The AraCruz District

Elder Young and Elder Reynolds-not comps but good friends!

Letter from Mike July 16, 2008

Mom, I´m good as gold. If you´re ever worrying about me, cut it out. I´ve got a best friend for a companion and I just have fun all day. Just felt like you needed to know that. I´m fine. I love being a missionay. I love being a gringo in a foreign country who speaks the language. it´s awesome. I´m super thankful for you and our family. It´s an amazing blessing. i sent home a camera card today. I´m a little broke today, so I had to send it simply. Who knows when it´ll get there haha But be looking for that in the minimum of 15 days....Love you Mother. I´m jazzed to live in your house again and be your son. Loves.Michael

Letter from Mike, June 17, 2008

Dad

Right you are, transfers have come and gone, and here I am, in Aracruz, as a senior comp to Elder Gann. A colorado state quarterback who´s a champ. I´ve known him for about 5 hours now and we get along like peas and carrots.....Things were good finishing up in Nova Venecia. It always sucks saying good bye to everyone, but as we say 'Faz parte'. Nothing you can do. But this area looks good and I´m excited to work here. Jensen gets home Friday morning, and I imagine that you´ll be getting a ring in the following week from him. He really wants to meet you guys.....McDonald and I were good. But I´m already feeling better with Gann, if that says anything. I´m gonna like this guy. Big Friendly Giant haha

So, this is the true work. Bringing to pass eternal life, through obedience to the gospel and all of it´s laws and ordinances. It´s a amazing feeling. And being made senior has made me want to be better, you know? Senior at ten months in this mission is exceptional. I feel like President really put a lot of trust in me, and a lot of responsibility at that. I´m wanting to serve with an eye single to God´s glory.....

Thanks for writing me every week Dad. I really appreciate it. And Happy late Father´s Day. I hope it was a good one for you. Your oldest son is almost twenty years old. How does it feel? haha OLD

Love you Pop. Thank you for everything.
Michael

Mike's new Companion - Elder Gann

Mike's new companion in AraCruz, Elder Gann, played football for Colorado State University!

Photos of Nova Venecia

Mike at Museum in Niteroi

Mike Lost in Jungle in Niteroi Video

Photos from Brazil Feb 2008

Letter from Mike Mar. 19, 2008

Dude, mom. Sorry it´s late again. We went to the freakin Christ statue today. It was cool cool. Tranfers. I´m outta here. Gone with the wind. Don´t know where, but it´s a fact from the mouth of the pres. I´m gone. Things are going good. Baptized Sunday and we´re praying for another this weekend. Internets being awful today. I got the pack of letters today with the invite to b and b. Congrats. I loved it. I´m really glad to hear that the whole family seems to be doing well. D went from "working" at bjrv to WORKING at a real place. Amazing. I´m really tired these days. We´re running running running to save some soul haha It´s sweet. I´m really sorry that this is so short, but as you can see, p day ends in like ten minutes. I´ll give you a fat update next week from a place other than the fonseca with a new comp at my side. love you more than a lot. I pretty sure than ski patrol is for me. I´m gonna pull a Dave Parkin for a couple of years. I´ll never be young again, ya know? Again, loves and such. I like you more than a friend, I love you like a mom.

Picasa Web Albums - Matthew - mikes mission #3

Letter From Mike Feb 27, 2008

Hey. February is really gone isn´t it? I can´t believe it. I´m becoming a semi old in the mission. I´m the guy translating for greenies at conference. It´s nuts. Things are really going well. REALLY well. Costa has the diligent faith of a mustard seed, and we´re out to help everyone in our area. He´s really given me a boost. Fonseca was turning into an unworkable area, but he proved me wrong there. WE baptized Wallace this Saturday, and we´re looking forward with an eye of faith to get some more for the ward. I was really frustrated Saturday with our ward. NOBODY showed up to the baptism, the Bishop was late and in shorts, so we made him go home and change, but it turned out to be a really great baptismal service. President says that the whole missin is to study faith this whole transfer. It´s a good experience. If you go to the scriptures with a topic in mind, things will be opened to you. Like a Patriarchal Blessing. Read mine a lot this week and there are some pretty incredible promises there according tom ym faithfulness...I know leaders are inspired. I´m narrow minded. It´s so hard for me to do some of the things that they ask, but when I do them, if I swallow my pride, I´m happier doing this work....Saw a lady get robbed yesterday. Yelled at the guy in English and the whole world looked at me like I had lobsters crawling out of my ears. It was funny....Also, our streets were flooded. SO MUCH RAIN!!! Haha REad about Elijah this week, like you mentioned. He shows all of the prophets of Baal who the Lord is, and then what does he do? He kills um all. I don´t really know what to learn from that, but I love that story....Hope all is well with work and with the ward. I´m doing great. Transfers are March 26 I think. Not sure exactly. But yeah, if you ever need anything, give a holler. Thanks Dad. Love you.

Letter from Mike Feb 6, 2008

Alright! EMAIL! P day! YESS!! Well, quickly, I will anser a question of Diana that I forgot to include in her email. Carnaval really is a dance competition. All the famous samba dance companies compete in a giant parade in Rio that last all through the night. That´s the basis. But what it really is is a nude festival in celebration of beer and breasts and gays. It´s quite interesting. I´ll come back and try it out...I´d love to have you guys come. I have to know six months before, so you´ve got plenty of time. We´re teaching Mauricio and Renata. Passed them a firm baptisms for the end of this week. Firm with faith. We´ll see how it turns out. This week has been really really wet. And we´ve been leaving the house at 8 and returning at 7 for Carnaval. Studying after a day of work is tough, but I´ve learned a lot. I encourage reading Jacob. He sure know how to burn the Nephite men, and anyone who denies Christ for that matter. He gives an excellent of how missionaries need to teach in the chapter dealing with Sherem. He teaches, and then testifies. It´s awesome. But hmmm, sounds like I´m missing out on snow to the max. Shame. Sam really cracks me up. Ken too. Us and our jokes. Not lies, jokes. Glad to hear my girlfriend doesn´t have a boyfriend haha Gotta love her. Sent her a hilarious Valentines thing. Be sure to ask her to see it. I am so funny I think.....But yeah, we´re teaching a lot, and we´re trying really hard to bring the spirit. That´s really what it´s about, is bringing the gift of the holy ghost to people that have never had that presence in their home. It´s amazing. D Uchtdorf as segundo. I´m stoked for that. I love that german apostle. But yeah, what else to say. I´m healthy, wealthy, and getting wise. Love you and thank the big man every night and morning for you as my mom and dad as my dad. Thanks for everything. Love you guys. Have a wonderful week. Me.

Letter From Mike Jan 16, 2008

Hey mom. What´s up doc? The snow doc. Removing large snow deposits from the vein that leads to our house. Excellent. I keep forgetting you´re not pregnant haha Well this week was the best week I´ve had in the mission. THE BEST. We really had the spirit and let it guide. We found some great people to teach that have been truly prepared to hear what we have to share. More than half of our new investigators that we´ve found in the last week have lost a family member in the last two weeks. It´s crazy. God´s just sending us on a mission to share the Plan of Salvation with the people that need it most. Not a few tears have been shed in my prayers this week. These people really have had experiences that ready them to hear God´s plan with humility in their hearts. Also, I´ve found a new family. I´m sure that I´ve talked about the family that we´ve been working with that lost their son to cancer a year ago. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH! Mom this feeling is amazing, when you realize that you really care for these people in an eternal sense. I´ve really seen them progress, continually developing faith in the Savior and letting him guide their lives. As I see them grow and learn, I step back and feel myself grow with them. It´s such an amazing thing. But, in short, this week´s been amazing. Spent this morning at the Dentist, cause Elder J couldn´t hold out two years haha He´s getting a root canal this next week, and today they started the work. Sounds like everything is running like clock work at home. I´m good. I´m great. Need a haircut, but other than that. Been having great studying this week. Started out with the topic of Work and Personal Responsiblity. Then I asked the question, why is everything that Heavenly Father does, done right? The Pearl of GP has ALL the answers. The spirit is just awesome when it leads you to question and answer. I think I´ll write it out and send her home. It´s really hepled me define my work ethic out here. Had a sleepover with our Zone Leaders last night and ate Dominos. Foi OTIMO (GREAT)!! But yeah, I´m great and grand, health problem free and speaking Portugese mais ou menos. I´m really improving. Humility is the key. My P Blessing says that I need to let humility be my hallmark. It´s SO HARD! haha But I´m trying. Glad to hear that you´re fine and all is well. I have to write President. We have conference in Rio tomorrow, and I gotta tell him how we´re doing. Love you mom. You are the bomb. Dot com. Tchau for now

Letter From Mike Jan. 2, 2008

Hey Dad

How is everything going there? Sounds like well enough. Things here are going well. Found out this morning that I´ve got another six weeks with Jensen. Complete surprise. A dissapointment to be honest. Him staying one more means me staying at least one more, and that´s a lot of time in one place, but welcome to this mission I guess huh?....Yesterday was P-day, cause everythings closed on new years day. New years eve was ridiculous. Brazil on New Years is cross dress city. Don´t really understand it. Just filthiness everywhere. The Zone Leaders, who have the more part of the centro and beach in their area, had to do a division and come work with us because it was so nuts there. But it´s always good to work with your leaders for a day and see how they work and how you can improve. I was with Elder Spencer, from Florida. He´s a HUGE tall guy that I really have a lot of respect for. It was good and fun to wirk with him. Our chapel went into reform this week, and we´re meeting in a giant house that sucks. The pool was only up to my knees when we baptized, and I had to baptize this guy five times. Twice by myself, twice with the help of E Jensen, and finally on the fifth time we got it. But everything is going good. I read the letter that you gave me when I left yesterday about cultivationg charity, and I´m really going to try hard to do that this transfer. The Lord really blesses us huh? It´s awesome. Well I really liked that bit about the gift of tongues. Some prophet said that when e arrived in the field, he liked to hear the dogs bark becasue he could understand haha I felt like that for a long time, but now, it´s coming smooth and steady, precept upon precept. When I think that I was in house five months ago speaking only English, it blows my mind. The Lord really helps those who ask for it. Qualifies those he calls. Thanks for everything dad. All is well here. No worries. If you ever need anything, let me know. I love you. You´re a great example of a righteous priesthood holder. Ate mais!