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 =)

Week 90 Letter

Famlee!

Hey everybody!!! How are you all doing? I have had a pretty busy week. Today I don't have a lot of time to write because we used a good chunk of our pday helping a brazilian family unexpectedly. It is a good family, but they also have a lot of problems. It is a single mom and 4 kids.

Anyways, these week we increased our pace. contacted more, worked harder, later... we ran home several times to get there before 10 o clock hit. My shoes are wrecked again, and I've only had them for a couple transfers. I'm going to have to buy my eighth pair of the mission. Sheesh. Cobblestone.

Anybody else dreading april?

Today we will travel to lisbon. Here in 10 minutes actually I need to leave.  I know we could use some more power in our zone, so bring it on.

I saw a video of Shiloh's daughter singing 'I hope they call me on a mission'. It was awesome. I am singing a version that goes like 'I hope they let me stay on my mission'. 

I love you all. I love serving the Lord. I love the refining fire, it hurts so good.

Hugs and kisses,

Elder Lee

I love you too mom, a ton...  SOOOOOOOOOO much!

Week 89 Letter

Monday, February 16, 2015

Famlee!

Hey everybody! Levi! Congratulations! I'm so happy for you buddy! In our mission we call that crescimento real, or real growth. Families are real growth in the church! I'm so proud (in a righteous sort of way of course) to be a part of a family that helps the growth of the kingdom here on earth.

I was in Terceira again this week. I love that area sooooo much. I'm going to have to visit after the mission. 

Hugs and kisses to everybody,

Elder Lee

PS pics of course don’t do it justice, but that's the island of São Miguel from the plane.

Week 88 Letter

Monday, February 5, 2015

Famlee!

Happy Monday everybody! How are you all doing? How's the noggin Josh? Sorry about that man, it really stinks that you had to miss out on districts. Don't worry. Let the disappointment turn into motivation and next year you'll take home the title. Sounds like you had a pro season Becca! I bet you could beat me no problem. I don't think I'm good at sports anymore. I might be good at soccer when I get home, but here the competition is stiff ;)

This week had a lot of good, but then ended with a lot of sads. We marked 3 investigators for baptism, and everything was going great. We were following up with them every day about church and had plans to get them there, but sure enough Sunday came around and not a single one made it.  =(   Now we need to push the baptisms back, which isn't the end of the world, but we haven't even been able to get in contact with any one of them yet. I hope they aren't avoiding us. Pray for Ana, Rafael, and Beatriz. 

Today we went to Lagoa de Fogo, or translated: Lake of Fire. It was awesome, and super beautiful. I'll try to get you pictures. This island is so incredible. I know I've said it, but I just keep being amazed by it. I think I am going to live here. Sorry Shiloh ;P

This week needs to be a really productive one. A really busy one. It is going to be great. 

I love you all, and really do love your letters and your support. Reading letters is fast, so don't worry about over-writing, it hasn't happened yet ;P I just can't always promise replies. It's fair though, because I'm a missionary =)

Love, 

Elder Lee

Hello mom Lee!

How you're doing? This is Bruno Cabral, from Ponta Delgada in the Azores (the branch your son is serving :)  )!

Well...you are probably wondering why I’m sending you this email....well...the reason it's weird...but hey...don't judge me...I blame your son ahahah...

So what happens is that I often have lunch or dinner with Elder Lee, and on one of those meals, he mentioned that you do this amazing oh so yummy mashed potato...he thinks that you put sour cream on it, but he's not sure of that...sooo....I was wondering, if you could be oh so gentil and send me the recipe of that amazing mashed potato so I can one day surprise him with your recipe of mashed potato which I already have the conscience that will not even be close to what yours taste, but hey ... at least I will try and intention it's what counts, right? And at least it will be somewhat of a "THANK YOU" gesture for all the hard, dedicated and amazing work he's doing here, in Ponta Delgada. I have mention that to him (a couple of times actually) but your son, our Elder Lee has been the most "complete" "the all package" missionary that I have ever seen in my life!! I know you already know that, but you have an amazing son! He is an outstanding missionary with true passion for this work that is so touching to see it! He puts so much effort on this work that he had to take his pills for his cold sores :)   I have him more than a missionary, but truly a true friend!

I am so grateful to have him serving in my branch and I know that I will be sad when he gets transferred :(

Well...thank you for taking time to read this email, and thank you ahead for the recipe (if possible to send)

Best warmest regards

Com os melhores cumprimentos,

Week 87 Letter

Monday, February 2, 2015

Famlee!

Hey everybody! I am short on time this week... again... 

Transfers were yesterday. My companion ended his mission and went home. I am going to miss him a lot. My new companion calls himself Elder Soares. He is from Mozambique, which means I am serving with my seventh non-American companion. It is a very different experience with each companion. It is incredible.

We hope that this month will be the month of fruits. We have sown a lot of seeds, and I hope they start sprouting. We need to find a lot more investigators, but it hasn't proven simple in this area. 

I love being a missionary. I love learning from difficulties. I love tribulation, because it makes me better. 

The inactive member Volodimir from last week came to church again yesterday and now is on a plan to receive the priesthood. Awesome!

Alright, I know the letter was lame, but I hope you still feel my love for you all. 

Hugs and Kisses,

Elder Lee

Hey mom!

How are you? I'm okay. We had transfers today, and I lost my comp. He was my favorite of the mission. I'm not sure about the new one yet, but he seems cool. He is from Mozambique.

His name is Elder Soares. His native language is Portuguese. Heart-breaker of a game then, huh? That really does stink.

Yeah, I did get the tie. It's nice =)

I bought a suit. I've needed one for a long time, since I gave mine away to Ricardo in Peso da Regua, but I’ve waited and put it off because I hate spending money. I finally bought one though. I think it is a really nice suit. It cost 130 us dollars, but I feel like it is a lot higher quality than 130 dollars gets you in the states. It's nice. It's black. I like black suites.

Um, I have a pic of my com, just a second.

The black one is my comp. 

Never bought a coat. It stopped getting cold. I have a coat that a member offered me as a gift that works just fine.

I have to go, basically right now.

I love you!

Week 86 Letter

Monday, January 26, 2015

Famlee!

Hey, hey everyone! How are you all doing? How was your birthday, Levi? It sounded awesome! You are sooo old! I think you might actually be older than me now!

This week went well. Because we haven't had much success with all of the street and door contacting we've been doing, or much success working with the members, we have started a new plan to find people who are prepared for the gospel. We are starting to visit people from the list of inactive members. It is a little bit daunting; we have about 50 active members and a 40 page list of members with probably 10 or 15 on each page. The church in Portugal actually started in the Azores in the air force base on Terceira. So the church has been out here 40 years or so. Unfortunately over that time there have been a lot of ups and downs for the branches. But that is just kind of how it is when the church is just getting started.

We made a visit to an inactive member Volodimir, who is not actually Portuguese as you probably assumed, but Ukrainian. He has been here in Portugal 13 years. He first came with his family seeking work, but when Portugal went down, all of his family went back to Ukraine, but he stayed. He has done all sorts of work. Whatever he can get. He started in civil construction, and his company took him from the continent to the Azores, where the company failed because of the bad economy. He sought work in another area, and found a job as a fisherman. It sounded like the hardest job in the world to me. He would leave on a ship working 18 hour days for sometimes as much as a month and then come back for a week or two before going back out. Since, he has worked in all sorts of fishing positions. He had been unemployed for some time, but has recently found work gutting sharks. Crazy, huh? Well, he hadn't been to church for a long, long time, but after visiting with him on Saturday he said he would come, and in the end did arrive! He is a really humble, cool guy. I want to go fishing with him before I leave.

This is the last week of the transfer. Monday Elder Harris will leave and I will get a new companion. It might just be the last companion of my mission. Today however we are travelling to Lisbon (again...) for mission counsel. Which means this week we will lose quite a bit of working time in our area. Hopefully we still have time to make a lot more inactive member visits.

I hope you all have a great week! Keep praying for me, I pray for all of you!

Love,

Elder Lee  

Week 85 Letter

Monday, January 19, 2015

Famlee!

First of all, I'm sorry that I didn't get a letter to you this last week. Things have been busy.

This week was good. A tough week, but still good. One of the hardest days of the week was Friday. Friday all of our plans fell, very early in the day. We felt like we should go knock doors in one of the few areas we hadn't knocked a lot of doors in, so we took the long uphill walk there, and started knocking. We must have talked to 200 or more people, and not a single one would listen to us. I don't know if I have ever had more doors slammed in my face. Not a single person would listen to us, and they weren't just refusing to listen, but doing so in very harsh and insulting ways. Right as I started getting a little discouraged I caught myself and remembered a quote I hadn't thought about in a long, long time:

"When I get sad, I stop being sad, and start being awesome."

And along with that quote came the words of one of my favorite scripture passages the last verses of D&C 123:

 11 And also it is an imperative duty that we owe to all the rising generation, and to all the pure in heart—

 12 For there are many yet on the earth among all sects, parties,and denominations, who are blinded by the subtle craftiness ofmen, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, and who are only keptfrom the truth because they know not where to find it—

 13 Therefore, that we should waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness, wherein we know them; and they are truly manifest from heaven—

 14 These should then be attended to with great earnestness.

 15 Let no man count them as small things; for there is much which lieth in futurity, pertaining to the saints, which dependsupon these things.

 16 You know, brethren, that a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm, by being kept workways with the wind and the waves.

 17 Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed. 

If I had to give my mission a theme in scripture form, that would be high up there on the list for good ideas. My great efforts may amount to only a small helm, or even a part of a small helm, but what would the ship be without a helm? So we happily go hard every day.

Today was really fun. We got all of the missionaries on the island together and played futebol. It had been a really long time (remember what happened last time I played...) but I got right warmed up and was careful too, mom. I won't lie. It made me excited to play with my siblings and dad again. Best team ever. 

Hahaha, funny thing that happened just now... I pasted that scripture above from lds.org. I hadn't read it in English in years. I was reading through it, and when I got to the last verse it said ''and for His arm tobe revealed''. I got really confused. I was trying to remember what 'tobe' meant. I even asked my comp, and he didn't know. I was thinking, ‘‘Oh man, I've forgotten English!'' Then I realized that it was ''to be'' and the space was just taken out after the paste job. Whoops. Couple minutes of sheer stupidity.

Love you all, hope you all have an amazing week. Don't forget that every little effort can have a very big outcome, even way down the line- even into eternity. 

Hugs and kisses!

Elder Lee

Pics- me and my island crew (the guy on the far right with the ball is Emanuel Campos, he's a member in the branch that is getting ready for the mish) after a good game of soccer and then me in the full Real Madrid gear that Emanuel let me use =) 

PS- I sure love you Cam! I'll get you a personal letter too, but before I forget, welcome to the field! I can feel your presence in the mission field from here!

MOM,

OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 20 FREAKING YEARS AS A FAN AND THE 2 YEARS I AM GONE THEY ARE GOING TO WIN THE SUPERBOWL 2 CONSECUTIVE TIMES!!!!!!!!

AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Tell cam I said hi =)

Didn’t appreciate the flight info by the way.

Hey, I really really loved talking to you today. I want to give you a big sloppy kiss on the cheek, but I'll have to wait a few months.

I LOVE YOU!

Little baby tony