General Conference Was Fantastic!

Bom dia!

For once in my life, something I was really looking forward to came very quickly. General Conference was fantastic as expected, and as always. I already downloaded it all to listen to it again during the week. I was very pleasantly surprised to hear the BYU Women's and Men's Choruses singing on Saturday. They sang two arrangements of hymns that I have sung before and that I love. I saw a lot of people I knew in the choir and got to watch two of my conductors from last year conducting. I have never understood why people get up to go to the bathroom during the music. It's just as much a sermon and a prayer as a traditional sermon or prayer. It's my favorite part! I also found it cool that in at least 3 talks, Daniel's vision from the old testament was mentioned.

This place I'm in has as many literal ups and downs as it does figuratively, as it is very very hilly. The ward is very small and the members are pretty discouraged. There is a lot of work to be done to make it stronger. We met a lady named Rosa last week. She was introduced to us by a new convert, Edmundo, who helps the Elders a lot. She has been to many different churches and has almost given up on finding the right one. She is a wonderful person. I always say that I learn a lot from the people I meet and that I meet wonderful people so I'll explain at least one thing I've learned from her. The first day we met her we got talking about all the signs we have on the earth that evidence the existence of a God. It reminded me of Alma 30:44. She related that some days she enjoys sitting and watching the leaves. The way she told us her perspective was beautifully poetic--I can't relay it perfectly, but she marvels at how the leaves (along with tumbleweed), without having arms or legs, or any means of moving themselves, jump and fall in the air with a gust of wind. She said that she gets emotional just thinking about all the beautiful creations there are on the earth. Not too long ago in my life, I might have laughed at how something as simple as leaves falling could evoke tears in anyone, but the older we get, the more we are touched by the little things that we never stopped to notice before. 

This scripture also came to mind. One of my favorite hymns, Consider the Lilies, was created from it

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin

And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

(Matthew 6:28-30)

And here is Alma 30:44

But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will yetempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye havethe testimony of ^aall these thy brethren, and also all the holyprophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all thingsdenote there is a God; yea, even the ^bearth, and ^call things that areupon the face of it, yea, and its ^dmotion, yea, and also all the^eplanets which move in their regular form do witness that there isa Supreme Creator.

Rosa was excited like no other to see conference but she got sick the day of. She wants to see a baptism and has many questions. She called us last night and told us about a dream she had of us. She is continuing to read and pray and is feeling more and more that the Book of Mormon is true and that the Restoration is a real event. 

Have a good week!

Love,

Elder Young

PS There is no functioning post office where I am, so I probably won't be able to send mail for awhile!

New Pictures of Elder Young's New Area -Lago Azul

Elder Young's New Companion is Elder Lima 

A church in Lago Azul on a rainy day!

                                            The roads with asphalt on them -which is a delicacy!

Hello From Lago Azul

Hello! 

I am now in a place called Lago Azul. These names are so ridiculous. There is no lake and if there were, it wouldn't be blue. It's nicer than Aguas Lindas for sure. The roads have asphalt on them, which is a delicacy. This is already my favorite area so far, as far as working goes. The physical features of Lago Sul still win the prize of most beautiful, but I really like the members I have met here. I live in a house with just Elder Lima, my new companion (who sneezes as loud or louder than dad does). There were 4 missionaries here in the past, but they were moved to  other areas and this place didn't have missionaries for awhile. We were sent here (that makes it sound like mission impossible or something) to start the missionary work again. Our area book has almost no one in it, so this week we focused on getting to know the members and finding new people to teach. Thank you, mom, for asking the questions that led to that description of my new area, haha. This week felt like the most productive week I've had so far. My companion teaches very well and has a desire to work. He's probably my favorite one so far. We have a huge area to cover because there are only 2 of us, so we're still getting to know where everything is, where members live, etc. There are many less-active members here and a decreasing number of people in the ward. Many of the converts get attached to the missionaries instead of the members, so after the missionaries that baptized them leave, they have a big probability of leaving too. Aguas Lindas had this kind of problem too, so I feel like what I learned in Aguas Lindas will help me to see things here with the right angle. We're having success in finding new people to teach by visiting less actives. Many times find wrong addresses but teach the people we find there anyway. One example:

When we left the chapel in Aza Norte where the transfer took place, we took a bus to the central bus station and then waited 1.5 hours for our bus to arrive to take us to Lago Azul. Not many buses go there. We got in and started talking to this cool looking strong guy from the army that wears glasses and braces. He plays saxophone in the army band. It turns out that he knows a majority of the people from the ward in Lago Azul that are on missions. He also knew where our house was. I don't know how we would have found our house without him. We got his number and address to pass by later. Later during the week we went to the address he gave us (or we thought we did) and asked if Jackson was home. He came outside to meet us, but it wasn't the same Jackson. It was a skinny Jackson. We entered anyway and started talking to him. After a little small talk we stopped and asked "So you're Jackson? Is there another Jackson that lives here?" He said of course I'm Jackson and said that he's the only Jackson that lives there. He had talked to the missionaries once before and gave them his address and everything. He said that we were lucky to find him at home. I said "Well we called and you said this would be the best time, right?" Then he was confused and said that no one had called.  We were all very confused but we said "WELL ANYWAY! CAN WE SHARE A MESSAGE WITH YOU?!" or something like that. His sister and aunt and a bunch of other people participated in the lesson and really liked it. They all committed to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. Later we found out that there are two addresses that are basically the same that are in different parts of Lago Azul. It's so crazy that something like this happens almost everyday. 

I have a question for you all that will help me with teaching people this week (maybe this would be good for family home evening):

How have you been blessed by being obedient to a specific commandment? (like tithing, keeping the sabbath day holy, etc.)

Also, we´re trying to start family mission plans with the families here. If you have any ideas about how to make a family mission plan, let me know! (this would be good for FHE too...)

A family mission plan is just a layout of how your family is going to help with missionary work. It involves setting goals and making plans to achieve those goals.

Love,

Elder Young

Good Bye Aguas Lindas!

Hellooooo

Things changed and tomorrow will be transfers instead of today. This change is nice because now I can use P-Day to pack everything. I won't know where I'm going until tomorrow morning. Things are starting to pick up right when I leave. We just found an excellent family and 5 golden people to teach. That's just the way it is (Bruce Hornsby). [then think of the piano riff that follows]. That's what's going through my head now. 

While being here in Águas Lindas I've felt that one of my responsibilities is to help the less actives. I was luckily to find a well prepared record book made by another missionary who passed through here to help me with this. Even though success with less actives isn't as noticeable as success with new investigators, I am happy with what my companion and I were able to accomplish visiting many less actives. I've made many friendships with various members in this ward and they will be hard to leave. 

This week I have been continually grateful for the things I learned growing up in my family. Because of the traditions and way of our family, I am able to relate personal experiences with gospel learning in the family with other people. For example, we ate ice cream all the time at night. And because we all happened to be around the table, we took the opportunity to read the scriptures as a family. I was able to offer suggestions to a family this week on how they could find time to read the scriptures together because of that tradition we have as a family. Also, in visiting many families, I have learned tons more than I expected about parenting. I don't even seek it! It just follows me! I don't know of any way to thank my family enough for the positive influence they have on every part of my mission and life. 

Next week I'll tell you about my new area and companion, and everything else that matters.
Have fun going back to school everyone! 

Love,
Elder Young

Nescau and Seeing Others as They May Become

Well hello,

I find it funny that this little cubicle where this computer lives is my portal of communication in between us. Because I've always been so immersed in the technological world, I've never really perceived until now how odd it is that we can enter a virtual world of connections through this little box that sits behind this screen. I only use a computer one day every week, so I think that's helped me extract myself from my constant connection to computers, haha. Sometimes I feel like I've gone back in time a little bit because at least in this part of Brazil, not everyone has a computer, and most people have cell phones that I would say are "so 5 years ago."
I'm happy that this computer runs on Windows XP instead of Vista, though. That's comforting.

Unfortunately, our working time this week was shortened because E. G. Santos was sick again. It's not anything bad or contagious, but the mission doctor told him that he should rest.

Elder Reese and Me -- Enjoying Fudge-Covered Oreos

These days I'm drinking a lot of chocolate milk. That must be a surprise to you, Mom, but I really like it now. I really like a lot of things I didn't like before... I drink chocolate milk almost everyday for breakfast. The 3 missionaries I live with and I have discussed buying a cow to economize. I noticed one day that a good sized plastic cow is always on the corner of a supermarket we pass a lot. I have been tempted more than once to pick it up and take it with me on the way home. The only thing that impedes me is the size and weight of the thing. Even though it's plastic, it looks super heavy.

Plastic Cow Statue

The milk here isn't very tasty, so the only way to enjoy it is by mixing Nescau in it. For those who are wondering, and also for those who weren't even wondering, the rooster that has been waking me up early for the past 4 months didn't make a sound this morning. It was glorious. This is the extent of my unimportant news.

This week isn't very newsy, but you probably would like to know that I spoke in church again yesterday. I was asked on Saturday if I could speak for 20 minutes along with E. G. Santos. I prepared a talk pretty quickly with the time I had on Saturday night and Sunday morning before church. When I got there I was told it really only has to be 10 minutes, so that was a relief. I really enjoyed preparing and giving my talk. I enjoy public speaking more and more the more I do it. I think it's an interesting art, seeing that much of the teaching done in the church is through this medium. I based my talk on the words of Thomas S. Monson's talk last conference in the priesthood session, "See Others as They May Become." I really like that phrase and described the implication it has for our roles in this life (as parents, as brothers, as spouses, as members of the church, etc.) and gave examples of how Christ saw others as they could become (choosing fisherman to be great leaders, giving us the chance to change through the atonement). I read Alma 31 to show how Alma saw people in this light as well, which relates the Alma's effort in bringing back the apostate Zoramites. I could tell as I talked that people liked an example I used from my childhood: When I was learning to play piano, mom and dad always encouraged us and gave us praise in a way that helped us see our potential. I mentioned that I made many mistakes while learning piano and I was sure it wasn't preferable for my parents to hear a song over and over and over for hours, but they never made negative comments. They always commented that I played very well and that they enjoyed hearing me play. They saw me as the pianist, or person, I could become rather than the kid that won't stop banging on the piano and making a lot of noise. I was grateful that they called on me to give a talk because I acquired a deeper understanding of the phrase "see others as they may become."

Happy Spring Break!
Love,
Elder Bryce Young

Member Family and Elder Reese Smilin' for the Camera

Elder Young with Brasilian Family in front of Mural

Greetings from the southern hemisphere

Greetings from the southern hemisphere,

Tell the primary thank you for all of their letters and drawings! I appreciate them very much. I am keeping them all. And the shirt they sent is perfect. I wear it a lot when I'm at home.

This week was a little slow. My companion was sick for about half of it, and missionary trades, interviews, and the dentist took up two days of time too. As a result, I was able to finish Jesus, the Christ again. I've never been so thankful for long books. It will take a long time for me to ever get tired of that book. This time, the sections that talk about the primitive church, Zion, and the second coming impressed me the most.

Talmage makes the following comment about the early converts of the primitive church (in the time of the original quorum of 12, not long after the ascension of Christ) "So devoted were these early converts, so richly blessed with the outpouring of the Holy Ghost was the Church in those days, that the members voluntarily disposed of their individual possessions and had all things in common. To them faith in the Lord Jesus Christ was of greater worth than the wealth of the earth. Among them, there was nothing called "mine" or "thine," but all things were theirs in the Lord. (Chap 38)

A common ownership of property is one of the characteristics of Zion. Like the people of Enoch and the Nephites in 3 Nephi, they were "of one heart and of one soul." I like imagining how living in a community of Zion might be. This system of unity has already been revealed in our "dispensation" in the Doctrine and Covenants. Keeping in mind that we are tasked with becoming citizens of Zion in the future, it is wise to think about how we can do our part in developing characteristics like the members of the primitive church had, contributing to the building of Zion.

It's hard to think about voluntarily disposing of my individual possessions. It really shows me how much learning and experience I need to gain to develop that desire. I think I'm going to start with my ties. A lot of missionaries like to trade ties. The trades are never fair, but I'm trying to gain the point of view of a citizen of Zion and just go with whatever people want to trade. I'll probably end up with a bunch of ugly ties going home, but at least I'll know I'm closer to Zion, haha. I'm thankful for all the things that happen that stretch me. I hope to become more and more malleable in character every time something hard happens. 

I don't have any super cool stories today, sorry kids. But I do know that the best stories take time to write. Maybe one day we'll all look back at our lives and realize that we were in a much cooler story than we thought we were in.

I guess I'll put down my closing remarks.  I'm just putting down my thoughts and experiences, but I hope all those who read this can be edified in some way. I know that as big and difficult our life may seem, it is only a step in the story of eternity. All the events that pass, whether they be thrilling or devastating, work together to form our future of best possible development. I know, more than I ever have in the past, that the gospel of Jesus Christ is not a "cunningly devised fable." No man could have created a device as simple, or as perfect as the Doctrine of Christ. The scriptures lay out a straight and narrow path we must follow to return to live with our Heavenly Father and receive eternal life. We can choose to follow it or not. It is available to everyone. It's the perfect insurance plan that no one has been able to copy. Because Jesus Christ completed His Atonement for the sins of all mankind in a way we still cannot completely comprehend, we are free to accept his sacrifice for us through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. I still marvel at how it can be so simple but also all-encompassing. I have no doubt that it's true and that the gospel was restored after being lost. Anyone who wants to know if scriptures are true can know by prayer and action. 

I hope that you all have a wonderful week 

Love,

Elder Bryce Young

It's already March!

Hey fam,

Oh boy I do enjoy getting your emails. Sounds like not too much has changed. Aguas lindas still isn't very linda (beautiful) but the work is getting better as we go. This week went very well. We found many people and 9 people said they would for sure go to church on Sunday but only 3 went. It's hard to discern sometimes who has real intent and who doesn't. Sometimes it seems like you had the best week you've had teaching, but the people you taught don't end up doing what they said they would. It doesn't get us down though because we know we did what we could. It's just part of the work. Our job is to invite people to act on what we share with them. 

This week we had a missionary zone conference with one other zone. The trainings were very useful this time. They were about asking inspiring questions and about efficient planning. President Gaertner mentioned in his talk a lady from his home ward that always made homemade bread for the sacrament. He used her example to illustrate the nature of real service. It made me miss Mom's homemade bread and reminded me of how service-oriented Mom is. 

It's funny that you said you prayed that I would have a peaceful and restful day on Sunday because my companion was actually sick and we had to stay home. It was actually extremely peaceful and very restful. I am happiest when I'm working, but I was also nice to have a little time to relax and study. I like hearing that sacrament went long because ours almost went short. There aren't many people, first off, but also this ward still has a lot of growing to do. I was called to fill in some of the time, haha. I'm enjoying and feeling more and more comfortable speaking in front of everyone. I'm grateful that I can even learn about things like public speaking while being here.

I wrote in my journal about an experience I had at the dentist but I haven't told you all yet. We arrived at the dentist pretty early last time we went for them to fix my incredibly discommodious tooth (don't worry, it's all good now) so I sat in the waiting room reading the ensign that I finally got...in English!!! finally. While reading I had a very pressing feeling that I should talk to the receptionist. I kept reading but I couldn't get myself to pay attention because I felt that I just had talk to the receptionist. I knew my mind would not let me focus on what I was reading until went to talk to the receptionist. I thought to myself, "How am I going to casually bring up the gospel in this conversation" (which isn't a good way to think anyway, we shouldn't be ashamed, we should talk to people with our first purpose being to share the gospel). I continued to stay seated and felt like a game of pong was being played in my head. And the little ball that goes back and forth kept speeding up. It turned into a pong battle. I then remembered that I actually needed to talk to her because I needed to change the phone number they had on my record. I still couldn't get myself to get up because I know that I needed to give her the plan of salvation pamphlet too. It wasn't just a quite prompting. It was a very consistent feeling and I knew what I needed to do. I could tell she was curious about what we do and I had already wrote our names and number on the pamphlet because I knew that after awhile I would make myself get up and give it to her. I ended up getting up and asking her to change the number on my account. After she changed it she had to attend another person so I went to sit down. I felt like I had failed because I didn't talk to her more. But after she finished attending the other person, she turned to us and asked "What do you two actually do?" I was so glad she asked that question. We then started to talk and I ended up giving her the pamphlet. When I had gone up to change the number on my account I noticed she glanced at my little name tag and that piqued her interest. Sure, she may have asked us what we do and started the conversation even if I didn't talk to her, but even so, I know I was being tested to see if I would get up and attempt. I'm thankful that Heavenly Father has patience with me and is willing to teach me even when I have just barely enough courage. I don't know why in that moment it was more difficult to talk than normal, but I know that the feeling I had was a prompting from the spirit. It's funny that when I went back to reading the ensign, I got to the part in Elder Scott's talk that mentions the joy you receive in answering someone's prayers by following a prompting of the spirit. It's something small, but it taught me a lot and made me grateful for the learning opportunities I receive every time I look for them.

Have an delicious week!

Love and ice cream,

Elder Young

Elder Young gets a new companion

Hey family!

I don't think I have told you about Beth, so I will tell you now. We were introduced to Beth by an inactive member that is wanting to come back to activity. Beth suffered severe burns in an accident and most of her body is scarred from it. It happened about 2 months ago and she's still recovering. She is about 40 years old and has two kids. She isn't married but lives with someone who is going to move soon. (Practically no one is actually married here; most people just live together) Her situation was life threatening in the hospital but she prayed and read the Bible fervorously, promising God that if she was given another chance to live that she would find a church and turn her life around. 1 month after she got back from the hospital, we met her and she accepted very readily to read and pray about the Book of Mormon. She has already received an answer that it is true and wants to be baptized. We are teaching her and preparing her to be baptized. Her countenance has already changed and she is happier. She can't immerge herself completely in water because of the burns, but in about a month or two  she will be able to. I don't think I'll be here to see her baptism, but seeing someone change like this is very neat. 

E. G. Santos and I get a long very well. I enjoy the creative nature of missionary work. If you ever get stuck in a routine and get bored of doing the same things everyday, you just have to be creative and you start to have success. 

Tell Brandyn Happy Birthday again. I hope it's a happy week, rather than just one day. 

Thanks for sending all the news every week. I hope all is well!

Love,

Elder Young

Transfers

I have a very short amount of time again today because transfers were today. E. Queiroz, my companion, left. E. Reese also left. It was sad to find out that he was leaving because we enjoyed so much living in the same house and having a days every now and then to work with each other. But things have to change every once and awhile. (cue the song "you can't always get what you want")

My new companion is Elder Santos. He has been on the mission for 1yr and 3 months. Just from talking to him today, we're both on the same page of things we would like to change here and in the way we like to work. I'll let you know how this week goes.

Until next week!

Love,

Elder Young

Bryce's Medley of Hymns

Warmest greetings, dear family,

From this past Friday until this Wednesday, people here celebrate Carnaval, which is basically an excuse to go crazy and do whatever you want. Needless to say, it can get dangerous sometimes. Thus, missionaries are advised to be home earlier than normal. Since Friday we've spent more time at home than normal. It can drive you crazy if you don't find something to do. Most of my time has been spent studying lately. BUT IT'S AWESOME! I was looking at hymns in my nifty difty (notebook) little hymn book that you guys sent me and happened upon a neat sequence of hymns that, together, create a cool medley of lyrics.

Dear to the heart of the Shepherd,
Dear are the "ninety and nine"; 
Dear are the sheep that have wandered 
Out in the desert to pine. 
Hark! he is earnestly calling, 
Tenderly pleading today: 
"Will you not seek for my lost ones, 
Off from my shelter astray?"

Make us thy true under-shepherds;

Give us a love that is deep.

Send us out into the desert,

Seeking thy wandering sheep.
(221 - Dear to the heart of the shepherd.)

O Savior, if thou wilt be my guide,

Tho dark and rugged the way,

My voice shall echo the message sweet:

I'll say what you want me to say.

I'll go where you want me to go, dear Lord,

Over mountain or plain or sea;

I'll say what you want me to say, dear Lord;

I'll be what you want me to be.
(270 - I'll Go Where You Want Me to Go)

Does the journey seem long,

The path rugged and steep?

Are there briars and thorns on the way?

Do sharp stones cut your feet

As you struggle to rise

To the heights thru the heat of the day?

Let your heart be not faint

Now the journey's begun;

There is One who still beckons to you.

So look upward in joy

And take hold of his hand;

He will lead you to heights that are new
(127 Does the Journey Seem Long?)

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I like thinking about all these three hymns in the same context because together, they display the journey of a follower of Christ seeking to bring lost ones "back to the fold". The first part invites us to seek for the lost ones. What follows is a petition for strength, courage, guidance, and a conviction of the seeker. The last song "Does the Journey Seem Long?" conveys how the journey of the seeker of the lost ones really is. Then the last verse of that song offers comfort and hope. I like that the hope and comfort is at the end, following two verses (not mentioned here) that describe the roughness of the way. We have to act first and have to experience hard things to be able to appreciate the joy in the end. When seeking someone who is lost, you lose yourself in service and don't realize the length of the journey you've been on until it's ending (while a even newer journey is beginning). The very last verse is cool because it applies to the lost sheep being helped by the seeker of lost sheep, but it also applies to the seeker being lifted up by the Lord.

I've been thinking lately on what it means to treasure up in your minds continually the words of life (DC 84:85) If you treasure something, you know exactly what it is and where it is and you take care of it. I like to think that treasuring up the words of life, or the scriptures, involves thinking about them often, memorizing them, and applying them. It's easy to do this with hymns because they have melody, so that's where all this hymn craziness comes from. It was cool to see how as I started to keep more scriptures in my mind, I was able to use them effectively in my teaching. One person we were teaching had an excuse to go to church the first time we invited her, but within 30 minutes she had a strong conviction to go. It was because of one scripture. Romans 10:17. She was wanting to develop more faith and realized that she needed to hear the word of God to do so, so she became determined to go to church. I believe that whatever righteous effort we engage ourselves in will be builded upon by the opportunities God will place before us. If I am determined to memorize scriptures to teach better, He will place perfect opportunities to use those scriptures before me. I just have to prepare and set goals and then present my plan to Him in prayer. I like what Grandpa Royce said in his journal. "Prepare your prayers, and they will prepare you."

Mom, I hope you had a good birthday. I hope you are having time every now and then to rest from all you do for everyone around you. I never knew being away just for 9 months would teach me all it has about how amazing you are as a mom. All the dishes and clothes you washed for me without saying anything, all the grand feasts of food you brought up to my room while I was studying, all the notes you layed out for me, the encouragement you gave me, and all the trust, I hope I can pay back in portion by being the person you want me to be and by teaching the gospel you taught us at home to people who don't yet know it. I love you!

I'm doing great, so don't worry about me. Have a great week everyone!

Here are some other parts of letters he sent to his family members I thought I would include

Recently I studied the account of Nephi's experience with the spirit in 1 Nephi 11 and the succeeding chapters with a deeper intent to study. It reveals a lot about how the spirit teaches. I really enjoy analyzing how the spirit teaches because it's the best way to teach. There's an identifiable pattern in how he teaches. He shows, he doesn't tell. He invites, he doesn't obligate. And he explains and doesn't over speak. He is simply the guide. And his role isn't to catch your attention, it is to teach you when you choose to pay attention.

Our zone leaders challenged us to memorize 15 scriptures over 5 days. There is a holiday here that goes on for about 5 days and we are encouraged to go home at 6pm, so we have a lot of extra time. I decided to do it and I'm really enjoying the added perspective/understanding you receive upon memorizing scriptures. I like to think of memorizing scriptures as a way to treasure up the words of life. If you treasure something up, you know exactly what it is and where it is. Treasuring the scriptures involves knowing them in and out, in my mind. There's always a temptation to memorize scriptures in English instead of Portuguese, because I'll use the English ones the rest of my life. But I know that if I forget about my own wants and memorize scriptures in Portuguese so I can help investigators, the Lord will bless me with more capacity to memorize whatever I want to after my mission. Little covenants like this that you make with the Lord are really neat. Because I have no doubt that if I focus on memorizing in Portuguese, even though sometimes English is more appealing, God will make it easier to memorize the same scriptures in English and my ability to memorize will improve. I'll be blessed more than I realize.

Love,
Elder Young