6.30.14

im being transferred to Bagé 

im gonna be comps with my cousin elder fairchild.... another asian missionary

Bagé is the coldest area in the mission... this is gonna be fun :)

peace and blessings!

until next week!

6.23.14

hey! im alive!

this week was super fast.  so many things happened!

we baptized two people

Jordana and Luisa 

2 people very special.  

       Jordana is a 12 girl that has wanted to be baptized for 7 months but her mom never let her.  We taught her and convinced her mom.  UNtil the mom said, "fine.... she can be baptized if she passes all her classes."  

we helped her study. we prayed for her.  and she barely passes her classes. Her grades werent the best but she managed to pass!!!   Then we set up the baptism and everything.  Then a few days before the baptism we passed by her house and found out they fought.  The mom wouldnt let her be baptized!  Buuuuuut miracles do happen.  We managed to sweet talk the mom and Jordana was baptized this last saturday!  She helped strengthen my testimony.  Shes proof of a pioneer.  Never lost hope. Kept fighting for what she wanted.  it was very awesome. :)

           Luisa is a daughter of a less active family that was sealed in the temple.  We have worked very hard to bring them to church and we finally are!  Luisa was baptized this weekend as  well.  She is very special and she will help her family be eternal :)

           This week I gave a training to the members of the Priesthood and then later that day another training to the Ward Council.  The first training was super good.  I taught about asking inspired questions to help find out what problems are preventing families come to church.  It was about home teaching.  I talked about an iceberg and all that.  It was super good.  it helped the members understand that its not that hard.  that the visits need to be done because there are lives on the line.  the second training was about reception.  The peple arent understanding that investigators need to be received like a brother or sister.  Why do we even use that title if we dont treat them as such?  

im super happy 

im working my tookus off

all because i read D&C 45:2 by accident.

2 And again I say, hearken unto my voice, lest death shall overtake you; in an hour when ye think not the summer shall be past, and the harvest ended, and your souls not saved.

gotta work hard until the end!!! i cant take "days off"  i gotta work diligently until the end!  

peace and blessings!

#churchistrue

06.03.2014

sorry for the lack of emails... i bet youre all wondering what happened to Elder Maynez...

or not.

anywhays

this week was interesting.  it rained a lot,. its really cold already and its only autumn here

im excited to see winter... its supposed to be the worst one in years/decades

So a new rule was passed.  we cant watch any soccer games in the world cup.  we have to go home and study.... 

highlights:  

TEMPLE!!! what peace is felt in the temple.

I alwys hate leavin the celestial room and going back to the sad world we live in... 

its good to go there and meditate.  I love the temple.

we´ve been visiting this older woman known as paulina.  shes the grandma of the neighborhood.  she had a stroke and we went to give her a blessing.  

next thing we know her daughter invited us to a "family night".... she said it was gonna be really cool and special.  so we accepted and later that day we went back.

as we walked in we heard lots of gospel music.... hmmmm interesting....

an evangelical church was havign a meeting.  in paulinas house.  there were a few ppl there (10-20 peeps) all shouting hallelujah and amen!  all were swaying to the tasty beat clapping their hands praising the lord.....

so we joined in 

the pastor had 10 revelations in that 30 min meeting.  it was weird.  he said he saw a white horse in front of a lady. he saw an angel touching the heart of some man.  he said someone would be a prophet one day.  

it was a strange experience

then we were given 10 minutes to preach 

....

we bore our testimonies.   we didnt want to bible bash.  we felt it wouldnt be right

all in all....

the pastor said he always thought we were mean people who didnt respect other religions. that we wanted to convert everyone,,,

so thats when we taught him about the book of mormon and modern day prophets...

he liked the book.... one day we´ll see him again.

he invited us to his meetings.... haha 

our goal is to bptize him and his congregation.

but ya

those were the highlights of the week

4.21

the first is when this girl told us that her parents finally allowed to be baptized,,,, that was our reaction

annnnnd this is me on a whale.... the lady at the store got mad at me... she said i had to pay to get on... but it was sunday so i couldnt pay

Hotter Than Hades

this week i went back to Butiá to baptize a family i taught.... that was fun.... every one was super happy to see me again... i cant imagine how it must be to see my recent converts in the celestial kingdom.... i was super happy to see my man euclides (i baptized him and conceição 16 nov.).... (yup thats him making the gangster face) haha buuut ya theyre super firm and they are taking tons of families to the church... its awesome,

buuuut ya....

i got  a new comp. elder gomes.  we´re best friends. i love this guy.... we were trained by the same person. elder bordolli. so the way we work is very similar..

buuut ya this week was hotter than hades and i hope it gets cooler soon

Elder Maynez Jr.

It's 2014!

first email of 2014!

its crazy how fast this year went by! i hope the new year comes with many new goals blessings and growth.

my mission is full of challenges and that means opportunities to learn and grow.  Today i studied about the nature of God. also lately ive studied about the Expiação.... the sacrifice Christ did for us.  

I know that God lives. he´s aware of all of our challenges and needs.  He loves each and every one of us.  He knows us by name.  He put us here to learn not to suffer.  We need to trust in Him and if we do that we´ll be helped in our trials and tests.  

He gives us every thing we need to make it back to our celestial mansion.  We just need to do our part and be diligent.  If we do our part we´ll make it home safely.  God has already done His part.  

I love my Heavenly Father and my eternal family.  Be good and stay safe.  See you in a few!

its almost kanishmash!

updates:

i have been called to be a  Zone Leader in POA

 we had a very special White Christmas and we baptized Angela (shes super awesome and special)

....

yaaa thank you all for the love and support!

<3 u all

Elder Maynez

11.25.13

1. our baptisms of this week 

   Euclides and Conceição  they are soooohoooo awesome!  i love them so much.  they are Elder Buhler´s first baptisms!  He´ll be able to watch them get sealed while he´s on his mission!  lucky

2. temple trip.... whoa it was sooohooooo awesome.... i loved it so much!  i am so stoked for everything to come... i learned that the only way to come back to the presence of God and become more like him is through trials.... if we dont have tests we wont learn.  so im grateful for my trials and difficulties because i know its making me stronger.

3. i bought a 45 lb watermelon.... it was HUGE!!! her name is melanie... or melony.  hehe

wellll this week is thanksgiving!  i invite you all to think about the blessings you've received... trials, support, etc.  i think of trials as hidden blessings.  we all go through hard things . . . we just gotta remember that we signed up for this in the premortal life haha.... but its alll good turn out fine.  

the other part of the invite is- in your prayers just express thanks... dont ask for anything.  if you do that you´ll see how blessed youve been and you´ll develop humility.... #learnit #applyit #liveit  

well be good and i love you!

Elder Maynez

{pics are coming}

11.4.13

sorry about the lack of emails.... i havent really had time to write an email to everyone lately.... lack of time equals lack of emails.  

lack of time + lack of emails = angry crowd

Anywhhhhayyyys im sorry angry crowd that i havent updated you about my adventures here in Brasil.

The latest things that have gone down are the following:

 - a hurricane . . . i killed that desire i had to go swimming.  I was soaked head to toe.  my bones got wet thats how much rain was dumped here in Butiá.

- I´m loving the mission more and more and sorry mom that i might not come home because the mission is the only time where i wont have any responsibilities.  No job, no wife or children, no studies to do, etc just me the Lord and his people.  One thing that im learning is that when you´re out and about solving other people´s problems (serving your fellow man: caring, visiting, loving etc) you forget about yourself and your problems. So God can use you to solve his other childrens problems.  and while youre doing the Lords will he´ll solve your problems .... its simple.

We had a conference with Elder Mazzagardi... wow i fell in love with that man haha he´s so spiritual and smart... imma be like that one day.

wellllll after that conference idk what happened but i started to feel like i wasnt the one teaching anymore.  i felt like the Lord has really been using me lately.  I dont teach anymore.  i just testify of what i know to be true and let the spirit do the teaching.

Wellllll thats about it....

any questions comments or concerns talk to my secretary about it.

XoxoxoxoxXOoOXoXOXOxOXOXOXOXOXoxox

Elder MAynez

#thisiswhyimfat

#phat

1 YEAR!

highlight: 

      i made one year!  whoo hooo!  its all downhill from here

      im still in butiá and im loving #mcdonalds

      the members here are awesome, the investigators are very special and yaaaaa

       the biggest challenge here is that all the families im working with are baptizable buuuuuut they are getting baptized because they arent married legally!  so that takes about 1 month (minimum) to do.  so i guess the work i have to do here is marry everyone here.  Then if i stay another 2 months that means ill see the fruits of my labors. so i hope i stay :)

      we ´ve had a bunch of inspirational things happen, general conference zone conference and yaaa i did a division with the zone leader.  Elder Alves.  he´s the most spiritual missionary ive ever met.  he inspired me so much!   ill never forget the things he taught me.

lowlight:

     pulled a prank on my comp.  i bought a fake poop and he almost died from the scare..... but ya that was sooohoooo funny

      we found a turkey that speaks with us.   gift of tongues.  i speak turkish too.

anywhayyys i love the mission and im blessed beyond measure :)

if i could stay another year i would.think about it. haha

but ya....

i love being in the service of the Lord

Love Elder Maynez

Picturesque

yaaaaa i went to the beach the other day 

haha the first thing im gonna do when i come home is dive into a pool

anywhayyyyys this week flew by but it was super tiring. we had to get up at 5am erday and catch a bus to go to another area so i could do the interviews baptismals.  That is the coolest thing ever.  I loved it.  I did 4 interviews and wow the spirit was so strong.  to top it all off we were able to watch conferencie geral.  wow sorry i forget how to speak.  anywahyyys we just watch sunday morning and afternoon. it was sooohooooo gooood! 

wellll in the words of our prophet beloved 

let us always be found doing the lords work.  our biggest responsibility is to build the lords kingdom in preparation of the 2nd coming

love ya! 

Elder Maynez

I'm Quote-able

wellllll im still alive. i stressed out the first week but everything is going really well,.  time just flies when ur having fun.  i remember when i came on the mission and i would look at my trainer and be jealous because i wanted to make the members laugh with my jokes.  now im the senior that gets along with the members and makes them laugh.  

there are lots of dificulties and challenges but its good because it makes me work harder and learn more.  i study alot and i am learning so much.  i know when i think and when the spirit helps me think.  

All the members here quote me.  its funny.  im quoteable.  sweeeeeet

well my comp Elder Buhler is still alive.  He´s learning how the mission really is but its alright because i already went through that so i know how to help him not get bummed out, we´re good friends.  he always talks about home and how there were a bunch of cool new songs that came out while i was on my mission.  . .. wow i feel like an old man next to him. its funny

but ya

life is good

mission is better

Love you all!

Elder Maynez

I Almost "Fell" In

1. Serli is the best person ever.  Shes a prophet.  She´s had so many revelations about the temple, baptism, baptisms for the dead and ya.  We baptized her this week. it was awfully special.  the power went out. we sang A LOT of hymns and ya.  it was super special.

2. Just a couple of kids that are extremely hard to take care of in sacrament meeting.  my planner is all marked up with their drawings and yaaaa. . . its a fight but it will all turn out well.

3. there is a lake in my area and the other day there were a group of kids jumping off a bridge.  i almost "fell" in.  ahhhh it was torture!!!!

PS i cut my hair.... never am i gonna cut it again like that.  ahhhhh

love you all!

if you have questions comments concerns or jokes email me!

Elder Maynez 
elan.maynez{at}myldsmail{dot}net


 pps
This is the closet that takes me to Narnia. 

Fiesta Del Taco...

1. smores party with Laurinha!  haha shes so cute! she´s addicted to hersheys chocolate.  its gonna be my fault if she grows up and becomes obese.  

2. We had an activity for the youth and young single adults. . . mhmmm fiesta! del taco. . . it was super good.  my comp made the best guacamole ever.  PS did u know here in brasil they eat avocados with lime juice and sugar?  weiiird but in a good kind of way.

3. Butiá!  this is my area as of now. 

4.  We donated a box of book of mormons or books of mormon. whatever.  we donated a box to the public library.  so theyre gonna the dirty work for us (theyre gonna give the books away to people who come into the library!)

there was a parade.   for brasil independence day.  it was cool. i had to take some pictures.

the first 2 are of a cake.  it looks like he lost a bet and had to walk around in that cake costume.  poor guy

the next 2 are of a kid that got picked to be a horse or donkey idk.  he didnt look too happy to be there.

the last one is a kid dressed up as a devil.  idk why.  i dont know what the devil has to do with brasil´s independence.   

that was my week basically :) 

Picks

family nights

motorcycle made of wood

chimarrão partayyyy

My Favoritest of Scriptures. . .

alma 36:3 has become one of my most favoritest scriptures.... it says
  

"And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day."

We, missionaries, are so blessed because we have 2 years where we can learn to have confidence in the Lord.
 I don´t know where or when else i would have learned that.  we have to learn wisdom in our youth because when we´re old farts or foggies or whatever you wanna call us we are going have our habits developed and from what i´ve learned on the mission you can´t teach old dogs new tricks....  when we learn to trust in God when we´re young laddies we will be able to know where to look for support in our darkest hours of desperation.  

other than that i am still alive and still having a good time... this week was challenging because it rained A LOT. and the roads are made of dirt so we were covered in mud.... we tried to teach but to no avail because who would let two muddy strangers in their house?  haha yaaaaa

its all good though.... its a part of the mission i was the one who signed up for this....

we had stake conference.... our branch rented a huge black spy bus... that was cool..... but ya on the way home i dozed off and next thing i know the kid next to me started a puke fest.... thank goodness he didnt get any on my suit.... haha but ya it was really really chunky.... i hope u guys are reading this as u eat lunch.... but ya i helped him out and then after a few more minutes he was at it again.... yaaaaa..... poor kid.... then after that his sister decided to join the party.... that family has weird genetics... they shouldnt get on buses.... and i feel really really bad for the people that have to clean that bus up afterwards.... one thing i have certainty.... that company is never gonna rent a bus to the Mormons ever again.;... hahaha 

welllllll be good i love you all and thanks again for the support!

ELDER MAYNEZZZZZZZZ

Don't Run with Scissors!

this week was good.

not many things happened that are worth mentionin

just the same old business... that is teaching and preaching the word to all the creatures of the world

more than that idk what you want to hear.

im still alive...... we´ve been visiting schools and teaching lessons there (we teach the first vision to 20-30 kids) its super cool because now er´body knows who were are and what we´re all about....

the time is flying by

my companion is still chilean and hes doing great in case any of u were wondering

we´ve been studying the pre and post mortal life alot lately.... theres alot of unanswered questions.... but its all good... we´ll know one day.

Be good!

Dont run with scissors!

Dont talk to stranjers!  

love you all!
ELder maynez

Some Pic-a-lics

No email this week, but Elder Maynez did send some pics!

And we all know that pics are worth a thousand words...

so ya....

worn out shoes

giant pig....no seriously it was ginormica!

giant pineapple hehe jk

uhhh and a bat that attacked me one night... had to kill it... then i thought about giving pilo wings. haha

Send letters or emails! :) 

A Joke and Some Growing Up

so ya... ive got 9 months on the mission.... im learning so much and im realizing how fast the time passes by.  I´ve changed so much in just 9 months.  my priorities have changed and im living a new reality where im putting God in the first place.  It´s amazing the experiences ive had.  

I see differences in the lives of people, between those who put god first and those who trust in the material things.  Unfortunately there are so many ppl who think they have faith in God but when tried their faith crumbles... like a cookie :)

i had the coolest experience this last week... we are working in a new area called minas do leão and as well in butiá. we have 2 towns under our responsiblity.... anyways in minas theres a man (70 yrs old single) we´ve taught him several times, he has never been baptized and he wants to be but he wants to wait a little more.  He is really cool and intelligent. he studies the scriptures a lot.  But the other day he talked with us and said "i think i´ll just stay here in my church, but i enjoyed the time we had together."  i thought that was it, but then he looked at me and asked "you are always looking at me so intensely, what do you see?"  i responded "what i see is," paused and thought... "i see a man who is good, who loves god, but he is missing something.  theres a vacancy in his heart and he doesnt know where to go to fill that hole.  He searches but to no avail..." when i said that the spirit came and testified so strongly... i felt that God had just used me to speak to his child.  sooooohooo cool

it was one of those "you had to be there" experiences....

i made a grown man cry @lex... 

but ya i love the mission... the mission loves me.

it truly is a good preparation for the life post mish... i council people and i see them as my family foreals

well bye...

heres a joke u guys deserve it for reading this email,

whats black white black white black white black white black white black white black white red?

.....

a penguin falling down the stairs... haha

l

love ya!

elder maynez

The Lions Mine: July 8th

Wellllll another week went down... i cant believe how fast it went by

so this week we´ve had some major success.

we´re teaching several families that are progessing greatly...

im so happy for their progress.... we have been working on having the spirit present in every lesson... so far its been working very well... the spirit is the greatest teacher and without him theres no way the people will convert...

we´re starting to open another area called Minas do Leão.;.. the Lion´s Mine!  haha we are received there very well;.. we went to a high school and the principal gave us tons of students addresses so we could go visit the families..  ITs really neat because the town is so small every one knows each other... We´ve met tons of new people and its cool to bring the gospel to people who have never even heard of it.  The only downside is that in the next week or two tons of pastors will be showing up to bible bash with us because we´re taking their congregations away hah its ok ill destory them with my scripture knowledge!

haha #nerd

I love the people here.  there are some real warriors here... people make some amazing changes to accept christ in their lives . and when they forget about the material goods and think about spiritual blessings the change in their lives is incredible.  The church is true.  Joseph smith is the prophet of the restoration.  He translated the Book of mormon.  Thomas s Monson is the ´prohpet in these latter days and i know God lives... he loves us and is always listening to our prayers

Love you all thanks for the support

for any questions, comments, concerns, jokes, or childhood traumas you can contact me at elan.maynez@myldsmail.net

# churchistrueandthebookisblue

Love ya,
Elder maynez