October 8, 2012

HELLO FAMILY,

Before I get onto my week and the General Conference run down, tomorrow is transfers but for some reason we won’t find out what will happen until 6:00 PM so if I get transferred it could be a fun night of saying bye to everyone and then packing until 3:00 and leaving at 5:00 AM.  I sincerely have been praying that I stay because we have some AMAZING families and people we are teaching right now that should be baptized in a couple weeks and the guy we baptized three weeks ago is already giving a talk this Sunday! Man, I love the mission but transfers are AWFUL!

I won’t talk to too much about my week because I want to have time to talk about General Conference but some big news for the week is that the President is "cleaning" the mission up so he has made some new pretty intense rules and is sending people home all over the place! As of now, if you break the rules, you’re out of here! A little nerve wrecking but I kind of like the idea because there are plenty of people who are slacking off quite a bit! Onto our amazing investigators, we are teaching three people over the age of 70.  One is the Dad of some members, one is the Mom of a less active and another is a contact on the street and well old people are just the greatest!  Investigator1 is an ELECT that has accepted and knows everything is true, we have just got to get here grand children to stay making her coffee and she is good to go!  Investigator2 I totally thought was a member because she is always way nice to us and always says Elders and all this stuff but apparently only one pair of missionaries has been able to teach her because she is kind of picky  but after three months of knowing her, she likes me so we took that and got some lessons in.  Investigator3 is adorable and likes the church but once we get him to realize the significance of the church, we are set!  Then our AMAZING family, well they are just the greatest! This week we stole their mega expensive coffee (very impressed they gave it to us because it was unopened and most people won’t even give us the cheap brands) and their cigerettes and once we get them all clean from coffee they all said that they know the church is true so they are definite elects!

After all that, I can’t hold back any longer, CONFERENCE!  I could talk for hours about the sessions! The Saturday sessions seemed to be focused a TON on parents and Saturday on conversion and discipleship but a few highlights that I loved:  ASK THE MISSIONARIES, THEY CAN HELP.  Elder Nelson, we definitely appreciated that one! "pollinate the world with the word of God" , "service is the very definition of pure religion" , "rejoice and be glad in it" , "with faith comes trials, which brings more faith" , "let your works make your faith perfect" ,  and last but not least "testimony is your greatest possession, don’t sell it for anything". All I’m going to say is that man is ALL of that 100% correct. I have seen one small simple testimony change lives of others FOREVER, use it! About service, I thought I was happy before the mission but you never really know what happiness is until you see other become happy through your help and your service. Faith really is the first step of EVERYTHING, without that, we have NOTHING. On Sunday, I loved the quotes "your future is only as bright as your faith", "the Lord is in the details of our life", "fear distracts from faith", conversion and discipleship is DOING and BECOMING.  Righteousness is a process, not one single action.  Essentially I LOVE the church, I know that we truly heard the voice of the Lord through His chosen people and well I love you all!  I’ve got to go but remember to soak up the things we learned, say your prayers, read your scriptures and keep on writing me! :) I love you all!

ELDER GUBLER

PS: we just found out that i am leaving Bertioga :(!! BOOOOOOOOOOO...... but no one knows where i will be going to....ugh I hate transfers! 

October 1, 2012

October 1, 2012

This last p-day my email was kind of tiny because we were in guarujá because we went to the "biggest aquarium in South America" which wasn’t very big at all just to get that out there but it ended up being mega sweet because we were there when they were feeding the sting rays and the sharks so needless to say I got some SWEET videos of a sting ray eating up some gross dead fish right in front of the glass. 

Tuesday:  We had to sleep in another companionships house that night because we didn’t have money to go back down to Bertioga and come up the next day for District meeting so needless to say I didn’t sleep at all.  Three couch cushions on the ground under the fan with a tiny little sheet didn’t work out too well! The next day the other American and I made some pancakes but we made then jabuticaba (a great Brazilian fruit) flavored and they turned out DELICIOUS!  I’m not really sure how we made then because he threw all the stuff in the blender and I just fried them but they turned out great and I decided I miss pancakes! Then we had District meeting and back down to Bertioga after!  I always like District meeting but having it be so far away from our area is a tad bit annoying because it always makes the whole day late and essentially everything fell on Tuesday but we did land one lesson with an older lady we are teaching and she is such a great person!  The spirit is always so strong in her house and she always reads what we tell her to and everything so in two weeks or so let’s hope her baptism works out and let’s hope that I’m still here because we marked it for the first Sunday after the transfer and I’m pretty sure I’m going to go away this transfer.  If I go away that will stink because we should have a solid four baptisms of AMAZING people this next month but well the Lord know what he wants so...SÓ VAI!  

Wednesday:  It was freeeeeezing, when we got up it was mega cold and pouring rain!  Actually it was pouring rain all morning but luckily it calmed down a TON by the time we left!  But rain in Bertioga is awful because we are so close to the beach; there is sand everywhere which turns in to MUD and lakes in the streets.  I rocked some shoes that a member gave me that are awful, he got four pairs for free from his work but I didn’t have to worry about wrecking my other shoes, the only bad part was that my feet were broken by the end of the day! I realized something on Wednesday that really the little things you do can make a HUGE difference in your day and in the day of others!  We were walking along doing our thing and some homeless guys came to talk to us and I assumed they were going to ask for money as usual but I decided that I was going to actually talk to them so I went into it with a smile and it changed everything. They didn’t even ask for money, they did ask for a bible and I didn’t want to give them mine because it’s all marked up so we said come to our church and well give you new ones but the thing that hit me was when I said sorry one of them said "oh don’t worry about it your smile and just talking to us helped enough".  It’s the small things that make big differences, ALWAYS SMILE.  We are so amazing blessed so show it!  That night we talked to family that I haven’t seen in a long time but we taught them again and then contacted a reference we got, it was a solid day. 

Thursday:  Not much went down but it was still a great day, lunch was late but then after we gave a blessing to a little boy that was in recession of cancer but it came back and the blessing was mega powerful!  After the blessing we both knew that he would be completely fine, the Priesthood is real.  We also gave a blessing of comfort to the Mom and ended up talking to them for quite a while because they are from close to where my companion is from and people from the south of Brazil love their other people from the sul.  After we attended a wedding which was pretty cool! They got "married" on paper that morning so it was just the cake and stuff that night but then after we hit up English class because the member gave the class for me because we had to go to the wedding.

Friday:  A pretty big day because I used one of my three shirts that has yet to be used yet because all my others were dirty but well I may have gotten it nice and dirty.  I have awful luck with keep clothes clean on the mission!  Then we taught an investigator again and she said she got her answer that the church is true but I don’t thing she really understands the significance of that yet so we are working with that right now and then that night, I got to speak English for an hour straight!  A week ago an English teacher stopped us on the street and asked if I could come by his school to talk to his students and let them ask me questions and stuff so that happened on Friday and there ended up only having two people but they spoke quite well. But I just essentially rambled on in English for an hour or so and I essentially ended up teaching all of the word of wisdom so that was sweet!

Saturday:  No one showed to English class during the morning, no one in the ward goes on Saturdays so it may end up just being on Thursdays.  Our money fell so we could buy food again and on an even better note we got a new family that we taught for the first time and the lesson was GREAT!  They accepted everything and all seem really interested and the Spirit was way strong!    They went to church this Sunday and they said after church they were all in shock because they liked it so much!   I love the mission!  Then we taught a Catholic family. 

Sunday:  We had some great investigators come to church, seven people baby!  Even the English teacher that I taught in his class came! I really hope I stay here this next transfer because things are really starting to pick up in Bertioga!  Well that essentially wraps up the week so I hope you all enjoyed!  Make sure to SOAK up general conference this week, say your prayers, read your scriptures and keep the emails and letters coming! I love you all so much and thanks for all of the support and just everything! 

com amor,

ELDER GUBLER

September 24, 2012

So Tuesday was another day of trooping through Brazilian heat and having nothing work out, a day full of not a whole lot. I know that there is a reason for EVERYTHING in life especially on the mission because you’re doing the Lords work but days when not a single thing works out gets a little rough. Good thing you can always fall back on contacts, we didn’t have a meeting planned for our activity on Friday so that was apparently the only thing that was supposed to go down on Tuesday.  Days like that happen so I can learn.  Wednesday was an INSANELY hot day! It was 25 C at 7 in the morning and then got up to I think 37 and there wasn’t even sun... it was just like being in a heat box... awful. But we did a little better on Wednesday than Tuesday; we nailed at least one lesson.  Also the District meeting that we had was AMAZING! I just realized that my time is essentially up so a few other random things for the week, had some solid English classes, got some new investigators, we ate just french fries soda and ice cream one day for lunch, got to love getting money ;) Michael you will love the mish! we had an activity at the ward that turned out pretty great and then had a hilarious mimicking activity and 225+ esfiha which are just baby pizzas, I talked with a FLUENT English teacher that actually knew how to speak English and I’m going to go and teach a little mini lesson and let them ask me questions about being American I had a wooden plank made with my name and Missao Brazil Sao Paulo Sul and all this stuff and it was done on Saturday and it turned out SICK, and then on Sunday we had a confirmation and had a mega spiritual class on temple work, I gave ANOTHER talk (that makes my third one here in Bertioga) that turned out pretty dang good if I say so myself, service baby, and then that night we had a meeting in Santos with the President of the mission, our Bishop, his secretary and the Ward Mission Leader and it was MEGA spiritual too!  The beginning of the week was a little tough but it made up for everything just on Sunday alone! I love the mission.   We are in Vicente de Carvalho right now because we went to the biggest aquarium in South America today, pretty sweet but it wasn’t big at all.  I love you all and sorry for ending this so abruptly, I’m just working my little butt off it’s not my fault.  I’ll be better next week, love you all.

Um abração e beijinhos!

ELDER GUBLER

September 9, 2012

Tuesday:  We had quite a few lessons fall because lunch wasn’t ready when we showed up and if lunch is late it throws the whole day off.  Just to clear up a little confusion, we eat in the houses of members everyday for lunch but dinner is rare.  But so we had a few appointments fall but at the same time, sometimes it seems like that Heavenly Fathers way of "weeding" out the appointments that are less important because ALL of lessons were very spiritual!  We taught two different girls that were references from members and they are really progressing!  References from members really make all the difference because when we have someone that they know to teach with us and to sit with them at church it makes things work out much smoother!  We are hoping that one of them will be baptized this week because she already keeps the Word of Wisdom and chastity, she just isn’t sure if she has gotten her answer yet but we’re getting there!  Also we are teaching a family that has quite a few problems but is very interested it’s just kind of really complicated to get here to come to church.  But that is definitely the worst part of the mission not being able to see the baptism of people that you teach.

Wednesday:  We had district meeting and I got a package with a quicksilver shirt and a tie from one of my baptisms back in Inamar and some another letter from someone back there and well I really wish I would have been able to talk when I was back of there.  There were some great people that I already feel like we are mega close but I couldn’t really talk right back there. But I absolutely love here in Bertioga and will probably go away this next transfer but I decided I want to finish my mission here!  Also about the district meeting, we got to do some sweet practice lessons like you do in the CTM but again, I could actually talk this time and it was pretty cool!  But after the district meeting, it was a pretty rough day, EVERY SINGLE appointment fell.  We literally walked for three hours without stopping and well it was a pretty rough day and it’s been a while since I have been that exhausted because we usually can get in at least one house to sit down for a little bit but well that didn’t really work out too well.

Thursday:  A much better day!  First off, we ate some cow liver for lunch.  I found out that one of my favorite things to eat (carne seco or "dry meat") is donkey liver so that may have left the list of my favorite things to eat.  We taught the two girls that are progressing quite a bit again and taught the lady that ended up calling the cops on us after the whole little girl mess.  It’s funny seeing the plan of the Lord play in front of you after all the huge mess and going to police station two times, we end up teaching the family…only on the mission.  Well unfortunately she is going on vacation for a month so even though she really likes us now, we won’t be able to teach her for quite some time.  Also a funny story we were with a member, Hyrum (named after Hyrum Smith, it’s pretty funny hearing people try to say his name in Portuguese) but we were going to teach some people with him and they asked the names of everyone in the family and well mom they ate up your name.  That night we had a meeting with the leadership of the ward, I FINALLY worked out this English class mess and essentially said just let me start teaching now and you guys can work out all the stuff while I’m teaching so that will be starting this week on Thursday and Saturdays and that will help a TON to get the name of the church out there!  After that we all went to a pizzeria that was delicious .  The Brazilian restaurant that I’m going to open in the bakery is going to be HUGE especially because at lunch on Friday I learned how to make brigadeiro in the microwave and I love that stuff! With so many chocolate fans that there are in the states I don’t know how it doesn’t exist!

Friday:   It was a holiday and since Bertioga is gorgeous and has beautiful beaches it was insanely full of people!  We taught some people on the street and that was pretty interesting because there was just a car blasting music next us with people dancing around it.  We got another reference from a member and its funny how people react when I say I’m American!  Everyone is always like "oh it’s such an honor to have you in my house" my companion may have gotten ignored for a little bit and I chatted with them.

Saturday:  We had the baptismal interview in the morning so our District Leader came down from   Guaruja to our little island of Bertioga to interview him and we had to do it close to the beach because his family has a little shack on the beach and he was working but that all worked out smoothly.  Satan is a DIRT BAG, problems always arise right before baptisms...chato pra carumba! But then that night we helped out LMA (Ward Mission Leader) move and Brazilian babies love me! I hate to brag but in the hands of Elder Gubler they stop crying within minutes.

Sunday:  We had choir as usual after church and we have to perform our music number next week and one of them is solid but the other is awful.  I’m a little nervous, we are definitely in need of a miracle!  Then we had lunch at a members house, I am going to bring her to the states to open our bakery because she is pretty much the best cook I have EVER met! Then that night we had a few other lessons.  Well that wraps up the week!  I hope everything is going great back at home and you enjoy this massive email this week! Keep the emails and letters coming! 

amo todo vocês!  amo esta igreja!  amo esta missão!  até mais, 

ELDER GUBLER

September 3, 2012

We should have a baptism this next week.  Finally all this hard work here in Bertioga is getting somewhere. If we are obedient, the blessings always come; but in the Lords time. We found an ELECT family this week after every appointment fell that day we said a prayer on a side street and ended up finding an awesome family that unfortunately didn’t go to church this week but they accepted the baptism invite and I have a feeling there will be some more water with them too.  But the more important news of the week is that well we went the police station two times because well to make an extremely long story short, we got a call from a freaked out Mom this last week that told us to "never call her daughter again".  She was a referral from our Stake President because she went in the church one day with her Dad when everyone was cleaning it and they were apparently really interested so we called the number, it’s the girls cell phone and her Mom apparently found out that we called ONE TIME and flipped so she screamed at me on the phone for a while, didn’t let me explain that we are missionaries and she ended up calling the police so they call us, we talk to them for a bit and ended up passing there on Friday and again today but the person that we are supposed to talk to is on vacation and no one there knows anything about this whole thing but don’t worry Mom because as of right now we have cleared everything up because we went to this house with the Stake President and a Ward Counselor and we even ended up marking to go back to their house to teach them so as of right now we are good but well it was a little stressful.  I love you all, sorry my emails have been mega short lately, we’ve been MEGA busy!  I love you all and keep the emails coming!

com todo meu amor,

ELDER GUBLER