March 18, 2013

About my week real fast, I left my planner at home where I write the highlights that I want to tell you guys but well the biggest highlight of the week was the baptism of _____ we had yesterday!  I sent a little pic with the email and well his wife is gonna get baptized in 2 weeks but him so that should be super cool and I'm really bummed I'm not gonna be able to be here to see it but seeing as im gonna be transfered to the ABC I'll still be nice and close so maybe the pres will let me come and see the baptism.  I'm really bummed I'm leaving too! I've been saying bye to everyone all day today and yesterday too because I figured I was gonna leave and well I'm really gonna miss this area! We were really getting the work moving ( 3 baptisms 3 weeks in a row is not bad if I do say so myself) and now im out!  Depending on who comes here in my place they really can end up baptizing every week in this month because there is _____ who is for sure gonna get baptized and then we have two people that could get baptized this week but well I just love the mission. I'm kinda freaking out to be ZL (Zone Leader) and I'm not sure if I'm gonna be able to handle it but I know that there is a reason that Heavenly Father wants to give it a shot so vamos lá! But well sorry this week really is gonna be a little small..... but I love you all more than anything! Keep the prayers and scripture study and letter all coming ;) fiquem com Deus.

COM MUITO LOVE....
ELDER GUBLER

March 4, 2013

March 4, 2013

First off, before I forget to tell you all, I assume you haven’t read the church news recently but if you have, then you’d know that they are making 59 new missions, 7 of which are in Brazil and well 2 of the new missions are Missão Santos and Missão São Paulo Oeste (west) and well GET THIS, they are gonna split up our mission to make two separate missions! The smallest mission in the world is gonna go cut in half! It’s getting CLOSE folks so President and Sister Tanner are gonna say in Sao Paulo or in the west mission which is gonna have the ABC (3 big cities off of São Paulo, Santo André, São Bernardo and São Cateano) and the south-western part of Sao Paulo and they are gonna make Baixada Santista (beach area of Sao Paulo) a different freaking mission! I’m still not sure how they will have 200+ missionaries in Baixada, they’re gonna have to make Bertioga like 3 areas and gonna have to open up tons of new areas! But then a new Mission President is gonna come and open up this other mission and they are gonna split up our mission and put half there or at least I’m assuming that’s how its gonna be.  And all this madness is gonna go down on July 1st so I’ll potentially have my last 4 months on my mish opening up a new mission, SICK right? I hope I go back to Bertioga so that is probably the biggest news for the week but coming in at a close second, would have to be our MIRACLE BAPTISM that we had yesterday WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  We are finally getting some success in the area right now because we are gonna have another baptism on Saturday too.  But let’s not get too ahead of myself, about Sunday! It was unreal. I was the one that baptized ____ who just to give a reminder, hated the church when her kid got baptized but after the spirit did some MAJOR work through a couple missionaries, JÁ ERA! ;) so we had the baptism right after church so there was still a tons of people there and we had 5 investigators that all stayed too to watch and good thing because it was super spiritual even though the baptismal font leaked out some water so it was SUPER low and its took 3 times for me to get her all the way under.  I don’t know why this stuff only happens to me but well it just makes it that much memorable!  Then this Saturday, ____ is gonna be baptized too and he is 100% elect!  He went to seminary this whole week and is beyond excited for this baptism so am I and the other 2 companionships baptized on Saturday so the whole district got baptisms this week!  HECK YEAH BABY, GH DE MAIS ;) . I love the mission, I love you all, I love this church and I know that this is truly God's church, HIS. Oh yeah that reminds me, I preached in another "church" this week.  It wasn’t like a legit church but we went there with a couple that we are teaching and it was like this guys garage with like 11 people and that was the church but I preached for a while and almost taught the first lesson (i.e. Joseph Smith and the first vision) but the spirit wouldn’t let me dangit but either way it was actually a really cool meeting, I enjoyed it. That’s my last story so I’m out. Remember to read your scriptures, say your prayers, and write me :) oh and ps this church is perfect.

beijinhos e um abrção,

ELDER GUBLERZÃO

February 25, 2013

First off, this Sunday = BAPTISM BABY!  We finally broke the little drought that we were passing through! _____ is the Mom of some recent converts is gonna get baptized this Sunday and well if you knew her, you would know how big of a miracle this is! When her kids got baptized she didn’t want anything to do with the church, as in NOTHING... but well when the Spirit touches, oh does he touch, she has been coming to church for a solid five weeks now and accepted baptism for this week! No one in the Ward believes it but I am so happy for her! From here on out, were gonna change this Ward! The new Bishop and our new LMA (ward mission leader) are both super pumped for the work and even though there are still plenty of people that don’t understand what it means to be a member of the Church but we had some great meetings with the Bishop and the LMA and then the LMA and ward missionaries and its GAME TIME ladies and gentlemen!  But I’m really scared that it’s going to be like Bertioga again.... I work my butt off for four months, whip the ward into shape and we start getting referrals and baptizing and then I get transferred...after ____ there are still six people that I want to baptize here before I leave so I’m hoping the Lord will let me stay here for at least one more transfer! :) But story time, so one day we were knocking doors and we got to the end of the street and didn’t knock three doors but we realized what time it was and we had another appointment that was SUPER important so as we are leaving Elder ____ says that he wants to knock a certain house the next day so flashing forward to the next day, we ended up doing a surprise service project and painting a members house which took some time, the time that I was planning on using to go knock the door that he felt like we should knock... flashing forward to that night, we had an FHE with a less active family that wanted us to teach one of their friends so we go to pick the kid up and well, where does he live? The exact house that my companion said we needed to knock. WOW. We truly can’t do anything without the Spirit. It’s him that finds the elects not us and the kid is 100% elect. He accepted baptism and we ended up teaching his brother and his grandma who also accepted baptism! I love this mission! Feeling as though the Lord is really using you as a tool in his hands is something indescribable!  Well that’s it for the week! I love you all more than anything! I’m so grateful for all that everything has done to help me be the person I am today, for the wonderful examples of all of and all that you do to support me on the mission! I love this mission and I can’t say that enough. This Church really is the Church of Christ because that is the only way that this could happen. One more time, I love you all! Read your scriptures, say your prayers and keep the letters and emails coming!

Com amor e gratidão,
ELDER GUBLER

February 17, 2013

This week was pretty great!  It’s funny how one great appointment or day can make up for weeks of getting denied. So first off I just want to say that this Church changes lives and it never ceases to amaze me. I seems like I didn’t really understand anything about Church and why we do the things we do before the mission but let me assure you all that EVERYTHING that we do or that happens in this Church has a purpose because who is in charge of this Church has one amazing plan. These past couple of weeks we have been reactivating a kid that hasn’t been to church in over five years and well now he wants to serve a mission and is already starting to prepare himself so that he will be able to go out in a year. If you let it, this church will CHANGE you. If you think life is good and you are happy, life gets better and you are happier. I will not say that life will be easy because that is 100% a lie but when you start to understand the real purpose of life and when you look to match your desires with those of God, it just gets better. We also are working with a family that the Dad is a recent convert less active that has some problems with the word of wisdom and we had an amazing family night at their house about why life is hard and the atonement. We have been teaching the Mom of some other recent-ish converts who never wanted anything with the Church but now, once she stops drinking coffee she’s gonna be baptized. This church changes lives and I don’t want it to seem like this is me bragging about stuff that "I" did because one thing I’ve realized is that I am nothing…nothing. It’s Heavenly Father that makes me someone and I am just a tool in His hands. I don’t teach anything, that’s all the Spirit. But I also had a really interesting pretty sad experience this week,  a member that were really tight with, her Mom had a heart attack and was in the hospital so she wanted us to go give her a blessing but turns out we wouldn’t be able to see her until after 9 which is when we need to be home to we gave her a blessing and well I was planning on saying something along the lines on how her Mom was gonna get better but right before I was gonna say that I just went quiet and like couldn’t do so the blessing ended up being a blessing so that she would be able to understand and see the purpose of whatever may happen and well after her Mom had the surgery she entered in a coma.  I’m not sure what’s going to happen but I know that whatever happens has a purpose as hard as it may be. It’s a lot harder to see that when it is happening to you but I know that God loves us no matter how hard life may get. Also He answers prayers, it doesn’t matter how small the thing may be, prayers are answered. I love all of you but I want you all to remember that all that we face has a purpose. Faith brings trails, which creates more faith. Always read your scriptures and pray DAILY and remember about the small things, they make a big difference. i.e. a letter ;)

I LOVE YOU ALL SO MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING YOU ALL DO FOR ME EVERYDAY. BELIEVE IT OF NOT I FEEL YOUR PRAYERS. I LOVE THIS CHURCH, THIS MISSION AND YOU ALL.

ELDER GUBLER

February 11, 2013

This week was another super hard one for us.  I don’t know why EVERYTHING keeps falling but it does but this week is gonna be SICK!  There is no way I’m gonna let be like this past week. We did find some pretty solid people this week but it’s one thing to find solid people and another to find the ELECTS that are actually willing to follow the answers that they get. So that is what we need, the ELECTS!  But crazy story, This last week we have Nova Força which is a meeting for all the newbies when you show up in the mission and well we had it on the 7th and well exactly one year ago I showed up in the mission field...... it’s already been 14 freaking months.....WOOOOOWWWWWW. That means I’ve got less that 9 months :(.  I do officially know the day for sure that I’ll be coming home if you want to start getting the festivities ready..... 20th of November, before Thanksgiving baby!  On Friday and Saturday I was essentially not even in my area at all.  That is definitely the hardest thing about being DL because I’ve got to keep track of not just my ward and my investigators but two other areas as well.  On Friday I did a division with Elder ____ in his area Batistini and it was a pretty solid day and by the sounds of it, it was a good day to not be in my area because ONE appointment worked out during the day and it was raining like nobody’s business so the streets got flooded with the sewer water mixed with the rain water.  I don’t know if I’ve told you but sewers here are just like rivers along the side of the road so that’s cool. But while I was with Elder ____ I did two baptismal interviews which are amazing! One of them took FOREVER though because I feel like everyone always attempts to show up during the interviews haha either way I LOVE baptismal interviews because that is when I feel most guided and inspired. It’s hard to even remember what I said in the interviews because frankly it’s not me that talking. One thing that Elder Bednar said when we had the conference with him that I loved was "talking isn’t teaching" because it isn’t. If the Spirit isn’t there, NOTHINGS gonna happen because frankly we as missionaries can’t do anything without him. We are just humble simple tools in the hands of the Lord. You can sit there are talk someone ears off for an hour and a half but you could have not taught them anything. But then on Saturday we did another division but with my other area in my district. I went to Elder ____ area: ____ and well I ended up doing four interviews so that was a tad bit tiring especially because we walked all over the place too.... 23,000 steps and then that night we had a lesson with ____ and ____ and it was just your average lesson but after ____ wanted to talk to me alone so we chatted for an hour de boa and well to make a long story short, it was super spiritual because he got everything out and told me WHY he doesn’t feel ready for baptism and he may have been crying pretty hard but now I know the problem and I just want to say that he is one of the most amazing investigators I’ve ever taught! I have never met someone who truly understands baptism so well and who truly wants to this for the right reasons at the right time. Then we had a SICK BBQ Brazilian style and it was phenomenal and we know broke the ice and got the friendship with this non member husband of a girl in our ward and turns out the guy is super chill and he has his own store here so we talked about how he pulled it off and now I’ve got some contacts and I can totally pull it off.  But well that’s it for the week!  Tomorrow is transfers but luckily no one is leaving from my District which rocks because I LOVE everyone here but I love you all too! I loved the emails but letters would be much better because I don’t have much time to write emails.... read your scriptures, say your prayers and write me :)

amo voces,
ELDER GUBLER