom I am still not 100 percent sure on where I am going to go to school, I think that I might just wait until I get home to accept unless you tell me of some specific date by which I have to decide. But we will see what happens in the future. As for now I am trying to stay focused on the work, but I am also going to start packing my luggage this week. I mean I cant procrastinate and thought that I should get started a little early. :)………But I love you all and I will talk you all next week. Give everyone loves and I will talk to you all next week.
Elder SPotts
Elder SPotts
Feb. 3, 2010
Hey everyone! How are things going? I hope that everything is going good. How was your week? How is the family going? How is the world? How was the Super Bowl? I hope that the Colts didn’t win. Well everything here is going pretty good. Everything has been the same lately. And the work is getting harder and harder every day, because everyday I am getting closer and closer to arriving home. But my companion and have working hard and we are trying to find some more people that are interesting in following the Lord. But things have been going really good with Juarez, he went to church on Sunday and really liked it, and last week we had a pretty good experience with him.On Thursday last week we went to his house to teach the third lesson, The Gospel of Jesus Christ. So we taught him about the first principles and ordinances of the gospel. Faith, Repentance……you know. Well while I was teaching I felt like I needed to invite to be baptized and try and mark his baptismal date in March, because I wanted him to be my last baptism on the mission because he is an elect. But I was super scared that he was going to say no so I started praying and starting asking the Lord to bless me with the Spirit and the right words so that he would feel the importance of baptism and he was accept. So we came to the end of the lesson and I grabbed the picture of Christs baptism and I should to him and invited him to follow the example of Jesus Christ and be baptized by someone that has the authority of God. And I invited him to be baptized on the 21st or 14th of March and he responded……You only have baptisms in March??? It cant be sooner??? So we talked with him some more and we decided on the 13th of February. And then he started telling us how he always knew that missionaries like us would one day visit his house and he said that he was just waiting for us to visit him. And he said that he was ready to be baptized and that he knew that the church was true and the Book of Mormon too. It was a pretty cool experience and I was scared to death to invite him because he is such an intelligent man, but everything went well and he is going to be baptized this month., in fact he is going to be baptized next week. Heck yeah!!! Take that Satan!!!!Other than that we haven’t really had anything special happen. We are teaching this one family that went to church on Sunday and also really liked it. The only problem is that the father really likes to drink, like he is super addicted to drinking. He cannot go one day without getting drunk, he drink, like he is super addicted to drinking. He cannot go one day without getting drunk, he is kind of like uncle troy. But we are going to continue to teach them and see if we cant help him to stop drinking so that he can also get a job and be baptized.We had ourselves an interesting little experience the other day too. We have visiting this inactive member a couple of times and we went to his house. While we were there we met a couple of girls that were at his house and we decided to teach the first lesson to them, so we did. And right at the point that my companion got done teaching the first lesson the idiot inactive member started saying how he didn’t believe in Joseph and he totally killed the spirit. So I was little upset at him for being a retard. So I started asking him some questions and he started answering them. Why don’t you believe in him? And he started asking why God would wait so long to call a prophet after chirsts death? And he started saying that the Catholic church was the first church and that it existed before Christ and i started thinking to myself, this guy is a complete retard. And I was getting a little frustrated with him. So I grabbed my bible…..BIBLE BASH. And I started teaching the retard about a ton of stuff. He said the Law of Moses wasn’t changed too. So I started teaching him with the scriptures because testifying wasn’t doing anything. The spirit wasn’t there too. So I started teaching about the law of Moses, sacrifices, and all sorts of stuff and how the of Moses truly was changed and everything. I cant explain everything that I said because it was a lot, then I started teaching about why God waited so long to call Joseph to be a prophet, the reformation and the Catholic Church and that is when the spirit returned and I started testifying about the restoration of Gospel and after that he said these words…..I think that I am going to go back to church on Sunday. It was pretty funny. My companion started laughing after we left because of the stupid things that he making up, but it turned out to be good. And hopefully he really goes to church; we are going to pass by there tonight again. So we will have to see how things go.But yeah….that is about all the interest things that happened this week. Hopefully next week I will have some better stories to tell. We are also started to work a lot more with the members lately too. They finally decided to invite us to participate in the ward meetings and things are going a lot better now, and on Sunday I am going to sing in the sacrament meeting because they ask me to do so. So that will be pretty cool. And I am also going to find out this weekend if I am going to be transferred to my last area or if this is going to be my last area, hopefully I stay in this area because I don’t want to get to know new members and have to start all over again. But things are going pretty goodI hope that everything is going good and I hope that you are all missing me and starting to get trunky too. It looks like I passed in on to Dad but I hope that mom is too because I am WAAAYYYYYY anxious to see you all. The 1st of February was the 50 day mark. So if you guys want you can start counting the days, but I don’t recommend doing that because the time passes a lot slower. That is why I am going to work harder and the time will pass by a lot faster. But mom don’t worry about BYU anymore because the deadline to apply was the 1st of Feb. and I think that I am already set on going to USU, but I need to know by when I am supposed to tell them that I accept and that I will be going there. But maybe I don’t even have to worry about this until I get home. But I love you all and I miss you, I received some letters this week too, so I am happy. And I think that mom should be receiving my itinerary soon too, but I am not sure about that. But I love you all and I miss you.
With Love, Elder Spotts
With Love, Elder Spotts
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