First Zone Conferences

Here we are in the last month of the year already. After our transfers we had a few days of normalcy in the city during which I was able to get a few decorations up knowing that the rest of the month we would be traveling  again. So the house is festive and we have been out doing our first round of Zone Conferences.

We have ten zones which correspond to the ten stakes in our mission.  Previously they had divided the conferences in half, there being a little more than 100 missionaries in each conference. Since we wanted a little more intimate setting where we could be up close and more personal with the missionaries it was decided to have 5 sessions with 2 zones, about 40 missionaries in each session.  The conferences are from 9 to 3 with lunch served in the middle. We have a wonderful couple who do all the meals for us, including set up and clean-up whenever we need it.  The food is always really good and they always make literally tons of it. All of which is usually consumed.  My talk this time was on Exact Obedience as demonstrated by the 2000 stripling warriors in the book of Alma.  Dad spoke on the acceleration of the work of the Lord and acceptance of changes and other themes as prompted by the Spirit. It is such an amazing experience to prepare and then have the Spirit direct just what is needed for each group. We never gave the exact same remarks at each conference. 

The weekends were spent in Stake Conferences and giving firesides. I think we have 1 more Stake Conference before the end of the year. It is such a joy at each Stake Conference to run into our missionaries from Belem and their sweet families.

We hope that you are all taking advantage of the “He Is The Present” initiative and inviting your family, friends and neighbors to become closer to the Savior especially during this holiday season. We will be training our Zone Leaders tomorrow on how to direct this work in the field. We are surely hoping, as well as we are sure our family missionaries are hoping, that this will result in many more contacts, teaching, and in the end bringing many more to souls to a knowledge of the Savior.

A belated happy birthday to Jean, Ryan, and Tim and Happy Thanksgiving to all. We really do love you all and think of you daily as we kneel in prayer. 

Transfer Week and Leadership Counsel

My how time flies.  Didn't I just post a blog yesterday?  It seems like it anyway.  Life in the mission is a continuous fast track adventure, but wonderful.  The other day after making final preparations for the day of transfers this week, including making 4 dozen muffins for a snack for the new missionaries, I could hardly climb into bed my back was hurting so bad.  The next day one of the Elders said, "So, how are you Sister Andrew?"  I actually stopped in my tracks, thought for a moment, and realized that I was physically, totally great!  So for us with old bodies, but young spirits,  a miracle occurs each night and we awaken strengthened in every way and ready for the next adventure.

Transfer day is a very busy day.  We were at the office by 7:30 and didn't get home until about 11:00 pm.  We received 14 missionaries of which there were 3 American Sisters,who received their visas at the last minute before they were to leave the Provo MTC.  Also included in the group were two Brazilian Elders, one who had served here previously but had to return home 15 months ago because of a belated confession, and the other who will be with us for only one transfer. He also had a belated confession and a health issue in his mission in Brasilia.  We will monitor him to see if the health issue has been resolved and he can stay.  They come in all shapes and sizes and we love each one.

We said goodbye to 16 missionaries, one of whom served as an Assistant since we arrived here.  He has been a great help to us in the transition period, and we look forward to introducing him to our family when we return home as he has been accepted at BYU and will begin his studies in January.  Another interesting thing about a Sister missionary who was leaving - she had been serving a 3 month short term mission, and in the morning of her release, she received her call to serve full time,, where else?,

Our mission!  So, she will return home and then begin her "new" mission in early December, when she enters the Brazil MTC.  We'll get her back on December 16th. It was so exciting that she could open her call in front of us.   After a missionary serves a short term mission, we (being her mission president and her companions) have to send in an evaluation of her performance, health and attitude.  It appears that we gave her high marks to be able to have back with us. 

Transfer day itself was much better organized and seemed to be less chaotic.  You have to realize that we had 14 new missionaries coming in, about 140 being effected by transfers around the mission and 16 others going home.  This for us was a major transfer to move missionaries and leadership around in the mission.  So transfer day goes something like this:

7:30  The van from the MTC arrives with the new missionaries.  We greet them with open arms, take individual pictures with each one and President starts interviewing them while the office staff and I prepare a snack for them and visit with them.

10:00 The trainers of the new missionaries arrive and President gives them about an hour training on what is expected of them as trainers in this 12 week training period that they have with the new missionaries.  During this time the secretaries and I train the new missionaries on finances, health insurance and basic health issues.

11:00  The trainers and new missionaries meet one another, are given more directions by the President and they are off to their mission areas for lunch and to get settled into their apartments and new surroundings.  

2:00  All other transferees arrive with their bags, we have a meeting in the chapel where zone by zone they receive their new companions and new assignments, such as Zone Leaders, Sister leaders, District Leaders etc. and areas.  It sort of reminds me of how the Missionaries were called in the early days of the church at a General Conference.  We kept all of the assignments secret until this meeting, which hadn't been done before, so there was a great spirit of excitement and enthusiasm there.   We began the meeting by singing "I'll Go Where You Want Me To Go".  It was great!!

5:00 President begins his interviews with the departing missionaries.  We have a Pizza Dinner (next time we will change to a more formal complete meal)  and then a final testimony meeting.  Our plans always are that we are finished by 930pm at the latest but it doesn't always happen that way.  Actually the majority of them don't want to leave at all.

All those going home stay with other missionaries for the night.  The Brazilians leave early the next morning and the Americans at night.  Our wonderful office staff takes care of all of the travel arrangements.  

This is I'm sure more than you wanted to know.  But at least the next time we say it is transfer week you will know what's involved.   

Friday we had Leadership Council where all of the Zone and Sister Leaders come in for training.  It is exciting to see them involved in "Counseling Together"  to resolve problems and to  share ideas and testimonies of the work.  This too is a new concept for most of them and a necessary learning experience as we look to train them for future church leadership callings. 

Who could ask for a more invigorating, challenging and inspirational life at our age.  We are so grateful for this privilege and blessing. 

Dad at his first Coordinating Council Mtg. with our area Stake Presidents

Mission Presidents Seminar Week

This past week was the semi-annual Mission Presidents Seminar.  The only vacation a mission president and his wife get.  But soooo refreshing and just what we needed.  We left Sao Paulo Monday afternoon arriving in Santos on the coast with Dr. Swensen and his wife who are the medical consultants for Brazil and whom we knew when we served in Recife in 2005-7. They, like so many of us who have become addicted to serving missions, have also served in Germany.

The Seminar was presided over by the Area Presidency, Elder Claudio Costa, Elder Mazzagardi, and Elder Aidukaitis.  We spent Tuesday, Wednesday and half a day Thursday basking in their wisdom and knowledge of Missionary work.  They always shared so many good stories from their personal experiences as Mission Presidents to illustrate the principles they were teaching us.  We came away with an added excitement over the opportunity we have to guide our missionaries and direct the work here in our little, but highly populated, part of the Lord's vineyard.  This experience has really strengthened our vision of the work and helped confirm the feelings we have had of the direction we should take.

Santos was where the ship landed that brought Dad to Brazil in 1956 and was his first proselyting area.  He served there for 3 months. We were suppose to have the afternoon free on Wednesday and had planned to walk down on the beach and take a streetcar ride but as you can see by the picture we had some rain off and on most of the day.

 We are not complaining though as that is exactly what we started praying for at the beginning of the seminar, to regulate the moisture that we need throughout the country.  Some areas are arid and some are getting more moisture than they need or want.  There will be a special fast held throughout the country on November 16 for that purpose. So, Dad spent the afternoon reading missionary letters and I walked around the shops and malls near the hotel for a while. Then we went out for ice cream at a shop recommended by President Costa who was raised in Santos.  Really yummy!  We had such a nice visit with him as he was nice enough to join us at our table one night for dinner and recommended it to us.  He, like Dad, loves ice cream, especially banana splits.

We got to go to a regular Sacrament meeting this past Sunday, which is always so nice.  We will start in with Stake Conferences again next week.  Sunday night we gave a fireside in one of the  wards.  Dad gave a great personal history of the work in Brazil and his involvement in it and the importance of member missionary work in the development of the church over the years. It is so funny!! Most of the members in the congregation weren't even born when he began his work here.
They are always so amazed.

Until next time, keep well and share this great message with everyone.
Love you all.

NEW BEGINNINGS: Sao Paulo East Mission

I think it is about time, since I do have some extra time today, to try to put together some of the experiences of the last 2 months since we were called to preside over the Sao Paulo East Mission.  I decided that if I had to wait to create a new blog it would never happen.  As you will see, as you wade through all of this,extra time is a luxury.

On Monday Sept. 1 we met with President Claudio R. M. Costa and were set apart, Don as President of the Sao Paulo East mission and me as a missionary and companion to my husband. 

  Many wonderful blessings and promises were given to us to help us to fill such a sacred and demanding calling.  Part of that blessing was the reassurance that this calling was by revelation and that in spite of the weaknesses we felt, the Lord would “go before us and be on our right hand and our left hand and angels would be round about us.”  A blessing was also given to our family at this time, which we so much appreciated, and hope that you as a family and individually are feeling it in your lives.  Upon arriving in Sao Paulo, we stayed in a temporary apartment for a couple of days in Vertentes, which is located just up the street from the temple and area offices. This was so familiar and comfortable because we had lived there on two previous missions. We then moved into our new home in Mooca, a community within Sao Paulo.

The first few days were spent getting accustomed to our surroundings and finding a place for what basic things we brought with us.  Other than clothes we did purchase a new suitcase to bring a few pans and baking supplies that we had purchased in Recife.  One of the luxuries of a Mission President is that you get your extra baggage paid for.  Our home, I would describe as large but cozy.  We have 3 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, if you count the maids quarters, an office,  utility porch, kitchen and a very large living room/dining room space. Thankfully our housekeeper comes every Tuesday and Friday to clean and do the laundry for us.   The apartment is in a nice area with many high rise apartment buildings and has grocery stores, bread and pastry stores, gas station, and restaurants within walking distance.  We live on the second level and our apartment covers the entire second floor.  As you can see we also have a sports court and a swimming pool which is looking more inviting each day it gets closer to summer.  We love our little garden spot with its orchids off of the living room.

Our primary concern at first was to get out and personally meet all 216 missionaries.  By Thursday of our first week, we were ready to begin the tour of our 10 zones with the purpose of getting acquainted with our missionaries and they with us.  

Our first visit was to the Penha zone, a city that coincidentally Dad opened when he was here as a young missionary.  No resemblance now to the dusty dirt roads that existed in 1958. 

We held our first Leadership Council on 9/4/14 .  This is a new meeting initiated with Preach My Gospel and is held monthly to train the Zone Leaders and Sister Leaders in their responsibilities to, in turn, train the District leaders and other missionaries in their Zones.  We did not have a whole lot to do or say, mostly just introduced ourselves and observed, since this was a new experience for us. 

During the week of Sept. 8-14 we continued our visits to 6 more Zones, went to the temple with one of our Sister missionaries who was going home¸ attended the Saturday and Sunday sessions of a Stake Conference and gave a fireside in one of the wards.

The following week we finished our introductory  visits and attended another Stake Conference.  The last week of the month we had transfers, which includes new missionaries entering the mission, missionaries leaving who have completed their missions, and missionaries moving around the mission and getting new companions and sometimes new leadership responsibilities.  Does it sound like a whole lot of confusion?  It definitely was.  Basically about 5 days before this occurs Dad goes into hibernation and looks at the transfer board for hours on end to get the necessary inspiration of whom to put where and with which companion.  We are at the point now of trying to understand a better way of doing this so there is not so much confusion. 

On the last day of September we started with personal interviews with each missionary, which meant that we were on the tour again for about 3 weeks.   While Dad was doing the interviews I would visit with the waiting companions and help with any of their health concerns.  I will say that in the first week in the mission I recorded in my health notebook about 30 health-related calls.  I think they were probably just checking me out.  Things have calmed down a little.   So far today, at least, there have only been 5 calls.  I think with the change in the season, we are moving rapidly through Spring and into the heat of Summer, and with the start of Daylight Savings time here in Sao Paulo, there are always more incidents of respiratory and flu problems, over-tiredness etc.  Our region has some very hilly areas and because of that, we seem to have a lot more leg, knee and ankle problems than we had in Belem. This seems to be the case especially among the Brazilian sisters who mostly come to the mission with inadequate shoes for long days of walking up and down the hills.  Thankfully I have a wonderful in-field medical adviser in Dr. Swensen.  He too is a returnee, having served in Recife as area medical advisor when we were there the first time.

We finished our interviews on the 19^th of the month and participated in two more Stake Conferences both of which were reorganizations, presided over by members of the Area Presidency.  It gave us a chance to meet our dear friends, President Massagardi and President Aidukaitis who we first met when we were in Belem.  He was in our group of mission presidents and presided over the Brasilia mission.  Dad usually is asked to give a 10 minute talk and if I am asked it is usually for a short testimony.  I must say that in all of our travels throughout the mission we have been warmly welcomed, with Brazilian hugs, by many of our previous acquaintances and our missionaries from Belem who now live in our mission area.  It is fun to see the reaction of our current missionaries as they witness the love that is shown to us by our Belem missionaries and that we show for them.  I think that it helps them to feel the love that we have for the Savior, for this work and for them.

On Saturday, the 25^th, Cheryl’s birthday, we were privileged to attend the dedication of this beautiful new chapel in Sao Jose dos Campos.  There, as always, we encountered the families of two of our former missionaries from Belem, the Sister on my left and the brother on Dad’s right and our darling Brazilian grandchildren. (Sister Moreira and Elder Itoi)  Such a Joy!  We were beginning to wonder if we were ever going to be able to attend a regular Sacrament meeting and partake of the Sacrament again with all of the Stake Conferences we have been attending.  We did so last Sunday and today

.

The last week and a half of this month I thought was going to be a catch-up week here at home but that thought was short lived as we had a Sister who had to be hospitalized for appendicitis and needed our attention for a few days.  This week was Temple week and we accompanied half of the mission to the Sao Paulo Temple on Tuesday

and the other half to the Campinas Temple on Wednesday.
There were a few of our missionaries who did work for their personal families and the rest did work for my side of the family.  During these 2 days we were able to accomplish 206 family ordinances.  The missionaries were excited to be able to do this service for us.

With the daylight savings time changes we are currently 5 hours ahead of Utah, 6 of California and this month with your change it will put us 6 and 7 hours, respectively, ahead.   Hard to find times when we can chat with each other.  We are experiencing a draught in this part of Brazil and so on the 16^th there will be a special fast held throughout the country.  We had a nice rain yesterday, but need much more to fill the reservoirs.  Some areas of the country are getting too much rain.  They say it’s because of El Nino.  More likely part of what I call the last-days syndrome.

Dad is in a Council meeting with Stake Presidents and Area 70 this afternoon so I will try to get this update on its way and hopefully will be able to follow Tynan’s perfect example and keep you posted each week.  This week we will be at the Annual Mission Presidents Seminar from Monday afternoon until Thursday afternoon.  Can’t wait to see who the visiting general authorities will be.

Love to you all!

  

TRANSFERRED???

We bet you thought that temple mission couples were exempt from transfers. We thought that too until last Tuesday, August 26th, when while going about our regular temple assignments we were called to the office  to receive a call from the office of the Area Presidency, in particular Elder Claudio Costa, area president.   After a few words of greeting and explanation of a visa problem, he said, "I am calling at the request of the First Presidency of the Church to call you as Mission President of the Sao Paulo East Mission,  to serve until July 1st, 2015.  Can you accept that call?"  We were both so shocked we could hardly breath. "Oh, yes," he said, "And could you be ready to leave on Friday?"  

So, Wednesday was our last day in the temple. Thursday we packed and Friday morning at 8:10 we flew from Recife arriving in Sao Paulo about noon.  We were met at the airport by the church travel service, driven to the mission apartment, where we met our office Elders and the outgoing President and his wife.  It appears that after their 2 years in Brazil, they neglected to renew their visas so they had to go home. So sad.

We are now in Sao Paulo by the area office, actually staying in our old apartment complex where they were so nice to put us up until we can set apart tomorrow by Pres. Costa and receive further instructions.  It's like coming home again.  We are sure that we are probably the oldest couple presiding over a mission in the whole world.

We are deeply humbled and will "Go forth with faith ..." knowing that "Whom the Lord calls the Lord qualifies."  (Pres. Monson)  

We will be at this apartment until Monday or Tuesday and then be able to get our telephone hooked up in the mission president's residence, which by the way has a pool and 2 extra bedrooms in case anyone wants to come and visit in the next 11 months.  Dad already is enjoying getting behind the wheel of our car, although not enjoying so much the challenging traffic here.  We will send more information and pictures in the next week or so.

We send our love and are so grateful for your continued love, support and prayers.

The Party's Over!!

 The Party's over!!  and I, personally, am looking forward to "Real" football, played by real men, not floppers.  We did, however, have the best seats in the house without paying the high prices.  One of the happy things that happened during the World Cup was that we were able to visit with one of our missionaries, Elder Long and his wife and a couple from Belem who were here for the games.  What a joy to spend 2 hours reminiscing about our mission in Belem.   The following is Dads take on the World Cup.

  My take:  With all of the hype and expectations for Brazil to win the Cup, it came down to too much self confidence and no defense.  Oh, and by the way, England, Holland and Germany play defense!  So, I guess that I don't get a new shirt with six stars, so I'll just keep wearing the same shirt (pictured above) that I got in 2002 - the last time Brazil won the cup.
 
  On June15th our oven finally arrived.  I'm not sure if anyone else received one and I have not asked but we are so happy to have it. Valentines day is in June here so I made cookies to share with the couples for a valentines surprise. Also made an apple pie for Fathers Day.

  June also is what we would call a Fall Festival month, it is after all fall here you know.  There are many festivals with square dance type dancing and special kinds of food. The picture below displays some of the cute outfits that both children and adults dress in for the festival.

In June we celebrated our 55 wedding anniversary.  It seems we have been in love forever and indeed we have been for the better part of our mortal existence.

July brought a change in the weather and a change in our temple schedule.  We are having a lot more rain now as we enter our winter.  Still warm enough to be outside without even a sweater.  Today we walked home from church in a light rain, of course we had our umbrellas, and it has rained off and on all day.  I love the rain!

We celebrated the 4th of July with Hot Dogs and homemade apple pie accompanied by the sound of fireworks, or rather, cherry bombs going off, as Brazil was playing soccer that night.

July has been a very challenging month physically and mentally.  We are now back on the morning schedule which means we arrive at the temple at 6 or 6:30am depending on the day, get home about 2:30 and go to bed at 8:30pm.  Because July is vacation month for the Brazilians there have been many people in the caravans and especially more youth. I think only Erin can truly appreciate just what that means.  It is challenging, to say the least, but also not without special tender mercies.  I have been trying to recognize them and appreciate them more each day.   We are in the baptistry 3 days a week and have been super busy.  Our maximum capacity is 32 and 2 Saturdays in a row we have had 52 girls in one session. Quite a challenge for two old dudes. This week, at least so far, has been much calmer, although since we still have another Saturday to go, I don't want to broadcast that too loudly.

Dad gave a talk in Sacrament Meeting last Sunday on ....we both cannot remember what it was on.  Ah yes,
Josua 24  Choose you this day.  Such is life in our ever changing world, not always for the better.  But we daily have a good laugh about it all.  Love you all!!!

May Memories

"It’s Autumn Time, it's autumn time ..."

Yes, it’s fall here, crazy we know, and at least the few deciduous trees we have are beginning to turn yellow and lose their leaves.  The Mango trees are interesting because they seem to put on new growth at the same time some of the leaves are falling, but the trees stay green the whole year.

The temple reopened on the 29th of April and is beautiful, with new carpet in some of the major rooms and some of the furnishings throughout reupholstered.  There were about 18 men sent from Salt Lake to do the work inside and out.  It is good to be back doing something that REALLY matters.  Our schedule has been changed, at least for this month.  We have the second shift, 2pm to 10pm.  We still will have 2 days a week in the baptistery for which we are glad.  We love working with the young people.  They bring such a sweet but exuberant spirit with them.

Along with the reconditioning of the temple, they also did some major upgrades in the temple apartments.  We now have new air conditioning units, new faucets in the kitchen and bathroom and a new shower head. We haven’t seen the promised ovens yet but we still have hope.  I still run up and down the stairs when we need to make muffins or cookies.  Helps to take away the guilt, as if we feel any!

Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May in Brazil also.  The Temple presidency had a luncheon that day for all of the Temple couples and to honor those with birthdays during the month, as well as the three new couples who have recently joined us.  Each of the husbands was asked to present their wives with a bouquet and messages from all of their children.  Most gave roses or Gerber daisies but I received a beautiful arrangement of tropical flowers in a special handpicked glass vase with special messages of love attached and a single red rose on my plate from Dad.  I surely felt like a “10 Cow Woman”!

This past Wednesday the State Military police went on strike and the state went into chaos.  I’m sure you probably read about it or heard it on the news.  During such times it really is not safe to be out on the streets.  Two of the grocery stores that we normally shop at were held up, the mall and all the other shops nearby closed up, as well as did the temple close early so that people could get home in the daylight hours.  We decided to make lemonade out of the situation of being sequestered in our compound.  Dad made popcorn and we spent the afternoon watching “Frozen”.  By the next day the police had received the raise they were striking for and all returned to the “normal” chaos.  It is rumored that there may be a strike by the city police this next week.  We have our month’s supply of food and popcorn and money in case the banks go on strike, so we are fine.  Such is life in Brazil.  Just can’t wait for the World Cup, if indeed it happens here.

In spite of all of the special events that have occurred so far this month, the highlight of the month and probably of our mission here, will be the special visit last Saturday of Elder and Sister Russell M. Nelson and President and Sister Claudio Costa to the Temple. We have known about and anticipated this visit for about 2 weeks and have been rehearsing in our minds the various responsibilities that we would have.  Both of us were assigned to facilitate Elder and Sister Nelson’s and Pres. and Sister Costa’s experience as they went through a session.  We felt very humbled.  It was something that you would never in your wildest imagination dream of doing. When we come home and can share this experience on a more intimate basis, we will tell you all about it.  As if that wasn't enough, there were many of our dearest friends from Sao Paulo in their entourage, so for us it was a day filled with much love and many “abraços” (hugs).

Our hearts are full of gratitude and love to our Heavenly Father for his goodness and mercy in our behalf, and His many blessings to each of you.  We send our love to you all.