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

June 12, 2013

Its madness here at times, the whole going to bed at 10:30 thing doesn’t apply to us at all because well I haven’t been to bed that early since I’ve been in the office.   Heck if we can get to bed before like 11:30 it’s a GREAT night... just a little example on transfer night last week we went to bed at 2:00 in the morning and woke up the next morning at 5:30 so yeah, I’m not just a pansy but it does get a little insane here. 
Dad that was an awesome story about one of your converts! It amazes how there are really so many people out there ready for years, just waiting to accept this message. Just do YOUR part and the Lord blesses you with those truly prepared. The whole elect thing is completely true. I’ve been blessed enough to meet some of them. I know that _____ back in Santo André will turn into a Bishop and that’s why Satan is doing literally EVERYTHING he can to keep him from getting baptized but well his divorce is going through, then marriage then baptism and then the bishopric. 
The office is a tad bit nuts because well we just had another mini transfer because we got some short time missionaries that came from the CTM because they couldn’t get their visas to go out of Brazil and well this is the 3rd time in two weeks that the Pres has changed has the transfer so that makes it fun for us.  I’ve now got to totally change the phone list so certain people can call others and well it’s kind of insane here! Good thing Elder _____ is still here (the old secretary executivo) because if he wasn’t here I would be TOTALLY lost. He is leaving next Friday though so please keep those prayers coming for me because I’ve still got plenty to learn in a week.... but oh speaking about this transfer I got transferred too, my 3rd area and 4rd comp in two weeks.  I was in the Cidade Vargas ward and well now I’m going to the other ward that is by the office Parque jabaquara.   I’m kind of bummed because I was really loving my ward! I’ve never seen a ward so pumped for missionary work on my whole mission and we would have divisions like four times a week which is GREAT because we only get to leave after six and we have a pretty solid size teaching pool but well.  I’m going to the other ward and well I get to be a District Leader too so pretty sure I may go into stress overload and the pres may be trying to kill me hahah.  Taking care of the whole mission I thought would be enough but now I’ve got a district to take care of too which means weekly district trainings and baptism interviews for others which I love so I’m completely okay with that but kind of takes some more of the limited time we have. It’s okay though, I know I can do this, because the Lord wants and needs me to plus it should be some good practice for when I actually turn into a rich business man, hehe.
Another quick story, we went to the temple yesterday which was EXACTLY what I needed. I have been having tons of stuff on my mind lately. I don’t even really have time to think about myself anymore but I have been thinking a lot about post mission life seeing as I’ve only got six months left (no I’m not trunky, just confused).  But just being able to get away from the world and sit and think in the temple was phenomenal. I think we deserve to go there once a week as office Elders just to keep ourselves sane.  But then after our session, the APs and I went and talked to the Temple Presidency first councilor and it was EPIC. This church is soooo beyond true. Everything just makes perfect sense and I love it. I know with all the absurdity that my words can express that this church is God's only church. He is the guiding us through His Prophets and modern day revelation. I love the amazing chance I have to be a part of this church and represent MY Savior and Lord. I love Him, that’s why I’m here, to show that love and I hope all of you know how much I love my Lord Jesus Christ. I love this work and this mission. I love all of you and I pray daily that we can all stay in the perfect path that He prepared and left for us. I think the biggest thing I have learned to do on the mission is to just do YOUR part, consecrate yourself and trust in Heavenly Father and Christ and everything works out. They have a plan and it just happens to be perfect. I love you all more than you know. Keep the support coming please.

Small things go a long way. TTYL

ELDER GUBLER

June 5, 2013

The work is picking up like CRAZY!  I got some luck to be out right now baby but speaking of new missionaries, we FINALLY got another American this week too!  Yesterday was transfer day which was MAYHEM by the way; I don’t think I’ve ever been so exhausted in my entire mission because well the whole going to be at 10:30 does not even come close to applying to us.  I haven’t slept for the entire week!  Sunday night the four APs slept at our house because we all had to close them missions numbers and pass the transfer so we already didn’t get much time to sleep, then Monday night we had to get EVERYTHING ready for the transfer, figure out how the people are gonna come up from the Baixada, all the newbie packets ready to go, get all the vans and flights good to go for all the missionaries that left, get the slideshow for the trainers and for the companionships and zones for the whole mission and well let’s just say that we didn’t leave the mission office until like 1:30 and then we had 18+ people in our house so there wasn’t much sleeping done either way and then up early the next morning to get all the stuff good to go at the chapel so yeah that was super fun.  Then this morning we had to go to the federal police dept with Pres and Sister and our old missionary couple on the mission to get their visas renewed and the new sister showed up today as well.  So that was actually WAY exciting, she was supposed to go to the Baixada which would be the Santos mission here in a month but well Pres Tanner must have had some major revelation during her interview because he changed around some companionships of sisters and now she is with a Brazilian that knows English fluently which was a great call and she is in Santo André my old zone  which I miss like crazy.  And speaking of Santo Andre, I talked to the missionaries there and they baptized _____ and _____, two people that I worked with for some major time so I was a little bummed that I wasn’t able to see their baptism but well on the plus side we had a baptism this last week too.  But the deal about the office, it’s not like against being the office, don’t get the wrong idea.  I know there is a reason that I am here but I don’t miss teaching all day, it is really just crazy here right now because the secretaries for the Santos mission are supposed to be going down to the office in the Baixada this Friday so that will make it so there is actually enough beds for everyone in our house but another crazy thing, on meeting with the Pres on Monday he was saying how when Elder _____, the old executive that is training me, leaves I’m going officially have to run this place so I’m probably gonna have to switch areas which I really don’t want to because we have actually a SICK pool of people we are teaching!  We have a lady named _____ that has date for baptism this week but I think it will probably be next week her baptism and we had two kids just randomly show up at the church on Saturday asking about soccer but it was while we were doing the baptismal meeting so we made them stay and they came to church on Sunday and their Mom is an less active so I want to baptize them and reactivate the Mom and then during a division this week, I met a lady that is ELECT, she accepted everything!  Baptismal date and the message and so I want to baptize her on the 24th! :) Needless to say, the Lord is blessing us like crazy in the area so I really want to stay in this ward! Because there are two wards by the office, one companionship takes care of one ward and the other the other ward. But I really want to stay here and the Pres likes the fact that we are gonna be baptizing here so I think he may let me here but well that is essentially it though... I’ve kind of got to go again though...plenty of things to do! ;)

I love you all.....read you scriptures......say your prayers......and specifically pray for me so I can handle this.....and letters are still accepted even though I probably won’t have time to respond for a couple months until I get a handle of things!

beijos e um abração

ELDER GUBLER

May 29, 2013

So I’m sure everyone is full of questions so get those coming and ill see what I can do to answer all of them but just to give a basic summary of what an executive secretary does... I may still be trying to figure everything out seeing as it has been a week since I’ve been here....but I am like the presidents go-to man. As of right now, there are three executive secretaries, one that is going home in a couple weeks that is training me and then another that is being trained for the Santos mission but like I said, essentially if the Pres ever needs ANYTHING, that immediately becomes first priority but I still have a comp and all that good stuff. My comps name is Elder _____ and I really like him!  But I stay here in the mission office with five other secretaries but don’t worry there usually aren’t that many but because of the division in the mission, three are gonna go down to the Baixada Santos mission, one is going home and then that will leave me with one other here in the office and this next week for the transfer the President will call a new secretary because it’s usually just three or four in the office.  But I take care of anything and everything the Pres could need or want, I take care of visas of everyone, renewing and that whole fun process, whenever new missionaries show up new in the mission or when oldies leave which means call all their Stake Pres and parents to make sure everyone knows about their flight and all that super trunky stuff, any mission meetings that there is I mark everything, I mark medical appointments for the missionaries in the whole mission, I take care of phone problems and well I’m sure there is plenty more but for right now that is the only stuff I know how to do.   It’s just that essentially being executive sec is the most stressful thing in the world because then at night after six we leave the office and have to take care of our investigators and our ward so yeah.....just a little taste of my life right now.  Really I do miss my old area kind of ALOT!  We found out that I was gonna leave on Monday night so I didn’t have time to say goodbye to like anyone in the ward and our credits ran out so I could only call two families.  I didn’t even get to say bye to all of our recent converts so that kind really bummed me out! We went to a FHE at _____ and _____ house and then said goodbye to a member family that I LOVED and well to make a long super sad story short many tears were shed and get this a girl told us that she officially wanted to get baptized and that she wanted me to baptize her and well that was when I told everyone that I was leaving so that didn’t go down too well.....UGH. I’m gonna to miss Santo André but well this ward seems super great too and well out bishop right now is a CHAMP!!!  Everyone is super pumped for the work and since we only have three hours per day to actually teach people the ward helps a TON with division and references.  We had some sick divisions this last week but well I don’t really know anything in the area yet and my comp, Elder _____ is leaving for the Baixada in a week so I’m just gonna have to figure out this area and this whole secretary thing riding solo... but well I know that this is a reason that I am here. There is a purpose in everything in life and especially the mission.  To be completely honest I never wanted to ever be a secretary because we stay up late and get up earlier than everyone else and frankly I love teaching people and I was really getting my teaching down pretty dang good if I do say myself but well I think the hardest thing to adapt to is the fact that we only get three hours to proselyte...BUMMER.  Something that is just known throughout the whole mission is that once someone leaves the office your kind forget how to teach.... so I sure hope I can keep my techniques going and I don’t become too awkward of a teacher but on the plus side of things, I’m gonna get super close to Pres and Sister Tanner since I’m gonna be calling him like every day, we have a weekly meeting with him and everyone in the office every Monday, we have unlimited credits, I call the states all the time to talk to people Stake Presidents and well ill probably have to do the same thing for myself seeing as I will probably die here in the office (you usually stay here for at least six months but I’ll do what you want me to do dear Lord). There is a reason I’m here, whether I like it or not and there are people that have been waiting for me in the area for quite some time now. Oh and more good news, we have a baptism this week of a 20 year old girl named _____.  She is super shy and well I have only taught her twice so this baptism is 100% thanks to Elder _____ the missionary that was with Elder _____ here in the area but hey I left three baptisms for him this week back in Santo André and two families that are gonna get married and baptized in a month so I think he got the better end of the deal.  But well I’ve got tons of stuff to do so that is a rundown of my life recently. Hope you all enjoyed! I appreciate all the prayers I can get, and even though I don’t really have any time at all to write letters, they are still fun to get :)

Read your scriptures + say your prayers + and share your testimonies = recipe for happiness :)

I love you all more than anything!

Elder Gubler

Missão Brasil São Paulo Sul

Secretario da Missão