Friday, Janauary 30, 2015

I had a whole lot happen this week, but unfortunately I don't have a lot of time to do it in. Being a zone leader requires I write the branch president 2 letters, and help all the new missionaries on how to write the mission president and their families, and with only an hour, I’m already down to 10 minutes left, and have already used up 4 of them.

To Levi and Sebring, and Stephanie and Julie: How are things going with you two (4)...no wait, 5 :)

I really can't quite remember how things were when we left, but I would like to know what's going on. WARNING: I will read your letters, but I may not respond to you in a super timely manner, or in depth, that may have to wait for the mission field. 

Oh yeah...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SEBRING!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

It’s okay Levi, *digital hug* I haven't forgotten about you...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR LEVI!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

And of course, can't forget Ira...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR IRA!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!

Whew, I’m tired now, so look forward to hearing from you!

To Mom and Dad: This is going to hurt...

I... miss... you... guys

OUCH! Wow that hurt. 

Well, I don't miss you too much dad, ("DO THIS" "DO THAT" "WE NEED TO CLEAN YOUR ROOM" "YOU NEED TO PACK") yeah...didn't miss that. But you mom *Virtual hug* *Virtual hug* *Virtual hug*

But kind of what I said earlier to my branch president, I really am not homesick. Right now, I feel like I’m gonna miss the MTC more than I miss home right now. Pictures are incoming as soon as I can figure out a way to turn on the computer without 7 clerks and 3 branch presidents making sure I did it correctly.

Also, don't worry about dividing this letter and sending it to all the people I wrote specific pieces to. I would like all of them to read each other's pieces, I don't know why, but that's just the way I feel. (That means you too Emmitt [I hope I spelt his name right])

I'm out of time now, so I have to go...

Oh wait!

Last Words: The mission's going great, love the MTC. Love and miss all of you guys, remember, the Lord's always there for you when he asks. I do enjoy packages (kidding). I'm always thinking and praying for all of you.

Elder Sands

Friday, January 23, 2015

So a few interesting things happened this last week, and I don't get much time to type a whole lot so I’m typing as fast as I can so I can get most of it (if not all of it) down on paper. Since I have to write two separate letters to my branch president, my time is cut quite short to write to all of you back at home (or in Utah). 

So as you who have been on missions may have already figured out by the double letter thing to my president is that I have been called to be Zone Leader. It's quite exciting but really crowds my schedule. I get to welcome the new missionaries that come every Wednesday, teach them how to do a lot of things, and if they have problems or questions, they can come talk to me and discuss them. I also hold weekly meetings with my District Leaders (DL's) and also with the branch presidency.

Since the MTC wants special musical numbers at almost every meeting that has more than one zone attending, they are in desperate need of accompanists so when I was playing with a small group of Elders from my district, I heard them saying that if they didn't get an accompanist soon, they wouldn't have enough to play for all of the meetings. So, I volunteered, and the moment I did, they had me play a song to audition (I played Remembrance from the album), play the song with my district, and then they had me accompany a singing duet who were right after that. Then they told me that I was their most talented accompanist, and then told me to find a solo church song or arrangement and audition it for next week (I can hear you groaning and thinking...dad..."I hope he knows what he's getting himself into"). The first song (with my district) did well enough to be assigned to play at the departure devotional Sunday afternoon and the Duet one got assigned to play at the Sunday Evening Devotional. I'm pretty excited to play 'cause those are both pretty big meetings where the majority, if not all of the MTC occupants attend.

Getting pictures to all of you while I’m at the MTC is probably going to be impossible as the computers here are very restricted, I’m surprised they let you move the mouse around.

My p-days are Friday at the MTC but if anyone wants to write me a letter,

Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please Please (he had 1228 more pleases)

write me between that Same Friday and the next Monday. The MTC gives me your letters in printed format no matter what and I don't have time to read your letters and respond to them in the small window of time I have to respond to them. So PLEASE write them between Friday and Monday (Tuesday's okay, but any later starts becoming difficult).

If any of you have any questions for me, please ask them, I’m happy to respond.

So let’s see...what's something all of you would like to know?

I Know! How about my average day at the MTC? First we wake up, then we eat breakfast, then we go to class for several hours. After class, we get to eat lunch. After lunch, we go back to class. After several more hours there, we get to have Dinner. After dinner, we go back to class until 9:30 when we get to go back to our residences, do whatever until 10:30, then go to bed. It's all pretty simple.

On P-days, it is so unstructured, that we almost always have nothing to do. We do laundry and get to write letters while that's going on, go to the temple in the afternoon, and then after dinner, we go to class for 3 more hours and then go back to our residences.

Sunday is the day where we have meetings, followed by meetings, followed by meetings, followed by meetings, followed by meetings, followed by lunch, followed by meetings, followed by meetings, followed by meetings, followed by Dinner, followed by meetings, followed by meetings, followed by meetings, followed by bed time.

And then the week starts over again, and well...not much different happens.

I just want to thank you all for your support and wish you all the very best, and remember: if you have questions, ask and ye shall receive, seek and ye shall find, knock and MTC security will remove you from the campus (so I wouldn't recommend doing that)

I love you all!

Elder Sands

Friday, January 16, 2015

Wow, let me just start off by saying that...

Wow...

Wow!

The MTC is AMAZING!

Here's a brief list on what exactly is amazing about it.

1: The food is amazing

2: The language is wonderful

3: My companion is perfect. We get along so well

4: My teachers are effective and understanding

5: The weather is quite refreshing

6: The Elders I'm living with are now my wonderful friends

7: My district is really close and my zone is very friendly. Our branch also has some of the best presidents

8: Am I making you jealous yet?

My schedule mostly consists of going to class a lot and doing quite a bit of studying but it's quite enjoyable.

Here are the people in my district divided by companionships:

Elder Sands

Elder Taylor (my companion. He's serving in Seattle, Washington)

Elder Montieth (he's serving in Mesa, Arizona!)

Elder VanderWurken (He's serving in Tucson, Arizona!)

Elder Brown (He has yet to arrive from Tonga because a volcano eruption delayed his flight by a few days. He is also Deaf)

Sis. Rice

Sis. Reynolds (She is the other deaf missionary)

Sis. Peutau (peu- [like what you sit on in church] tow [as in the first part of TOWEL])

Sis. Tullier

I am actually the least experienced person in my district and I know the least amount of sign but my companion is really helping out in that regard.

I'm running out of time so let's get some of the important stuff out of the way.

I am still alive :) (You can exhale dad, and you can stop crying from worry mom)

I will be leaving the MTC Feb. 23rd and due to a few weird things happening, I may not be able to write every week, and I may not be able to read your letters to me every week. So don't think I was brutally murdered in a dark alley somewhere if I miss a week or two.

I do have an address here at the MTC, but I don't have it with me, I’ll have to get that to you next week.

My teachers are hearing (though I've never heard them say a word, total immersion and all of that) and I would give you their names, but I only know them by their name signs and it's a little difficult to put those names into a written language.

Again, I thank you all so much for supporting me on my mission and will miss all of you so much. I know this church is the true church of God, and that I am exactly where I’m supposed to be.

And let me sign that for you:

...

Hope you all understood that.

Elder Sands

Thursday, January 15, 2015

NOTE: 2 NEW PICTURES! CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO THE RIGHT TO VIEW THE PICTURE ALBUM.

Elder Sands spending some time with the Carmen's and at the MTC.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

NOTE: 2 NEW PICTURES! CLICK ON THE PICTURES TO THE RIGHT TO VIEW THE PICTURE ALBUM.

Acea being set-apart and leaving for MTC.

Monday, October 27, 2014

Well, I opened my mission call yesterday. I have been called to labor (love that word) in the Arizona Scottsdale Mission. Further, I will preach the gospel in American Sign Language. I report to the Provo Missionary Training Center on Wednesday, January 14, 2015.

Acea

Thursday, October 23, 2014

I got home from work last night and found something waiting for me I have been waiting for all my life, MY MISSION CALL!!!

I'm going to do something a little different, with the bishop's permission. I'm going to wait until Sunday and open my mission call and share that moment with the ward. It is a way of expressing gratitude for all they have done in helping me get to this point and a way to inspire the young men and even the young women to serve as well.

I'll let you know where and when my call is in a few days.

Acea

Monday, March 11, 2013

Well I have to say that the hardest part of the mission is finishing it, to go to the end. I will work this week and finish off strong.

Well the mission was more than words can describe, it was hard, fun, sad, and joyful and thou I am not perfect and still have a lot of things to work at I know that I have worked hard to help my fellow brothers and sisters have the chance to change their lives through baptism and receive all the ordinances of salvation.

Tchau love you all

Até logo

Elder Sands

Monday, March 4, 2013

Well it has been a wonderful almost two years where a lot of great things have happened. Thank you dad for almost making my head swell up, but I think it will spring when I steep into the cooler weather of Spokane.

This week has been great, yesterday was the confirmation of Anderson who was baptized last week and his is just so excited and will progress a lot and in a short amount of time. We are trying to mark the baptism of a young man of 10 years who is the son of returning less active members, but it has been hard trying to mark a time to meet them at their house, but we are praying that this week we can mark this baptism for a quick as possible. I wouldn't lie and say it is easy not to be trunky but, I will work and work and do some good and end with honor and with a bang so that this time will not be wasted and maybe who knows in this time will be a first step for many to be prepared to be baptize and join the church.

Thank you so much for your support love and encouragement, you don't know how much it has helped.

Love Elder Sands

Monday, February, 25, 2013

This week a lot of things have happened. First Anderson the husband of the less active member decided to be baptised this week so we marked his interview and he was baptised yesterday it was very special, he will help out a lot in the church and in one year my companion will watch them getting sealed. He was tricky it took almost 2 months for him to get baptised, he was the kind of people that questioned everything and that is helping his family to have an interest in learning more about the church. Another notice is that in June Campinas Brazil mission will divide in two and 7 new missions will be created in Brazil, I would see that change but this is great because many cities that never had missionaries will get missionaries to grow the church a lot.

Something funny that happened this last week was evaded a lot of young women. There was a group of girls giving free hugs in the center and by the time we realized what it was it was too late and there was 5 or 6 girls on us; we told them we couldn't they were saying your religion doesn't permit it and then we were explaining to them our rules and then we managed to escape.

Well see you later and in a few weeks and don't worry we are working hard and we will baptize a few more people yet.

Love Elder Sands

Monday, February, 18, 2013

Oi familia

How are you all doing? Before I forget Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday dear mother, mommy, mom, mae, Happy Birthday to you. I forgot to tell you last week before so I am a day late, but I hope you can find some pies and have a wonderful festinha. That is pretty crazy how Acea's date responded to him, that should be a pretty fun date.

That is crazy that Shane is back and I am close behind, I am feeling a little sad leaving behind the mission life which I have loved for two years, but at the same time I am anxious to start a family see you all again and apply the mission to my life.

This last week we have had a surprise, the other area in our city was closed for this transfer so we have been bestowed with two big wards to take care of, we have been running around to visit our progressing investigators and start working in the other area. This week we are going to be really busy teaching, finding and following up with investigators so they can be baptised. This is great I have been hoping for a busy last transfer.

We are waiting to move to our new house but I don't know when that will be, we are wanting for the contract for the house we live in right now to close so that we can start living in the new house.

Love

Elder Sands

Monday, February, 11, 2013

This week was great we were able to find more people to teach, we found out this week that we have been invited to teach in a rehab clinic which will be great to help people overcome drug problems and a member in our Ward has his son in the rehab center so that will be great to see him on a regular basis.

On Sunday Walter was confirmed and I was able to confirm him, it was my first time confirming someone but it was great to help with the spiritual progress of some one. We were able to go to the temple with Anderson and Carol, the couple we have been teaching, it was great; the spirit was powerful and we went into the waiting area to enjoy the sweet spirit and explain a few things about the temple, and Carol, she always says next year we are going to get sealed, giving indirect signals to Anderson. We also had and great family home evening with Walter our recent convert and Anderson and Carol, it was celestial and now Walter is planning to do a family home evening at his house this week.

We found out about transfers and I will stay in Valinhos with Elder Ribeiro which is what I was wanting, to end the mission in a place where you have a great friendship with the members. Don't worry we are going to work very hard this transfer and go out with a bang baptizing several more people and doing the most good we can.

Tchau

Love you

Elder Sands

Monday, February 4, 2013

Well Acea I am glad you are ok and liking your classes, so you should be able to do better this next quarter. And about your questions well the way we indicated our key indicators have change to work with more quality, before all of the leaders have said that a lesson could be in a contact on the street where you teach several principles but that wasn't bringing very good results so president said that it is only a lesson when we teach in their houses, so we have been averaging 20-30 lessons a week this last week. We only were able to teach 15 lesson because we have had several days were we couldn't work because of a move we helped with, doctor appointment for my companion, and other service we were able to provide, but all is very well.

I am in a ward of about 150 active which is a good size ward and the biggest ward in the Stake and Nova Suiça is the only ward we take care of.

Well this week we were able to baptize Walter, we found him on the street doing contacts with people and was really receptive and we went to his house and started teaching him, he went to church last week and loved it and this last week his was asking what he needed to do to get baptised and he choose me do to the honors of baptizing him. It was really a miracle.

Yesterday at Church two members brought a friend to church and they seemed really receptive and we will start teaching them on Tuesday, this week we need to send a lot of our time finding people to teach, to expand our teaching pool that is starting to shrink. We went through the list of inactive and came up with the great result of Anderson that is progressing well and we are going to the temple with them this Wednesday. The rest of the inactive didn't turn out so well but that is ok. We had a great ward council yesterday and we were taking about the people we are teaching, Walter the recent convert, and the ward is really excited and this week is packed with member visits with us to help our investigators progress to the waters of baptism.

P.S can you please do me a favor when Elder Lee gets home give him a hug for me and tell him that Elder Sands says parabens

Love Elder Sands

Monday, January 28, 2013

This week has been wonderful. On Tuesday we brought one of our progressing investigators to the temple; it was wonderful, it always wonderful visiting the temple. On these temple trips My companion has be talking it upon himself to talk about the Temple and we showed Valter the Ensign temple addition and we could all feel the spirit strongly, and we are planning to have him baptised this Sunday.

Elder Ribeiro is a great missionary and person who is trying to overcome his personal weaknesses, and it was great to see him being led by the spirit to bless other people's lives. Afterwards we went to go eat pamonha which is a sweet corn mass wrapped up in corn husks which is really good.

On Wednesday we had planned and practiced a very special lesson about the Pplan of Salvation with an emphasis on baptism and that was a powerful lesson that helped our investigator Anderson understand and feel the importance of being baptised, and he accepted to really do everything to find out if this is indeed the true church of Christ and we are seeing a great progress. Also his wife Carol his helping him read learn and they are both excited this is great.

We also had an Activity of the Italian pizza we invited a recent convert and he brought two friends, it was great to see them getting to know the other members and to feel more comfortable in the church building so I hope one of this days they will have a desire to go on Sunday.

On Sunday we had 4 investigators who came which made us very happy to see results to our work and we are still trying to help that couple from the other city marry and be baptised but it is still down the road a little bit.

Tchau

Love Elder Sands

Monday, January 21, 2013

The Work is going great this week; it was a week of blessings. We were able to teach our investigators every day this last week, with members, it was great to have everything come together. We were able to find several great investigators and two of them went to church. One is Juilano; we found him right outside of his house and we talked with him and we came back to teach him and we gave him a ride to church. He wants to get baptized but sees the need to repent to change his life and we are helping him quite smoking and drinking. He is great because he really has real intent to fulfill his commitments. The other investor's name is Anderson, he is the husband of a less active member that has lived in Valinhos for about a year and a half that no one knew about. We found them on the ward member list. He has been to church several times but has not found that desire to be baptized. Last week we taught them with a member. He went to church yesterday so this week we are going to use the spirit to prick his heart to get baptized this week. We are seeing some great progress in the people that we are finding that are really ready to accept the restored gospel. We just need to sometimes overcome the trail of faith to see the promised blessings of the Lord and not forgetting to do all we can to do his will.

Thank you for the help!

Love Elder Sands

Monday, January 14, 2013

This week has been raining a lot, this month of January is the rainy month with almost every day the water comes down from the heavens but it is great to get some cooler weather.

We have been in the hunt for investigators to increase our teaching pool but it is going a little bit slower than we would have liked it to grow because we find people but it is hard finding them in their houses because everyone here works a lot. We found a less active member whose husband is not yet a member and we invited them to go to an activity on Saturday and they went so that is showing progress. We are also teaching a couple I think I have already mentioned where Elton and Jo need to be married but they live in another city but it looks like that they want to be baptized here and attend here so we are talking to the stake president to see what he thinks of the matter.

All is good my companion Elder Ribeiro. He is really great and he wants to change his mission to be the best missionary he can be so we are working together on a few goals to help us both grow and to the best amount of good we can.

Tchau

Love

Elder Sands

Monday, January 7, 2013

Well last week was transfers and Elder Conner left and he went to open an area and train which will be good for him. I am with my 14th companion who is Elder Riberio from Curitiba and a cool thing is he has 20 siblings; 18 adopted, 3 biological.

This week has been good we were in the hunt for new, good and promising investigators but it is hard work finding the kind that want to go to church. I feel like we are doing very well following up with people to go to church and other commitments, but it is like you asked me a few months ago, how to get people to commit, there is no real secret, you just have to find the people that are ready and keep commitments, so the work continues.

I got the package last week during transfers. Thank you so much it was great and the candy was great and the other 3 missionaries thank you guys a lot too. I saved some to give to a member family that is curious to try some American candy and maybe we will eat dinner with them on my birthday on Wednesday.

I am glad Acea benefited from the things I said I hope it helps him to do very well at college and who knows, maybe he will help my relearn math and other things I have forgotten.

One last this did you guys get an email of my itinerary? If not it should be coming soon. That's all.

Tchau

Elder Sands

Monday, December 31, 2012

Well Acea you first need to have a desire to do well in your classes, not just whimsical wanting but a real desire is to pay the price to achieve what you want to achieve. In terms of studying for math it is easy to study because you just have to master and be comfortable knowing how to do the math. If they still have that math center, go to that and if you have any questions ask them to explain. For English I am not that great, but there is a writing center where the computers are and you can go there to get help making your paper good and getting started. There is always a least a little bit of extra credit; when it comes up take advantage of it. The remedy is to study your heart out, always be taking notes and reading the material needed. And what helped me a lot was to study for 30 mins in the scriptures before I studied and it was a lot more pleasant. If you are not already taking institute class, they also help a lot by having the spirit with you during the day to not get stressed out and learn well. These are just some things that helped me so remember I am not the smartest guy on the block but because of the force of will and hard work I was able to get pretty good grades and you can too, you smart devil you.

Finishing my mission is a bitter sweet thing. I want to share and baptize more people and the experience is so great, but when you are working so hard for your whole mission, you get tired and you know that it is time to finish your time allotted to us and use it well. Don't worry here in Valinhos where I will probably end my mission has is a lot more work to be done. My goal for these last 3 months is to help 10 children of our Heavenly Father enter into the waters of baptism. I have never done this in such little time but with the help of Heavenly Father and our unrelentless work we will achieve this desire.

This last week for church we were able to get one of our investigators to church who is really devote in his other religion but we will work with him this week to try to help him know these things are true so that he can be baptized soon. We also have a few other people that we are trying to get baptized but they need to go to church first.

Well I don't have too much time but I just what to tell you all that I love you so very much!

Tchau

Elder Sands

Monday, December 17, 2012

Well I don't exactly know the time next week to Skype maybe it will be 5-6 my time in the evening but we need to ask the member to see what time we can do it at his house.

Well this week has been raining quite a bit, we just hit the Brazilian raining season, but it helps keep us cool from the intense heat. We worked our tails off this week contacting all of the people that already went to church in the area book to see if they can get baptized last week, but it turned out that they all need to get marred so we will work with a few promising families. Yesterday the only investigator that went to church was Eilton who is ready to get baptized; all he needs to do is plan to get married here soon with his girlfriend he is living with, and they live in another city and want to get baptized here, but he is planning on moving her to Valinhos. Our stake president already okay-ed that we can teach him we just need to get the OK from President Perrotti.

We had a wonderful Christmas dinner at the Church building on Friday and a lot of people brought friends and we were able to contact them to pass by and teach. On Saturday too we had a Christmas presentation at the temple of choirs and a lot of people bought friends and family and we were able to teach a lot of people and references for other missionaries in the other areas. And we got to sing silent night that was pretty neat and people said that the missionary choir was the most spiritual so I hope people were changed by the spirit.
I might send another Short email in a few days to see what time exactly I will be skyping you, and did you already send to package?

Tchau

Love Elder Sands

Monday, December 10, 2012

On Christmas it will probably be at night my time so maybe around lunch your time or yearly afternoon and that should be really great.

This week was really good we were running around trying to contact a lot of references we have been given. We were able to talk to a lot of them but they didn't really pan out but I felt great knowing we did our part. But this week we are going to go with our ward mission leader and hit up a neighborhood that we all think will bring a lot of fruits and get many results. We are getting to be great friends with the members and we have had so many people invite us to Christmas it created conflicts. This ward is very capable with many well off members they work wonderfully together to plan activities and are very missionary minded and they are able to use their great influence to bring many people to actives so that we can then teach all of them.

Tchau

Elder Sands