March 16, 2015
Vila São Luis
What Happens in Vegas, Stays in Vegas! 

Dear Family and Friends, 

What's this? The family on vacation without me?? Enjoy Nevada for me.

This week we had our 2 baptisms fall through again... We decided that it's best that we put them aside for now and use our efforts on other people who want to be blessed. It taught me a lesson, though, that sometimes we really don't know how to put God in first place. The family is always too busy with work, or too tired with work, and nothing is more important in life than work. But it isn't that way, and it never will be. We owe everything that we have in this world to God, and we can never be so daring as to place the material possessions, or money, or time, in front of a service to God. 

Sometimes it's sad to me to see the world that we live in, and see how often we let material things choose our actions. I remember the words of the Book of Mormon stating that man was made to act, not to be acted upon. We were made to have a freedom of choice, but without noticing we often give up that choice and become slaves to substances, technology, actions, and money. I love the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ because it offers us our freedom from this world, but we have to willingly choose to live it to receive these blessings.

Things are getting better for us in our area. We were able to bring 6 investigators to church and we are running to try to baptize someone this last week of the transfer this week. We are going to invite A, who is the wife of the old first counselor in the bishopric, to be baptized Saturday, we are praying hard that she will accept. 

Next Monday is transfers again. We'll see what happens to me this go around.

Love, 

Elder Evans

Vila São Luis
March 10, 2015

Dear Family and Friends, 

To answer your question Mom, departing missionaries get to go to Cristo and have a pday in the city on the last week of their mission. We have a self sufficiency class, and a testimony/last supper with President before we all go to the airport and fly out.

The ward is starting to move, they were all pretty stopped with the missionary work. It sounds like there is going to be a new bishop getting called here this Sunday, so everyone has been just waiting around to hear who its going to be. As of yet we haven't been having any activities. The church building is in another area and we can't be going to it all the time, or work close by. But we are planning small activities to do here in members' houses. We should be starting this week. This ward is a little complicated. The members are great, but it seems like everyone is just tired.

We are teaching a few people. Our most excited and progressing investigators are B and V. They have been coming to church since I've gotten here in the area, but they aren't legally married, that's why they haven't been baptized yet. The marriage process is long here, so we are hoping that everything will be ready for them to get hitched by the end of this month or early in April.

Just pray for me that I can finish out my mission strong and that everything goes well for me here and when I get home. It's getting stressful knowing that I'm going to be finishing my mission so soon. I don't know if I'm ready to end, but at the same time I'm excited to get home.

My comp is a good guy, but he's complicated.But I've been helping him as much as I can to calm down and not be as trunky as he is.  It's getting better. 

I didn't have a cell phone because some other elders gotten robbed and we let them borrow ours for the time. I got it back last week. 

Love, 

Elder Evans

Vila São Luis
March 2, 2015

Dear Family & Friends, 

Well yeah, this week was a fun week. I didn't get any news on my camera. I don't ever expect to see it again. I'm good though.

To answer for the title, we had a baptism this Saturday. P- was baptized. He is a nephew of a member, we have been teaching his parents, who aren't legally married, but after hearing our message and going to church like they have for the last 4 weeks straight they are going marry in the end of march. The family is awesome. I love the chance that we get to teach them. Ever heard the phrase "Golden Investigator"? But back to the baptism. We were there at the church for the baptism at 7pm. At 6:45 there was a power outage in the city and it took out the power of the church!! But I'm not going to let that stop a baptism from happening on the day and hour that it was marked. There was a bunch of members there and we did the baptism under the light of Cell phones. It was a great baptism. I have a pic, but cant send it today.

Besides that, the week was mostly uneventful. this week we are going to hopefully baptize 2 more people, if not 3. The end is near, but the work never stops.

Love,

Elder Evans

Vila São Luis
February 23, 2015

Dear Family and Friends, 

Well... This weekend has been an adventure... 

I had to go to the office on Saturday to bring a couple boxes of materials that they were needing from here in the stake. We left after a baptism that the other elders had and we arrived home at about 3pm. After this we got a call from president saying that we had to go to another area in our zone to baptize a few people for the sisters. People that had decided that they didn't want to be baptized this week. Only my comp knew how to get to the area, so we did an exchange and I ended up staying here working with the other elder. We left our house to work, after I had eaten some lunch, just before 4pm. We went to go teach some people that lived close to home. 

After 2 appointments we were passing in front of our house and I needed to use the bathroom so we went in. And to our surprise the door was unlocked. I had the keys with me and I had locked the door when we had left. We thought it was a little weird. But because everything was seemingly in its place, and we don't have a cell phone anymore, we left and continued on with the night. My comp for the day, the other american, realized that his money was missing, and so were his basketball shorts. And shortly after, I was looking for my camera, and couldn't find it. Long story short. Somebody got into our house and stole just my camera with all the photos and videos of my entire mission with it, and the 70 reais and shorts of the other elder. How dumb is that?!! 

So don't worry about my safety or anything. We talked with the police and the landlord and president and we already changed the locks and keys and everything, but unfortunately I'm not going to be able to send any photos this week or for the rest of my mission because I don't have the memory cards or a camera anymore.... I'm pretty frustrated because I lost so many photos, the camera doesn't matter to me, but I'm ok about it too. Heavenly Father is really good at justice, and I'm sure it's not cool in the end for those who do bad things to representatives of Jesus Christ.

Besides getting robbed again, we had a good week. The mission baptized this month, in 3 weeks, with Carnaval, 94 people. Which is getting better every month. Our goal the last 3 months has been 100 and each time we get closer. March is going to be the month that we reach more than our goal. Just for my birthday!

I hope all are doing well. Don't worry about me. I am doing great!

Love

Elder Evans

February 10, 2015 Happy Birthday Pops!

Vila São Luis
February 10, 2015

Happy birthday tomorrow dad! You're the best dad ever! Hittin the big ol 50, wooooo!

My email may be a little bit short as of the time and the transfers and the everything today. As I had already advised mom, I was transferred yesterday. It was a little bit sad to leave the region and the zone that I have spent so much time in and worked so hard to be able to help the growth that is happening there. But now I get a new start here in (drumrolllllllllllllllllll) The Rio De Janeiro Zone! I'm zone leader here in the Rio Zone, which is kind of falsely named because it's not in the City, but whatevs. 

My new area is called Vila São Luis, it's a few neighborhoods in the city of Duque de Caxias. It's seems like a good place to work. It's the smallest area that I have ever gotten. It'll be nice to not have to walk miles and miles to get to places. My new companion is Elder Cardoso. He is Brasilian from Rio Grande do Sul. I am training him. This is now my fourth time training, and second time training at the same time as being a zone leader. He is 20 years old and is a nice guy. He is a lot different than my last companions, he is more serious and quiet, but he likes to work hard and we are going to for sure. 

I can see the big city from the front of my house. I can see Cristo and the pão de açúcar! This is the closest I have ever served to Rio. I'm happy to be here and I really want to help this ward grow. I'm a little stressed, as always at the beginning of a new transfer in a new house with a new companion and in an area that I don't know, but I think that it will pass by the next week. It doesn't help that we don't get pday on transfer week.

Carnaval starts this weekend! This year we are going to be working in Carnaval. If I was still in Cabo Frio I'd be at home the whole time, but here there isn't any beach or real problems. We are going to leave home in the morning a little earlier every day starting on thursday and get home at 6 pm every night instead of 9. But when we get home we have to study. It seems to me that this year carnaval is going to be nothing for me here, nothing like Gay parades and the crazy parties of last carnaval haha. I hope. 

I wish all a good week and a good carnaval! Another happy birthday to big papi! and keep sending your prayers this way so I can baptize like crazy these last 3 transfers! I'm getting close to the end and I need to baptize another thousand people at least!!

Love, 

Elder Evans

January 27, 2015 Working Hard

Cabo Frio
January 27, 2015

Dear Family and Friends, 

We are working hard to turn this area around. We are running from one side of Cabo Frio to the other teaching and inviting and sweating. We are starting to see more results from the hard work that we are doing. We are bringing more people to church on Sundays and we are going to finally have more baptisms on the 7th and hopefully this week if everything works out. 

This week we spent a good time working with a family that is very special for me. This is a family that I am getting a second chance to teach on my mission. I met them in Maricá with Elder Braun. They are a referral from one of the counselors to the mission president here and they moved to Cabo Frio about 2 weeks before I was transferred to this area for the second time. A year ago the parents weren't married and we couldn't get them to start the longggg marriage process here in Rio, but over the past year they started and the only thing left to do is have the marriage and they are married. They have 6 kids in total. 2 who are at the age of baptism. We went there and had a very spiritual lesson about eternal families and we invited them to be baptized. For now only the two sons can be baptized and we marked their baptism for the 7th. One of them is on vacation with an uncle in another city so when he gets home he will get the news that he is getting baptized that day. They are really starting to progress now and I'm glad that I got to return to baptize at least some of the family for now.

We are trying to help this ward get excited again like I said last week. We are starting to see some changes. Members are teaching with us, and helping in the church with visitors and such. Things will continue to get better as the time progresses.

Besides that I am happy and well. Just trying to work hard for the little time that I have left. 

Love, 

Elder Evans

January 19, 2015 "And Another Week Bites the Dust"

Cabo Frio
January 19, 2015

Dear Family and Friends, 

And another one down. I have officially started my countdown. It's getting close to ending. The only reason that I know that I only have 137 more days until I get home is because yesterday started the doctrine and covenants reading challenge. You read a section a day starting at section 138 until your last day. But I prefer not to think too much about it. I have too much to do here in Rio still before I can go home.

 

This week was another long week of trials, they never seem to end, but I guess that is how we grow, right? We weren't able to achieve our goals and yesterday the church meeting was a long 3 hours without investigators there. Wow I felt so terrible without anybody new visiting the church, it was the first time that it has happened to me in a long time. We are struggling to work with the members here. They are great, but it seems like everyone is asleep and depressed. We talked with all the leadership in the ward yesterday about how we need the members' help in our work and we are going to wake them up and get them excited again to help us work. I was looking through the area book here this week in a moment of frustration, and I discovered that this area in the entire year of 2014 has only baptized 3 people. 3 people is ridiculously low. We are here to change that. And the change needs to happen this week because I am thirsty for baptisms.

It's getting really hot here lately. I am praying that it rains soon, just to cool off a little bit, and hide the sun for a few hours. Wow!

I'm doing fine besides being really tired all the time. I hope Madi has a happy birthday this week! And that Ethan does well on the ACT! And that everyone is happy and can do something to help the missionaries in your city. 

Love

Elder Evans

Sunset on the bridge to Rio

Churrasco for Elder Mantilla's bday

Us on a bench. 

SELFIE