A Pic is Worth a Thousand Words...

Here are some pics from Elan's recent adventures in Brazil:

Happy New Yearrrrr!!!

whoa i havent written since last year! I´m sorry if you were worried... don´t you fret Im fine.  

  

   Well I´ll start with Christmas...

                 We woke up. studied. got ready. played some guitar.  Lunch time rolled around.  We started our exepedition.  We were scheduled to lunch at a members house who lived at least 8km away.  The sun beat down on us hard.  It was christmas day and at least 100 degrees... Dont forget the fact that Pelotas is the 2nd most humid city in the world.... ok thats something I just heard... im not sure.  Anywhayyyys we  had to stop in the shade because it was so hot.  However the shade was just as hot and the wind was brutal.  it just brought more heat to our sweaty faces.  I thought i was gonna die.  Then our phone rings.  We answer and the worst news ever.  Lunch cancelled.  that point right there was when I was like someone please just carry me back home.  We were all dying..... so after a few minutes of gathering strength we started back to our apartment.  Then the sisters called.  we told them our predicament.... they invited us to their lunch and yaaa.... how gracious, the only downside was that we had to walk an extra 8 km to that house.  but to make my day better we took the onibus!!! yaaaaa.... we had my uke and we just played that in the bus and sang... our christmas was getting better.  Then we arrived to the house.... (fast forward) .... ate a delicious churrasco.... then I tried to play a caviccinho... ukulele type instrument but alot more dumb because I couldnt play it haha.... anywhays the highlight of Christmas was that I talked with my family!!! yaaa they are doing good..... I was so happy to see them,.... So the Christmas day ended up being really good.  

     The next day had some fun highlights...

                  We went to a members house to eat lunch..... we arrived. they forgot. but they let us sit down and watch tv while they prepared a lunch for us..... shhhh dont say anything haha..... well we watched Power Rangers in Space.... the only thing that made it better was that the Ninja turtles were in it too!!! dream come true! it was even better because I understood 75% of what they were saying! hahaha Power Rangers meet the Ninja Turtles in Portuguese,.... who da thunk.... ahhaaha

                  E. Aires and I went on splits today.... E. Aires is such a great missionary.  he´s so outgoing and people just love him.  he makes people feel so good.  I learned so much from him.  I hope to be outgoing like him one day.  Hes very effective.  I loved going on splits with him... He made me teach and bare testimony.... it was really cool because if I ever started to fade he´d help me out and just work it.... yaaaaaaaa.,.... 

     E. Tafarel and I have one investigator that is progressing.  All the other ones are stale.... they dont complete commitments... anywahyyyys this specific investigator bought us yogurt the other day,  shes our neighbor and shes just the sweetest thing.  shes like a grandma to us.  The only downside with her is that we commited her to come to church and we went to go pick her up so we could walk with her and she stood us up!!!!!!  Thats the second time I´ve been stood up by a 57 yr old woman.... hahahahaha jk ok that was the 1st time.  WEll it doesnt matter, i didnt like it..... i´ve never been so bummed! I was so bummed that she was missing out on so much.... next time I see her Im gonna give her a piece of my mind.... hahaha welllllll thats about it thats happened.

     THe walking is horrible.... The weather is worse.... The contacts we make dont want anything to do with us..... but each night I go to my room and pray and I feel like I gave it my all and that I just havent found the elect yet.... maybe i need to search harder? idk.;... Im doing alll i can... I love my mission.  its the true mission.  theres no other place i´d rather be :)  I know that this church is true and that God lives... He directs this church via a living prophet.  THe prophets name is Pres. Thomas S. Monson.  HE was called of GOd and HE converses with GOd.  I know that this gospel is the gospel of Christ, which only through Him can we be saved and receive eternal glory if we are baptized and take His name upon us.... i love what I do.... I work hard and work so I wont have regrets 2 years from now.

Much Love from Brazil and Elder MAynez

PS.  THanks to you all for all your letters!!! i really appreciate that you take time out of your days to send me notes :)  The prayers are felt.... Im striving to be like Ammon... A great missionary....  I love you guys and I am here to make you proud but mostly to make God proud! love you!

Christmas Pics

Talking to Elder Maynez was the best! It was our moms favorite Christmas gift! It took forever to finally get Skype to work, and we had it all set up for Elan to show up on our tv...the thing that ended up working the best was our dads iPhone! #technologyfail

Email #2: From the Field CHRISTMAS EVE

WELLLL its Christmas Eve!!! I´m so stoked for Christmas!!! If u are too then clap your hands....

Lets see what happened this week.....

   - I walked a lot.... WE did lots of contacts.... there were lots of people that were "interested" in our message but they weren´t home when we got there or they gave us a fake address.... bummer sauce.... its ok its good exercise... haha buuuut ya we did meet a lot of interesting people.... I love my companion Elder Tafarel because he is amazing at contacts...  He can take anything they say and apply the gospel to it and make them see why they need the gospel.... Hes pretty suave with that ...

   - We were visited by Elder Godoy.... HE gave us some training.... he told us the only reason why were here is to baptize.... haha yup thats a good reason to be here... he said within the first lesson we should invite them to be baptized,,,, crazy sauce.... but my comp and i do that in our lessons now.... it does work.... we just gotta make sure they follow through with them.... people here have problems with commitment... we´ve had choke people commit to baptism but then we go to teach them more lessons and they are never there.... WE keep working hard.,... Its like that darn hill we used to run for swim team,... its really hard going up but then on the way back down we get to walk downhill haha... 

   - Today we had a christmas party.... We did a secret friend.... I got a pineapple.... cant wait to eat it hahaha.... i bought my secret friend a toothpick holder.... it is a penguin.... U push his head and a tooth pick comes out!  he figured out how to launch the toothpicks.... now I want it back. hahahaa jk jk but seriously...

   - Im so sorry peeps because I planned on emailing choke pics today but I forgot my camera sooooohooo not happenin.... Im so bummed.... Ive been taking quite a few pics.... Id run back to the apt to grab the camera but thats a 8km run and im chafing.,... tmi? too bad... haha but ya.... i do lots of walking... 

   - So last saturday we had a NATAL BRANCO which means White CHristmas.... all the baptisms in the stake were mashed up into one huge mega giant baptismal service.... it was awesome. the SPirit was so sttrong... it makes me wanna have my own baptisms.... im gonna log off this computer and go do work... I need to save some souls.... I love the work I do here....  I know the Lord will bless me as I keep his commandments and devote my life to him for these 2 years.... I love having that knowledge.... I feel so bad for those dont have the knowledge of the gospel... thats why its my calling to go forth and spread the word like butter.... 

    -  This last week we lost all our investigators or pesquisadores so we decided to do a billion and a half contacts.... we only got like 100.... not a billion and a half but ~100 was good enough for me... so this week after christmas we´re gonna go to work,,, its hard to work around christmas time because no one wants to let us in and "disrupt their peace" but we knock on doors anyways.... The people here are nice and warm but ya its christmas time and they wanna spend it with their families and not with two strangers haha i see where theyre coming from but its all good.... After Christmas we´re gonna knock on their doors again haha .... 

I honestly have no idea what else to write.... the major events are listed up above.... thats about all that happened....   Life is good when ur doing the Lords Will... I love Porto Alegre Sul!  Its the True Mission, the best mission, the promised mission.... I love all you guys and I´m doing my best out here.... SO ya be good.... 

#churchistrue #muchlovefromBrazilandElderMaynez

Email #1: FROM THE FIELD

Where do I start??? i cant think right now because I just ate so much food for lunch.... ughhhhh i cant even breathe.,... all the blood is in my stomach right now... haha .... alright... here we go...

So I am out of the CTM.... I have been transferred to Porto Alegre... I am serving in Pelotas Tres Vendas....  Dont ask what that means... I just work here...  

I met with my mission president... Presidente Castro... ya he´s pretty cool.  So we got oriented then we met our new companions... Elder Mayo and I were broken up....  The dream team separated... Its all good though because he later ended up being in my zone haha cool huh....  

WEll i met my comp... Elder Tafarel... Pure bred brazilian .....  We said hello and got on a bus and rode 4 hrs to Pelotas then took a taxi....  arrived to our place and i unpacked.... i did that all while in a suit....  i about passed out...

The apt is nice... no crazy spiders, snakes, lizards, bears, tigers, just an Elan and 3 Brazilians.... so about as bad as it gets lol.... The elders i live with are E. Tafarel, E. Melo, and E. Aires.... Theyre all crazy.... i love it... but no worries cuz we still get work done.... So we dont really have food around the house so that is dumb sauce.... we all know how much i like to eat.... on the upside we have an electric shower... Electricty. Water.  I dont know a better way to wake someone up....  hahah well i havent been shocked yet... still not looking forward to that.... 

The first day we had a zone conference.... I think thats what it was called... i met all the other missionaries.... they are all pretty cool.... i find it hecka hard to speak in portuguese to the americans because I KNOW they speak english.... buuuuut ya .... i need some english relief some of the time nawmsayn? haha welllllllllllll after that my comp n I went tracting.... awesome!

We went around and I met some families in the ward.... They are all so cool!  I drank some Chimarrão.... soooohoooo good.  its literally ground up hay (for horses) and hot water.... the cups they use are awesome... Im gonna buy one before I leave....  i mclove it.  We´re not allowed to make it at the apt because missionaries just sit around all day and drink it... haha i can see where they are coming from....

Lets talk about the food now...... oohoooo yaaaaa.... the main meal here is lunch so everyday members make us lunch.... I dont even know where to start... Every meal is just amazing... Everyone here knows how to cook....  I went to a churrasco at a members house... that was fun.. We drank gauraná, played guitar, played brazilian music, and ate.  The food was amazing... there were like 10 elders just having a great time.....

       So it hit me finally that I was in brazil when a little kid was trying to talk to me... I felt like Nemo´s dad when he´s cruising the EAC.... "youre really cute but I dont know what youre trying to say!!!!"  hahaha The people here are really nice.  Very loving and cool......  Soooo I heard this area is 2nd to last with the most baptisms.... I guess we try to re-activate more than baptize.... idk... im thinking imma change that to reactivate 100 and baptize 100 a week.... hahahah we´ll see,,

The other day I was visiting a family and I was leaving a message.... I started getting all spiritual bearing my testimony and then out of nowhere a little kid ran into the house and yelled BOO!  haha his face was covered in white plaster stuff.... top 10 funniest things ive ever seen... Lucas was his name... that kid is so cute... he couldnt shaka to save his life.... haha poor guy lol....  My other fan is Dominique.... Hes 9 years old and he looks up to me alot... I showed him my breakdance moves and he loves it....  he always comes to me and talks when Im around... he tries to teach me portuguese too... its really cool. THe mission is humbling... haha...... what else....  Oh ya we had a Christmas party.... that was so fun.  Members here know how to have a good time... haha the stake center is HUGE.... it is more built vertical... its only 2 stories but the ceilings everywhere are almost 20 ft high haha ... . wellllllll what else.... my comp has a guitar and i have my uke so we jam when th

I am so thankful for this opportunity I have to serve the Lord...  Im doing all I can to make you guys happy.... Theres no where else I~d rather be... I know this church is true..  Ive never been so happy before in my life... Im so happy,  I know that happiness comes from sharing the gospel.... Thanks for everything and for all your support!!! Love you!!!!

Email #8: Is This Real Life?

Ay OH!!!

    Wow so im hearing news about weird stuff going on in the states.... whats up with that?  I leave the US for 8 weeks and this is what it turns into?  Well now I have to come back after to years and fix it.... sheesh... hahah well in further news, life is awesome.... I leave the CTM in 6 days and 15 hours.... ohhh ya.... so lemme tell u about my week... it was pretty solid.

     So it rained a lot...  i mean alot as in u step out for 1 minute and you´ll be soaked head to toe.... so what are u supposed to do when it rains that much?  Run in it of course.... I took my sock tie off and grabbed my buddy Elder Spiller and we ran around the track... we ran slow because some elder ran on it while it was wet and slipped and busted his face.  ER visit... haha anywhayyyys everyone was cheering us on... it was so funny... we were half way done then it started hailing.  quarter sized hail pieces... they hurt.  We finished our lap and took shelter under a roof.... we came out victorious... so we thought.... we were celebrating then all of a sudden almost at the exact same time E. Spiller and I looked at each other and started scratchign ourselves... we got super itchy we ran upstairs and got into the showers because this rain isnt noraml rain hahaha glad that happened..

    Que mais... we placed 4 Book of Mormons.... ahhhh ya.... MAyo and i rocked it... it got me so excited for the real missionary work we´ll be doing.

           

1.  WE talked to a woman washing windows... we got to know her a little bit and she was interested so we gave her a book and committed her to reading it and calling the number.... it was sooohooo cool cuz we did it all in portuguese...

           

 2.  We were walking down a hecka steep street and i saw this woman staring at us.  I waved and we decided to chat with her.... She worked at a car wash place.  We talked with her and we bore our testimonies to  her and she wanted a book of mormon... this was getting ridiculous because it was too easy hahaha...

           

 3.  We got rejected by almost 30 ppl but we were still of good cheer then we saw a man in the street.  his car died and he wwas pushing it.  we helped him and he jumped in and steered the car to the curb.  he parked and said thank you.  we said no problem and have a good day.... we walked away and were like what 20 yds away then we asked eachother. Should we go back?  haha we ran back and while running we heard his car trying to start.  I prayed, "please dont let his car start yet!"  so we made it and i said "we forgot to give u a present!" hahah lame i know... buuuuuut it worked... he said he would love to read it and i bore my testimony and we walked away... he went back to trying to start his car and it worked.... first try... awesome huh.

            

 4.  WE gave a presbetarian woman a book... she said "without god I am nothing!" we testified of how true it was... Gave her a book and invited her to church.

   

  I can~t believe how much fun i had doing that.... Mayo n I prayed before so that the Lord would guide our feet to people who would want to hear our message.... WE had faith and we went and walked with faith.  We talked to a lot of people.  We got rejected by alot of people.  We invited alot of peolpe to church.  It was amazing though.... we found 4 ppl who wanted the Book of Mormon.  I know without god I am nothing so I boast in his strength not mine.  Alma 26.12..... This church is so true.  I cant wait until Im in the field doing real work.  as for now i gotta study as much as i can so i can be more and more prepared!!!! I love it!!!

Much love from Brazil and especially Elder  Maynez

Week #7: Hash-tag-a-go-go

Wooohoooo!   starting week 8!!!  Im basically a scriptorian, a brazilian, and joking..... I love it here.... The spirit is sooooo strong.  It can bench at least 350kilos... ha wow my sense of humor is dead.... well anywhayyyys life is good.  I love learning here.... Im learning so much.  I pray for the Spirit to Help me learn and I can tell the difference from when the Spirit helps me and when I dont pray for help.  I love the scriptures so much.  I´d rather read them than eat......... seriously tho.... crazy.... I love teaching too. 

Sometimes with our fake investigators I just get so into it I wanna start shaking them because they didnt read the book of Mormon.... im like what the heck sir?!?!?!  but then I remember, "Christ never shook nobody"...... so yaaaa....

I went to the temple today and that was awesome.... I love it.... It rained alot today and that was fun because it actually burns ur skin.... cool huh?  lol jk.... Im enjoying my time here and I~ve only got 2 weeks left.... I can hardly wait for the adventure that awaits me....  I wanna go proselyting but i can~t until next week!  Its whatever!  I~know the time will come faster than I think..... these last 8 weeks flew by.  knowing that makes me realize that the 2 years will fly by and that i need to yolo and live each day with no regrets.... I wanna serve 110 percent every day. every hour of every day....  I love brazil.  The people are amazing.  They are so loving.  They have fun sense of humors.....

The other day I had a brazilian friend E. Lavigne line me up.... he used a razor.... a straight up razer blade.... i looked good and I walked out fine.... that was cool

A bunch of districts just left to the field.... i´ve made it a tradition to go to their rooms and sing them songs the night before they leave and have them sign my ukulele..... it helps them calm down.... half of them were peeing their pants but i offered them my testimony and sang them a song of comfort and they were asleep before the song was over.... hahah  good stuff :)

Missions are amazing!  IF you have any desire to go on a mission and youve asked the Lord to know for sure.   then here´s your answer HECK TO THE YA!!!!  haha ok well im out of time to write but id like to leave my hashtags

  #thischurchistrue

  #GodLives

  #Heloveseachandeveryoneofus

  #IlovetheBOM

   #Portugueserocks

   #TCHAU

               Love

ELDER MAYNEZ