Elder Young will be arriving home this Saturday, May 3rd!!!!!

Bryce will be leaving Brasilia, Brazil this Friday after serving a wonderful mission there for the past two years!  He arrives home this Saturday(May 3rd)!  He will be speaking at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints church at 1225 Zion Road in Fayetteville on May 11th @11:00 am and sharing about his service and what he has learned.  He would love to see you there! We will be having ice cream at our home that evening at 7:00pm and he would love to have you come and visit!  Thank you for all of your love and support you have given him while he has been gone, it has meant a lot to him and our family.

Visiting Rosa today!

I have very limited time today because I'm going to visit Rosa. I might get on later, but I'm not sure. This week was fabulous. Michelle is going to be baptized this week and probably 2 other people. I'm taking a lot of pictures.

Love,
Elder Young

Happy Easter!!!

The Relief Society gave us an Easter Present

Families I love from my ward in my last area of service! 

Pictures from Santa Maria

Pictures from Santa Maria

Elder Bryce young finishing his time in Brazil

Hey-oh

I got to visit Santa Maria today with Elder Reese. It was great. I still don't have a functioning card reader, but I sent a few pictures that I got from Solange (a member from Santa Maria). 

It's once again hard to gather my thoughts about this week. Time to reorganize ideas and thoughts is scarce. I'm trying to write down all the great things that are happening. Two weeks ago we found a family of 8. It's a great feeling to teach 8 happy faces looking up at you. They all have great questions and are reading and praying. 5 of them walked 35 minutes in the sun to get to church. Michelle is going to get baptized soon, probably next Sunday. Many other great things are happening that I wish I had time to tell. 

I found out yesterday that Maciel and his family got baptized! I don't have pictures yet, but I got to see them. Maciel called me and told me how happy he was. His marriage was almost falling apart but the things the missionaries taught them helped them get together and decide to get baptized. Leone's wife will also get baptized this month. It's like my mission is a movie that's wrapping itself up. I've heard a lot of great news about old investigators. 

Love,

Elder Young

Conference!

Answer to dads letter:
I haven't heard from Marcos before but I did know he was a past president here. I really liked the music. It's always my favorite part. My favorite song this time was High on a Mountain top. I enjoyed that arrangement a lot. I have to go back and listen again to really pick out my favorites, but the two that stood out a lot were Bednar's talk and Boyd K. Packer's talk. I felt something very special as I listened to it and I intend to study it deeply. I still haven't seen the priesthood session. We're going to watch it in a member's house this week. 

I'm excited to listen to conference again in the mornings. 

Love,

Elder Young

Conference

Yesterday was a great day. After Conference, we (the 4 of us that live together) had dinner with a member family and each one shared their thoughts and impressions about conference. The same spirit that accompanied conference was in that home as we shared our feelings. It was a great, homely experience. 

MIchelle and her husband watched conference on Sunday and enjoyed it. 

Elder Sales enjoyed the emails you sent. He's a fantastic friend and companion.

Thanks for your emails.

Love,

Elder Young

The week before General Conference

We taught Nadia for the first time yesterday. It was wonderful. She really is as special as we believed her to be when we contacted her on the street. I love being able to feel something that's outside of you. Like a tug of some kind of emotion that tells you something true, and you know you should believe in it without knowing what it is. I felt that tug on Saturday.

When Elder D. Call left, he couldn't find his planner. His planner had Nadia's phone number and address. When I realized that we had scheduled to visit her at 10:30 and I didn't know where she lived or couldn't cancel the appointment, I was desperate to find a way to see her. I tried my best to remember and prayed that somehow I would find her address. I remembered--this thought often comes to mind in potential faith building moments--to do everything I possibly could and then trust that what is right will happen. 

 20 And ^awhatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, which is right, believing that ye shall receive, behold it shall be given unto you.

This verse helps me a lot in these situations. After praying, I felt that if I just tried my best to find her apartment, working from my memory, that I would somehow find her. We left our house and I looked for the apartment. I went to where I remember seeing her last. I decided to try pushing all the buttons on the intercom to find her apartment. After calling about 10 different residents from the gate on the intercom, I looked behind me and Nadia was right there, taking her little dog for a walk. She said "Vocês esqueceram de mim, foi?" "Did you forget about me?" in a joking way, referring to the appointment at 10:30. I explained that I didn't have her number or address so I went looking for her. We scheduled with her to visit her on Sunday. The lesson was great. She's intelligent and comprehends what we present to her. She has read to 2nd Nephi 30 in two weeks. She says the number one thing she's looking for in her life is to find what's missing. She feels like she needs to serve God in more ways than one. She goes to the catholic church every Sunday but feels that there is more she needs to find. It's almost like one of those perfect investigators you read about in Preach My Gospel. She's even going to give us a car ride to General Conference this weekend.

We can always give the credit to chance, but I know that faith is a principle of power. I was certain we would find her there that morning so that I could get her address again because of how I felt. Feelings give us knowledge. If we learn to trust our feelings we can be guided by the spirit. I'm thankful that Heavenly Father was willing to teach me about faith even after I had lost Nadia's address and really didn't do everything I could have to find it.

My new companion is Elder Sales. I met him about one year ago while I was in Aguas Lindas. I've always enjoyed his company and friendly character. He is very humble and diligent. I'm so happy to be able to work hard with a great companion in my last transfer. He's already told me some stories of him being with Indians. We get along well. He is from São Paulo and is the only member of the church in his family. He hasn't gotten an email from his family in 1 year and 3 months. He is a grand example to everyone. 

I will be visiting certain areas on the 7th, 14th, and 21st so I might be rushed to email you guys on these days. We will probably have a zone activity on the 28th too.

It's fantastic to hear about all my brother's growth and activities. I can't wait to see the change in them. I've learned how crucial it is to be an example for the youth and to strengthen them in every way possible. It's so gratifying to know that my family is living worthily to become a celestial family.

I have grown to love baptismal interviews. I had the privilege of interviewing Isabela who was baptized yesterday. I have never felt so clearly that someone was ready to be baptized as much as I did with her. She clearly understood repentance and comprehends that it is a CHANGE of heart. I am grateful to be able to understand in part the role of the priesthood in administering in the church.

Love,

Elder Young

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