Week 95 Letter

Monday, March 31, 2015

Famlee!

How is everything? I am great. This week was full of ups and slightly less ups... hahaha...

Honestly the only slightly less up was my sickness. I started the week out with a seriously high fever that went away, but then came back. Next came the serious pains in my lower stomach region Wednesday morning. It hurt so badly. I could hardly stand up. They kept coming and going coming and going, and when my branch president heard about it he did a check up on me. He's a nurse. He got really worried that I had appendicitis, and when we heard that it was straight to the hospital with me... we have a senior couple here, and they are such a blessing! They are the Leseurs. Well, he drove me to the hospital, and after drawn blood, x-rays and ultrasounds, turns out I'm alright. I knew it. Told 'em I didn't need to go in...

In the end it was actually good I got there because they gave me some meds that have really helped. It was called something like marajewana, marijuana, I don't really remember. Hahira, just kidding, just kidding. But the name of it does sound something like that.

Well, miracles happened. I never imagined almost two years ago that I would reap fruits from some of the seeds that I was planting that I never saw grow here the first time, but the Lord works in beautiful, mysterious ways. A man I had taught two years ago named Marco had the impression this week to just show up at the chapel. He didn't even know if there would be anybody there. Luckily, we had finished teaching a lesson there, and institute was just about to start. He showed up just in time. We committed him to church then and there, and he was one of six investigators there on Sunday. After sacrament meeting he came to me and told me that he was finally ready to be a member of the church. Two years ago he had been so full of doubts, and eventually just disappeared. But like we learn in the talk of Alvin Dyer, the Lord knows who he wants in His church, and there's not much we can do about that. He told me that we wanted to be baptized, and soon. How about this weekend? We will talk with him tonight!  Miracles really are happening. We are teaching so many people with so much potential. We have 2 marked right now for this weekend (Natacha and Catarina) and 3 more that need to be marked this week. More to come too. The Lord has been so merciful.

Last night we went to the top of the island, about as far as you can get from Angra to see a family of a member here, Veronica. She and her brother are the only members in their family. Her brother isn't active. She is the only member in the family that does anything with the church. She is a huge help to us as missionaries. To attend church she buses down on Saturday and stays with an older couple here to be able to make it to church in the morning. She studies here in Angra, so she comes and works with us all the time before catching her last bus home. Her family has always been pretty anti, but I convinced Veronica to try to get something set up with them. They ended up making a FANTASTIC dinner, and the night went so, so, so well. It doesn't mean they are ready to be baptized, and it is going to be complicated getting them to church, but they sure loved the dinner, and then afterwards they cried during our spiritual thought. It was amazing to see Veronica bear her power-house testimony to them. She is a lighthouse to the family.

Alright, well, pray for Natacha, Catarina and Marco specifically if you can remember them all. They are awesome.

I love you all!

Elder Lee

In the picture Veronica is the frizzy haired one towards the middle. Her inactive member brother Filipe is to her right. Then her mom and stepdad are in the middle. The lady on the far right is a family friend, she is deaf. She is Jehovah witness, but a really nice lady. Teaching is hard though... The little American Sign Language I know is useless. They have their own sign language here. T

Week 94 Letter

Monday, March 23, 2015

Famlee!

How is everybody doing? Sounds like you guys (or at least some of you) are pretty sick too. I am fighting off a pretty mean fever that kept me up all night last night. Sheesh, amazing how one sleepless night can really mess with you...

Anyways, we already have some good things going here. We had three people in church which makes for the first time this area has had someone at church for a while now. Sometimes it’s hard in such a little place, but we are making things happen. 

Good news from Sao Miguel, our investigator I was teaching there got baptized this weekend! His name is Eduardo. I knew he would make it. I missed it by one week, but it happens.

Natacha is a young single mother we found and will start teaching tonight. She came to church yesterday, and has such a good desire. We had made plans with her for us to go pick her up to walk with her to church Sunday morning, but we arrived a little late to her house because we had went to get another investigator who didn’t end up coming. When we knocked on the door, that dad told us she wasn’t there, so we got pretty sad. But then, we left and just seconds later found her on the street walking to church all by herself with her baby and little sister. She could have used us not coming on time as an excuse to not go, but nope. She started off alone. That's what I'm talking about! Nothing better than an investigator with desire!

I miraculously ran into my first baptism of the mission and her mom in the city one morning this week. She and her brother were baptized almost 2 years ago. They had remained active for a good time, but then moved halfway across the island and never had a way to get to church. We'll figure something out. I wish more people had cars here =/

We had a pday with a bunch of members from our branch and hiked up Monte Brasil. The view was spectacular. I love being here so much; I have never had an area where the members were such a family to me. Mama Lurdes is incredible. She was the one who drove me to the hospital 2 years ago when I cut my hand open... Hope we don’t have to make that trip together this time around =)

Well, I love you all. Pray for Natacha, Catarina, and Jose!

Love,

Elder Lee

Week 93 Letter

Monday, March 16, 2015

Famlee!

Transfers. I unfortunately did not stay in Ponta Delgada for the last transfer of my mission. I was hoping to stay in the Azores for my last six weeks.

Fortunately, I did =)

I did get transferred from Ponta Delgada, but I got transferred to my very first area of the mission: Angra do Heroismo! Yes, also in the Azores, on the island of Terceira. I am so stoked!

What a blessing. The Lord is so amazing. The day I left my first area, I have always wanted to go back to end my mission there. Here I am. 

Saying goodbye yesterday and today was hard. I have such a love for the people I left behind in Ponta Delgada, and it hurt so much to say farewell. It reminded me a lot of leaving my very first area. The same heartache. After all, it has only been in the Azores that I have stayed in an area for more than 2 transfers. I love the Azorean people so much!!!!

We had two baptisms yesterday of two daughters of a less active mother who we reactivated. It was awesome. Their names are Erica and Diana. We had also marked 3 more people for baptism in the coming weeks. I am leaving an area in which we had finally gotten the ball rolling to enter into an area where things have been very slow, but my goal for these six weeks is to leave an impression that will last long after I'm gone. That's my hope. Only six weeks left. It is devastating, but my new companion and I are going to make every second count. His name is also Elder Lee by the way. That'll be weird. I can't tell ya how many times people have gotten confused about the Elder thing, and now... hahaha

We are going to have to do all sorts of things to be effective here in the area. I know the area very well, it is pretty small and everybody knows the missionaries and elders, and there are a lot of negative things said. However, we will be creative. We will find, teach, and with faith, baptize!

Well, I need to go; time was short today on account of travels. 

Love you all!

Elder Lee

Pics- The one that looks like an overhead shot of Sao Miguel is an overhead shot of Sao Miguel. The one that looks like me and my new comp on Terceira is in fact me and my new comp on Terceira. Hahaha

Week 92 Letter

Monday, March 9, 2015

Famlee!

Today is the last week of the transfer. I can't believe it. I still have so much I want to do here! I hope to stay in the Azores, but it would be my first area of 4 transfers of the mission. We'll see. 

Mom and dad, your letters were great this week. I love to hear how involved our family is in the work of the Lord. What great wards and stakes we have there back home. Portugal is getting there as well, and I love being a part of it. 

This week was intense. We marked 3 investigators that soon after dropped us. Ouch. But then the Lord blessed us with the opportunity to teach a part member family that we found through a miracle. We have a list of members here, but the list has 600 names and only 70 active, so it is daunting. However, we found this family, and marked the Dad and two of the daughters for baptism. However, the dad didn’t come to church despite our efforts, so he will have to be remarked. Pray for Marcos. 

Meetings with president this week were great. President Fluckiger is so inspired, and so loving. He always surprises me with how much he actually knows me. I don't know little about his personal life (just what sister Fluckiger has told me in our numerous conversations) but it is easy to see that he is a completely consecrated man. 

I hope you are ready to be a mission president, dad.

We had the highest frequency the branch has seen in a long time yesterday. We are building wards and stakes here. We had four investigators in church, and many inactive members that we have been working with. We need to get this temple built here in Portugal!

In a meeting with the mission President and district presidency we talked a lot about union between members and missionaries in the work. President is the kind of man that understands the incredible effort the missionaries give, but also understands the many responsibilities outside of the church that the members have. He sees the work that a missionary has to do to get just one investigator in church. Just yesterday we were throwing pennies at an investigators window to wake him up to come to church... But he also knows that the members already dedicate so much. Worldwide we need to find a balance between members and missionaries. I love working to find the balance as a missionary, and am scared to find it as a member. We need to be one in the work, because the scriptures say that if we are not one, we are not his. Let us ask ourselves, "What more can I do?"

Love you all. I hope you all have an amazing week. Hope next week I write again to you from the Azores!!!!

Élder Lee

Week 91 Letter

Monday, March 2, 2015

Famlee!

Happy March! This week was crazy. Happy and sad. First off, I don't remember if I told you about the Brazilian family that came to church not yesterday, but last week. Well, they are having lots of troubles and we have been working with them to help.  We fasted for them this week and prayed for them every day.  In the end there were many small miracles. 

The sad part however is that they didn't come to church. The kids are all super interested, but the mom is letting things get in the way. It is hard. It is a family with so much potential.  I've learned that the most pain and joy on the mission comes from loving people with a Christ like love. So many times my heart has been broken. But at the same time I have so many joyous experiences and memories. The battle isn't over with this family. We are going to try and work through the 19 year old daughter and see if we can't get to the whole family.

President Fluckiger will be arriving on the island today. Tomorrow we have interviews with him and divisions with the assistants. It'll be busy. I hope we get to see some division miracles =)

There is so much that happens that I can't write. I try my best. I hope you can feel my love and the spirit in my letters even though my writing is limited. 

I love you all, have an awesome week!

Élder Lee  

PS I wanted to upload some pics, but it isn't letting me =/  Next week I guess =)