So the first box I sent Elder Hendrixson had a bunch of goodies in it. Figured after a couple of months in Brazil he was probably ready for some American junk food. I have received several messages regarding the contents. Here are a few comments which made me smile ...
In an email he said: "Thanks for the Oreos I ate them and it was like heaven each and everyone!! interestingly it is so humid here that they get all soft if you leave one on the table!"
The letter I received this week started off with "Can I just say that gummy worms were the best idea ever! They are delicious, they don't melt, and they made a great joke. I got my companion to spew this stuff called tere re. Its this stuff called "yerba mate" which tastes exactly the same as alfalfa but he loves the stuff. I guess it really hurts when you rocket pieces of straw through your nose. Anyways, all I did was stick two worms in my nose, then turn around and he just lost it. It was the best. I laughed till I cried and kept laughing. It was probably the highlight of my week."
Hope he gets his second care package soon, if he hasn't already received it. Even though I send it priority, it still takes FOREVER to reach him. And Courtney and Reed sent him one too!! In the process of putting care package number three together this week. :]
Sao Paulo North Mission
Sao Paulo, Brazil
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
We received a bunch of letters today - one addressed to each of us personally - his dad, me, Taylor, Sydney, and Grandma and Grandpa! It was fun to share what he wrote each of us. Here are some of the things he wrote in my letter ...
"I have found one interesting thing about writing letters to people during my mission. That I love to write letters and that I never tell anyone person the same stories except for the big important ones. Other than that I have experiences that I share with different people and every letter is a different angle and I think that it is fun. Brazil is a lot like Europe. The buildings, the structures, the way people drive, how the people spend their time ... They paint things bright funny colors. Its about the partying and the fun not the house or the quality of living. I find it really interesting. Everything here has a gate! Not to mention what looks like one house usually leads into 10 houses and you just clap or holler a name to get them to come out. Everything here is concrete, and these really wimpy looking bricks. They throw up 20 story buildings like gingerbread houses. It is pretty impressive. I find it fascinating. I have decided that I want to take an architecture class.
"I think you would like Brazil. Its not too hot and its not too cold and you can wear whatever you want all year round, but for me I would rather have the heat and cold and the country than be in a huge over populated city with really bad traffic and the only problem is that unless you buy american products, Brazilian products are {not very good}... They have some really good fruit here. I am sure Brazil has something else good that is produced here but I have no idea how Sao Paulo ever made it to being the 3rd largest city in the world. It is weird though. The oranges here are green and yellow. I have never seen an orange one. I am gonna drop a lot of weight on my mission I can just tell but I would mind being about 160 or 170 again :) That means I will lose 80lbs. during my mission. That would be a little strange. I would come back a whole new person or lack of a whole person. hehehe.
"Other than the little frustrations life is good. I am learning more about the gospel everyday and my patience and capacity to just let things go is growing immensely not to mention trying to be optimistic has been a trial but all I have to do is think about what sharing this message with people could do to change their lives. I wish I could speak Portuguese fluently already cause I would be so much more effective and be making so much more of a difference here but I truly am doing my best and I am learning to accept that, which is definitely one of those mountains Elder Eyring spoke about. Also Mosiah 4:27 is a good part to remember when trying to accept that your best is accepted."
Mosiah 4:27 And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
"I have found one interesting thing about writing letters to people during my mission. That I love to write letters and that I never tell anyone person the same stories except for the big important ones. Other than that I have experiences that I share with different people and every letter is a different angle and I think that it is fun. Brazil is a lot like Europe. The buildings, the structures, the way people drive, how the people spend their time ... They paint things bright funny colors. Its about the partying and the fun not the house or the quality of living. I find it really interesting. Everything here has a gate! Not to mention what looks like one house usually leads into 10 houses and you just clap or holler a name to get them to come out. Everything here is concrete, and these really wimpy looking bricks. They throw up 20 story buildings like gingerbread houses. It is pretty impressive. I find it fascinating. I have decided that I want to take an architecture class.
"I think you would like Brazil. Its not too hot and its not too cold and you can wear whatever you want all year round, but for me I would rather have the heat and cold and the country than be in a huge over populated city with really bad traffic and the only problem is that unless you buy american products, Brazilian products are {not very good}... They have some really good fruit here. I am sure Brazil has something else good that is produced here but I have no idea how Sao Paulo ever made it to being the 3rd largest city in the world. It is weird though. The oranges here are green and yellow. I have never seen an orange one. I am gonna drop a lot of weight on my mission I can just tell but I would mind being about 160 or 170 again :) That means I will lose 80lbs. during my mission. That would be a little strange. I would come back a whole new person or lack of a whole person. hehehe.
"Other than the little frustrations life is good. I am learning more about the gospel everyday and my patience and capacity to just let things go is growing immensely not to mention trying to be optimistic has been a trial but all I have to do is think about what sharing this message with people could do to change their lives. I wish I could speak Portuguese fluently already cause I would be so much more effective and be making so much more of a difference here but I truly am doing my best and I am learning to accept that, which is definitely one of those mountains Elder Eyring spoke about. Also Mosiah 4:27 is a good part to remember when trying to accept that your best is accepted."
Mosiah 4:27 And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
Monday, April 23, 2012
It has been a while since I have shared any letters from Elder Hendrixson - been extremely busy. Here is some of his letter that we received today via email.
"I got a new companion ... and really I am so grateful because he actually has what it takes to turn this area into being more successful."
"Back to investigators, so we have another family kinda sort of. It is Antonia her son Henrique 27 Paulo 25 and her daughter sofia 12 that we are teaching. Henrique and Paulo have accepted baptismal dates and I know Antonia will because she knows that we are true mesengers of God. She told us last time after the Restoration video that she never lets strangers into her house and that she was really mad at Henrique for not telling her that we were coming but she said that her first impression of us were that we were so well manered and so angelic that she just wants us to come by whenever we can and that if she could have this in her life then she would want it for her entire family and well all we have to do is extend the envitation to her and I just know she will be baptized. Her and her family make me feel like I am back at home-well minus the language. :) It really is amazing how people just open up to us and tell us that we just seem to be some of the best people they have ever known which just affirms that we are truly messengers of god and that we really do have a privelage to serve and a big responsibility but it is toatally worth it for those few elect that we have a chance to encounter out of the many. It really does make you sad when someone rejects the gospel. Also just mentioning that those people of the tellestial Kingdom will be as numerous as the sands really is sad because the celestial kingdom is within the reach of those who are just willing to do those simple basic things such as being baptized and perservering to the end."
"I got a new companion ... and really I am so grateful because he actually has what it takes to turn this area into being more successful."
"Back to investigators, so we have another family kinda sort of. It is Antonia her son Henrique 27 Paulo 25 and her daughter sofia 12 that we are teaching. Henrique and Paulo have accepted baptismal dates and I know Antonia will because she knows that we are true mesengers of God. She told us last time after the Restoration video that she never lets strangers into her house and that she was really mad at Henrique for not telling her that we were coming but she said that her first impression of us were that we were so well manered and so angelic that she just wants us to come by whenever we can and that if she could have this in her life then she would want it for her entire family and well all we have to do is extend the envitation to her and I just know she will be baptized. Her and her family make me feel like I am back at home-well minus the language. :) It really is amazing how people just open up to us and tell us that we just seem to be some of the best people they have ever known which just affirms that we are truly messengers of god and that we really do have a privelage to serve and a big responsibility but it is toatally worth it for those few elect that we have a chance to encounter out of the many. It really does make you sad when someone rejects the gospel. Also just mentioning that those people of the tellestial Kingdom will be as numerous as the sands really is sad because the celestial kingdom is within the reach of those who are just willing to do those simple basic things such as being baptized and perservering to the end."
"Also I am basically running my area right now and I totally
made a rookie mistake and said to a member that we would pass by and I didn´t
realize that she lives about 1.5 hours of straight walking away from our house!
About 7km away! Well it just so happened that when we arrived there that her
grandson Matteus was sick with dissentary and a virus at the same time and the
medicine wasn´t working and that he had a chance of having permanent damage if
his fever didnt break soon. After talking with the family for a while they
asked if we could give him a blessing but they asked me to give the blessing! I
can barely even stumble through one in english not to mention portuguese!!!
Well I did a little bit of preparing(30 seconds) and my companion sealed it and
then I gave a blessing of healing. I don´t remember what I said and honestly it
was really a powerfull experience for me because I dont speak portuguese well
enough to really say what came to mind but they understood everyword and I
didn´t but that is jsut a great example of the tongue of angels. We talked for
another ten minutes and then they took his temperature again and it was back to
normal ALREADY! Miracles really do happen during a mission especially when you
are doing the Lord´s work. Even the Lord has plans and guides the feet of the
servents that he calls. Even to new ones who seemingly made a mistake!"
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