Ferraz De Vasconselos

I had an amazing oppertunity to visit Ferraz De Vasconselos yesterday which was my old area and where I passed about 7 months of my mission.  It was fun walking the same roads and visiting members.  There were two kids that I helped out and their faces were priceless when they opened the door.  We had a family home evening at night and it was amazing to hear the testimonies of some recent converts and how much they have grown in a short amount of time.  I honestly had such a great time and was really happy to be able to see all my friends.  A lot of times we do not understand the difference that we make in the lives of others.  Sometimes it may seem like nothing is happening but people are always watching us and that is why we need to be examples with everything that we do.  It is a blessing to be on a mission and serving the Lord.

Love Elder Visser

A great temple trip

We had a great experience to go to the temple this last Tuesday.  We had to wake up at 5 in the morning to get a bus, then a train, and another train, then we walked a good 30 minutes.  It was totally worth it.  There are a lot of others who sacrifice a lot more than this to go to the temple.  It was so peaceful there and honestly made the week so much better.  I’m super excited to go to the temple whenever I want and also to be able to visit other temples.

We also had a devotional last night that was broadcasted to all of Brasil.  They had it in the MTC here and talked the whole time about serving a mission.  They talked a lot about how much your life will be blessed for serving a mission.  That sometimes its a sacrifice but its also a privlige and a blessing to be able to serve the Lord with all of your time.  We never know how many seeds we have planted during our mission.  You are able to count the number of seeds in an apple but its impossible to be able to count the number of apples that will come from one seed.  I love serving the Lord and I know this is where I am supposed to be.

Love Elder Visser

Just a few thoughts to share

I always get emails from my friends in the mission and it surprises me how much they write every week.  I’m not too good at writing and talking but I’m a pro at sitting and listening to someone talk.  My emails may not be long but I hope you can understand what I’m trying to get across.

This week we had the chance to have interviews with our mission president.  We have personal interviews with him once every 3 months or so.  President Silcox is my fourth mission president.  He has a lot of love for the missionaries here and you can feel that everytime you talk with him.  He talked about how satan and his angels are watching our every move.  They watch and wait until they find that chink in our armor.  A lot of times we fall but whats important is whether or not we get back up and try again even harder.  Every Sunday we have the blessing of taking the sacrament.  Every Sunday we can be completley clean of our sins.  The message the Savior brings is of peace and hope.  As a missionary we see a lot of people with a lot of problems, we even see a lot of members or less actives.  Whats important though is that we do our best and put the Lord in first place and in the end we will be happy.  Serving a mission is a privilege and a blessing.  Thanks for all the love and support.

Love Elder Visser

Another week has flown by

Another week has flown by here.  This week was a hot one with a ton of walking.  When Sunday came around it seemed like everyone we invited did not show up but I was extremley happy to see a couple less active families show up and a recent convert invited his brother who after a few months of inviting finally showed up.  I was happy with the results and know that the Lord is happy with our work as well.  We also had an activity this last Saturday.  In our ward we did 40 day fast to help out the missionary work here and to end the 40 days we had an activity here.  We watched the movie Joseph Smith the prophet of the restoration and we made popcorn.  We planned to start at 7 but at 7 oclock no one showed up.  I was pretty sad but after about half an hour a group of people ended up showing up which made it all worth it.  I love being on my mission and being able to help out other.  It is interesting how much confidence people have in two kids who are 20 years old.  I’m grateful for the time I have and for everything I have learned.  I know this next week will be even better and we have the chance to have interviews with the mission president which are always great experiences.  Thanks for all the love and support.

Love Elder Visser

General Conference was GREAT!

I really enjoyed conference.  I won’t lie, after the sessions on Saturday my brain was pretty fried.  The preisthood session started at 9 and ended at 11 PM and watching in portuguese you have to pay a little bit more attention.  Everyone here was expected that we would have a Brazilian apostle but turns out they are all American.  They are apostles for the world and they love everyone.

Our week was pretty hectic with transfers and meetings and conference.  We spent a lot of time on the bus and train.  The week passed by fast and I really enjoyed it.  I am staying with my same companion which made me happy.  We are excited to work even harder and help more people.  This week we talked with a lot of people in the street and knocked some doors.  At the begining of the week we had a lot of great people to teach but at the end no one was interested in our invites.  We our doing our part though and we will be blessed for it.  It’s a blessing to be able to invited people to change their lives and to invite people to be baptized.  I love my mission and everything that I have learned.  Thanks for all the love and support.

Love Elder Visser

Cold and Rainy...but that's a good thing

My foot only slowed me down a little but that’s because it is tough walking in sandals with socks when its raining. My foots all back to normal though I am pretty sure it was because of my shoe but I am not 100% sure. I am super excited to hear about Logan and what he thinks about Brasil, he is going to do awesome.

Our week was really good. Its been pretty cold this week with a ton of rain but Sao Paulo is really needing it so I can’t complain. We had Elder Mazagardi who is a Seventy and in the area presidency visit our mission the other day and that was a great experience. He talked a lot about how we can’t play around with the commandments. He also talked about eternity which is pretty difficult to imagine. He told us to imagine a bird getting a grain of sand ever thousand years, Whenever this bird finished getting every grain of sand from every beach and desert that eternity will just be beginning. It helped me imagine it a little better and to really put in perspective if things are worth it. Is it really worth it to break this commandment or is it worth it to go to church for a few hours every week? I know that we can be happy with our families for eternity but it depends upon what we do now during our life. Thanks for all the love and support.
 Love Elder Visser

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

I got to eat chicken hearts

Good to hear about Zach. Tell him to send me an email when he gets the chance.

We had another good week here. On Saturday we had a birthday party for one of our recent converts. We all went on the roof and grilled bbq. I also got to eat chicken hearts which were pretty good. The highlight was on Sunday. We had two more baptisms. One was the daughter of the lady we baptized last sunday and the other is her brother. Something I think is really cool is that he is special. Technically he doesnt need to be baptized because he is already perfect but he told us that he won’t come back to church until we baptize him. He has a real desire and he is really awesome. Personally I think thats a really cool story. He could never live on his own but he has a desire to keep the commandments. It was a really great week with more to come.

Love Elder Visser

Solomon's Temple her in Brasil? That's Crazy!

We went to 25 of march again today (the place with a bunch of shops)  We also visited Solomon’s Temple.  They have an exact replica of Solomon’s Temple here in Sao Paulo and it was crazy big.

We had another good week here in Jardim Odete.  The first week of the transfer is always a little bit slow which is normal.  We had another baptism on Sunday and this one was really cool.  Nintey percent of the baptism we have are member referals but this one was a street conctact that was made about 8 weeks ago.  We kept with it and this past Sunday she was baptized it was really awesome.  Next week we will baptize her daughter and hopefully her mom.  Her mom isn’t married but is moving out of the house so we will see where things go with that.  My Portuguese is getting better slowly but surley.  I love the area and my companion.  Thanks for the love and support!

Love Elder Visser

It's transfer time and I am staying!

I want to thank Grandma and Grandpa for the letter as well as the Hauwillers for the letter.  I really appreciated reading them.  I dont have any stamps though and if I could get there emails I will be able to respond to all the questions.

This week went by really fast and was honestly one of the best I’ve had here in Brasil.  It was the last week of the transfers and the last week is always a good one.  Sunday we had a baptism for Camila.  We have been teaching her for about 7 weeks now.  The reason she wasnt baptized sooner is because she wasnt married to her less active boyfriend.  We helped out with that and got them married and then she was able to be baptized.  I had the privlige to baptize her and it was awesome.  This was the first time I physically baptized someone in my life.  It was a great experience and one I’ll never forget.  After the baptism we went to a marriage party because we helped 3 less active part member couples get married.  It was so cool becuase they were so grateful for our help and it was a really good time.  Then after the party we went back to the church for two more baptism.  It was a super good day and I also found out I’ll be staying in the area with my companion for another 5 weeks.

Thanks for all the support and love.

Love Elder Visser

Strange weather we are having

It is starting to get really hot here but the weather is very strange.  One minute is will be crazy hot and the next raining and freezing cold.  We got a lot of rain the past two days which is a great thing.  We used those family mission game plans in Texas all the time, you better not be one of those families that always puts it off haha.  I hope your surgery goes well and everything is good.

 

This past week was really good.  We had the chance to go to the Campinas Temple.  It was a nice relaxed day and much needed.  We took a bus and it took about two hours to get there.  We were able to do one session and I did it in Portuguese which was interesting but went smoothly.  I loved sitting in the Celestial room and just the peacefulness was great.  I was thinking how I can’t wait until I have the chance to be able to go to the Temple whenever I would like.  They seriously are the most peacful places on earth.  We only have one more week of the transfer left and the last week is always a good one.  I’m grateful for all of your support and love.  I’m also grateful for this church in my life and all the blessings I’ve received because of it.

 

 

Love Elder Visser

Our attitudes make us who we are and how we act

This week we only had 4 investigators at church but this week was elections so there was not much we could do about it.  Every Sunday we search for people, at least that’s what you say in Portuguese which simply just mean you meet up with people and walk with them or give them rides.  This Sunday was a little slow but next Sunday will be a lot better.  The language is coming slowly but surely, I’ve definitely seen improvements but still struggle every now and then but that's normal.  On Wednesday we have the chance to go to the Capinas Temple and I’m really looking forward to that.  We only have two weeks left in the transfer  but I don’t think there should be many changes that happen.  I gave a short little training on attitudes this week and even though it was directed at other missionaries I learned a ton.  Our attitudes make us who we are and how we act.  As missionaries if we have an attitude that we will baptize then it will happen.  If we have the attitude our area is difficult and thats just the way it is then more likley than not thats what will happen.  I always relate to playing baseball, if I had a bad attitude and didn’t want to be there I never played well.  I feel like we can relate this to our lives, we need to have good attitudes about our lives and be happy and greatful for the things we do have.

I was super excited to hear about Ryan and everything that has been going on there.  I’m a little sad I won’t be there but I’m happy for him and Maryjane.

 

The first is a members kitten that was only 15 days old and the other my companion and I helped a less active add on to his house.

We need rain

We had a good week here.  It has been very hot but people are nice and will give you water if you ask for it.  Were also in a drought here and need rain really bad.  We had the chance to go on a division and help out a set of missionaries that had too many appointment.  We went there then split up and things went really well.  This week we also got to have interviews with the mission president.  This was great because he came in just a few days after me so no one really knows too much about him.  He is also tough and has a really great vision for this mission and I’m really excited to see all the great things that are going to happen.  We also had 12 investigators at church yesterday and that was really cool to see.  Good things are going to happen in the next couple weeks.  

 

Love Elder Visser

Pause, Rewind, Play

Congratulations on the wedding anniversary! (Mom & Dad)  33 years is a long time but compared to eternity I guess its not very long at all.  

This week was a pretty normal week.  We had 4 confirmations in church yesterday which was really awesome.  One thing I love about being here is how strong new converts are.  We had lunch the other day with a family that got baptized my first week here and it was really cool.  They also treat missionaries really well and every almoço (direct translation for Google is Restaurant) we have is basically a feast.

 

Real quick I want to talk about an investigator I had in Texas.  I think I might have talked about her months ago but anyways her husband passed away and she was going through a really rough time.  Every good person she knew in her life was a Mormon and a former Bishop conducted her husband’s funeral.  Anyways we taught her for a couple months and she would go through ups and downs.  Our lessons consisted of her crying the whole time usually and I spent a lot of hours doing lessons over the phone.  It was amazing to hear that she was baptized a couple weeks ago.  I know that my companion and his new companion did a lot but it was cool to see how much this gospel changed her life from being depressed as you can be to being happy and having hope again.  Sadly I dont have pictures but I hope that story made sense.

 

We went bowling last p-day which was awesome and the other is just a cool view.

 

 

Conference Weekend

Conference weekend is always one to look forward to.  We had the chance to watch all the sessions.  The first two sessions were very hard to understand as we watched them in portuguese.  As we went to bed that night my companion told me I will be able to uderstand better tomorrow because he prayed for it.  The thing is I understood perfectly becuase they had a room that had it in english, his prayer was answered.  We also had another bapstism on Sunday!  The whole week we were not expecting one and then Elder Lamb and I fasted two days before he couldve been baptized.  The day before we got news that he received his answers and wanted to be baptized that Sunday.  If we want to recieve an answer or help others I know that fasting and praying really does work.  In the scriptures every time prayers are answered or miracles happen  its always after much prayer and fasting.  I really liked the talk about prayer and how we need to communicate everything that were feeling with Heavenly Father because he cares about us from the big challenges to the little things in our lives.  Thanks for all of your prayers and I never forget to pray for my friends and family.

Love Elder Visser

 

We made a bunk bed this week with two scew drivers and a piece of wood. The other picture is of the baptism.

Rain, rain, and more rain

My talk went well, I dont know how much sense it made but I shared my messege and bore my testimony.  The week went well and we had a lot of rain, it rained just about every day.  We also had a recent convert come out and teach with us and that was really fun.  We got transfer calls last night and with the new President there were a lot of changes.  I’ll be going to a new area with a new companion Elder Lamb who’s an American.  I’m excited and looking forward to this experience.  Elder Calixto was a great companion but I’m excited to have a new companion who is American.  I think I’ll be living with another set of missionaries which will be good and I’ll be able to practice my portuguese.  I’ll continue to work hard to do whatever the Lord asks of me.

 

Love Elder Visser

Working with a recent convert

Patience and Fatih

My companion is the only member in his family and has been a member for about 6 years.  You find that a lot here in Brasil there are a lot of recent converts of not too long and a lot of people are the only members in there family but I have a lot of respect for those people.  I think he lives about 10 hours away from here if you take a bus but only a couple hours by plane.  The language is not coming as quick as I would like but it is improving non the less.  I get to give a talk next Sunday in sacrament so that should be really interesting.  We had stake conference this last Sunday and it was really cool.  I may not have understood everything but I felt the spirit and thats whats important. I won’t lie some days are better than others here and Seth Malley would always say you experience your highest highs and your lowest lows on your mission.  Its just a matter of time and practice though and I’m looking forward to the day when I’m fluent and able to speak my mind.  I got an email from my last companion saying that one of our investigators that I had the chance to teach will be getting baptized this Saturday. I know the Lord is aware of us and Loves us.  Thanks for the support and love

 

Love Elder Visser

 

This is a picture of açai and its pretty amazing its a fruit that grows in Brasil and its in ice cream form

The weeks pass quickly in the Mission Field

Another week has come and gone and it went by pretty  quick.  We have been staying really busy and have the chance to contact and teach a lot of new people here.  The culture here is really different but its something I will have to get used to.  We had the chance to have a lesson with one of our investigators in a members home and we watched a couple church clips. One was where Elder Holland talked about difficulties in our life and in missionary work.  It was really interesting and true.  He talked about how the reason we have struggles and hard days is because salvation was not easy for the Savior,  there were times when he did not want to continue on but he had to.  I’ve learned a ton in just the two weeks I’ve been here.  I really appreciate you fasting for me and I know it will help.  The Lord is aware of us and our situations.  I got the letter from the haulwillers by the way, please tell them I said thank you!

 

 

Love Elder Visser

 

My mission office address, please send things here

Rua caa-açu,229 belenzinho

03171-020 sao paulo-sp Brasil