April 6 Happy Conference and Happy Easter

March 30, 2015
Anil, Jacarepaguá

Dear Family and Friends,

I hope everyone had a great Easter Sunday and was able to ponder the plan of salvation and the atoning sacrifice of the Savior! I know that I really enjoyed this week. I caught a small cold from my companion, but I forgave him, and am getting better now. I learned a lot at conference and hope that you all did too.

 

I'm thankful to be a member of the true church of Christ and to have the more complete knowledge of His plan for us. Something that I really have been thinking about lately is how the knowledge of Where we come from, why we are here, and where we are going to go after this life has really helped me in my life to make all the choices that I make. I know that choices have eternal consequences and significance, and I know that all of us will ressurrect someday to be judged and be rewarded according to our thoughts, actions, and desires.

 

This week we had another baptism. I am now three weeks straight. Proving President Cabral right that yes, all missionaries can and should baptize weekly. I'm trying to finish my mission strong to do all I can to help my area and baptize everyone that is waiting to receive this sacred and saving ordenance.

 

That's all I got this week. We are working with a teaching pool of about 20 young men and women to baptize them in this month. Pray for us to be able to help them take this decision. 

Love,
Elder Evans

March 30 Transferrrrrrred!

March 30, 2015
Anil, Jacarepaguá

Dear Family and Friends,

Well, during the week I was transferred after all. I was in the office on Wednesday morning for a training meeting, and I was told there that I was going to be transferred that day. How dumb huh? But I'm actually alright with it now. I really did want to stay in the Vila for the rest of my mission, we were seeing some real success and progress like never before in the ward, but "I'll go where you want me to go."

 

I'm now in a new area with a new comp,  and happily am no longer a zone leader. Well, at least it's nice to be able to focus more on my area and my own progress. I had been kind of hoping to be released as zl for a little while now to be able to really focus on working hard as just a missionary for the end of my mission. I'm now in the area, don't laugh because it's pronounced differently in portuguese than you are going to read it, Anil. I got here on Wednesday night, and this week we had another 2 baptisms here. I-  was a man that felt that he should go to church last week and I taught him on Thursday for the first time and we invited him to be baptized Saturday and he accepted and was baptized. He is super elect. Golden. We also baptized on Sunday a young man J who the Elders had already marked the date with before I got here. My comp is now Elder J. Silva. He was trained by Elder Siebers. Cool! He has been here in the area for 2 transfers already.

I'm getting to know the members here and all of our investigators still, but so far I'm loving the area. I think that it is the smallest area in the mission too. Going to save my feet from more wear and tear. 

 Tomorrow we already hooked a birthday party for me in the chapel, which is the biggest and nicest chapel in Rio too. Look it up on Google maps! I live on Rua Tirol 188 in a nice apartment in the back of the condominium.

 Well, I'm going to have a great birthday tomorrow and I'll take plenty of pics. I don't have pics to send today because I forgot the cable at home. I'll have a member send them to you this week.

 

Love,

Elder Evans



Birthdays in the Zone

When you give me authorization like that....

March 23, 2015
Vila São Luis
Dear Family and Friends,

This week was one of the best I've had on my mission. A lot of things happened to us this week. A lot. 

Monday and Tuesday morning I wasn't feeling too good. I don't know why or what, but I didn't feel like even working. But on Tuesday morning I asked for a blessing from my companion and from that moment onward, only miracles have happened in our area. Tuesday I left our house feeling great. As we walked past a street, I felt an impression that I had to go on that street because somebody was waiting for us. We had appointments so we went to our first lesson, but our second one fell through.

 

We went back to that street and we walked and the whole time I was just looking out for the person that was waiting for us. We did some contacts and knocked a door or two, but it just wasn't it. We then passed by a corner and there was an eternal investigator of ours sitting there, and she had boughten us lunch that same day too. We kept on not thinking much, but then we both just stopped and decided to go back and thank her for our lunch. While thanking her we asked her for a referral and she told us to pass by her sister's house who lives underneath her. That was it! We couldn't go that same day, or on Wednesday because my comp started to throw up.

 

Thursday comes around I get a call from one of the assistents asking about how many baptisms my zone is going to have this week and I told him that I was trying to get one for me at least. He then gave me a special authorization that I could baptize people who had never even gone to church, as long as they still passed the interview and such, obviously. When he said that we caught fire. We quickly planned our day to go and invite all of our investigators to be baptized on that Saturday.

 

The first place that we were led to was this referral. After some more things happened, we got into her house, we taught her the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and invited her to be baptized Saturday and she accepted without a single doubt or hesitation. We explained more about the baptism and the interview and gave her some things to study for that day and we went back on Friday to resume all the lessons and interview her and in the end we baptized G and her 8 year old daughter L Saturday night. She was soooo ready to receive the gospel. She was just waiting for this moment. That goes in my record book of fastest baptism. I met her, taught her for just 15 minutes, and in 2 days she was baptized and Sunday was confirmed. And they had never been to church. I feel like one of those missionaries from back in the day who just baptized people on the spot.

 

Definitely a week to remember.

Besides them we have an amazing new family that we are teaching. We met them on Friday, they are also a referral from member, and they came to church on Sunday asking to be baptized. The two parents, M and C, will have to wait because they aren't married legally yet, but the two kids, S and T, are going to be baptized ASAP. T asked me at church when his baptism was going to be, I told him that we are going to do everything possible for it to be this Saturday. Showzão.

Church was full. We had 9 investigators there. Things are definitely getting better for us. Good week.

Sounds like yall had fun in Vegas. Keep enjoying life!

 Love,

Elder Evans

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