The Shortest Email

This week has been amazing. Sorry this email is going to be short, but I just want to let you all know that I am doing amazing. I am super excited to SKYPE my family. That is why I'm not writing too much, because I get to tell them everything over SKYPE!! Ha ha.

But anyways, I love y'all and I am doing great. Have an amazing week

Love,
Elder Blake

Me and my companion (behind him are some of the hills he gets to "walk" daily).

 

 

 

Week 41 - I Love Our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Cristo!!

Hey Family:

Ha ha. So my week has been good. I'm doing good with Elder Machado and I am going to stay with him this transfer also. Because transfers are tomorrow and I'm going to stay here. I'm happy because it's been like the best area ever. Ha ha. It's funny though because it is the area with the most hills in the mission. It's like they just took a mountain and knocked down the trees and built houses. It's hilarious.

But anyways, this last week we had zone p-day and there is like one of the biggest jungles in Sao Paulo really close to our area and so we went there and we got a guide and did a trail and stuff. It was like the coolest thing in the whole entire world. I loved it so much. It was so awesome.

But anyways, we have some baptisms coming up and it is really amazing. And then today for p-day, I went and got an eye exam and they told me that I need to stop wearing contacts for like six weeks to two months. Then after that I need to take them out every night. That's a bummer because that is probably not going to happen. I can go six months without taking them out. Ha ha. So I went and I bought some glasses and they will be ready on Thursday. And y'all are going to laugh when you see me in them when we Skype. It's going to be funny.

Anyways, let's see - the miracle of the week. I think the miracle of the week is that the Lord has been like my best friend this whole entire last week and he has been such a friend that I haven't even had to encounter the devil - not even once. Awesome, right!? I really do love our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Cristo and all that He does for us. He really is amazing. He didn't have to go through all that stuff for us, but He did and I know why. It's because He loves us and wants the very best for us. He truly is amazing and He is my best friend. And He can be your best friend too, if you let Him. You know, even us as missionaries mess up every once in a while, but that's why He died for us. So that we can use His sacrifice and His Atonement in our life every stinking day. It truly is amazing.

I want every single one of you to know that I have a testimony. That Cristo (Christ) lives and He is our Savior and Redeemer. I know that He suffered for every single one of us so that we can use the Atonement in our lives every day. I know that Joseph Smith restored the church and we have a prophet now days, Thomas S. Monson that literally speaks with God. I know that if we live according to the commandments of our Heavenly Father that we can return and live with Him someday in our eternal families. I know that this is THE ONE AND ONLY TRUE CHURCH ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH.

I hope that you guys know how much I love you and how much each and every one of you mean to me. May God bless you this week, and may each and every one of us always Choose the Right.

I love y'all!
Elder Blake

Week 40 - yep.. my week.. waaaaaaa hooooooooo :)‏

Hey everyone. How's it going? I just want to let y'all know that I am doing awesome here in Brasil (especially dad and mom and Maquel and Lyle). I really am doing great. Ya know, sometimes things happen and ya get a little down, but that's okay. Ha. But anyways, I'm here in a new area now for the last week of this transfer with Elder L. Machado. He is super cool and this area is crazy. There are so may hills that are just huge, I love it. It's awesome ha ha. Sorry that I couldn't send any pictures today, but the internet at this place stinks. There's like a million, bazillion people in here and the computers are going like 2 miles per hour. Ha ha. It stinks.

But anyways, this last week has been good. I have really learned a lot about myself and a lot about the Lord. The Lord is really awesome you know. It really is amazing the things that He did for us. I really love Him to death. He is an amazing person and He really can do anything. This morning I was studying the Bible back in the Old Testament in Genesis. But I was reading the story about Abraham when the Lord was like you will have a baby. And Abraham was like, what! I'm 100 years old and my wife is 90. How is that going to happen? And Abraham was like happy, but he was kindof laughing in the Lord's face too. And what happened? His wife got pregnant. I thought that was super funny. Like the Lord is like, "What? Are you doubting me?" And then he does it to show to us that He can do anything.

I really learned that this week. I was having a hard time and I wasn't leaning towards the Lord as much as I should have been, and what happened? He showed to me that he really is there and that I can really trust in Him and that He can help me. It was super awesome and it was super amazing. I really am learning a lot and I really am helping so many people. I just love it and I love service and the feeling I get when I do it.

I just want to tell all of you that are reading this that I have a testimony that the Savior lives and that He loves us. I know that if we trust in Him, and we have faith in Him, then we can really do whatever our heart desires. He is all powerful and He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He has helped many people and He will continue helping people. I know that this church was restored through a prophet, a young man that was 14 years old just because he had a question. And he had enough faith to go and find the answer.

I have really learned to love this scripture (James 1:5) here on my mission, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." Us humans, us sinners lack a lot of wisdom for sure. But our God is always there for us and we can always count on Him. But, I love saying this to investigators, "But, we need to do our part!!!" We can't just ask and be like, okay whatever, just give me an answer. No, we have to do our part too. I love this gospel and I know that it is true and I know that this church is true.

I love all y'all and hope that y'all had a good Easter. God bless y'all and have an amazing week.

Love,
Elder Blake

P.S. Tell everyone that I love them and that they are awesome. I am doing great and I especially thank you and dad and Maquel and Lyle for the emails and such. I don't have much time today because today is zone p-day, but I love you guys!

Week 39 - Oiiiiiiiii :)

Well, what's up, everyone! So this week has been pretty good!! I've been pretty sick and had to go to the hospital a couple of times, but it's okay. Ha ha. This week a lot happened and I will let y'all know what it was . . . dun dun dun . . .

So to start off the week, I went to a school here in Brasil. I was invited by an English teacher to go there and to talk to the kids because I am an American. She wanted me to talk about the culture and stuff in America, but the sad thing is that in schools here in Brasil, you can't talk about religion. But there were 82 kids there right, and they had marked me to be there for 3 hours (which is like 3 classes). So me (Americano) going there and speaking to them in Portuguese about my culture and stuff was really inspiring to them. Everyone was like asking me how I learned Portuguese so good and things like that. I told them that I didn't even study much or anything (just 6 weeks in the MTC), I just came and started talking to everyone here in Brasil, and so they all had hope that all of them could learn English. Ha ha.

But at the end of every class, I left a little bit of time for them to ask me questions in English and I could answer them in English and they could hear me speak English. If they couldn't understand my answer, then I would say it again in Portuguese so they could understand it. A lot of them asked me what I was doing here in Brasil. So that was my opportunity to speak up about the church and all. I forget how fast I speak English, so most of the time I had to retell them in Portuguese, ha ha. At the end of class, I told them that we have a free English class at our chapel every Saturday at 10:00 in the morning. It was awesome because we went there, and there were a lot of people that showed up that weren't just there because I'm Americano, but because they're elects from God. I know that we will be able to teach several of them. It was really awesome.

Me and my companion are doing good. There are some days that we just get annoyed of each other, but that is just normal. We have a bunch of investigators now and it's awesome!! The Lord is truly blessing me. I have some hard times, but I feel Him in my life every single day. Like it's beyond words.

I had an amazing experience this week. The doctor told me that I need to kind of take it easy (ya, right!), and I was fasting because I needed to get an ultrasound. So I made it a fast with a purpose. That purpose was that Nicholy could be baptized. I remembered that during conference they were talking about answers to our prayers and that us as members know that these things are true, but they still invited us to pray about these things again to know that they are true and to strengthen our testimony even more. So I was reading the Book of Mormon and then I went to sleep. And I had . . . I can't even explain it. I'll have to talk about my experience when I talk to you on Skype. It was overwhelming and it was the best answer that I have ever received in my life. It was truly from God. I love life. It is amazing.

Anyways, I just want y'all to know that I am loving my mission. I know that this church is true. I know that God lives and Jesus Christ lives and that Joseph Smith restored the church. And more than anything I want to say that I know that the Book of Mormon is literally the word of God and that if we will endure to the end in the covenant, we will be overwhelmed with joy in the end.

I love y'all and hope that y'all have a good and blessed week.

 

Love y'all!!!!!

Elder Blake

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ouch!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

He finally got a desk!

 

 

 

Week 38 - Update

Wow - General Conference! That's all I have to say. It was so amazing. I'm so happy that I got to watch it in English. Ha ha. It was so stinking good. I really loved Elder Packer's talk. It was just his testimony and I'm thinking that could have been his last one in General Conference. I think he knows he's about to go. I love that man. He is so super awesome.

Is all I know is I'm super thankful for Joseph Smith - because of him, we have prophets and apostles that speak with God and then let us know what He is asking of us. I'm so thankful for prophets and all they do for us. This church is so true and I love it with all my heart!

But anyways, this week has been good. We are just working like crazy and I've been sick all week, like throwing up on the side of the road sick, so it's a little bit tougher, but I'm not one to give up, so we have still been raking in the numbers. Ha ha. (Dylan went to the hospital and he has salmonella poisoning. He's going to get an IV today because he is super dehydrated, so hopefully that makes him feel better. Even sick, he always has such a great attitude!) 

We have been at this house for two weeks now and we still don't have a closet or anywhere to put our clothes, so I'm still living out of my bags. We still don't have a table or chairs either so we are sitting and eating on the floor. Ha ha. But things are going good.

Sorry this week the email is short, but rules in the mission are getting a little more strict and we only get an hour to email - and I'm not the type to break the rules (too bad anyways :)). Y'all are awesome and I hope that you guys have an awesome week. By the way, y'all got to look at that building I took a picture of. Ha ha. It is so sick. Like it's huge and at the bottom it just goes to this tiny point and it's surrounded by water. It's so cool. But y'all have a good week and God bless you.

Love ya,
Elder Blake

Week 37 - Better Late than Never

Well this week. Sorry, so yesterday wasn't p-day for me - today was. So we went to the temple today and it was super amazing!

But, anyways, to start off this week, I got a new companion. His name is Elder Neves and he is so freaking sick (this is a good thing - in Dylan's language it means cool). Ha ha. He is 100% Brazilian and he has the same personality as me. He likes to work just as I do and I have already learned so much this week. So pretty much me and him both got to transfers and we got told that we were opening a new area. Crazy, right? So I go to transfers and me and him both had 3 bags and we had no idea where we were going or what we were doing or how we were going to do it. But we somehow did it.

We were both dying with 3 bags each and then we had to get on a bus full of people with our bags. Then we had to get on a subway full of people with our bags and then a train full of people. Then we had to walk and find where our house was. It was a crazy day. But, that's not all. We got to our house and there wasn't one thing in the house - not even beds. So we went out and talked to people and then we went and slept on the floor - and ate nothing. We were starving. Then the next day still nothing shows up, so me and Elder Neves went and bought a bunch of stuff. This is where all my money went. Sorry, mom. And something that stinks is that you have to have a receipt to get a reimbursement from the church and I didn't get any receipts, so I'm pretty stuck there. Oh well, that's life, right?

So yesterday we finally got our fridge and beds and stuff, but we still don't have a table or chairs, a closet or pretty much anything else. So we just sit on the floor to study and eat, and then just live out of our bags. It's good though. It's been a good experience. I've been learning a lot and teaching a lot and talking a lot. Ha ha. And the best thing is it's only in Portuguese. My whole zone is Brazilians. There is only me and 2 other Americans out of like 25 people. It's awesome. I love it and I'm learning a ton!

So anyways, this week has been amazing and super spiritual. So I've been thinking a lot lately and studying a lot lately about how I can help my investigators and how I can help the people I run into and my companion and just everyone including myself. And I've really just been opening myself up to the Lord and just letting him guide me. I was thinking about how back home, I thought that I had faith and that like I was giving myself to the Lord by praying every night and things like that, but that's something I look back and laugh at.

I have learned how important faith is. Faith is everything! Without faith, we have absolutely nothing. But then I was reading in the Bible and it says that having the pure love of Christ (Charity) is more important, and I was pretty confused. But then I was thinking - my whole mission I have been thinking, like I wish I had more faith and I haven't understood why everything has been going so right. But then I was thinking and it's because I have so much love for these people. On my mission I have opened up so much, like I speak the truth. I don't care if you're drinking right in front of me, I'm the type of person now that will be straight up with you and say look, what you're doing right there isn't right. You need to stop and repent and ask your Heavenly Father for forgiveness because Jesus Christ is suffering right now because of what you are doing.

Right before I left Alveranga, I saw the guy that me and Elder T baptized. He was walking down the street and we went up and talked to him because he hasn't been to church in awhile. And in the pocket of his shirt, he had a pack of cigarettes. And I took them out of his pocket and said, "What in the world are you doing, Antonio? You are a grown man, not a kid. What in the world are you doing with these things of the devil." And he told me that he got laid off and I said, "So, what does that mean? You just quit, give up, and start with your bad habits again?"

Then there was a dumpster right there on the street and I threw them right in there and I said, "Antonio. Get your head up and ask the Lord for forgiveness. He will help you, but you can't go back to these things." He started crying. And then I said, "Look, Antonio. I have all of the faith in the world in you. You were a chain smoker and drinker for 40 plus years and you stopped. You need to get your head up, grab on to that rod of righteousness again and start doing what's right and the Lord will bless you." And guess what. He is now working again. Awesome right?

I've seen so many miracles in my life on my mission. And I can finally say that I have 150% faith, trust, and love in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The other night we got to bed at 22:30 and we were without beds and all. I started to pray on the floor and the next thing you know, I look at the clock and it was 22:55. I had been praying for 25 minutes and I didn't even realize it. I love our Heavenly Father. I have seen so many miracles and the first one I've seen is the change that I have seen in myself. All of my old habits and doings of the past, I look back and think, "What in the world!" But now, it's all to the Lord and I know that he lives. I know that this gospel is true. Just here on the mission, I have received answers and answers about the truthfulness of this work and of this gospel.

I love you guys so much and I hope that y'all have an awesome and blessed week. You guys mean the world to me and I hope that you know that. I love y'all and my invite to y'all this week is try and have a little more faith and see what a difference it will make. Love y'all. Have an amazing week.

Oh ya, and real quick. We went to the temple today and Elder Neves' recommend was expired so we didn't get in the session. But, we did sealings instead. I can only imagine that day when it's my turn to be sealed to my love for the rest of my life. Holy crap. The spirit was so strong. I was only a witness, but it was still amazing. I love y'all!! Have a good one!!

Love 

Elder Blake

P.S. Sorry we only had 30 minutes on the computer, so I'm only sending this email. I'm not sending anyone a personal message. I love you all. And mom, if you can, please put a little extra cash in my account. I had to buy garments and all the stuff for the house, so if you could, it would help a lot. Thanks a ton! :)

Week 37 - No Email

There was no email from Dylan yesterday. I'm not sure why. I am hoping that he was just out serving or having fun on his p-day and he was too busy to write. I am praying that all is well with him in his new area with his new companion. Next Monday can't get here soon enough.