Most favorite.....Least favorite.....

I want snickerdoodels....crabby patties and crackerjacks! That's good that your thumb is getting better.

I heard John Mars was getting Married!!!!! =) That's SO COOL!!! He was always so nervous and timid, but now he's just freekin' sweet! Tell him I said Hi, and Congratulations e mandei uma abraço! I love my brothers especially my team mates in the world of sarcasm and lovely betterness of witty undertaking in a race of supreme supremacy! Epic Phrase - Kyle, Spelling - Darren, so just shut up I already know! lol

 

Life is going well. We almost had a baptism yesterday, but then the day of he got really embarrassed and ran away, so we have to go try and talk to him again. One of our investigators was at church, out of our 10 so that was really disappointing and frustrating and sad. We even went looking for them when they didn't show up and we got nothing! I've just about destroyed another pair of shoes, so now I need to think about getting a pair that will last a year or just trying to buy another pair and hope they last longer, but either way that decision can wait till the shoes actually die. Our washing machine should get here this week, maybe not til next, but I really hope it's this week. Cause rinsing by hand just takes forever! =P

 

Our apartment is a whole lot of diarrhea, but it has a great view. We're living off of pancakes and french toast because with all of our traveling for district meetings, interviews and zone conference butter, eggs, bread, and flour is about all that we can afford. My comp plays music as much as he can, which to be honest I don't enjoy too much.  I like music, but I like to have quiet time when I can just sit and think.  But with his music I can't do that. But if he doesn't have music he gets all bent out of shape so I just let his music go. He's one of those people who always has music going in his head it just never stops. So I let it slide. He's teaching me some new songs on the guitar and how to pick songs. This week we were butting heads a little bit.  It wasn't bad, but it was enough that I recognized that if we let it slide it would develop into a problem, and I was not about to let that happen. So I told him to sit down and we talked. I asked him what I was doing that he didn't like and what he wanted me to do different, but he's just like Johnathan so he didn't really have specifics and then struggled to express himself, but we did not leave the apartment until we were actually understanding what the other was saying and then we kept talking until we figured everything out. We had to speak in English which I wasn't thrilled about, but he was struggling to the point where he stopped talking when we were speaking Português because he couldn't express himself. So I gave in and spoke English with him thinking that it was more important that we were talking and unified than that we were speaking Português.

 

I don't know.  I'm just working and learning.  Every little piece builds into another piece and then develops to include something else. I don't know...mother that's a stupid question how am I supposed to know what my biggest spiritual experience is? One day something is huge the next it's normal--why doesn't everyone know that? How am I supposed to judge any of that =P

 

I'm learning a lot about what I actually like and enjoy and the environment that is comfortable for me. I do not like a messy house--that bothers me.  I enjoy symphonies and guitar, I love Disney movies. I do not like violence or confrontations - unless they are political and revolutionary. and I don't like fighting. I like Shakespear and poetry and cool epic stories and I like to learn and think and I enjoy walking and sitting in Parks and peaceful calming settings. I like to visit cities, but I do not like to live in cities.  I enjoy reading and writing and art, but I don't like pictures.  Which reminds me I want the pictures that we took the day before I left. Please go get them, if you need to take money out of my account to do it, fine I want those pictures! PLEASE!!!! I think that the biggest spiritual learning experience is still occurring and I am currently unable to express how I feel or what is being learned, because at half time you only know what still has to be done, and find yourself without the time to reflect on the game. Reflection comes at the top of the mountain when you've reached the top and can see just how far you've come. The parts that I love most about the Mission are seeing just how protected and guided we are as missionaries, seeing just how much help is constantly around us and watching as our talents are used in the Lords way to help and teach his children, to bring light and understanding to them. I also enjoy learning the scriptures and seeing just how literally applicable they are and the understanding that comes with living what we teach. 

 

And i hate missionaries that come and screw up everything and don't work. I have no patience or tolerance for people who don't work who come to serve and then don't do it. I hate those people. other than that everything else just has it's place. Eu sei que este obra é a obra do Senhor, e que Ele no guiará cada dia para fazer o que Ele ia se Ele tava aqui conosco. Quando aprendemos para confiar Nele temos sempre tuo que presisamos. Ele alementará cada passado que vive, então quanta mais Ele vai alemantar nos sendo nos mais do que passados. Eu sei que vive meu Senhor, que grande paz e alegria vem com este conheçemento. Eu sei que Ele vive.

Até mais agente

Elder Lund

Baby names & A New Area/Companion

legal. His name should not be shadrach benjamin jack joaquim or shane. I like Saxon, but it really doesn't matter what anyone thinks because Dad already has him name chossen and for that reason he's not telling anyone. Why does everyone like shadrach?

 

Okay well we're here in Mococa, my comp and I and e're the only missionaries in the whole city of 80,000 people trying to help our little branch grow. If everyone comes the have a frequencia de 60-75 pessoas. We have a batismo marcado for this Sunday and my comp loves to make apple pie and will make pie for the batismo! =) APPLE PIE MY FAVORITE! =) lol um...cool tory, so like you all remember when mom looks at us and says something like, "if you don't learn how to do this the Lord is going to teach you on your mission" ....yeah um.....my brothers really need to watch out for that because I don't know if the Lord just thinks it's funny or if mom's are supernatural somehow, but Johnathan is curently my comp...I like him, Johnathan don't take it that I'm dissing you in any way, but I don't understand him or how he thinks. He is litterally Johnathan, just with even mre music. The two even look alike. So I'm currently learning how johnathan's mind works and how to work with and understand his person. We live in an apartment that is full of smokers and smoke, but our appartment is clean. We've also taken the place of several slackers who previously pased hrough here so we'v been given te clean up job here. It's going well, just a little bit slow. The city is really big, not huge, but we still on't know every part. And for Reunião do Districto we have to get up at 4 in the morning, get a bus at 4:45 and then travel to one city, where we then get another bus to the city where we have district meeting. and we get there around 8. And we also learne that if you miss te return bus at 11:45 there isn't another bus till 5 and we'll get home in time to go to bed. But the city is really cool and clean and we really like it. 

 

We were teaching a family the other day and they had been visiting the churc regulary for several months, but then because of some less than exemplary members and bad missionaries they have started to drift away. They haven't been baptized yet, but their desire to be was diminuing. The wife told us that the other day she was praying and aske te Lord to send missionaries to help her family be baptized and get them all excited again. That same day we showe up in the city and then the next day we were introduced to them and started answering their questions. Que Benção, Que Beñção!

 

We're really happy to be here, my comp is teaching me how to play music and I'm teaching him how to talk and express himself. I'm enjoying being here in Mococa.

 

So yeah that's prett much we really like it here in our city all alone working and enjoying our time together, because quite frankly if we didn't enjoy it we wouldn't be having any fun being al alone. lol

 

Okay well you wrote another letter so I'm going to go read and respond to that  and try and I'll find a way to get you all a number to call when you open Johnathan's call and try and set up skype for mothers day. Please call EDY and Richard and ask if they can be there for the call too! =) and tammy can come if she wants I guess since she appears to always be at the house anyways. Don't want to make anyone feel bad, but ask richard and edy please! =)

 

okay love you all

Peace out

Elder Lund

Learning to be Junior

(I broke my thumb playing basketball this week with Kyle's brothers and I told him that we are having another boy @ our house)

Mother Mother Mother...one I'm surprised you played PREGNANT! Secondly I'm surprised that no one stopped you from playing and third, how do you break your thumb? If it's a bounce pass you grab it palm open fingers out, how did you manage to break your thumb? And I want a picture of it!

I might have broken my toe today playing soccer, but that's completely different.

 

Glad everyone got to the house well, hope everything goes well for Spencer and Daniel, I want to see pictures of the baptism. I saw the BYU score...

 

I don't know why Ali is crying.  All that means is that she will still get everything she wants without even so much as asking for it. And I don't know why you're crying either mother.  So just don't!  There is nothing sad about the situation except that my comp was right and I'm going to look stupid, but hey I don't have to tell him right? lol jk I'll tell him on our way out.

 

So story of this week is that I have been tired, down, out of it, lazy, and just sad. Why?  Because I work differently than my comp.  When he's "working" I feel like I'm slacking off and when I'm working he's dying. But he's senior and has the right to direct the work that we do, but it's taking a huge toll on me.  And he is leaving me in a position where I'm losing confidence in my leaders.  All of our investigators are none and it's just a wonderfully exhausting situation. President stopped by this week with the assistants to give a training and I asked President is I could talk to him because I felt that I needed to, and that's when I learned how I was feeling because I sat down with President and told him that I wasn't sure how I was feeling or what I wanted to talk about, but then before I even knew what I was saying everything just came flooding out and I almost lost it in front of him...that would have been embarrassing. He listened and then told me that I was doing the right thing, to just let him direct the work and do absolutely nothing to cause contention. He wants me to be the Perfect Jr. If there is one thing and one thing only that I was not ready for coming into the mission it was to be Jr. It has taken me an entire year to learn how to be Jr. To learn what Jr really means and it is exhausting and this last week I used up every last bit of patience that I had. And I lost it! I did not do anything bad, I did not say anything out loud or do anything unbecoming as a missionary, but I lost it and I didn't have any space one more and I was on the edge.  I was so tired and frustrated with everything.Going into lunch Sunday, I realized that I had to get control of myself again.  We were going into a member's house to eat where they were making a sacrifice to help us and I was on edge. I took a minute and said a prayer, sang a song and went into lunch with a smile on my face and had a great lunch. And now I'm better, but I'm going to use it all again this week being the perfect Jr, giving my opinion and then following his decision. Hopefully, I'll have a little more patience this week, but as for now, I have to go because I'm out of time.

Love you all have a good week

Peace Out!

Elder Lund

A week in the rain....

(I told Kyle that in every prayer, Joshua prays that Kyle will learn the language and teach the gospel well.)

I Love Joshua, He's hilarious!

Well family this week was very educational, and very difficult. It has rained the entire week, which means here in Brazil that no one wants to talk to you or come answer their door. However most will rush you into their house when they see two soaking wet boys standing on their doorstep -- if they actually come to the door that is. lol So this week was difficult, but the story of this week goes like this. We were teaching a woman and her two children, they live in another city.  She is illiterate.  Her children are 8 and 10.  They are unbelievably poor and have no mannerism or level of decency, or etiquette of any kind.making it very difficult to teach-- almost impossible. She also has a crush, at 36 years-old, on my companion and has the attention and comprehension of a child younger than Joshua. So we have to explain everything like we would to the primary and then repeat it another 7 times. We found out Saturday that even doing this she didn't get it. We had the interview Friday.  Our ZL passed her as ready to be baptized, but asked that we return the next day to really get her excited. When we got there her family was visiting, her sister and brother in-law and his daughter. The sister is very catholic and didn't say anything bad or wrong, but neither did she say anything good or helpful. However she did ask for a blessing and we blessed everyone in the house upon their request with a blessing of comfort and it was very spiritual and uplifting and I thought to myself if this doesn't excite her, nothing will. We then taught and answered questions and left an amazing lesson, but still she said I'll go to your church one week and the next I'll go to the catholic church, and she was not of the disposition to be baptized either. We taught and explained and tried to help, but when we left her mind wasn't changed. We called our LZ to say that we wouldn't be having a baptism because my comp didn't want to baptize her with her lack of testimony and from what we saw her obvious incomprehension of everything we had taught. Our LZ was Not Happy and told us that she was ready and we needed to return and get her excited for her baptism! My comp fought a little because we were already back in our city and without a way to return. Our LZ told us to return in the morning before church--to do it then. Neither of us wanted to or agreed with our LZ, but I convinced my companion to pray with me asking for guidance and then helped him to follow through and follow our leaders instructions. Sunday we woke up at 5 in the morning and got ready in our suits and in a cold morning mist walked 2-3 miles to catch a 6:30 bus and at 7 we were in her house again trying to encourage her to come to church, if she wouldn't be baptized to just come to church. After an hour she persisted that she couldn't because she had a cold and we had to leave her behind and go to church. Lesson of the week, when you know that your leaders are wrong, but still do what they ask, they have no way to blame you for their being wrong or that things didn't work out. Neither me nor my comp enjoyed Sunday morning, but the best way to turn the day around is to go home, break your fast, eat 4 cookies and drink a liter of kool-aid! =) after that Sunday was pretty good. lol

I have to go now.  Have a good week and I'll talk to you all next week

Peace Out

Elder Lund

Back to work!!

So here is a quick update for those of you who are following the blog and realize we haven't posted since the end of January.  Kyle had a really rough February.  Almost all of his letters home said, 'Please don't post this.'  So we didn't.  Anyway, things have settled down sufficiently.  So, here is today's letter:

I loled! (I'll assume you understand, but if you don't ask Darren.)
I love Daryl! and Sister Craig! I can see sister Craig's face and hear exactly how she said it! and I miss Edy and Richard! =P Are his papers in yet?
yup....that's Johnathan. lol


(I asked Kyle if he uses questions to teach his investigators or when he is teaching on Sundays.)

Depends on my audience. Lately I've been encountering many people who don't have the religious background or vocabulary to answer the most simple of questions, but I can't lecture unless I'm angry. The principle of learning is Socrates. He is the ultimate teacher and his method is the best way for anyone to truly understand. So I mimic his style. Without problems I ask logical questions and then support their logical answers with scripture. And then when there is a problem I try and use the Socratic method to deduce their problem until only the right answer is in front of them. And then when they don't accept it, I don't understand. lol Some get it, others hold too fastly to family traditions and the fundamentals of their old life.
I can't teach with out questions, it isn't possible. teaching is based entirely upon the understanding and foundation of your audience. If you don't ask questions, how will you know their understanding? If you don't ask questions, how will you know if you've laid a foundation to continue? It's not possible. And by lecturing you will loose even your most understanding of students due to the fact that no human mind can maintain focus without being intrigued.

Cool Mission story, or rather maybe not, My companion and I received a reference from one of the members and meet her for the first time at church. On Divisions, my comp went there twice without me to teach her and then the third time I actually went there. Their lives are horrible! Not their living conditions, while those are bad too, but the children were raised without respect and the mother doesn't know how to be a mother. She looses her temper and gives in to their temper-tantrums to get them to shut up. I couldn't feel the spirit, or teach or do anything. it was horrible, but she was living all the commandments and had been taught everything so we set up an interview. she had the interview and passed, but as leaving no one knew if she was actually ready and she had also been showing the others all of he bills in hopes that they would try and bribe her to be baptized. So no one was too optimistic,  but we decided to wait Saturday and if she came Sunday perhaps it really hit home and she was more prepared than we gave her credit for. Sunday came and she wasn't at church, so Sunday evening we went to go find out why. Apparently Baptism had really gotten to her, because she had wanted all of her children to be baptized and since one if four years old she can't be baptized in our church so she took all three of her children to the catholic church to be baptized instead of coming to our church on the day that the others had marked for her baptism....we very emphatically taught her baptism again and marked another date for two weeks from yesterday...yeah after we got with the other elders we all had a good laugh about that. "Hey did you hear? São Carlos 5 had three baptisms this week! FOR THE CATHOLIC CHURCH!"

The big problem is she doesn't read and has the attention span of a five year old three children that that don't listen to her and fight and sh being 36 or 37 years old has a HUGE CRUSH on my companion, for which he is mortally scared lol It's an interesting situation lol

Hey, no one answered my question, where are the pictures we took the night before I left?
And I think that's all for this week, the Assistance surprised us all this week and showed up at District Meeting with surprise Splits, to which our Zone Leaders were late because they took the wrong buss, but that's about it! lol
Have a good week everyone and take it easy! =)
Peace oUt
Elder Lund

Still working hard.

Well, it has been a while since I have posted Kyle's emails.  We talked for an hour at Christmas.  He sent us some of his poetry.  I decided not to post that.  Then, his next few emails he asked me not to post.  So I didn't.  You should know he is doing well.  He is really growing.  His current companion is really making him stretch and he is having to learn things that are challenging.  So, here is his current letter.  He is learning a lot about himself.  We are seeing an adult emerge.  Way to go Kyle!!  We are proud of you and we love you and all of the work you are doing.  Hang in there!

So I made it a goal for this week to not think anything negative, so here goes my positive streak.
I'm thankful for President Monson's talk on gratitude to give me this wonderful idea, and for President Ezra Taft Benson's talk on pride to help me see any of my stumbling blocks and problems.  I'm thankful for Elder Childers who gave me the talk so that I could read it, and for mission friends whom I can call and speak with and receive the help I need.  I'm thankful for this beautiful land and opportunity that I have to learn another language and immerse myself in someone else's culture.  I'm thankful for friends and family back home who I know are waiting for me and supporting me while I'm here and mostly I'm thankful for a companion who is so much like me that I can learn what a Jerk I was to everyone back home.  I'm thankful for a companion who teaches me the importance of seeking other's aid and not doing it by yourself.  I'm thankful for a companion who shows me just how big of a problem pride is in our lives.  I'm thankful for a companion who shows me the importance of listening to people and hearing what they're saying.  I'm thankful for a companion who shows me the downfalls of bible bashing and fighting.  I'm thankful for a companion who shows me talking to others is important to others even if it isn't to you.  I'm thankful for a companion who shows me the value of the spirit and the difference in your teaching when you don't have it.  I'm thankful for a companion who shows me that one person can't do anything alone.  I'm thankful for a companion who shows me the importance of others opinions and the damaging effects when you don't consider them.  I'm thankful for a companion who shows me why it is important to not be dependent upon only one part of the gospel.  I'm thankful for a companion who shows me what happens when you quit and don't keep going.  I'm thankful for a companion who shows me how ugly destructive behavior is and just how offsetting it is to everyone else.  I'm thankful for a companion who shows me that just because she's beautiful and might like you, doesn't mean she want's you to take her to church.  I'm thankful for a companion who shows me that if you play with a snake it may not bite you, but it wastes the time you could have spent climbing the mountain.  I'm thankful for a companion who shows me that running everywhere isn't the most effective way to do anything because you're probably going to miss a whole lot on the run. And I'm thankful for rain! that doesn't burn my balding head! =) =P
That was a fun letter to write I feel much better.  I can thoroughly attest to what President Monson said that.  If we walk with gratitude in our hearts we will feel it lift us  higher than we ever thought possible, or something along that line =) I hope you all enjoyed my letter as much as I did! =) I hope everyone gets a chance to read it! Especially Sister Craig! =) and all my friends and everyone who has a knack for my beautiful sarcastic responses which are truly heartfelt gratitude for the things the Lord has blessed me with like a quick tongue! Tell Sister Ross I have her letter and ask her if she understands Portuguese and wants a card too or if she'd rather I just write a letter, because If I do say so myself Spanish is weird! Anyways I'm going to go Bye Bye now! =)
Elder Lund

Final email before Christmas :-)

Mother, I gave you all the information you need to handle it online.  Wasn't that what you asked for? yeah I probaly can get online, but idk what I'm doing.  I have to pay to use internet, and if I don't remember every piece of information I won't know what to do... I left all the info with you. I hadn't written yet because I'm in Ribeirão Preto. I'm singing for part of the Christmas conference and President wanted everyone participating to come early and practice.

 

Mother skype is simple.  First you log in, second you have a list of people on the left hand side of the window.  If you click on one of them it brings up all interactions you have with them front and center. At the bottom of the window you have a space to type words.  If  you type and then hit enter it acts as an Instant messenger program. At the top of the same screen, you should have three green buttons to the right of the contact list and below the personal information that should appear at the top of the window.  One of them should say video conference or video call and this button is free and you can converse with anyone who has skype and if they don't have a web cam it will appear as a phone call because it will be without video, but the video is not necessary to have the conversation and Christmas leave skype up all day. I'll try to call you before hand and tell you about what hour we will be calling, but your time it should be between 10 and 2 O'clock, because I know Brazilinas I will not give you a specific time because when you go to leave their houses they implore you to stay and eat more or whatever they're doing and it literally take about 40 minuets to leave a members house =P

 

My Christmas Present to you all will not be coming the way I had hoped due to money and shipping and time none of which I have.  But I have been given permision by the president whom I personally asked to go on facebook and post your present for you all and you will most likely receive it after the conference call =p lol

Mother, the Lord told you to send the package at a certain time to ensure that it would arrive here for my Christmas.  Were you obedient?  If you were, why doubt ye the Lord, and what He is capable of doing? In short, what does your heart tell you?

 

The Lord always blesses us when we do our part, and if Elders are teaching and not baptizing, then they aren't teaching well and if they aren't teaching well it is because the Spirit cannot adequately work with them for what ever fault they have yet to take care of.  If they will humbly go to the Lord and earnestly seek His will they will have success, and if they will not--culpa deles. My companion and I have had limited success because we have been working to clean the inside of the cup first as I touched upon last week, but we are doing much better this week and my hopes are high that we will yet have more success here in this transfer. Do your best to do everyting you can, go as far up the field as you can and after you've gone 90 yards and given it your all, the Lord will see the other ten.

 

The only other thing that has really happened, is that into my hands has fallen one of the most enriched talks I have ever seen delievered. It was not suprisng to me that everything the talk tried to address I had already been thouroughly taught in my own home, but the little sentences have sent my mind flying in all diferent philisophical directions has been almost completely uncomprehendable. I will be sending dad a copy of the talk as soon as I can get a copy of it. It is my belief that he already knows and understands the contents, for the most part if not in it's entirety, but I thought that he might like a copy as well so have to go now so I hope you all have a good day, you all take it easy enjoy Christmas and I'll see you - family - on Christmas day.

 

Peace Out

Elder Lund

Kyle,

How has your week gone?  Is the work progressing?  What are your plans for Christmas?  For my first Christmas, the entire district was invited to a member's home and we had dinner and played games all day.
How do you like having Christmas in the heat of the summer?

I hope things are going well.

Love you,

Dad

It's awful! Fortunately the lord know the desires of our hearts even before we do and he has put me in one of the coldest cities on the mission and we regularly get rain here and when it's raining it's kinda cold sometimes really cold so in a small way it's like home. I like it. So Christmas eve we are all going to a members house for dinner on the other side of the city, then our LZs want us to all sleep at their house, but none of my district wants to so after dinner we're all going to come home, and then Christmas day, we have lunch at a members house and then we will go to another members house and make cobbler with them, and we received permission from president to watch a charlie brown Christmas too so we will watch that with their family and then for Christmas dinner we will be at another members house...lol and we be skyping from leandros house also ...so those are our Christmas day plans lol right now I'm in Ribierão Preto because we have the Christmas conference tomorrow and we'll have the whole mission together...=) also mom's package got here, it's in the office so I'll be taking it home tomorrow and opening it in the privacy of my house  lol without the entire world wondering what I got. and i have very thankful and very sad....you sent everything we need to make fudge, but  have come to the point where even the least amount of milk drives me crazy, so we may be taking the fudge and making it for leandro and his family also since I will be unable to eat it, but other will enjoy the present. and if you sent toffee I don't know if it has milk or not so I will be eating that and if it does it will be a transgression not a sin and there is no time for you to tell me cause  will have eaten it before you can return my letter1 wuahhahaha lol I WIN!

Love ya dad

bye bye

Kyle