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?)

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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

Hilarious picture from Elder Young in Brazil

Testifying in Brazil

So I went to the dentist on Wednesday. Dr. Goes eliminated all the pain and he will finish the procedure this Wednesday. Nothing that Dr. Goes did was painful because he numbed my mouth. We had a nice one sided conversation. You know how it goes. He's working on your teeth and asking you every question he can come up with while you answer repeatedly with the response that somehow every dentist can understand, "Arhhgguhss." It's even better when he uses prestigious medical terms in Portuguese. Oh, the dentist. 

This week I had a neat experience. Surprise! haha. Every week we all have them, really, it just hard to recognize them at times.
3 weeks ago, E. Quieroz and I were looking at a list of less active members whom we could visit as we walked around Jardim Barragem 4 (the names of these neighborhoods are very creatively misnamed). The bishop had asked us to find out of these people still lived in the address listed next to their name. We knocked on a door (clapped our hands in front of a big metal fence) to see if Rosimar lived there. Someone else answered the door. Rosimar had moved away but Glaucia, the girl who opened the door gave us Rosimar's number. She was friends with her and said she had seen missionaries like us at her house before. We asked if we could share a message with her about Jesus Christ. We started teaching her that week and she liked the Book of Mormon. She had a lot of questions about baptism and the need for the Book of Mormon in the beginning. She didn't understand why, if she were to join the church, she would need to be baptized again because she had already been baptized in her church. She also asked why we need the Book of Mormon when we already have the Bible. For each question she asked, thankfully, a scripture and explanation came to mind that answered her question clearly. Upon reading 2 Nephi 29 and 31, she received answers to her questions. We explained the need of priesthood authority to perform ordinances such as baptism and explained its origin, absence, and restoration. Each time we taught a lesson, she had questions which the Book of Mormon was able to answer for her. We continued to invite her to read and pray about the book. The week after we had these great lessons with her, she didn't answer her phone and her family gave conflicting stories about where she was when we passed by. For a week we couldn't get in contact with her. When we finally found her at home she told us that she was confused about a lot of things and her demeanor showed that she didn't want us to teach her anymore. We asked if we could pass by again to try to answer her questions and clear up confusion. She agreed. The next lesson we had was unexpected. She asked again why she would have to be baptized again if she had already been baptized. As a missionary you have to be sensitive in how you respond to questions like this--thankfully the spirit brought things to our remembrance to help us teach clearly and sensitively (John 14:26)  We kindly reminded her of the example Jesus Christ set when he was baptized and that he invites us to follow it. We opened the scriptures to support our explanation and emphasized that by knowing the Book of Mormon is true, she can gain a testimony of the things we say. We invited her again to pray to Heavenly Father to know what she should believe, but she didn't believe a prayer would help her. It was difficult to proceed because she presented the same doubts and questions she had presented when we started to teach her--one's she had said were answered by the Book of Mormon. She had invited her friend over and her friend started to ask questions about our beliefs. She told us why she doesn't believe in the Book of Mormon and accused us of many things. We calmly answered her questions and read scriptures from the Bible to support the reality and authority of prophets. It wasn't a heated argument like it may sound, but she wasn't very willing to listen and consider anything we said. Another person that was listening interposed to comment on how the Book of Mormon just substitutes the Bible and isn't true. We asked them if they had read it and they replied no. We explained our role as missionaries is to teach and testify that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that His gospel was restored by a living prophet--that we don't aim to convince, but rather to invite. I read 2 Nephi 33:10:

And now, my beloved brethren, and also ^aJew, and all ye ends of the earth, hearken unto these words and^bbelieve in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall ^cbelieve in Christ ye will believe in these ^dwords, for they are the ^ewords of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they ^fteach all men that they should do good.

After reading that verse I shared my testimony saying "Christ came to the Americas to teach his gospel and that a record of this occurrence is contained in this book. A reading of it and an application of the principles within will bring you closer to Christ" I could feel in that moment that they knew what I was saying was true, that the Book of Mormon is a testament of Jesus Christ. I invited them to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it.  I am glad I was prepared to be able to share my testimony in such a way, and to feel the spirit testify to them that Elder Quieroz and I said was true. 

I hope that one day Glaucia and her friends will return to think about the Book of Mormon and that they can gain a testimony of it. Knowing that the Church of Jesus Christ is on the earth today and that His gospel has been restored brings so much happiness.

Love,
Elder Bryce Young

Pictures from Elder Young!!!

Elder Reese and Elder Queiroz(Bryce's Companion)

Bryce in the Hills of Brasillia

The horses right outside of Elder Young's apartment wanting to come in!

The Coolest Story of the Week

I'll start by relating the coolest story of the week to those of you who like to eat your desert first. Early last week while it was raining like a king, (10 kudos for who got the pun) E. Queiroz and I were walking neither fast nor slow but with fervent purpose late at night (it's cooler), trying to get out of the angry rain. This place is very indecisive with how it weathers. While we were briskly walking we merged paths with a guy walking home. In the most unreasonable of times, E. Queiroz turned to him and started a conversation which led to him giving us his address for us to pass by the next week. We didn't think much of it until last Wednesday, when we searched for his house again. He had given us the wrong address, so we ended up at a house we had never seen before. Being a little put aside because we had faith that he was telling the truth about his address, we decidedly knocked on the door in front of us to see what we could make out of the situation. It took awhile for someone to come to the door so we stood waiting. While we were standing there on the front porch, a girl came behind us and said "hey, can I ask you guys a question? Are you from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?" She asked where the church was in Aguas Lindas, explaining she had just arrived. She said she is a member too and wants to go to church. We were happy to be able to help someone looking for the church. She was very happy, and appeared so excited it kinda weirded me out. But I understood why when she told us how she found us. She moved to Aguas Lindas to find her biological mom. She had been raised in a family of members elsewhere but now that she was old enough, they supported her in finding her real mom. Her situation upon getting here was difficult. Her mom wasn't very excited upon seeing her and her family that she hoped to accept her with open arms and with smiles on their faces didn't like the idea of her meeting them again. It was very sad to hear. It was easy to see that for a 14 year old, she had lived through a lot. She told us that the week before she prayed every day that God would help her in this situation, and that she could experience some of the joy she had living with her other family in the gospel. She barely ever left the house, feeling despondent and lonely. But the day in which she talked to us she said that 15 minutes before she felt a very strong feeling that she should come out on the street. She didn't know why, but followed the feeling. She looked down the street and saw us standing outside of the house we found ourselves at, after searching for the guy that gave us the wrong address. Soon after, we explained the odd circumstances by which we ended up on her street. We both were amazed and very grateful for how the spirit can work in the lives of those who are exercising faith.
     I subsequently thought a lot about that occurrence and what implications it had for us as missionaries as for her as someone looking to find joy and peace through the gospel. I renewed my desire to always be in the right place at the right time doing the right thing. As long as we're working, we'll be guided even when we think we're not being guided. If I had stayed home because I had a little headache or felt tired, I wouldn't have been an answer to her prayer. I understand better now what Thomas S. Monson said once. He said that one of the greatest joys is feeling a prompting, acting on it, and in doing so being the answer to someone's prayer. The girl's name is Sámia. I know that Sámia was an answer to our prayer that we could find the people the Lord wanted us to find that day, and that we were an answer to her prayer.

I only have time for this story today, but I feel like stories such as these are of much more avail to people who read my updates than small snippets of how things are going. I have been reading Grandpa Royce's mission journal that Christy put together and sent me. I love reading his journal and have learned that experiences such as these are the ones that influence and touch me the most. I want to try to focus my efforts on relating stories such as these in hope that it can positively impact the lives of those who read them.

Love,
Elder Bryce Young

Scripture Power

It's been quite a rainy week. I don't ever want to take the bus again because walking is so nice in this weather.

Things are still going slow with our investigators, and a few of them don't have interest or don't fulfill their commitments so unfortunately we will stop teaching some of them this week. It's always a sad thing to have to tell someone that we aren't going to teach them anymore. But unfortunately, if they don't want do the things we've invited them to do, then we need to focus our time on people that have a strong desire to learn and apply what they learn. Times in which you have to stop teaching some of your investigators can be desanimating if you let it, but it's also an exciting time of finding new people to teach. For example, this week we were looking for less active members and found Glaucia, who lives in a member's old house. She has seen missionaries and talked briefly with them but never has heard the lessons. We also started teaching the friend of two members and the past two visits have gone well. It's such much more efficient to work with members' friends than to try to find people out of nowhere to teach.

Focusing on teaching how the Savior teaches is acts as perfect fuel for days and days of teaching. Because the mission schedule is so patterned, it's easy to fall into doing everything the same way every time. (teaching the same message the same way every time, for example). But if used wisely, the mission can act as a perfect testing ground for teaching techniques. So studying how the savior taught and thinking about it while you walk prepares you to teach using what you learned. And applying what you thought while you walked in your lessons gives you feedback on how to improve. Then you can use the feedback in your study the succeeding day, and continue the cycle. I think that focusing on teaching in His way acts as fuel because when you improve how you do things day by day, you don't get caught up in monotony and you feel more energized, excited to use what you learn while studying and thinking. This week I tried to learn more about Christ's parables and analogies. As I did that I began to be more cognizant of analogies in the general conference talks. It was really cool to see how studying the Savior's method of teaching opened my eyes more to how to teach efficiently. I began to think more about how I could incorporate analogies into lessons that we teach daily and was able to relate basic principles to surroundings and people's interests. I'm grateful that the mission acts as a catalyst for any righteous desire you have. Heavenly Father is always willing to help us accomplish even the little things we desire to accomplish.

A few days ago we got to teach the husband of a member who isn't a member yet. Lately we have been reading chapters from the Book of Mormon and encouraging a habit of daily scripture study. I was so thankful for our "family scripture study" at home in the moment of teaching them how to study the scriptures together. Any time I'm in a group of people and we're all reading the scriptures and talking about them, I remember all those nights before bed at the table when we overloaded on ice cream and then read a chapter in the Book of Mormon (usually with those little action figures and random objects that Dad used to demonstrate the war tactics used in Alma, haha). When we were discussing how to have a family scripture study with Ridaiel and his wife, I was able to share experiences I had with my family and recall things that I learned those nights we studied the scriptures. I am so grateful for the foundation of scripture study we have in our home and am thankful I could use it to help someone else find the power in reading and applying the scriptures. I am also grateful for what I learned that week about how the Savior teaches because the Holy Ghost brought those things to remembrance and enlightened the minds of those who were there.

I'm gotta hit the road now. Enjoy the day off of school!

Love,
Elder Young

Perfect weather!!!

Just to start off here, I'll have you all know that right now the weather is perfect. I'm sitting here in this nice little LAN House, as they call it, basking in a cool breeze of rainy/feels like an ice-dragon breathed on me/delectable air. The past 4 or 5 days have been rainy and cool. I love this weather. It makes walking so much more pleasant. I heard that it's supposed to stay like this for a little bit longer, and oh, is that is a tiding of great great joy.

I'm sure news has got around the figurative block that lately a few people have been sick in our apartment. But now, all is well (that ends well) and we're all in an operable state.
E. Macias moved in the place of E. Golzio. E. Macias is from Bolivia and is fun to talk to. Speaking of, it's funny how often I hear the phrase "ah mas ele é gente boa". (Ah, but he's a good person). Every says everyone is a good person. I often hear someone say all this crazy bad stuff someone did, but then end saying, ah, mas ele é gente boa. That is just one of the phrases I laugh at here.

Because I had a lot of time to study last week, I'll write a few things I found while reading Jesus, The Christ by Talmage.

The notes are always the best part. The author noted (pun intended) that the capacity to be grateful is a blessing. If you think about that too much it will make your head hurt, but it has some colorful insight. Think of how you would feel, not even being able to feel grateful for things. Think about if you didn't even have the choice. The world would be pretty dim in your view, would it not? Gratitude acts as a pedestal for humility--which in itself opens the door to acquiring righteous character and more Christ like attributes--and for a positive outlook on your circumstance. If we think as things like gratitude or faith as gifts (which they really are), then we will be more willing to seek those gifts and be more grateful for them. And when we understand that the good feelings we receive are a result of the choices we make, and of our obedience to the commandments, we're also more likely to continue seeking the gifts that God readily gives us.

Something else I found in the note of some chapter said "We should realize that even complete knowledge may not preclude the propriety of making inquiries". This refers to the way that Christ taught. He is omniscient but he still asked questions that sought knowledge. Asking questions is not always for the asker; oftentimes the most valuable questions are the ones that benefit the person being asked. Asking inspired questions plays a big role in teaching someone the gospel. This part of the book made me think over again the significance of good questions and why we ask questions, even when we know the answers.


I do have a little follow up news about Isabel's family. We started to teach her son, Edason. We committed him to start reading the Book of Mormon. His cousin was there also and was interested in the plan of salvation.

Edson just has to get married. We're waiting on that and then we'll schedule his baptism. We had planned a family home evening with his family but it got canceled. I'm hoping to have one this week.

Because there are so many less actives and non-actives in the area. We're trying to find them but are having a little difficulty. Many addresses are wrong and we always seem to pass by when the people aren't home. But we do have a few things scheduled this week to work with less active families. There resides a great joy in encouraging people to come back to church and seeing them at church. One guy about my age came this last Sunday. I had talked to him the previous Sunday and we got along well because of our shared interest in programming.

Overall, things haven't changed a ton, but life rolls on. There's always a bump in the road somewhere right?

I hope January acts its best this year. Have a wonderful week, ya'll.

Love,
Elder Young

Happy 20th Birthday to Elder Young!!!!

Today is a transfer day so time is running away from me. But I do want to share a poem I found in one of Thomas Monson's talks this week.

I have wept in the night

For the shortness of sight

That to somebody's need made me blind;

But I never have yet

Felt a tinge of regret

For being a little too kind.

(Bryce didn't write much this week because of transfers, but I have included a few lines from some of the individual letters he sent to family members)

To his bros:

Thanks for the birthday comments! I feel so good about myself now. I feel like Mario when you press L in super smash bros and he grows to almost 3 times his size. That's what my ego just did.

I got all the pictures--thanks so much, they're great, and I should get the package this week or next, we'll see. But no worries.

To dad (thinking mom might not see!!!!)

Thank you again for the birthday wish. I'm glad I have the privilege of spending my birthday giving what I can of the day back to the one who gave it to me.

I don't want Mom to freak out, but I only got to work 1 day since Tuesday because E. Reese and I got sick. We had some kind of stomach virus or something. We're thinking it was from some bad fruit we ate or something. It wasn't bad,

I'm pretty sure every american missionary that goes to Brazil goes through a sickness like this at least once on their mission. So I didn't get to teach any investigators or visit Isabel's family like I wanted to. I had a lot of time to read and study and talk to E. Reese though. And I benefited from those things. 

I'm completely better now, though. So don't let anyone worry.

Until next week!

Love,

Elder Young

                              Our Family skyping with Bryce on Christmas Day

A Christmas lunch at the church

A bad hail storm in Aguas Lindas

                               Some of Elder Young's Christmas presents

Happy Birthday Dad!

First of all, Happy Birthday Dad! I hope skiing is a nice present for you. I miss skiing a lot. I still remember those skiing classes in Utah though where I learned about pizza and french fries. You must feel honored that everyone around the world is celebrating your birthday tonight. One of our investigators is inviting us over for dinner in fact, just to celebrate your birthday. He mentioned new year or something too, but I was surprised he knew it was your birthday.

It was so nice to talk to you all last Tuesday. It felt so unreal after not seeing everyone for about 7 months. I'm still laughing at the fact that mom had three pages of questions ready to ask. And of course she wrote it in permanent marker on printer paper like she always does. That made me happy to see. And I'm glad Pete still feels at home in our house. I remember when he used to stand outside our front door to connect to our Internet so he could download things quicker. Now he's already a part of the family. Thanks for telling me that you guys are going skiing. I'll be missing it like crazy over here in the heat. The closest thing we got to snow came yesterday. It hailed (sp?) like it never has before here in Águas Lindas. Luckily, during the storm, the whole ward was having a big lunch together and we were all safe inside the church. Speaking of, this storm was another one of those "coincidences" you see every day on a mission. There were many investigators and less actives at this lunch event and they would have left sooner if it weren't for the storm. Because it was raining like crazy, no one could leave, and we (the 4 missionaries of the ward) had a chance to have great teaching opportunities and conversations with those people. I continue to love the openness of the people I meet. As a missionary, it's not rare to get stopped on the street by someone and have a deep, nourishing conversation with someone you don't know. I like the fact that people speak what is, and they don't pretend. For example, if someone is fat, they describe them as fat. That's a harsh example (although true), but because of this cultural norm, people are more open about their beliefs and--at least in my experience--more true to themselves. It's so easy to get to know people and to open up to them. I've noticed that here family and friends take precedence over the things that normally crowd our lives with triviality, which I like a lot.

This week something crazy happened. A lady, Isabel, whom we met just a week ago, died of heart problems 3 days ago. We passed by on Saturday to talk to her but chairs were set up in the yard and her friends and family were there. They were preparing some kind of funeral service. It was shocking because we had no idea she had health problems. We had planned on teaching her that day but instead found her friends and family there. We told them that we had met her that week and had come to share a message with her. We explained what we do and asked if we could pass by later and share a message about life after death. They said we could come back in a week. The most poignant feeling from that experience comes from the memory that I had prayed the night before to know who we should visit and what we should teach. I hadn't even thought about visiting Isabel until I had prayed and asked for guidance. Maybe it didn't make a different that we passed by exactly that day instead of any other day to talk with her friends and family that were united there, but it's humbling to know that one prompting led to a potential opportunity to share the wonderful message of the plan of salvation to people that are in the midst of sadness and confusion about why things like this happen. It's not an exaggeration to say that prayer is a conversation. The Book of Mormon and words of the prophet and apostles teach us how God responds to our earnest, prayerful requests. Upon studying the resources we have been given and applying them, our prayers will become infinitely more meaningful and useful. They will become less of a checklist of petitions and more of a conversation with a loving Heavenly Father. They will create our days instead of completing our days. They will guide and accompany our daily actions instead of following them.

Every day is a testimony builder in some way or another. And often I don't realize that until I start to say what I have learned. Even the burning sun and crazy rain storms have many things to teach us. No two days are the same, so every day has something different to teach. It's such a cool thing to finally realize.

Well! Have a wonderful Dad's New Year and drink some sparkling grape juice for me! I hope life is dandy.

Love,

Elder Bryce Young

We just talked to Bryce!!!!

We were able to skype Bryce today!  It was so wonderful being able to talk to him.  He looks great and is doing so well.  We talked with him for about an hour.  We all asked him lots of questions and his brothers played Christmas songs for him on different instruments.  He listened to Jingle Bells on the trumpet, ukelele and accordian and Braxton played How Great Thou Art on the piano.  We sang other hymns and Christmas songs with him.  Mom didn't even cry until we sang the hymn Hark The Harold Angels Sing before we said goodbye.
He is really enjoying his new area and is really happy.  It was fun hearing him speak in Portuguese.  We will be able to skype again on Mother's Day. We hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Pictures From Elder Young

  

                                    Helping the lady paint everything GREEN!!!

                                     Feliz Natal -Elder Young and Elder Reese

                                                    A beautiful sunset

                                               Bryce's typical breakfast

Feliz Navidad!

Fastest week so far. It started out on Monday with a family night in a members home. There were a bunch of people and I felt like I was at home. As bare as the surroundings were, the cozy feeling of being with family was there and nice to be a part of. We even had popcorn for a snack afterward. For once, we weren't the ones teaching the lesson, and so I was able to sit in the chair of a quiet observer and watch how spending time as a family really brought those people together. Spending time with family--setting time apart for family, is crucial these days. I was so grateful that day for my family home evenings in the past.

Tuesday was one of those crazy days I will never forget. After eating lunch with one of our investigators, her friend asked us to help her with a little project in her house. She said it would take no more than 30 minutes. We started walking to her house with her, and on the way she mentioned that the project she had in mind was painting her refrigerator. When we got there we observed without difficulty that anything that had the capacity to be green or be painted green--was green. She told us she would like her fridge and her cabinets to be painted green. (she was running out of things to paint green). It ended up taking 4 hours, just painting things green. Haha. I laughed the whole time but my companion was just ready to go because he couldn't believe we were actually doing this. It was a funny experience. And there was no reasoning with her or leaving early because of an appointment -- she had her mind set, haha. Sometimes you just have to let go of your preoccupations, your worries, and submit to the task. I actually enjoyed it, because it was hilarious, and I learned a little more about how to relax in the midst of a busy routine and a busy mind.

Wednesday was a busy day teaching and trying to find people at home. Some days you just have bad luck and no one is home. 

Thursday was spent mostly at the Christmas conference for all the missionaries in our mission. We sang Christmas music and sounded even better than it did in the choir rehearsals. Then a few discourses (talks? oh boy, In portuguese it's discursos) were given about Christ and the significance of his birth, ministry, death, and resurrection. Afterward, I went with the choir to sing in the main bus station in Brasilia. We sand Christmas music for around 2 hours and many people stopped to listen and ask who we were, etc. It was a good opportunity to invite people to learn about the Restoration of the Gospel and learn that we're not just weird people who walk around with a white shirt and tie. I enjoy seeing the success of activities like this because missionary work can and should be so much more than knocking on doors or just stopping people in the street. It was also nice to feel more of the Christmas season here.

Friday we finally got in contact with Cida, who was moving to a new house while we passed her house. We wouldn't have known to where she was moving unless we had been there in that moment. So I'm glad we found her. She has committed to be baptized already, but after the other missionaries that were here left, shyed away from it a little. We were at least able to help her move and talk a little about how she's doing. I hope we find opportunities to talk to her more. Friday night there was a Christmas ward activity and many people showed up. I got to be all cool and play Christmas music on the piano while people conversed. I felt like one of those people at a fancy hotel playing as people lounge in the lobby. Edson and all his family came to the event and liked it. I also overheard Edson explaining to his son the importance of priesthood authority, marriage, and the temple. He understands the doctrine of the church very well and is wants to keep paying tithing even though he isn't a member yet. He has to get married before being baptized, so that's the only thing that's taking time. He has accepted all the invitations we have offered him and is living the commandments. I just hope to be here when he get's baptized with his family. 

Yesterday E. Queiroz was sick so E. Reese and I went to work together. We visited as many less active members we could that we found on the member list. Almost all of them had moved, but we made good contacts with the people that are living there now. In Preach My Gospel, it says that there is almost always someone that has been prepared to hear the gospel in the family of whom you are teaching, or in the neighborhood or the house next to whom you are teaching. It's clear, also, that there are people prepared to hear the message of the restoration in the houses of old members who used to live there. The feeling of being guided to where you should go is humbling. Yesterday E. Reese and I felt that feeling strongly and knew the people we talked to we didn't meet by mere coincidence. It was cool to be able to talk to E. Reese while we walked in between appointments, too. Because we are both learning so much at the same time, the conversations we have are always edifying. 

In church yesterday the Bishop gave me the opportunity to translate for the father of someone in our ward who was visiting. He had such an awesome testimony so I felt pressed to be able to convey it accurately in Portuguese. Thankfully, he knows German, and knew how to make the job of a translator a little easier, so all went well. He was born in Germany and joined the church in his youth while living there. Because he joined the church, his family kicked him out of his house. He left for America and was adopted here. He grew up with the liberty going to church and choosing whether or not to serve a mission. He sent in his papers to serve a mission and got sent right back to Germany. He had great success there as a missionary and bore his testimony with powerful conviction of the truthfulness of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It was clear to see how loving he is and that he lives what he believes. 

Christmas is coming! Thanks for the packages and music! I'm looking forward so much to talk to you all on the 25th. I feel like because there is so much to say I'll end up staring blankly at the screen wondering what to say. Haha. I'm sure you will have questions though and stuff. Especially with so many people to talk to, the time will go fast I'm sure.

Have a very merry Christmas! And listen to all the Christmas music we always listen to for me. And eat some cinnamon rolls for me too.

Love,

Elder Bryce Young