Jacob P. Gubler

Jacob P. Gubler

Sunday, August 4, 2013

August 1, 2013

Some highlights for the last week, I took my first group of Americans to the federal police station alone on Tuesday and it actually went SUPER smoothly, last time I went there with Elder _____ before he went home, we didn’t leave until like 1:30 and this time we got out of there at 11:30 so we got out at record breaking speeds, didn’t get any tickets and only one person had a problem that is actually gonna be a HUGE pain because I’m gonna have to go the US consulate here in Brazil because his visa application form is wrong, way to go Salt Lake.  Some other highlights for this last week, it was President Tanner's b-day on Friday we had a little surprise for him that turned out SUPER sick.  We had our interviews and home inspections so he came to the office to take us over to our house for him just make sure it wasn’t a mess and well it was pretty disgusting but I was impressed with how good we got it looking and while he was checking out our house me and another Elder set up this flag that all the missionaries signed in the mission and I made a little b-day card with picture of the whole mission on it and well when he came back, he went into his office to do the interviews but we all followed him in and his reaction was classic when he saw the flag :) super great! It was a big hit so that was way cool to be able to do that for him because he deserves it and then his actual b-day was on Saturday and they invited us to their house that morning for his birthday breakfast (gotta love being in the office ;) which was French toast with maple syrup and it was debatable one of the greatest things I’ve eat in a LONG time, wow. Sister tanner is one of the greatest cooks ever and experiencing real American syrup again was needed and also talking about Pres, having my interview with him was debatable one of the coolest thing ever. Now that we are a lot closer it just felt super personal and sincere and he always says the closing prayer and gives you like little blessing and that was probably one of the greatest feelings ever. I just love the mission. I love the chance to work with Pres and Sister Tanner so closely and to really see how inspired they are. To feel how much they honestly care about every single missionary here in the mission, they are AMAZING!  This church is perfect, the gospel is perfect and the Lord is blessing us with the elects. I know it’s been a couple weeks without baptism here because we were SUPER CRAZY busy because of the transfer but this next month should be great!  Keep all of our investigators in your prayers! We have seven people marked with baptism date so far but last night there was a soccer game in the church and me and member from another ward just got TONS of addresses and it was great so I know that if we do our part, the Lord ALWAYS does His. I love you all and if you want to be happier, be part of missionary work.
amo vocês

Elder Gubler
Missão Brasil São Paulo Sul
Secretário da Missão




July 25, 2013

I gave a talk that turned out to be more of a fireside, apparently I talked for almost 20 minutes, you get me talking about missionary work and I just can’t stop but the best part was because I was free styling a ton of stuff because I didn’t think it was gonna be long enough.  The little paper they gave me last week said I was going to have 15 minutes but then I was the first speaker so I apparently was only supposed to have 10 minutes.  The Sister that spoke after me talked a ton too so the guy from the stake didn’t even get to talk but that’s how we do it baby but at least now I don’t think I’ll get called on to give another talk anytime soon.  But well since I emailed last week super late I feel like I don’t have that much to say, everything is going just great here in the office, nice and busy as usual!   I’m gonna take 11 people the federal police station for the first time this next week so that should be fun, wish me luck.  Also I spend money like crazy but don’t worry it’s not my money... just the money of diligent tithing payers of the church but all this paperwork for the police station is SUPER expensive.... and it’s all just paper. I’m dropping 1000’s on paper with special stickers on them that they were certified by special people, super fun.  Also some other big news that you can’t tell anyone... we are gonna make a SICK mission video that is probably gonna get massive and get all over the church for zone conferences we usually just pass a slideshow of all the baptisms that the mission had in those three months but now me and the assistants are gonna change everything. It’s time to leave our mark on this mission, we want to film some recent-converts talking about their conversion and the missionaries and the difference that the gospel made in their lives and that is gonna replace the slideshow of baptismal pictures and the best part is, we found a member who is gonna do it ALL for us for free. We just need to get the people with super inspiring stories and this member will interview them and put the video together. He sent me some samples of stuff that he has done (he does this professionally) and it is gonna turn out amazing. Essentially the purpose of this video is to make every missionary cry and no one is gonna know about it either. It’s like our little secret so imagine being at a normal missionary conference when out of the blue someone that you baptized shows up on this video bearing their testimony, wow. It’s going to be great.  Other than that its SUPER ABSURDLY cold here, e I’m dying... my hands and feet are always freezing. It’s only like 40 F but since it’s literally 92% humidity and nice and windy it feels like its sooooooooooooo much colder than that. I feel like it’s way below freezing. In Rio Grande Do Sul (the state at the very bottom of Brazil) it’s snowing.... so yeah enjoy that sun back home for me because I’m missing it. I just like the cold because of the snow and when I’m wearing comfy jeans and shoes to keep me warm but these dress pants and leather thin shoes with holes in the bottom aren’t doing the trick. I just feel bad for the Sisters though because I can’t imagine wearing a skirt in this weather, bleh.   Well I guess that kind of wraps up the week. I had like 3 b-day parties. I’m pretty sure I emails on Friday last week but then a family threw another party for me on Sunday and then the Pres and Sister did another one on Monday so we have been eating cake almost every day this last week :) honestly I feel like this was one of the best birthdays I’ve had in a long time, good times even though I got covered by ketchup, it just made it that much more memorable and well that brings us to the end of this email. I love you all, thanks for everything that everyone does for me.
Abraço gente!!!

Elder Gubler





July 19, 2013

We had _____ baptism this last week which was super sick, the ward house was PACKED because he went to the stake camp out trip thing and got super tight with people from other wards and all this stuff so tons of people came.  There were even six people from my old office ward Cidade Vargas so that was way cool to see them again and to see this kid so excited to get baptized!  We gave him a suit coat, pants and a tie so he looked pretty good if I do say so myself  and he is already talking about going on a mission in a year because he is almost 18. I just love the mission.  He sent us a text this last Sunday after his baptism and it was incredible, Elder _____ and I both got all teary eyed after reading the text.  He is AMAZING and you totally wouldn’t see it in him either because he has a little buzzed mohawk and he is a big kid but I really love the crap out him and I am SO glad that everything worked out at his baptism :) I’m sending the pic.  Another pretty big thing that happened this week was transfers which meant that I sent my first group of SUPER trunky missionaries home which was interesting....totally didn’t make me trunky at all.  But I got like tons of stuff from everyone that was leaving so that was super cool, five ties, some Japanese book, American candy because the family of one missionary came to pick him up so gotta love me some peanut butter, reses and skittles, I guess the office isn’t that bad is it ;) but I really am gonna miss all those missionaries... super good guys. I sent a pic of me sending everyone off to their last dinner with the president!  It was just a tad bit stressful sending them all off though because I had to send them all home and make sure all their transportation to the airport was good to go and everyone left at the right time and then I had to make sure the transfer was all going okay and then I had to give a training to all the newbies that showed up this last week too....so this week has kind of been SUPER SUPER SUPER busy, hence we just having time to email right now...Friday night. I may be a tad bit exhausted but today was actually a GREAT day so it’s okay! I opened the few things that I left closed for my b-day, came to the office to some killer good brownies that Sister Tanner made for me, worked this morning, sent off a few emails, ate some lunch and then Elder _____ and l took p-day and we went to this Japan festival that was pretty close by and is apparently the biggest japan festival in all of South America and well it was actually pretty sick.  I got some more Asian food which I’m becoming super fond of by the way :) and there was just tons of Japanese stuff which Elder _____ LOVES so he was just jumping all over the place.  The kid is adorable.  Then we got back I did a baptismal interview and when I left there was a surprise b-day party for me in the chapel.  Elder _____ is just the greatest even though they all put ketchup on me (see the pic.... and that was just the beginning, it got MUCH worse and I still smell like ketchup...lol Brazilians celebrate b-days in the CRAZIEST ways but it was actually super great and I was impressed how many people remembered! I got some solid calls from missionaries and even got a call from the states to wish me happy b-day, don’t stress it was former missionary Elder _____ who called the office phone, love the kid so yeah all in all, great day, really unforgettable. I just love this place. if I could stay on the mish for another five years and just listen to real music and watch movies, I would be good to go but ok yeah sorry this email is short but I want to go to bed to PEACE!! 
Love you all!! Thanks for everything!

abração,

ELDER GUBLER


July 2, 2013

So good news, we had a baptism on Sunday.  His name is ______ and the kid is a champ!  I really like him and he is going to seminary and all this good stuff so the kid is super firm!  And more good news, _____ I don’t know if you remember her but I was teaching her back in my old area, the other office ward (Cidade Vargas), she was actually one of the first doors I knocked in that area and well she got baptized too, WOOOOOOOOOO!  I really wanted to go to her baptism but we had our Ward fiesta junina (June party) which is essentially like this party where everyone gets dressed up like cowboys and well there were TONS of non-members there so we were all over the place chatting up a storm with the people and we took a box full of stuff that we gave out so that was pretty sick but get this, _____ daughter gave birth on the day of her baptism so she was obviously at the hospital that morning helping her daughter but her baptism was marked for three and the missionaries assumed it wasn't gonna happen because she was at the hospital with her daughter but she just showed up at the church at like 3:30 so she got baptized at like 5:00 and I’m super happy for her because it’s been like two weeks since she is more than ready to be baptized but they kept on putting it off but it worked out.  And well what else happened this week, the major things were the baptisms and the fiesta junina but I did some baptismal interviews for the ZLs, I called Cape Verde in Africa, I went to the middle of nowhere to get an Elder to sign a piece of paper  and well plenty of stressful office stuff.  Apparently this week wasn't as exciting as I thought, sorry for the super boring.

But I love you all! Keep the emails coming and don’t stress too much for my b-day because I think I can wait for the good stuff until I get home ;)
ELDER GUBLER




June 18, 2013

So another SUPER crazy week here in the office and well it’s just gonna get crazier next week because the new mission president is gonna show up, and the other executive secretary is leaving on Friday to go home so I’m gonna have to do EVERYTHING by myself...we can barely do everything with two, AHHHHH I can do this. So please keep those prayers coming.  We have over 50 missionaries who should be in our mission right now or are in the CTM in Provo waiting for visas.  But well about my week real fast, I was "transferred" again because here is the deal, there are two wards for the office missionaries, I was in Cidade Vargus and I was loving it but well since the ward ROCKS, the Pres wants the missionaries to be able to spend more time in the field than in the office so he left l _____ (my old comp) there and brought a new elder up to be his companion but he isn’t officially an office Elder.  Once everything gets smoothed out they are gonna be able to leave the office at noon while me and my comp Elder _____ stay here until six slaving away because right now there are two Executive Secretaries, one financial and one materials secretary.  Elder _____ and I are the two Execs but he is leaving on Friday so I’m gonna have to ride solo and I’m freaking out.  There is SOOOOO much stuff to do but again, I can do it, posso fazer coisas difíceis (I can do hard things).  The Pres and Sister have a decoration plate in their office that says that and well that is gonna be my new motto.  Speaking of them though, since I moved wards, I’m now working with investigators that I don’t know too well. I was kind of in area LIMBO this week because I was helping Elder ______ in Cidade Vargus with getting to know the members better to get divisions and stuff but well I wanted to meet all the investigators in Parque Jabaquara too so I was all over the place this last week.  But get this yesterday, we had a FHE with the President and Sister in their new SUPER fancy apartment and it was AMAZING. I’m pretty sure I have the best mission Pres and wife in the whole world!  They never cease to amaze me!  We went there with an investigator named _____ that we want to get baptized this Thursday before Elder _____ goes home so he can baptize on his last day on the mission.  Also there is also another kid we want to baptize named _____ and then another kid named _____ that are both on the edge of baptism and there is a lady named _____ that I was teaching back in Cidade Vargus who is probably gonna get baptized this next week too :)  And oh another story, on Sunday some members from São Bernardo came to visit me, I didn’t see that one coming!  _____, the kid that we got SOO close to baptizing when I was there and then fell away because the missionaries stopped going there but I emailed and he is preparing to get baptized again and he wants to be baptized by me :), _____ (recent convert) and then some members _____, ______,  _____ and _____ owns a skate shop and they gave me some SICK skate shoes for free and well I miss them like crazy and I love the mission, these people are amazing. I even threw a picture in here with them and at the FHE at the Pres and sisters SICK house!  But well that doesn’t really come close to wrapping up the week but I’ve gotta get some stuff done before we are out to teach :) I love you all, read your scrips, say your prayer, keep the support/ emails coming and dont ever forget that this church is perfect. 

With MUITO love.

ELDER GUBLER