throwing out 5 lbs. of coffee to keep the word of wisdom!
Marcelo's Baptism!
missionary hot tub!
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Pictures!
throwing out 5 lbs. of coffee to keep the word of wisdom!Marcelo's Baptism!missionary hot tub!
Just wave your flag...heyeyeyeyeo.... Ponte Nova
well, another super fast week and this time another fast month! i don't know if june even existed. my journal says that it did, but i am entirely unsure! it's already july which is only super significant for me because it means i am coming up on not being a greeny anymore by the missionary made rule book. kinda crazy that that technical stage of the mission is already in expiration...technically.
well it would appear that the world cup is continuing. the reason i know is because the shops still shut down every once in a while during the day and the street goes empty and the missionary opportunities become few and far between. i guess there also is the news that the united states team has returned back to the land of the free and the home of the brave. i only get that told to me about 18 times a day. i guess i still look pretty american. =) but the cup appears to continue for brasil! who knows how far the road will go but hopefully to the first 6-peat in world cup history. we'll see! the other proof of the continued tournament is the existence of a lot more drunk people in the street. i am pleased and stoked to tell all of you that i have officially met the oldest man of my life at about 5000 or so years old. that's what he said anyway...he apparently was on board and helped build Noah's ark! i continued to ask him if he knew any giants on board the ship because the bible dictionary says that giants existed before and after the flood so i wondered if he would know. he didn't know quite what the answer was unfortunately. (see bible dictionary "giants")
i sometimes forget while i'm here that the things i see here are now normal to me and not to you yet so i thought i would share one more thing you can be grateful for during the 4th of july. usually every meal we have with members has rice beans and some kind of meat with a "salad". let me describe to you a salad in brazil. take some lettuce and deep fry it...yes deep fry lettuce and then put it in a large bowl with some salt and oil. yum! brazil is still working on the salad dressing stage of salad.
in missionary news, marcelo carvalo was baptized this week and i am so proud of him! his baptismal service was very spiritual and very awesome! i even got the opportunity to play the piano during a special musical number! it was an awesome privilege to know and be a part of this part of marcelo's life! congrats man!
we also almost had another baptism this week with a 9 year old daughter of a less active but her mother wouldn't give up her own selfish desires to let her daughter have someone to accompany her to church each week. Luane is the girls name and she was literally crying because her mom would not go to church. i asked her a question to which came a very sensitive reply...i asked laune why do you want to get baptized? and she responded perfectly and simply...because i want to be on the side of god in heaven. wow what a moment. i was extremely grateful to witness that determination. unfortunately without her mothers help and willingness to get back to church, we aren't accomplishing anything by baptizing her but adding to the less active list. =(
anyway, i've also had some other cool lessons that i have learned and would like to share as always. it's a good thing i am a missionary because i love sharing the gospel principles i learn! the first of these lessons is that every single one of us on this planet will encounter adversity at some time in our lives and in some way, shape or form. i regret to inform you that if you are reading this email, you are also among that list. the good news is that there is help through the gospel. we read in hel 5:12 that christ is a rock and unwavering support. but i think it is interesting to add a time frame to the story. take the example of the wise man and the foolish man. it's interesting that both the righteous one and the foolish man encounter the storm. just because you are righteous doesn't exclude you from the test of life. the floods will come and the only strong surface to all of this is the gospel of christ. the lesson i learned to all of this tho was from 2 nephi 2:25 which i'm sure you will all recognize. "adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy!" we are here weathering our own personal storms that heavenly father will send but we are to do so in the end result of having joy! prepare your house on a strong surface. the floods will come but regardless the damage, remember the outcome is for your eternal joy.
another lesson that i have perceived around me being on a mission is the outlook of the world and the view it has. what a frankly sad view it is. it seems like the whole world is trying to get as much as they can for doing as little as possible. our world is obsessed with the idea of getting a lot for nothing. take gambling for example. put your practically worthless penny in the slot hoping to win big. it's a very sad view we have taken on and i've thought of it a little differently lately. instead of trying to get a lot for nothing we need to do a lot for nothing. service is the opposite of this view it would seem. i encourage all of you today to pick the person that is closest to you in distance right now and do something for them they can't do for themselves and expect nothing in return. watch the smiles illuminate! i promise you the blessings will come and heavenly father will reward you for the service. after all "when you are in the service of your fellow beings you are in the service of your god!"
i've also realized something from my past that i would like to change and so i'll speak my two cents and see if it can help anyone for their future too. i spent a very large amount of my teenage days chasing the world. i chased the fashions. i chased the trends. i've also noticed that a very popular trend to follow and chase is to try to be different from everyone else. let me add my advice here and give you full permission to chase the world in the way of being different. stand out. the world will not thank you for following it but there is one person that will. heavenly father and jesus christ will thank you on an infinite level if you follow them. they say that fear is the opposite of faith so have faith. stand out. you can change the crowd. your choice can have the impact on millions of other people and most likely will, so take yourself seriously and stand for what you would want to be known for. decisions truly determine destiny! the game of life is fairly accurate from what i've come to realize. you get your cards dealt to you but every once in a while you get to choose from a select few. my friends, please choose the cards that will help you win the eternal game. it is the only one that matters.
i bear my testimony that you will never regret following the gospel if you do it 100%. never in your life will you regret it. don't follow the world. the commandments aren't just the 10 suggestions that moses got and thought would help a little. they are the ten commandments of god and 10 opportunities to receive blessings from your father in heaven who loves you.
i know this gospel is true and as elphaba says in the intermission scene of "wicked"..."nothing will ever bring me down." build your foundation where you should and stand in the place that will help you win the eternal game! i love you all and i know that i am not alone in that statement! Heavenly Father loves you too! thank you for all your support. continue to pray for me because i know you are and know that i am doing the same for you.
Elder Zack Excell
well it would appear that the world cup is continuing. the reason i know is because the shops still shut down every once in a while during the day and the street goes empty and the missionary opportunities become few and far between. i guess there also is the news that the united states team has returned back to the land of the free and the home of the brave. i only get that told to me about 18 times a day. i guess i still look pretty american. =) but the cup appears to continue for brasil! who knows how far the road will go but hopefully to the first 6-peat in world cup history. we'll see! the other proof of the continued tournament is the existence of a lot more drunk people in the street. i am pleased and stoked to tell all of you that i have officially met the oldest man of my life at about 5000 or so years old. that's what he said anyway...he apparently was on board and helped build Noah's ark! i continued to ask him if he knew any giants on board the ship because the bible dictionary says that giants existed before and after the flood so i wondered if he would know. he didn't know quite what the answer was unfortunately. (see bible dictionary "giants")
i sometimes forget while i'm here that the things i see here are now normal to me and not to you yet so i thought i would share one more thing you can be grateful for during the 4th of july. usually every meal we have with members has rice beans and some kind of meat with a "salad". let me describe to you a salad in brazil. take some lettuce and deep fry it...yes deep fry lettuce and then put it in a large bowl with some salt and oil. yum! brazil is still working on the salad dressing stage of salad.
in missionary news, marcelo carvalo was baptized this week and i am so proud of him! his baptismal service was very spiritual and very awesome! i even got the opportunity to play the piano during a special musical number! it was an awesome privilege to know and be a part of this part of marcelo's life! congrats man!
we also almost had another baptism this week with a 9 year old daughter of a less active but her mother wouldn't give up her own selfish desires to let her daughter have someone to accompany her to church each week. Luane is the girls name and she was literally crying because her mom would not go to church. i asked her a question to which came a very sensitive reply...i asked laune why do you want to get baptized? and she responded perfectly and simply...because i want to be on the side of god in heaven. wow what a moment. i was extremely grateful to witness that determination. unfortunately without her mothers help and willingness to get back to church, we aren't accomplishing anything by baptizing her but adding to the less active list. =(
anyway, i've also had some other cool lessons that i have learned and would like to share as always. it's a good thing i am a missionary because i love sharing the gospel principles i learn! the first of these lessons is that every single one of us on this planet will encounter adversity at some time in our lives and in some way, shape or form. i regret to inform you that if you are reading this email, you are also among that list. the good news is that there is help through the gospel. we read in hel 5:12 that christ is a rock and unwavering support. but i think it is interesting to add a time frame to the story. take the example of the wise man and the foolish man. it's interesting that both the righteous one and the foolish man encounter the storm. just because you are righteous doesn't exclude you from the test of life. the floods will come and the only strong surface to all of this is the gospel of christ. the lesson i learned to all of this tho was from 2 nephi 2:25 which i'm sure you will all recognize. "adam fell that men might be and men are that they might have joy!" we are here weathering our own personal storms that heavenly father will send but we are to do so in the end result of having joy! prepare your house on a strong surface. the floods will come but regardless the damage, remember the outcome is for your eternal joy.
another lesson that i have perceived around me being on a mission is the outlook of the world and the view it has. what a frankly sad view it is. it seems like the whole world is trying to get as much as they can for doing as little as possible. our world is obsessed with the idea of getting a lot for nothing. take gambling for example. put your practically worthless penny in the slot hoping to win big. it's a very sad view we have taken on and i've thought of it a little differently lately. instead of trying to get a lot for nothing we need to do a lot for nothing. service is the opposite of this view it would seem. i encourage all of you today to pick the person that is closest to you in distance right now and do something for them they can't do for themselves and expect nothing in return. watch the smiles illuminate! i promise you the blessings will come and heavenly father will reward you for the service. after all "when you are in the service of your fellow beings you are in the service of your god!"
i've also realized something from my past that i would like to change and so i'll speak my two cents and see if it can help anyone for their future too. i spent a very large amount of my teenage days chasing the world. i chased the fashions. i chased the trends. i've also noticed that a very popular trend to follow and chase is to try to be different from everyone else. let me add my advice here and give you full permission to chase the world in the way of being different. stand out. the world will not thank you for following it but there is one person that will. heavenly father and jesus christ will thank you on an infinite level if you follow them. they say that fear is the opposite of faith so have faith. stand out. you can change the crowd. your choice can have the impact on millions of other people and most likely will, so take yourself seriously and stand for what you would want to be known for. decisions truly determine destiny! the game of life is fairly accurate from what i've come to realize. you get your cards dealt to you but every once in a while you get to choose from a select few. my friends, please choose the cards that will help you win the eternal game. it is the only one that matters.
i bear my testimony that you will never regret following the gospel if you do it 100%. never in your life will you regret it. don't follow the world. the commandments aren't just the 10 suggestions that moses got and thought would help a little. they are the ten commandments of god and 10 opportunities to receive blessings from your father in heaven who loves you.
i know this gospel is true and as elphaba says in the intermission scene of "wicked"..."nothing will ever bring me down." build your foundation where you should and stand in the place that will help you win the eternal game! i love you all and i know that i am not alone in that statement! Heavenly Father loves you too! thank you for all your support. continue to pray for me because i know you are and know that i am doing the same for you.
Elder Zack Excell
Q&A - June 30, 2010
1. Did your shoes fit that we sent to you and are they comfortable for walking?
yes, they fit awesome and extremely comfortable and i love them! thank you so much!
2. Aren't transfers coming up next week or is it the week after?
transfers will be the 14th of july, so in two weeks!
3. Are you thinking that one or the other of you will be transferred or do you think it may be both of you? Just your gut feeling...
i think clites will be out and i'll stay. but you never know with parrella!
4. What was your best moment this week?
marcelo's baptism! it'll be in the letter, you can bet on it!
5. Is there still the crazy World Cup atmosphere all around you?
ya, it just continues to great crazier and crazier the farther you get into it. the apparent 3-0 win against chile was awesome i guess! sorry koké!
6. Do you have questions for us?
perguntas prá vocés!
1. I've seen posters for a new movie called Valentine's day with an amazing cast...any word on that? How many buckets of popcorn?
2. Can you please send me some sheet music. I would love the version we have of I Know That My Redeemer Lives!
3. Can you send pictures of me playing soccer? People don't believe me here!
4. A few addresses...maybe someday I'll be out of people to write...Candace Wood, Chad Eckersell, and Stephanie Bybee.
yes, they fit awesome and extremely comfortable and i love them! thank you so much!
2. Aren't transfers coming up next week or is it the week after?
transfers will be the 14th of july, so in two weeks!
3. Are you thinking that one or the other of you will be transferred or do you think it may be both of you? Just your gut feeling...
i think clites will be out and i'll stay. but you never know with parrella!
4. What was your best moment this week?
marcelo's baptism! it'll be in the letter, you can bet on it!
5. Is there still the crazy World Cup atmosphere all around you?
ya, it just continues to great crazier and crazier the farther you get into it. the apparent 3-0 win against chile was awesome i guess! sorry koké!
6. Do you have questions for us?
perguntas prá vocés!
1. I've seen posters for a new movie called Valentine's day with an amazing cast...any word on that? How many buckets of popcorn?
2. Can you please send me some sheet music. I would love the version we have of I Know That My Redeemer Lives!
3. Can you send pictures of me playing soccer? People don't believe me here!
4. A few addresses...maybe someday I'll be out of people to write...Candace Wood, Chad Eckersell, and Stephanie Bybee.
Friday, June 25, 2010
Get Ready - Elder Excell is Going 3D - Ponte Nova
First off - Hello to all! I guess i should start by explaining the title of this epistle. We have an investigator here named Marcelo Carvalho and he was gracious enough last P-day to follow us around playing paparazzi and getting some pretty sweet shots of us doing the Lord's work! And as you can see one of them has been transformed into 3D so yes you need to run out to your nearest kids store and buy a cheap book that includes a pair of 3D glasses. It was awesome to take some pictures with him and he is a great friend!
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Also to start, i will dispel some rumors of activity on my facebook account. yes i have gained three more friends in this big wide world according to the dictates of modern humanity and facebook. I will dispel this rumor by saying, no i have not logged in to this site to add friends but merely typed in a password so that Marcelo could add himself and two other members here in the ward. i did not see a page of the site for i merely walked around the corner. We wanted to look at some pictures on my page but was not able to because of the blocks i have. so, now all is well and without breaking any rules! =)
So as for Ponte nova and the missionary part of things, life is great here! I have recently become addicted to wafers. Brazilians have not mastered the idea of soft cookies or chips ahoy yet so wafers are the softest thing i could find! they are delicious!
this week was also zone conference for us which means a little miniature vacation! we left monday night at about 5 o clock for the city of BH or Belo Horizonte. the bus ride is about 4 hours and an awesome nap if you can manage to sleep! but there comes a problem with this as well! first off brazilian buses and second we aren't driving on american highways. let me describe to you the 5 senses of the Ponte Nova to BH 5:25 bus.
Taste: well to start off we have to take executive...don't ask me why but yes that includes a snack! now don't get your mouth watering too much because the extra 5 dollar tickets comes exclusively with a glass of water! yum! =)
Smell: regardless of the executive ticket we always seem to get placed in the back of the bus which was awesome back in junior high cause you could sit with the kool kids but in brazil it means you are next to the bathroom which has a smell uniquely of its own consisting of grease and chicken that has been soaked in grease.
Touch: for this section i will be including the whole motion of the body. let me put this simply...for most of you reading this you live in the west or have at least visited. imagine a road like jackson pass or provo canyon going about 75 miles an hour on a 50 mile an hour road and you have achieved the sense of the bus!
Sight: Your sight is very limited on this attraction of a roller coaster but only because of the darkness outside and the complete lack of lights inside.
Hearing: For the sounds of the bus you will be required to grab a 5 gallon bucket along with 3 nails and shake as fast as possible.
Needless to say i will be enjoying american highways and cars a lot more in the coming years!
Zone conference was amazing tho. Thank you for everyone that wrote - i am writing you back today as many as i can and hopefully by next week have everyone caught up with. Every time i go to zone conference i just grow such a love for so many things! 1) a love for president and sister parrella! truly they were called to be leading this mission at my time! 2) a love for all the missionaries here in the mission and the trials and rewards we pass together. (See alma chapter 26) and 3) a love for the work that is being done. truly it is a work done by our heavenly father!
I had some cool experiences this week. we have been having a bit of a rough patch finding some new people and on saturday after some pretty empty lessons and lack of success, i said the words "man i just wish i could have one of those moments that makes you love being a missionary" and not one door later we had an amazing lesson with a family that is really needing the gospel right now! Heavenly Father does answer prayers!
Sunday after getting a lot of cake (how brazilians describe getting stood up) we came to church with 0 investigators and i could not stand it! we had tried so hard all week! why no results! i would not take no for an answer...i looked at elder clites and said we need to walk up the hill right now...we did. we came to the top and went to a family that we had given up on any progress and asked them to go to church...low and behold they came. all three of them and three more neighbors. we showed up at church with our 6 and 2 others that had made it there and we were in business and had a great sacrament meeting the third hour! Never Give up! you can't give up until you have done everything! that is when heavenly father blesses you!
i've been thinking a lot about addictions lately and the severity of every addiction. whether it be smoking, to pornography, to something as simple as shopping too much! i've come to learn that all three, and every other addiction are wrong for one reason. it limits the gift of agency that god gave you! these addictions or cravings of that of the natural man are referred to in mosiah 3:19. and a lesson very hardly learned is that the natural man is never satisfied! you can never fill that craving of the bottomless pit of eternal darkened abyss! it never gets filled or even satisfied! there is only one source of strength and "food" that can fill your holes and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ our lord and savior. the only thing that can fill eternal holes are eternal things such as his eternal love, his eternal sight of your value and self worth, his eternal security, his eternal hope he has for you in the future. His eternal gospel fills every dark and barren hole you have! I testify with all the love that i have in me for every single one of you, together with the love of our savior of whom i am a representative, that this work and this gospel is real! it will change your life and it is worth every step, no matter how hard, to follow his path he has prepared and left for you to follow! there is always a way out with our savior and all things can be possible! (1 Cor. 10:13)
I cannot express in words the love i have for this work and the determination that i will continue to put in! I love being here and will not leave until I am removed by the will of our Heavenly Father who loves us! God lives and loves us. Jesus Christ is his literal son and the savior of every single one of us, heavenly father's children! a 14 year old boy named Jospeh Smith saw God and Christ and restored the work that has been in action since time had begun! Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today of that legacy and he leads and guides this work and this church according to the guidelines Heavenly Father gives him! Missionary work is real and the legacy continues to go forward and will never be taken again from the earth!
I love you. Your Heavenly Father loves you and he and your savior are waiting with their arms wide open! Never forget you have them to turn to.
I heard a quote recently that i loved..."the world series champion starts at spring training." start now! go for the reward! 3 Nephi 13:19-21. Lay up the treasure you want!
With all my love,
Elder Excell
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Also to start, i will dispel some rumors of activity on my facebook account. yes i have gained three more friends in this big wide world according to the dictates of modern humanity and facebook. I will dispel this rumor by saying, no i have not logged in to this site to add friends but merely typed in a password so that Marcelo could add himself and two other members here in the ward. i did not see a page of the site for i merely walked around the corner. We wanted to look at some pictures on my page but was not able to because of the blocks i have. so, now all is well and without breaking any rules! =)
So as for Ponte nova and the missionary part of things, life is great here! I have recently become addicted to wafers. Brazilians have not mastered the idea of soft cookies or chips ahoy yet so wafers are the softest thing i could find! they are delicious!
this week was also zone conference for us which means a little miniature vacation! we left monday night at about 5 o clock for the city of BH or Belo Horizonte. the bus ride is about 4 hours and an awesome nap if you can manage to sleep! but there comes a problem with this as well! first off brazilian buses and second we aren't driving on american highways. let me describe to you the 5 senses of the Ponte Nova to BH 5:25 bus.
Taste: well to start off we have to take executive...don't ask me why but yes that includes a snack! now don't get your mouth watering too much because the extra 5 dollar tickets comes exclusively with a glass of water! yum! =)
Smell: regardless of the executive ticket we always seem to get placed in the back of the bus which was awesome back in junior high cause you could sit with the kool kids but in brazil it means you are next to the bathroom which has a smell uniquely of its own consisting of grease and chicken that has been soaked in grease.
Touch: for this section i will be including the whole motion of the body. let me put this simply...for most of you reading this you live in the west or have at least visited. imagine a road like jackson pass or provo canyon going about 75 miles an hour on a 50 mile an hour road and you have achieved the sense of the bus!
Sight: Your sight is very limited on this attraction of a roller coaster but only because of the darkness outside and the complete lack of lights inside.
Hearing: For the sounds of the bus you will be required to grab a 5 gallon bucket along with 3 nails and shake as fast as possible.
Needless to say i will be enjoying american highways and cars a lot more in the coming years!
Zone conference was amazing tho. Thank you for everyone that wrote - i am writing you back today as many as i can and hopefully by next week have everyone caught up with. Every time i go to zone conference i just grow such a love for so many things! 1) a love for president and sister parrella! truly they were called to be leading this mission at my time! 2) a love for all the missionaries here in the mission and the trials and rewards we pass together. (See alma chapter 26) and 3) a love for the work that is being done. truly it is a work done by our heavenly father!
I had some cool experiences this week. we have been having a bit of a rough patch finding some new people and on saturday after some pretty empty lessons and lack of success, i said the words "man i just wish i could have one of those moments that makes you love being a missionary" and not one door later we had an amazing lesson with a family that is really needing the gospel right now! Heavenly Father does answer prayers!
Sunday after getting a lot of cake (how brazilians describe getting stood up) we came to church with 0 investigators and i could not stand it! we had tried so hard all week! why no results! i would not take no for an answer...i looked at elder clites and said we need to walk up the hill right now...we did. we came to the top and went to a family that we had given up on any progress and asked them to go to church...low and behold they came. all three of them and three more neighbors. we showed up at church with our 6 and 2 others that had made it there and we were in business and had a great sacrament meeting the third hour! Never Give up! you can't give up until you have done everything! that is when heavenly father blesses you!
i've been thinking a lot about addictions lately and the severity of every addiction. whether it be smoking, to pornography, to something as simple as shopping too much! i've come to learn that all three, and every other addiction are wrong for one reason. it limits the gift of agency that god gave you! these addictions or cravings of that of the natural man are referred to in mosiah 3:19. and a lesson very hardly learned is that the natural man is never satisfied! you can never fill that craving of the bottomless pit of eternal darkened abyss! it never gets filled or even satisfied! there is only one source of strength and "food" that can fill your holes and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ our lord and savior. the only thing that can fill eternal holes are eternal things such as his eternal love, his eternal sight of your value and self worth, his eternal security, his eternal hope he has for you in the future. His eternal gospel fills every dark and barren hole you have! I testify with all the love that i have in me for every single one of you, together with the love of our savior of whom i am a representative, that this work and this gospel is real! it will change your life and it is worth every step, no matter how hard, to follow his path he has prepared and left for you to follow! there is always a way out with our savior and all things can be possible! (1 Cor. 10:13)
I cannot express in words the love i have for this work and the determination that i will continue to put in! I love being here and will not leave until I am removed by the will of our Heavenly Father who loves us! God lives and loves us. Jesus Christ is his literal son and the savior of every single one of us, heavenly father's children! a 14 year old boy named Jospeh Smith saw God and Christ and restored the work that has been in action since time had begun! Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today of that legacy and he leads and guides this work and this church according to the guidelines Heavenly Father gives him! Missionary work is real and the legacy continues to go forward and will never be taken again from the earth!
I love you. Your Heavenly Father loves you and he and your savior are waiting with their arms wide open! Never forget you have them to turn to.
I heard a quote recently that i loved..."the world series champion starts at spring training." start now! go for the reward! 3 Nephi 13:19-21. Lay up the treasure you want!
With all my love,
Elder Excell
Q&A - June 23, 2010
1. How was Zone Conference?
Zone Conference was awesome and i love them so much! i will talk about it in the email! =)
2. Did you get either of your packages?? I sure hope so!!!
i did and i loved them both extremely! to an extent you cannot imagine! i will talk more about them as well! =)
3. Did you get to see Elder Palmer or Elder Anderson at Zone Conference?
i actually was able to see them both which is awesome! it's so good to see other missionaries because in this area right now we are 4 hours from anyone and the last time i saw anyone before conference was 5 weeks ago! so it was nice!
4. Are there other missionaries that you look forward to seeing when you get to go to Zone Conference??
all of them to be honest and for the reasons above! i'll explain a little in the email!
5. Is Zone Conference for the whole BH Mission or just different parts of it at a time?
usually its about half the mission from what i can tell! it always kind of depends! we had about 70 or so there yesterday out of 130 something?
6. How is the burn on your arm healing??
a lot better and i will send a picture again!
7. Are you healthy and doing ok that way?
i am healthy as a horse and an american horse that is. brazilian horses are kinda skinny and malnourished but im still rockin the american hybrid horse nutritioned body! =)
8. Has this week been as rough as last? Hopefully you've had nicer people to deal with.
well its been a week of missionary work and that's about all that can be said! we'll see what you think after the email!
9. Any questions for us this week??
(1. Who in the heck is Alyssa Adams marrying?
(2. Can you scan me the announcement?
(3. Can i get the Woodlands physical address?
(4. What is the laundry room looking like? The Return With Honor wall?
(5. Whats ISU theater doin?
(6. how much is tuition for usu, uvu, and byu?
(7. 4th of July is coming...is Melaluca still cornering the market on that one?
Zone Conference was awesome and i love them so much! i will talk about it in the email! =)
2. Did you get either of your packages?? I sure hope so!!!
i did and i loved them both extremely! to an extent you cannot imagine! i will talk more about them as well! =)
3. Did you get to see Elder Palmer or Elder Anderson at Zone Conference?
i actually was able to see them both which is awesome! it's so good to see other missionaries because in this area right now we are 4 hours from anyone and the last time i saw anyone before conference was 5 weeks ago! so it was nice!
4. Are there other missionaries that you look forward to seeing when you get to go to Zone Conference??
all of them to be honest and for the reasons above! i'll explain a little in the email!
5. Is Zone Conference for the whole BH Mission or just different parts of it at a time?
usually its about half the mission from what i can tell! it always kind of depends! we had about 70 or so there yesterday out of 130 something?
6. How is the burn on your arm healing??
a lot better and i will send a picture again!
7. Are you healthy and doing ok that way?
i am healthy as a horse and an american horse that is. brazilian horses are kinda skinny and malnourished but im still rockin the american hybrid horse nutritioned body! =)
8. Has this week been as rough as last? Hopefully you've had nicer people to deal with.
well its been a week of missionary work and that's about all that can be said! we'll see what you think after the email!
9. Any questions for us this week??
(1. Who in the heck is Alyssa Adams marrying?
(2. Can you scan me the announcement?
(3. Can i get the Woodlands physical address?
(4. What is the laundry room looking like? The Return With Honor wall?
(5. Whats ISU theater doin?
(6. how much is tuition for usu, uvu, and byu?
(7. 4th of July is coming...is Melaluca still cornering the market on that one?
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Because i know to live you must give your life away... (Ponte Nova)
well, hello once again everybody! another week of being on the front lines fighting satan the dirt bag. it's been a rough week down in the trenches taking some pretty heavy fire and some good blows to the face but as always the army of god cannot lose! it's also been a great week of some firsts! i guess the best place to always start is the beginning, so back to last pday we go!
after emailing, i was in the kitchen and pouring myself some delicious guaraná when the bottle tipped over on the very hot stove and in reaching to grab the bottle i scorched my arm pretty good and had a good size burn. but don't worry, my genius companion, that apparently is not going to harvard for medical, decided some alcohol with aloe would be good to throw on there so he did so and after a good solid "home alone" after shave yell the pain was now increasing! yay! =) but have no fear we threw on some gauze and wrap to just hold it all together. needless to say, i will have a decent scar to show off on the return trip home! see attached pictures for references! (NOTE: not sure about the picture - it didn't come through...)
as most of the world besides the united states is aware... the world cup has commenced this last week and has been quite the experience for us gringos here. not to mention the belo horizonte mission has been restricted from watching anything resembling the cup so that makes things a bit more interesting! just imagine the nba finals game 7, the super bowl, the masters, the rose bowl, the stanley cup, and american idol finale all thrown together and that's the excitement in the air here! it's amazing to see the street, that is usually packed with cars and people walking from shop to shop, completely dead during the game. it's amazing! the whole country shuts down, even the post office! but it is also funny because with the absence of people, you still very well can tell the outcome of the game. for example, yesterday when brazil played, we were teaching marcelo who was gracious enough to let us in during the game. while we were teaching him, we heard on 2 separate occasions the fourth of july celebration commence in the street and also one very upsetting sounding cry of disappointment. therefore, we find the score being 2-1 brazil! it was awesome and because they won the party just continued all day long!
other than that, this week has been pretty average. no rat hunts or anything of that sort. but it has been a great week of learning. i've discovered some very cool lessons this week!
1) love for the brazilian people is something that it would appear like I always have had, but i realized this week why. i was remembering ryla and the leadership camp there and how much i loved it and then i remembered about jordán and how he was from brazil. i remebered also about doing a project in school about brazil in the 10th grade. it seems like heavenly father has been preparing me for this time in my life and serving here in brazil! i have always loved brazil and my love continues to grow always! heavenly father is very knowledgeable and always has a plan. it is very true that everything we go through has a purpose. we are always being prepared for the next step in life!
2) patience and humility was a lesson very clearly brought to our plate this week. we had been teaching a woman named darlene who is the daughter of marlene who is a member. darlene had just had a baby 5 months prior and teaching her was awesome! she was very well prepared by god to hear the message we had to share! it's not very often that people throw our examples out at us before we even share them. anyway so we had been teaching them for about 4 times already and we went back for number five which was the shock! we got there and there was a strange man there we had never seen before and so we asked his name and he asked ours and where we are from and we replied, of course, the united states. then came the freak out...he just ripped on us calling the church a cult and saynig all the money the church owns goes to the united states. he said things like brazil already has its religion and doesn't need us and that we don't even speak their language and that we are all spies and trying to take over the government here and such. it was definitely just him screaming at us for 5 minutes solid. now the patience part. we just simply took it. it was not easy. you guys know me...when someone with a 2nd grade education and a screwed up life comes up to me after i can't stand from walking so much all day long and calls me lazy i am not the one to stay seated anymore and for sure stay silent! but i just felt an incredible calmness come over me. after his 5 minutes going off, i asked darlene, who was an innocent bystander to all of this, if she would like us to leave in the most calm smooth voice i've ever spoken portuguese and she replied, just a small tender "i wouldn't like you too but it would be best." so we did and that was that. i can honestly say, if this black plaque on my heart was not there with the saviors name on it, i would have reacted very differently. i was extremely blessed with patience and really just took it and felt the spirit so comforting that although nothing will happen with darlene...our purpose was served there. whether it was for him to see firsthand the people he hated and how they reacted or for darlene to be extremely touched by example, i know not, but i do know that being a representative of the lord blesses you in ways you can't imagine.
3) lesson 3 is very short and simple but i loved it. the importance of families...i just had a very simple thought that christ could have probably come in any form to the earth and all demands been met but the fact that he came to a family just like yours and mine, i thought was very powerful. his parents taught him as ours teach us. they laughed together as we all laugh. christ was at the same time just like all of us but also more than every single one of us. families are truly the center group of humanity! i love my family and i am so glad, that because of our savior, eternity is the reward!
well, that was another week as crazy as that is! can you believe that 1 year ago grease was ending and aladdin beginning? i can't! it's crazy! i know 19 months is a while and that's all i have left, but 19 months ago was thanksgiving break at college. that was like yesterday! just use every second of life. you only have so many! one quote to end the letter this week. "the beauty of grace is it makes life fair" i love you all so much! i can't wait to get all your letters tuesday! one more week to go til I get to be here again! i love you all so much! this is the best place in the world to be!
Elder Zack Excell
after emailing, i was in the kitchen and pouring myself some delicious guaraná when the bottle tipped over on the very hot stove and in reaching to grab the bottle i scorched my arm pretty good and had a good size burn. but don't worry, my genius companion, that apparently is not going to harvard for medical, decided some alcohol with aloe would be good to throw on there so he did so and after a good solid "home alone" after shave yell the pain was now increasing! yay! =) but have no fear we threw on some gauze and wrap to just hold it all together. needless to say, i will have a decent scar to show off on the return trip home! see attached pictures for references! (NOTE: not sure about the picture - it didn't come through...)
as most of the world besides the united states is aware... the world cup has commenced this last week and has been quite the experience for us gringos here. not to mention the belo horizonte mission has been restricted from watching anything resembling the cup so that makes things a bit more interesting! just imagine the nba finals game 7, the super bowl, the masters, the rose bowl, the stanley cup, and american idol finale all thrown together and that's the excitement in the air here! it's amazing to see the street, that is usually packed with cars and people walking from shop to shop, completely dead during the game. it's amazing! the whole country shuts down, even the post office! but it is also funny because with the absence of people, you still very well can tell the outcome of the game. for example, yesterday when brazil played, we were teaching marcelo who was gracious enough to let us in during the game. while we were teaching him, we heard on 2 separate occasions the fourth of july celebration commence in the street and also one very upsetting sounding cry of disappointment. therefore, we find the score being 2-1 brazil! it was awesome and because they won the party just continued all day long!
other than that, this week has been pretty average. no rat hunts or anything of that sort. but it has been a great week of learning. i've discovered some very cool lessons this week!
1) love for the brazilian people is something that it would appear like I always have had, but i realized this week why. i was remembering ryla and the leadership camp there and how much i loved it and then i remembered about jordán and how he was from brazil. i remebered also about doing a project in school about brazil in the 10th grade. it seems like heavenly father has been preparing me for this time in my life and serving here in brazil! i have always loved brazil and my love continues to grow always! heavenly father is very knowledgeable and always has a plan. it is very true that everything we go through has a purpose. we are always being prepared for the next step in life!
2) patience and humility was a lesson very clearly brought to our plate this week. we had been teaching a woman named darlene who is the daughter of marlene who is a member. darlene had just had a baby 5 months prior and teaching her was awesome! she was very well prepared by god to hear the message we had to share! it's not very often that people throw our examples out at us before we even share them. anyway so we had been teaching them for about 4 times already and we went back for number five which was the shock! we got there and there was a strange man there we had never seen before and so we asked his name and he asked ours and where we are from and we replied, of course, the united states. then came the freak out...he just ripped on us calling the church a cult and saynig all the money the church owns goes to the united states. he said things like brazil already has its religion and doesn't need us and that we don't even speak their language and that we are all spies and trying to take over the government here and such. it was definitely just him screaming at us for 5 minutes solid. now the patience part. we just simply took it. it was not easy. you guys know me...when someone with a 2nd grade education and a screwed up life comes up to me after i can't stand from walking so much all day long and calls me lazy i am not the one to stay seated anymore and for sure stay silent! but i just felt an incredible calmness come over me. after his 5 minutes going off, i asked darlene, who was an innocent bystander to all of this, if she would like us to leave in the most calm smooth voice i've ever spoken portuguese and she replied, just a small tender "i wouldn't like you too but it would be best." so we did and that was that. i can honestly say, if this black plaque on my heart was not there with the saviors name on it, i would have reacted very differently. i was extremely blessed with patience and really just took it and felt the spirit so comforting that although nothing will happen with darlene...our purpose was served there. whether it was for him to see firsthand the people he hated and how they reacted or for darlene to be extremely touched by example, i know not, but i do know that being a representative of the lord blesses you in ways you can't imagine.
3) lesson 3 is very short and simple but i loved it. the importance of families...i just had a very simple thought that christ could have probably come in any form to the earth and all demands been met but the fact that he came to a family just like yours and mine, i thought was very powerful. his parents taught him as ours teach us. they laughed together as we all laugh. christ was at the same time just like all of us but also more than every single one of us. families are truly the center group of humanity! i love my family and i am so glad, that because of our savior, eternity is the reward!
well, that was another week as crazy as that is! can you believe that 1 year ago grease was ending and aladdin beginning? i can't! it's crazy! i know 19 months is a while and that's all i have left, but 19 months ago was thanksgiving break at college. that was like yesterday! just use every second of life. you only have so many! one quote to end the letter this week. "the beauty of grace is it makes life fair" i love you all so much! i can't wait to get all your letters tuesday! one more week to go til I get to be here again! i love you all so much! this is the best place in the world to be!
Elder Zack Excell
Q&A - June 16, 2010
1. When is Zone Conference?
zone conference will be next tuesday and thank goodness because i am going on 6 weeks without letters.
2. How are you getting along with Elder Clites?
we get along very well. after 8 weeks together and never leaving their side you really get to know the person and what buttons to push and when to quit pushing them! but, we get along very well all things considered.
3. Are there crazy parties in the street when Brazil plays in the World Cup? Can you tell when they win even if you don't get to watch the games?
i'll explain this one in the email!
4. Do you have any questions for us? (NOTE: I find these kind of funny - sometimes the questions he asks make it sound like he's been gone for years - :) maybe he feels that he has been)
1. As stupid as this may be...have they made the 6 blade razor?
2. And how about 5-ply toilet paper? i know charmin hit the 4-ply but i'm wondering when i get back, will i be using tp with a shamwow kind of fabric? (NOTE: must be dreaming of something much better than what he has there! :) It's funny the things you learn to appreciate!)
3. How tall is Ty because he looks giant in the pictures you sent!
4. Did you guys sleep well on the ship?
5. Sorry...more addresses: Trent Tyler, Dave Adams, Ciara McDermott
6. Is there any way you can send a picture of an american hamburger, old ephraim pizza (to show the size), and homemade steak! and maybe one of me with blonde hair from my facebook! oh surprise mom...i bleached my hair in college!
zone conference will be next tuesday and thank goodness because i am going on 6 weeks without letters.
2. How are you getting along with Elder Clites?
we get along very well. after 8 weeks together and never leaving their side you really get to know the person and what buttons to push and when to quit pushing them! but, we get along very well all things considered.
3. Are there crazy parties in the street when Brazil plays in the World Cup? Can you tell when they win even if you don't get to watch the games?
i'll explain this one in the email!
4. Do you have any questions for us? (NOTE: I find these kind of funny - sometimes the questions he asks make it sound like he's been gone for years - :) maybe he feels that he has been)
1. As stupid as this may be...have they made the 6 blade razor?
2. And how about 5-ply toilet paper? i know charmin hit the 4-ply but i'm wondering when i get back, will i be using tp with a shamwow kind of fabric? (NOTE: must be dreaming of something much better than what he has there! :) It's funny the things you learn to appreciate!)
3. How tall is Ty because he looks giant in the pictures you sent!
4. Did you guys sleep well on the ship?
5. Sorry...more addresses: Trent Tyler, Dave Adams, Ciara McDermott
6. Is there any way you can send a picture of an american hamburger, old ephraim pizza (to show the size), and homemade steak! and maybe one of me with blonde hair from my facebook! oh surprise mom...i bleached my hair in college!
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
More pictures from Ponte Nova
sunset in ponte nova, my favorite so far
cold in brazil, about 48 degrees is the lowest we hit.
love the sunsets!
Just keep continuing continuing on... Ponte Nova
well, another week done and gone and already passed. i don't know where the time goes. it's crazy to even imagine that i only have a certain amount of weeks to do this missionary thing and that one more is gone. really helps me to remember how important it is to use every single second! it's been a great week tho and i love being a missionary.
i forgot my outline at home today so sorry if this seems a little scatterbrained. i'll try to remember everything i wanted to say!
first off, it's been a little cold here lately. not idaho by any means but brazilians might as well think so. it's awesome to see them all in winter coats when i think the record low so far was 48 degrees. apparently that's cold enough to throw on the gloves and beanies too. you would think it was about to snow or something! pretty funny but it does scare me when i start to think that's cold. coming back to idaho in january is gonna be so freezing!! i'm gonna need every coat i have that first week!
i got to cut some brazilians hair this week! that was fun! we always ask what we can do to help people and elder clites tries to be funny and say i cut hair and have some clippers but little did we know we'd actually get taken up on it! i'll send some pics! it was pretty fun!
we've been hearing a lot of new english music in the streets and this week we found out some names. so all you kool kids in the kool kids klub at home are gonna have to let me know if these are pretty hot new tracks or if they are already ancient or even played for that matter. one of the guys is edward maya. he has the most popular song in brazil right now along with justin beiber who rhymes baby with baby 80 times! what talent. but edward maya and basshunter with a song called angel in the night and then also lasgo with a track called lost. they are probably ancient but i'm anxious to see how ancient.
it's also been perfect weather for the national kid sport of kite flying here in brazil. all the kids here make kites and fly them and roll their strings in fiberglass so they can cut other kites down and gain as many kites as possible. its pretty funny to see the crowd of 25 kids from 5 to 16 in a group waiting for a kite to get cut so they can run it down. it does however make me super excited to make some kites back in the states and fly some!
i do have to publicly announce to everyone that i now understand why the 80's rock music is my dads favorite and that it is better..(in some aspects) than nowadays. we were eating lunch the other day and the neighbor was playing bon jovi, brett michaels, guns and roses, and van halen. it was awesome! never have appreciated it more. and what great feeling those guys put into their music. i could just see slash on the piano rocking a solo during november rain. it was awesome! so dad, i admit it, you did listen to good music back in the day!
the 8 year old kid that we baptized a couple weeks back, joão vitor, he is just hilarious! just so you can see the impact that the gospel has on 8 year olds, i will recount one story. we obviously have taught the family how to pray and he just loves to say it and he says that he's been praying a lot lately. i asked the stupid question of what do you pray for and we learned that he has been praying a lot lately for when he uses the bathroom that he may be able to release easier! just one simple thing the gospel has been doing for good old little joão vitor!
we also had the great surprise to see the conference ensign finally. no, we don't own one yet but we did get the great privilege to see one in passing! it's amazing the things you get excited for out here! i mean i almost cried in excitement seeing that it was all in color! that makes for great planner covers!! i can't wait to get my hands on one!!
all in all, it's been a great week with lots of good times and of course i couldn't leave the email done up with out putting in my two cents about the gospel and the things i learned! i've been studying this week a little bit about faith and the amount of work that can get done and the impact that one persons faith may cause. we saw a video clip in church this week that i don't know how to show you guys but i think if you type in "little boy pushing against the tree" or something of that sort in youtube you could find it. it's a great clip! and it really touched me. if you can't find it or you are too lazy to search it, i'll describe it. (NOTE: We've found the video and attached it in the column on the right) in this clip you have a boy and it's pouring rain. he has his backpack and is walking to school. he's walking down a road that is just traffic jammed and so many people upset and just not happy cause of the rain and the traffic and all this. the boy continues walking and finds that there has been a giant tree that has fallen over in the street and everyone is waiting for someone to come and remove the tree so they can get on with their day. the boy looks around confused and in the pouring rain he drops his backpack and walks into the road. he looks at the giant tree and puts his whole self into moving this tree but it's way too big and he is way too small to even budge it. but you all of the sudden have a 5 year old boy pushing with all his might to help everyone out, just trying as hard as he possibly can with no luck at all. eventually, the others in their cars who are on their phones trying to call for help to move the tree and call in to work late see the boy trying ever so hard and one by one drop what they are doing and all of them, in whatever condition they are in, whether it be a suit and tie or the homeless man, one by one start to push the tree and with the effort of all of them they are able to remove the tree from the road! all of them could do it but if it wasn't for the faith of the one little boy, little progress, if any, would have been made. now the lesson, faith. i've learned faith is the center of ambition, the soul of heroism, and the heart of every action. be the little boy. start the movement. you are capable. the beginning can start with you. you could be the beginning of a revolution because of your faith! you believe and you act! you do it! so please, for me, i don't know who reads this email but i'm going to take a step. please, everyone else take the next step. do something today that you have been waiting your whole life to do! i once heard an amazing quote, "do what you have always wanted today because there only exists so many tomorrows." be the little boy and convert others with what you can start!
everyone, i love you! i can never stress that enough. i don't know if i can explain the amount of times i find myself grateful for what i learned from one of you! thank you for getting this little boy pushing against his tree! i love you all! can't wait to hear from you all someday soon whether it's in a letter or in person at home! i love you all!
Elder Zack Excell
i forgot my outline at home today so sorry if this seems a little scatterbrained. i'll try to remember everything i wanted to say!
first off, it's been a little cold here lately. not idaho by any means but brazilians might as well think so. it's awesome to see them all in winter coats when i think the record low so far was 48 degrees. apparently that's cold enough to throw on the gloves and beanies too. you would think it was about to snow or something! pretty funny but it does scare me when i start to think that's cold. coming back to idaho in january is gonna be so freezing!! i'm gonna need every coat i have that first week!
i got to cut some brazilians hair this week! that was fun! we always ask what we can do to help people and elder clites tries to be funny and say i cut hair and have some clippers but little did we know we'd actually get taken up on it! i'll send some pics! it was pretty fun!
we've been hearing a lot of new english music in the streets and this week we found out some names. so all you kool kids in the kool kids klub at home are gonna have to let me know if these are pretty hot new tracks or if they are already ancient or even played for that matter. one of the guys is edward maya. he has the most popular song in brazil right now along with justin beiber who rhymes baby with baby 80 times! what talent. but edward maya and basshunter with a song called angel in the night and then also lasgo with a track called lost. they are probably ancient but i'm anxious to see how ancient.
it's also been perfect weather for the national kid sport of kite flying here in brazil. all the kids here make kites and fly them and roll their strings in fiberglass so they can cut other kites down and gain as many kites as possible. its pretty funny to see the crowd of 25 kids from 5 to 16 in a group waiting for a kite to get cut so they can run it down. it does however make me super excited to make some kites back in the states and fly some!
i do have to publicly announce to everyone that i now understand why the 80's rock music is my dads favorite and that it is better..(in some aspects) than nowadays. we were eating lunch the other day and the neighbor was playing bon jovi, brett michaels, guns and roses, and van halen. it was awesome! never have appreciated it more. and what great feeling those guys put into their music. i could just see slash on the piano rocking a solo during november rain. it was awesome! so dad, i admit it, you did listen to good music back in the day!
the 8 year old kid that we baptized a couple weeks back, joão vitor, he is just hilarious! just so you can see the impact that the gospel has on 8 year olds, i will recount one story. we obviously have taught the family how to pray and he just loves to say it and he says that he's been praying a lot lately. i asked the stupid question of what do you pray for and we learned that he has been praying a lot lately for when he uses the bathroom that he may be able to release easier! just one simple thing the gospel has been doing for good old little joão vitor!
we also had the great surprise to see the conference ensign finally. no, we don't own one yet but we did get the great privilege to see one in passing! it's amazing the things you get excited for out here! i mean i almost cried in excitement seeing that it was all in color! that makes for great planner covers!! i can't wait to get my hands on one!!
all in all, it's been a great week with lots of good times and of course i couldn't leave the email done up with out putting in my two cents about the gospel and the things i learned! i've been studying this week a little bit about faith and the amount of work that can get done and the impact that one persons faith may cause. we saw a video clip in church this week that i don't know how to show you guys but i think if you type in "little boy pushing against the tree" or something of that sort in youtube you could find it. it's a great clip! and it really touched me. if you can't find it or you are too lazy to search it, i'll describe it. (NOTE: We've found the video and attached it in the column on the right) in this clip you have a boy and it's pouring rain. he has his backpack and is walking to school. he's walking down a road that is just traffic jammed and so many people upset and just not happy cause of the rain and the traffic and all this. the boy continues walking and finds that there has been a giant tree that has fallen over in the street and everyone is waiting for someone to come and remove the tree so they can get on with their day. the boy looks around confused and in the pouring rain he drops his backpack and walks into the road. he looks at the giant tree and puts his whole self into moving this tree but it's way too big and he is way too small to even budge it. but you all of the sudden have a 5 year old boy pushing with all his might to help everyone out, just trying as hard as he possibly can with no luck at all. eventually, the others in their cars who are on their phones trying to call for help to move the tree and call in to work late see the boy trying ever so hard and one by one drop what they are doing and all of them, in whatever condition they are in, whether it be a suit and tie or the homeless man, one by one start to push the tree and with the effort of all of them they are able to remove the tree from the road! all of them could do it but if it wasn't for the faith of the one little boy, little progress, if any, would have been made. now the lesson, faith. i've learned faith is the center of ambition, the soul of heroism, and the heart of every action. be the little boy. start the movement. you are capable. the beginning can start with you. you could be the beginning of a revolution because of your faith! you believe and you act! you do it! so please, for me, i don't know who reads this email but i'm going to take a step. please, everyone else take the next step. do something today that you have been waiting your whole life to do! i once heard an amazing quote, "do what you have always wanted today because there only exists so many tomorrows." be the little boy and convert others with what you can start!
everyone, i love you! i can never stress that enough. i don't know if i can explain the amount of times i find myself grateful for what i learned from one of you! thank you for getting this little boy pushing against his tree! i love you all! can't wait to hear from you all someday soon whether it's in a letter or in person at home! i love you all!
Elder Zack Excell
Q&A - June 9, 2010
1. How many steps have you climbed this week?
considering the 77 on one set of stairs every day and another set of 32 every day except one and then a set of 312 twice that's about a total of 1335 or so this week and that's just going up them and not down them. not to mention i probably forgot some!
2. Do you count the stairs like certain other members in our family? :)
ya, i do... silly ocd
3. You've quit mentioning strange food - is that just because you are getting used to eating strange things and it's no big deal anymore or that you aren't really being offered strange things anymore?
well chicken feet is pretty much normal, snake was just once and feijoada is pretty normal now too..
4. What was your talk about in church and did Elder Clites get to speak also?
we both spoke. i spoke on faith or in portugues fé. and elder clites spoke about paciencia or patience.
5. How big is the ward in Ponte Nova? we actually just have a branch with a frequency of about 75 or so on up to 120 depending on the week.
6. How many wards are in Ponte? just the one branch
7. Do you get invitations to eat with members most everyday?
we have a schedule that rotates every 4 weeks and we always have lunch. we don't take dinner hour so we can work more cause using that hour adds up to a whole transfer of work time during the mission. use every minute!
8. Do you have to set an alarm each day or do you pretty much just wake up naturally?
we have an alarm but its more just back up. we both wake up pretty normally about 6:20.
His questions for us:
1. How much does a plane ticket cost to come to brazil? i always get asked that!
2. My list of requests for addresses might be a bit long this time I'm afraid...Blake Struhs, Lauren Briscoe, Whitney James, and Tiffany Michaud. Thank you so much!
3. whats the exact mileage from home to our apartment?
4. we aren't allowed to watch a single second of the world cup so i'm gonna need you to enjoy it for me. You should make a bracket dad and we'll see who wins. winner gets ice cream when i get back. i'll send my bracket through misisonties this week to you! it starts friday so hurry!!
5. robin hood with russel crow? how was it?
6. how's the lawn lookin? did it come in ok?
Thanks so much! I love you all!
Elder Excell
considering the 77 on one set of stairs every day and another set of 32 every day except one and then a set of 312 twice that's about a total of 1335 or so this week and that's just going up them and not down them. not to mention i probably forgot some!
2. Do you count the stairs like certain other members in our family? :)
ya, i do... silly ocd
3. You've quit mentioning strange food - is that just because you are getting used to eating strange things and it's no big deal anymore or that you aren't really being offered strange things anymore?
well chicken feet is pretty much normal, snake was just once and feijoada is pretty normal now too..
4. What was your talk about in church and did Elder Clites get to speak also?
we both spoke. i spoke on faith or in portugues fé. and elder clites spoke about paciencia or patience.
5. How big is the ward in Ponte Nova? we actually just have a branch with a frequency of about 75 or so on up to 120 depending on the week.
6. How many wards are in Ponte? just the one branch
7. Do you get invitations to eat with members most everyday?
we have a schedule that rotates every 4 weeks and we always have lunch. we don't take dinner hour so we can work more cause using that hour adds up to a whole transfer of work time during the mission. use every minute!
8. Do you have to set an alarm each day or do you pretty much just wake up naturally?
we have an alarm but its more just back up. we both wake up pretty normally about 6:20.
His questions for us:
1. How much does a plane ticket cost to come to brazil? i always get asked that!
2. My list of requests for addresses might be a bit long this time I'm afraid...Blake Struhs, Lauren Briscoe, Whitney James, and Tiffany Michaud. Thank you so much!
3. whats the exact mileage from home to our apartment?
4. we aren't allowed to watch a single second of the world cup so i'm gonna need you to enjoy it for me. You should make a bracket dad and we'll see who wins. winner gets ice cream when i get back. i'll send my bracket through misisonties this week to you! it starts friday so hurry!!
5. robin hood with russel crow? how was it?
6. how's the lawn lookin? did it come in ok?
Thanks so much! I love you all!
Elder Excell
Monday, June 7, 2010
Start of Ponte Nova..Round 2 - June 2, 2010
Well, here I am again in Ponte Nova which means that i survived another phone call monday where we find out transfers from the president! it's a pretty nerve wracking day not knowing where your life is going to take you that week! but i survived number 2 of only 16 on the mission! that's 1/8 for those of you doing the math! can you believe that! i am more than 12.5% done with the field part of the mission! it seriously scares me to think how fast it is going! but for those of you who know my dad i inherited his math genes and it's kind of inevitable to not think about it! But i remain here in Ponte Nova for at least one more transfer which will officially mark it as my home on the mission so far even including the mtc. i will have stayed here longer than any other place, which do be totally honest i am stoked about! i love the area here. it's not even so much the area or the members or really anything to do with the area at all but just to be here on a mission serving the lord is an amazing experience and i am loving it! staying here also means another 3 weeks with out mail and packages but i eagerly await the next zone conference! it also means we save 40 reals by not having to travel to BH another time. And it's just nice to already know the area and to be familiar with the work and your comp. I have a sneaking suspicion that this next transfer will go even faster since you don't have the super slow first week of getting used to things again instead you just have week 7 to just keep keeping on!
Pday last week was crazy. I'll start with the cookie recipe mom sent me. it was awesome but i'm sure it will never live up to the homemade cookies in the united states. i tried to put as much love into them as possible but somehow mom's love always just adds so much more and tastes that much better! i can't wait to try the american version!
we also received a lot of calls last week that were not really nerving but definitely a lot to take in all at once! i'll start with the stories. first off, there is a couple here that have been working to get married so they can in turn get baptized. they have been working on it since february and we visit there at least every other day just checking up on them and cause we just love them too! well, i guess last p day, they had a pretty good fight and it ended in the husband leaving the house and going against all he has been working for since february and getting extremely drunk. it was not very fun to get a call at night at 8:45 and hear him drunk and tell us he was waiting for us to get back to the house to talk with him. can i just say that i think i felt just as a father would feel hearing his son call home drunk and showing up at home just completely hammered. i just felt devastated, disappointed, and betrayed but yet your love for the person is stronger than any of those other feelings! even tho part of you that wants to just slap them upside the head and just say "grow up" but you can't because all you want to do is show them the love you have for them! we were kinda stuck as far as what to do because it was 9:30 at night and time for us to be inside and we have an eternal investigator puking his guts out on the doorstep and can't even walk more than 5 feet without falling. i couldn't bare to watch to be honest! it was extremely hard not to cry! i can't even imagine how heavenly father feels watching every single one of us screw up considering the love he has is an infinite amount of that which we have. we really didn't know what to do but then i had an idea to call a cab and have him taken to his house. i say this to make a point later and not to show myself off but i paid 20 reals, a fifth of our monthly allowance, for the cab and got him home safely. now the lesson learned...i stayed up thinking that night a lot about the price that christ paid for every single one of his brothers and sisters. the infinite amount of love he had. i am not able to imagine how much he had to pay but it is way more than the tiny little 20 reals sacrifice made that night. it was infinite and all reaching! i love my savior for this reason! what a great example for us.
we also have got to play a lot of different roles besides missionary lately it seems. perhaps it's all encompassed in the title elder but i'll let you be the judge of whether 19 and 20 year old boys normally do this in the real world. lately we have been marriage counselors for this same couple trying to get them to just converse and talk out problems that they have no matter the size. we have been acting as an alcoholics anonymous group leader trying to help one of our investigators completely give up the raging alcoholic addiction he has which in turn brings drugs and cigarettes too. we also have been a social/emotional counselor for someone that has been sexually blackmailed for going on a year now. talk about quite the well rounded calling, eh? needless to say, i have gained quite the testimony of the power of callings and the help Heavenly Father gives you to complete the task he sent you to do. makes me feel like i'm grown up too...weird!
i got the opportunity to give my first talk in sacrament meeting in a foreign language. that was....well....fun. with 20 minutes of prep for a 20 minute talk there isn't much left to do but just pray really hard. i think it went ok tho. Heavenly Father helped me a lot!
2 other lessons i learned this week that i wanted to share. number 1) agency is such a great gift that our heavenly father has given us as his children. but the one thing that heavenly father loves more than giving us that gift is when we just give that gift right back and let go of the wheel and let him drive our life and we just follow! lesson number 2) you are in control of your life. i run into people everyday who are of the false idea that someone else controls their life and that they can't do anything to help themselves. well, one of my favorite quotes has always been "no one can make you feel inferior but yourself" -elenor roosevelt. but i am also reminded of one of my favorite songs by a band called switchfoot, titled "this is your life, are you who you want to be". you really have control of your life to be the person you want. of course the challenges will come and times will get tough and there will be the moment when you just want to give in and get swept off by the tides of the world and let it just drag you to the next destination but don't! be the rock that you can be! build those rocks into the fortress that is able to take on the worldly river. you have the power. now i realize lesson 1 and lesson 2 somewhat go against each other, but that's the hard part. find the happy medium between the two and therein lies true happiness!
i love you all so much! i can't express the feelings of gratitude to have the family that i have and the friends that i do. I really just imagine my stadium of supporters and i am so grateful for all those in attendance, cheering me on in my personal game of life! i love you all so much and wouldn't be here without your help. I am so grateful for you all! All of you who have helped me...especially in the last couple years since graduation and this last year in pocatello...thank you so much! I love you all! I am super lucky!!
I love you all! Big Giant Hugs!
Elder Excell
P.S. zone conference is in two to three weeks...means that if you write today and ship soon i will get it soon and i'll write you back the next pday! promise!.....just saying! =)
Pday last week was crazy. I'll start with the cookie recipe mom sent me. it was awesome but i'm sure it will never live up to the homemade cookies in the united states. i tried to put as much love into them as possible but somehow mom's love always just adds so much more and tastes that much better! i can't wait to try the american version!
we also received a lot of calls last week that were not really nerving but definitely a lot to take in all at once! i'll start with the stories. first off, there is a couple here that have been working to get married so they can in turn get baptized. they have been working on it since february and we visit there at least every other day just checking up on them and cause we just love them too! well, i guess last p day, they had a pretty good fight and it ended in the husband leaving the house and going against all he has been working for since february and getting extremely drunk. it was not very fun to get a call at night at 8:45 and hear him drunk and tell us he was waiting for us to get back to the house to talk with him. can i just say that i think i felt just as a father would feel hearing his son call home drunk and showing up at home just completely hammered. i just felt devastated, disappointed, and betrayed but yet your love for the person is stronger than any of those other feelings! even tho part of you that wants to just slap them upside the head and just say "grow up" but you can't because all you want to do is show them the love you have for them! we were kinda stuck as far as what to do because it was 9:30 at night and time for us to be inside and we have an eternal investigator puking his guts out on the doorstep and can't even walk more than 5 feet without falling. i couldn't bare to watch to be honest! it was extremely hard not to cry! i can't even imagine how heavenly father feels watching every single one of us screw up considering the love he has is an infinite amount of that which we have. we really didn't know what to do but then i had an idea to call a cab and have him taken to his house. i say this to make a point later and not to show myself off but i paid 20 reals, a fifth of our monthly allowance, for the cab and got him home safely. now the lesson learned...i stayed up thinking that night a lot about the price that christ paid for every single one of his brothers and sisters. the infinite amount of love he had. i am not able to imagine how much he had to pay but it is way more than the tiny little 20 reals sacrifice made that night. it was infinite and all reaching! i love my savior for this reason! what a great example for us.
we also have got to play a lot of different roles besides missionary lately it seems. perhaps it's all encompassed in the title elder but i'll let you be the judge of whether 19 and 20 year old boys normally do this in the real world. lately we have been marriage counselors for this same couple trying to get them to just converse and talk out problems that they have no matter the size. we have been acting as an alcoholics anonymous group leader trying to help one of our investigators completely give up the raging alcoholic addiction he has which in turn brings drugs and cigarettes too. we also have been a social/emotional counselor for someone that has been sexually blackmailed for going on a year now. talk about quite the well rounded calling, eh? needless to say, i have gained quite the testimony of the power of callings and the help Heavenly Father gives you to complete the task he sent you to do. makes me feel like i'm grown up too...weird!
i got the opportunity to give my first talk in sacrament meeting in a foreign language. that was....well....fun. with 20 minutes of prep for a 20 minute talk there isn't much left to do but just pray really hard. i think it went ok tho. Heavenly Father helped me a lot!
2 other lessons i learned this week that i wanted to share. number 1) agency is such a great gift that our heavenly father has given us as his children. but the one thing that heavenly father loves more than giving us that gift is when we just give that gift right back and let go of the wheel and let him drive our life and we just follow! lesson number 2) you are in control of your life. i run into people everyday who are of the false idea that someone else controls their life and that they can't do anything to help themselves. well, one of my favorite quotes has always been "no one can make you feel inferior but yourself" -elenor roosevelt. but i am also reminded of one of my favorite songs by a band called switchfoot, titled "this is your life, are you who you want to be". you really have control of your life to be the person you want. of course the challenges will come and times will get tough and there will be the moment when you just want to give in and get swept off by the tides of the world and let it just drag you to the next destination but don't! be the rock that you can be! build those rocks into the fortress that is able to take on the worldly river. you have the power. now i realize lesson 1 and lesson 2 somewhat go against each other, but that's the hard part. find the happy medium between the two and therein lies true happiness!
i love you all so much! i can't express the feelings of gratitude to have the family that i have and the friends that i do. I really just imagine my stadium of supporters and i am so grateful for all those in attendance, cheering me on in my personal game of life! i love you all so much and wouldn't be here without your help. I am so grateful for you all! All of you who have helped me...especially in the last couple years since graduation and this last year in pocatello...thank you so much! I love you all! I am super lucky!!
I love you all! Big Giant Hugs!
Elder Excell
P.S. zone conference is in two to three weeks...means that if you write today and ship soon i will get it soon and i'll write you back the next pday! promise!.....just saying! =)
Q&A - June 2, 2010
1. Are you still in Ponte Nova?
I am still in Ponte Nova with Elder Clites - starting round 2 today! Bring it!
2. Did you make cookies last week and did they turn out? Did you like them?
we made them and they were awesome! not the same as america but with my aquired brazil mouth they were superb! Thanks!!
3. Did you get the first package yet? (Not so much worried about the first package as I'd just like to know that you'll be gettting the second package ok!!)
We won't be going to BH until Zone conference so probably another 2-3 weeks until i will know! im sure it will be fine tho! =)
4. What was the best thing that happened to you this week?
I got to be a missionary! =) its all good...you'll see in the big email
5. Do you have any questions for us?
1. If Dating is described as having a special someone in particular and Valentines was tomorrow, would weston be getting anyone anything? =)
2. What's the newest Verizon phone right now?
3. Has there been an upgrade to the iPhone since the 3g speed?
4. Verizon and iPhone hooked up yet? heard rumors...
5. When does Toy Story 3 release?
6. Whats the next Pixar movie after Toy Story 3?
I am still in Ponte Nova with Elder Clites - starting round 2 today! Bring it!
2. Did you make cookies last week and did they turn out? Did you like them?
we made them and they were awesome! not the same as america but with my aquired brazil mouth they were superb! Thanks!!
3. Did you get the first package yet? (Not so much worried about the first package as I'd just like to know that you'll be gettting the second package ok!!)
We won't be going to BH until Zone conference so probably another 2-3 weeks until i will know! im sure it will be fine tho! =)
4. What was the best thing that happened to you this week?
I got to be a missionary! =) its all good...you'll see in the big email
5. Do you have any questions for us?
1. If Dating is described as having a special someone in particular and Valentines was tomorrow, would weston be getting anyone anything? =)
2. What's the newest Verizon phone right now?
3. Has there been an upgrade to the iPhone since the 3g speed?
4. Verizon and iPhone hooked up yet? heard rumors...
5. When does Toy Story 3 release?
6. Whats the next Pixar movie after Toy Story 3?
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