I loved taking to my family

It was really good to talk to my family on Christmas and the 45 minutes went by way too fast.    Looks like everyone is happy and doing well. I will get to talk with them again on mother day then the next time will be in person.  I still have a long time to go and a lot to learn.  We are still working hard here and had a good Sunday.  I also recieved an email from one of my baptism is Texas and they are doing awesome.  It was cool to hear from them almost 6 months after that all is well and that they are still strong in the church.  Thanks for singing happy birthday to me as well.  I’ll be on an exchange with our district leader tomorrow so it will probably be a normal day without singing or cake.  I’m grateful for this chance I have to serve a mission and all the things that I’ve learned.  Sorry I don’t have much to say this week but I hope you have a good new year!  

 

Love Elder Visser

 Our Church Building

 Christmas in Brazil

New Area, New Companion

This week has been great.  I’m in a new area and am currently serving in a branch.  We meet in a house that has been turned into a chapel and there was only about 25 people there for sacrament meeting.  I got asked to give a short little talk about ten minutes before the meeting but it was easy for the most part.  I shared a scripture and my testimony and was good to go.  This area is a ton different from my last and will take some getting used to.  I have a brazillian companion, Elder Lopes Da Silva, and I’m really excited and know my portuguese will get a lot better.  I feel different here.  I’m really excited and ready to make a difference.  The work here has been known to be hard but thats somthing that were going to change.  I have fire in my bones and I’m ready to go.  The reason I’m emailing today is because we had a Christmas conference yesterday.  We have been sharing small cards that says ele e o presente (he is the present).  This is something we need to remember during christmas.  Its about our Savior.  Without him we don’t have a purpose in this life.  My testimony has grown so much on my mission and I have a true love for Jesus Christ.  I’m excited to talk with you all on Christmas and I hope you all enjoy it together.

 

 

Love Elder Visser

 

The first is of me and my companion at a branch party that we had and the other is a picture I took from our apartment.

BBQ's and Baptisms

I had a really good week.  We got invited to a dinner one night and a bbq the next and on Sunday we had a baptism.  It was an amazing week but it ended a little sad.  We got transfer calls and I’ll be leaving the area.  It will be hard becuase I really love all the people here and have gotten close to them.  I’m nervous about the transfer but in the end it will be good for me.  Its another chance for me to learn more and to grow.   We had a bbq on Saturday with a family that is really interested in the church.  They are a super cool family that we have been teaching for about a month now.  They made us a ton of food with 3 courses of deserts it was crazy good.  We also had a baptism sunday and he has been taught for a really long time.  His wife is a member and he has come to church a bunch of times.  He is super smart and it was really awesome to be a part of his baptism.  I’ve been super blessed to serve in this ward and have made a ton of memories and friends that I’ll never forget.  

Christmas is only 10 days away and I’m excited to talk with you all.  Make sure to be thinking about questions you can ask.  Hopefully I’ll have details about the time and everything next pday.

 

Love Elder Visser

Hitting the Year Mark!!!

Yeah next week I’ll hit the year mark.  Its a pretty strange feeling because its already been a year but at the same time I still have a year.  I’m excited that I have one more year to better my Portuguese and to help other people.  Two years really isn’t a long time and its a time when you serve other people 100%  and thats why missionaries are so happy.  Two years that you get to serve others and the Lord thats why its called the best two years.  We had an awesome week.  On Thursday we had a baptism.  We have been teaching him for a good amount of time but he is not 18 and his dads in prison so it was hard for him to get his dads authorization.  Out of no where he got it so the next day we had a baptismal service and it was great.  His cousin who is a recent convert baptized him too which is even cooler.  Then on Sunday we had stake conference and we brought 18 investigators to attend.  We were running around all morning finding rides and waking people up but it all turned out great.  Then after stake conference we had another baptism of a mom and her two children.  We helped them get married and finally baptized.  I’m so blessed to be in the area where I’m serving.  We have been able to help so many people and it has really been amazing.  Being on a mission I’ve felt true happiness and its the best.  Thanks for all the support and love.

 

Love Elder Visser

Happy Thanksgiving

We had a pretty awesome thanksgiving as well.  A member from a different Ward invited us over to his house to celebrate Thanksgiving with him and his family.  He taught English at BYU for 3 years so he knows all about the holidays and his English is perfect.  He had a super nice house and fixed us a Turkey with a bunch of other food.  That was a really nice treat for us.  We also had a Zone Conference and got to hear our President speak.  He is really pushing for obidience here in this mission and its great.  We spent a good chunck of the day there but its always worth it to hear the revelation that the President recieves.  He also told us that we will be able to skype for 40 minutes on Christmas.  Its still a couple weeks away so I dont have all the details.  Also transfers are on the 16th so there might be a chance that I’m in a new area for Christmas but who knows.  There are only two more weeks of the transfer left and there are really great things happening.  We are working with a lot of families and helping a lot of people.

Love Elder Visser