October 29, 2014
So this week was transfers I got transferred to the other side of the river, to Alecrim, I have been called as sister training leader, and who is my companion...Sister Reeve, who just so happened to be my very first companion in the MTC, crazy right? I always joked with her how funny it would be to be comps with her in the field and she would just look at me and say "it´d be like the blind leading the lame, and it´s impossible to be comps with someone who has the same time as you" oh little does she know ha-ha, but it´ll be great I’m excited. So basically what I get to do now is call the sisters, hear their problems and go on divisions with them, and I’ll be going to mission counsel each month. ótimo! Last week sister Gonzales and I went to the aquarium and that was super great:) also Iraci, the lady who was baptized two weeks ago made us lunch this last Sunday.... I never know shrimp could taste so great! I didn’t even know I liked shrimp. All in all that´s about it.... oh I got my birthday present! You´re the best mom! Love you!
Sister
Leonard
November
3, 2014
Not
much has really changed, like always with transfers, since the last time I emailed.
Two sisters came to visit because one was sick and needed to go to the hospital
here, so that´s stressful because missionaries aren´t that great as houseguests
and because we live where the mission office is we are the go-to house to sleep
and everything. Did I tell you there are 10 bunk beds in my house and each one
has 3-4 mattresses... there are 50 sisters in the mission.... I’m not excited
for the sisters conference in two weeks... but it´ll be great. Life is all good
in the hood. Love you!
Sister
Leonard
November
10, 2014
Que
fubecagem
This
week was a good one. Let me just start off describing an event that no one will
truly appreciate. I went to McDonalds, it´s been more than 16 months. I know in
the states it´s like the lowest grade meal you can get, but here in Brazil it´s
kind of a huge deal. I cannot describe how great it was to smell that fast food
grease and taste Heinz ketchup. Elder Cansino almost cried and Sister Reeve
saved the french-fries cardboard as a souvenir... it´s not pathetic its as
magical as Disney... okay not quite but it was delicious. What else happened
this week... drama with other sisters... I really was raised as a boy. Sister
Reeve doesn’t like drama either, but with this new calling we get to hear all
about it.... this is the Lords way of teaching me more patience. Stake
conference was this weekend... that was quite the event, I still don’t know who
is in our ward because the chapel has been under a reformation, so we have been
with another ward in a different building and this week was stake conference so
this next week I should finally get to know some of the members woohoo. Maybe
we´ll do divisions this week, don’t know yet. But yesterday Larissa was
baptized, she´s been going to church for 3 years on and off, but never really
felt like she was worthy to make the leap and get baptized. She has changed so
much in the last few weeks. Wow I was so happy yesterday to see her baptism;
she is a true example of sacrifice for what is right.
got
to go
love
you all!
Sister
Leonard
November 17, 2014
This week
this week was good... well at the beginning it was super stressful, people showed up to sleep at our house on Monday... 10 sisters in one house.... as you can see from the pictures we ate ramen:) every one was there for mission leader council.... so I don’t know if that makes sense conselho da missão.... but it was great I learned a lot how we need to be examples to help the other missionaries. so we went to the other zones zone meeting this week (all the sisters we take care of live on the other side of the Rio) but we had fun resolving there conflicts. sister Reeve and I laughed a lot this week, which always alleviates some stress, also we made chips and salsa, because we are two Americans in brazil eating Mexican food... that makes sense. But the end of the week was great. We are happy and full of energy... that´s actually a lie, we are dead physically but mentally and spiritually we are awesome, and we smile lots because this is the best work you can do.:)
hope you liked the pics
love Sister Lee
so I
don’t trust ramen anymore.... this is what happens when sister Francis visits
and leaves her ramen out for a day
yes
food does fall from heaven
and
we made chips and salsa!!! mmmmm
these
are the sisters we take care of:)
elder
torres at the bus stop
November
24, 2014
Turkey
What
a great week. First of all I spent my last p-day making jerry out of newspaper,
glue, a balloon, and duct tape (the duct tape saved the day once again). Sister
Reeve made monkey bread (have you ever made it with out premade biscuits? we
did:)) so Thanksgiving was a hit because there was food and a turkey, and this
month sister Reeve and I have been writing on a poster each day what miracle we
saw that day, it´s pretty amazing to see how much the Lord has blessed us this
month.
 |
| we study Preach my Gospel together |
 |
| The missionaries with "Jerry" |
One
thing I LOVE about being here with Sister Reeve is we laugh a lot. We are
serious when we need to be but we are really just trying to live it up, every
moment we have here on the mission. During ward counsel we were all dying of
hunger when all the sudden the ward clerk walked in with juice! We ended up making
a leadership pizza night to end our meeting #bestmeetingever.
I
saw Hildemar 2 times this week, which always makes me happy he is strong in the
church and happy:)
Transfers
is next week I’ll be on Wednesday.
I’m grateful
I am here:) love you all:)
Sister
Leonard
 |
| oh yeah, we made monkey bread |
December
10, 2014
Caicó
So I
got transferred again. Transfers week is kind of ridiculous when you live in
the mission home. Monday night we have to go to the bus station to get the Sisters
who have been called to train. Tuesday our house is full of lots of people who don’t
respect space or anything. Then at 930 Tuesday night you get a nice little call
saying who has been transferred, you then have to stay up till 1 in the morning
organizing all of your stuff and packing again, only to wake up at 630, go back
to the bus stop and get on a bus for 4 hours which turns into 6 when the tire
gets a flat... and there isnt a/c... but all in all its been a good transfer. I’m
in Caicó which is the only city that I was lacking to be able to say I have
served in all the cities that are part of the mission.
But
backing up: last week Marcelo was baptized he is really funny, he just has a
really innocent way about him. Like we were reviewing the baptismal interview
questions and we asked if he had any doubts or questions. He asks "if you
own a bar, but don´t drink, would you have to sell your bar to be
baptized"... "Marcelo, do you own a bar?" "No"...
"do you plan on owning a bar" "no" alright then you don’t
need to worry about it. He is really great and just wants to do the best he
can:)
After
his baptism we had a ward potluck, break the fast. It was really great to unify
the ward a bit more.
Then
transfers happened and now I’m in Caicó. I’m with Sister Baker, she´s from
Charlotte North Carolina. We will be going home the same day ha-ha, she is
awesome. We live with Sister Algayer and Sister Rios! minha filha amada! This
transfer is going to be even funnier than the last two, I am so excited. I was
a bit sad to leave Alecrim so fast, and I did have a blast with Sister Reeve
again, I’m sad to leave every area actually, that´s what happens when you love
the people. But I’m excited to be here. I know it´s the Lord who sends us where
we are needed.
love
you all. stay classy
Love
Sister Leonard
December 15, 2014
So
it´s been a whole 3 days right? Since we last talked. Sister Baker is really
cool, we get along great. It´s always a pleasure learning your way around a new
town. it´s nice that here is pretty much on the grid system, but its hard to
know which street is which because it all looks the same, so that´s not cool. Right
every email that I ever sent saying it was hot here was a lie, Caicó translates
to be "the gates of hell are open" it is so hot! Also Caicó doesn’t
really mean that. like the other areas were hot but when you stepped into the
shade, there was a little breeze that made it bearable, here when there is a
bit of wind its like a hair dryer on super hot that just hits you in the face
and makes you want to cry. This week
will be fun because we have our Christmas conference, which will be way better
than last year because this year I have friends.
 |
| awkward family Christmas fotos |
Also
this morning our house flooded, I’m pretty sure it´s still flooding, I kind of
just left the problem, I couldn’t fix it with duct tape. Our pipes don’t drain,
only one does, and it´s clogged and my redneck fix it skills were inadequate to
fix it, so we called someone and they´ll pass by this afternoon. I’ll send a
pic. love you all. Until next week:)
Sister
Leonard
Dec
22, 2014
If I
tell you everything that happened this week I wont have anything to say on Thursday.
But basically this week was our Christmas conference, and it was really great. It
was super fun to see everyone. The whole mission (literally) got sick, because
there was some bad chicken in our lunch, but we all survived. Actually everyone
I live with is sick... except me, but it´s unrelated to the chicken. This week
was better than the past two; we are going to start to do a bunch of divisions
these next four weeks. Should be fun. it´s all good in the hood.
love you all, until I see you in three days:)
Sister
Leonard
Dec
29, 2014
This
week was a good one. It was good to see the fam bam for christmas. for my
birthday I worked, I actually gave a talk yesterday, almost no one was at
church because it is the end of the year, and here in Brazil they don’t just
have Christmas break but this is also their summer break right now. so
basically everyone is out of town until the end of carnival, in Feb. but it´s
all good. last night we went to Rogerio and Suénia´s house to east cake:) and
everyone sang parabéns to me:) I got two snickers and a nice floral perfume
from the sisters who live with me (i think its to mask the sweaty smell, it
works) all in all it was a good birthday.
love
you all. happy new year. make goals that are actually possible to meet, set
plans to reach your goals, love you all.
