October 5, 2015
Hey Everybody!
General Conference this weekend was great! On the mission I have grown to have a much greater appreciation of the words of the living prophets and apostles and the council that they give to us. It is such a blessing to know that there is a man on the earth who receives direct revelation from our Heavenly Father and in turn gives us council on how we can better serve and love our Him.
As I watched the transmission of conference here it took me a little while to get used to listening to the translation, but as I became accustomed to it I was amazed at how the translators were able to relate the message of the apostles and prophets with the same spirit. Every aspect of General Conference really is touched by the spirit and I am grateful for the gifts those translators have to take the words of the prophet to all the ends of the earth.
There was one talk that particularly stuck out to me, I can´t remember the name of the man who spoke but he told about several people who asked God ``what is impeding my progress`` and all those who asked were able to receive answers. This talk highlighted one aspect of God´s love for us. And that is his desire for us to change, and become perfected. In order to help us change he has given us the path of the Gospel doctrine with tools such as prayer and revelation that illuminate this path. The challange he gave to ask God this question is one I hope that all of you take. I did, and I was able to see a weakness that was holding me back that I had never noticed before. It is a great faith building experience!
The work that Elder Juliani and I are doing here in Universitário is going along really well! It seems that every week we see miracles and have the opportunity to feel the spirit strongly in our messages. We have a baptism coming up this next Saturday with a young man named Eduardo. He is very involved with the church and a member of the bishopric has been bringing him to church for the past 4 weeks. I am very excited for the chance to baptize this young man and to start to work with his family and share with them the truth of the gospel that can bless our families. There is nothing better than the doctrine of Christ and keeping the commandments that will make us happy in this life!
Everyday I see the hand of the lord in my life as I help his work, but this is not something just for missionaries. I know that God loves and is watching over each and every one of us!
Hope you all have a wonderful week!
Love,
Elder Rice
Friday, November 6, 2015
September 28, 2015
Hey Everybody!
It seems like the more time you start to get on the mission the faster time keeps flying by! This week was no exception, but I think that my companion and I made the most of what we could!
My companion, Elder Juliani, is honestly a blessing. In just these last two weeks that we have been together we have been able to accomplish so much! Never before in my mission have I felt that I have been able to teach with the spirit like I am able to right now. And it is because of the spirit and love for the work that he has.
This week Elder Juliani and I were able got to know many knew people, two of whom were very special. Their names are Lauri and Caio. They are both friends of another investigator of ours. And the reason that we found them is actually kind of a funny story. A less active member of the ward and her husband expressed concern that the friends of their daughter were a bad influence of her. My companion and i recognized their concern and offered to speak more with their daughter to help her know and have a testimony of the truth so that she would also walk the correct path. So one night when we went to talk with her and found her out side talking with some of her friends, Lauri and Caio. As far as first impressions go mine wasn´t so great, I kinda just thought ``oh so this is the problem...``. But fortunately I could not have been farther from the truth. While they may have tattoos and be living a crazy life style after a little bit of conversation it became very evident that they were searching for change. We set up a day to come back and talk more with everyone and explained to them that our message would explain where the truth is and how following Christ example helps us to change our lives for the better.
We came back a few days latter and man was it special. Never before in my mission have i taken part of a lesson where the spirit was so strong. As my companion and i talked about the restoration of the church, we made sure to constantly ask for their thoughts and opinions and as the lesson progressed the spirit only got stronger. By the end of the lesson I was feeling the spirit very strongly and the thought came in to my mind, ``help them recognize this feeling`` I then took a moment to explain the whispers of the Holy Ghost and how he speaks to us. After sharing this they all commented that they were feeling the Holy Ghost speak to them and that they loved the message. It really was a special experience and now i really understand what Nephi meant when he said that when ``when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.``
I am so grateful for everyday that i have as a missionary it gives me the opportunity to learn and grow in an incredible way! The holy ghost really is the comforter and a powerful teacher, I am grateful for what he has taught me and what he has helped me to teach others.
I love you all and hope that you all have you own experience with the holy ghost this week!
Love,
Elder Rice
Hey Everybody!
It seems like the more time you start to get on the mission the faster time keeps flying by! This week was no exception, but I think that my companion and I made the most of what we could!
My companion, Elder Juliani, is honestly a blessing. In just these last two weeks that we have been together we have been able to accomplish so much! Never before in my mission have I felt that I have been able to teach with the spirit like I am able to right now. And it is because of the spirit and love for the work that he has.
This week Elder Juliani and I were able got to know many knew people, two of whom were very special. Their names are Lauri and Caio. They are both friends of another investigator of ours. And the reason that we found them is actually kind of a funny story. A less active member of the ward and her husband expressed concern that the friends of their daughter were a bad influence of her. My companion and i recognized their concern and offered to speak more with their daughter to help her know and have a testimony of the truth so that she would also walk the correct path. So one night when we went to talk with her and found her out side talking with some of her friends, Lauri and Caio. As far as first impressions go mine wasn´t so great, I kinda just thought ``oh so this is the problem...``. But fortunately I could not have been farther from the truth. While they may have tattoos and be living a crazy life style after a little bit of conversation it became very evident that they were searching for change. We set up a day to come back and talk more with everyone and explained to them that our message would explain where the truth is and how following Christ example helps us to change our lives for the better.
We came back a few days latter and man was it special. Never before in my mission have i taken part of a lesson where the spirit was so strong. As my companion and i talked about the restoration of the church, we made sure to constantly ask for their thoughts and opinions and as the lesson progressed the spirit only got stronger. By the end of the lesson I was feeling the spirit very strongly and the thought came in to my mind, ``help them recognize this feeling`` I then took a moment to explain the whispers of the Holy Ghost and how he speaks to us. After sharing this they all commented that they were feeling the Holy Ghost speak to them and that they loved the message. It really was a special experience and now i really understand what Nephi meant when he said that when ``when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men.``
I am so grateful for everyday that i have as a missionary it gives me the opportunity to learn and grow in an incredible way! The holy ghost really is the comforter and a powerful teacher, I am grateful for what he has taught me and what he has helped me to teach others.
I love you all and hope that you all have you own experience with the holy ghost this week!
Love,
Elder Rice
September 14, 2015
Hey Everybody!!
This week was transfer week! I was pretty certain for the whole transfer that I would end up staying in my area because my companion Elder Dodson was in his last transfer and is on his way home now. Last night I found out who my new companion would be, his name is Elder Juliano, I have never meet him but I have heard that he is a hard worker, and that is all that matters to me! As long as we are working hard the rest will figure its self out.
This week has been a good one with many challenges as well as new opportunities. One of the biggest challanges that Elder Dodson and I faced this week was with a young man who is preparing to be baptized. He is 15 years old and from his appearence you would think the last thing that he is interested in is the church, but he is a very special young man. We were hoping to baptize him last Saturday but as we worked with him this week we found that he still lacked a little bit of preparation. The problem is not with any commandments or even a testimony of the truthfulness and divinity of the Church, the only problem is that he is being haunted by sins from the past and feels that he can not be baptized yet. This is a difficult situation for me to deal with because as we teach him about the atonement of Christ and its healing power, our words can only do so much. The real change will come as one day he gets down on his knees and cries out to his Father in Heaven to help him forgive himself, because I am certain that God has already forgiven him, but he wants to keep the guilt and the burden because he doesn´t feel worthy of God´s love. I really feel for this young man and I hope that my new companion and I can work together to find the best way to help him feel the redeming love of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Besides that and various other challenges from this week there have been an incredible amount of opportunities opening up here in Universitário! One of these is with a man named Robson (pronounced hobson) and his family. Elder Dodson and I made contact with this man one time and in that first visit we felt a special spirit with him. He took a real interest in our message and seemed particularly interested in how the gospel helps to guide our families. After testifying to him the truthfulness of our message and how it had changed our lives we invited him to church and he gladly accepted. As Sunday arrived I was anxious to see if he would really come, and to my surprise when we arrived at church there he was, front and center in the chapel with his young son. Unfortunatly his wife wasn´t able to make it but after the meetings he said that he really enjoyed and would return with his family. I still haven´t had the chance to get to know him too well but I am looking forward to helping him and his family come in to the gospel and enjoy all the blessings that it has to offer.
Every week I am filled with an appreciation for the truthfulness of the gospel and the peace that it brings to each one of us as we dutifully strive to live it!
Love,
Elder Rice
Hey Everybody!!
This week was transfer week! I was pretty certain for the whole transfer that I would end up staying in my area because my companion Elder Dodson was in his last transfer and is on his way home now. Last night I found out who my new companion would be, his name is Elder Juliano, I have never meet him but I have heard that he is a hard worker, and that is all that matters to me! As long as we are working hard the rest will figure its self out.
This week has been a good one with many challenges as well as new opportunities. One of the biggest challanges that Elder Dodson and I faced this week was with a young man who is preparing to be baptized. He is 15 years old and from his appearence you would think the last thing that he is interested in is the church, but he is a very special young man. We were hoping to baptize him last Saturday but as we worked with him this week we found that he still lacked a little bit of preparation. The problem is not with any commandments or even a testimony of the truthfulness and divinity of the Church, the only problem is that he is being haunted by sins from the past and feels that he can not be baptized yet. This is a difficult situation for me to deal with because as we teach him about the atonement of Christ and its healing power, our words can only do so much. The real change will come as one day he gets down on his knees and cries out to his Father in Heaven to help him forgive himself, because I am certain that God has already forgiven him, but he wants to keep the guilt and the burden because he doesn´t feel worthy of God´s love. I really feel for this young man and I hope that my new companion and I can work together to find the best way to help him feel the redeming love of our Savior Jesus Christ.
Besides that and various other challenges from this week there have been an incredible amount of opportunities opening up here in Universitário! One of these is with a man named Robson (pronounced hobson) and his family. Elder Dodson and I made contact with this man one time and in that first visit we felt a special spirit with him. He took a real interest in our message and seemed particularly interested in how the gospel helps to guide our families. After testifying to him the truthfulness of our message and how it had changed our lives we invited him to church and he gladly accepted. As Sunday arrived I was anxious to see if he would really come, and to my surprise when we arrived at church there he was, front and center in the chapel with his young son. Unfortunatly his wife wasn´t able to make it but after the meetings he said that he really enjoyed and would return with his family. I still haven´t had the chance to get to know him too well but I am looking forward to helping him and his family come in to the gospel and enjoy all the blessings that it has to offer.
Every week I am filled with an appreciation for the truthfulness of the gospel and the peace that it brings to each one of us as we dutifully strive to live it!
Love,
Elder Rice
August 31, 2015
Hey Everybody,
Every week as a missionary it seems that you run in to a new set of problems and what matters is just how you adapt to it and make the most of what you have. I expressed that last week was pretty difficult because after weeks of trying to work so hard it seemed like there was little success. But with those individual people came much joy! This week luckily Elder Dodson and I were able to face our challanges and overcome them!
The biggest miracle we had this week was with an investigator of ours, her name is Diana (17 yrs old) and she will be baptized this Saturday along with her best friend Fernanda (18yrs old). Both of these young women are extremely special and as we helped them to progress toward their baptism date this Saturday everything seemed to be perfect, until Diana told us that she didn´t think she would be able to be baptized... Hearing her say this crushed my companion and I and after talking to her for a bit we found out it was because she was afriad her mom would not allow it. My companion and I both knew that she was 100% ready for baptism and needed the guidance of the Holy Ghost in her life, so we were ready to do anything to help her get baptized. We came back another day and taught the pricncipal of tithing and the law of the fast and the power that fasting has. We invited her to do a fast with us that her mom would allow her to be baptized, and she gladly accepted! Sunday, a few days after the fast, Elder Dodson and I went to Diana´s house to speak with her mom. We shared a message about God´s plan for us and what our part is in that plan and then asked her if she would allow Diana to get baptized, and she said that she would allow it!! The lesson that we had with her was great and I could tell that Diana´s mom enjoyed a lot of the truths that we shared. After that visit I was just so happy that Diana would be able to be baptized and recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost.
There really is nothing better than recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost. With this gift we are able to allows enjoy the presence of the spirit and recieve guidance. However this guidance is something that we must constantly be searching, and as we do so the Lord will guide us in our lives.
I hope that we all do our part to seek the guidance of the spirit in our lives everyday. Love you all and hope you have a great week!
Love,
Elder Rice
Hey Everybody,
Every week as a missionary it seems that you run in to a new set of problems and what matters is just how you adapt to it and make the most of what you have. I expressed that last week was pretty difficult because after weeks of trying to work so hard it seemed like there was little success. But with those individual people came much joy! This week luckily Elder Dodson and I were able to face our challanges and overcome them!
The biggest miracle we had this week was with an investigator of ours, her name is Diana (17 yrs old) and she will be baptized this Saturday along with her best friend Fernanda (18yrs old). Both of these young women are extremely special and as we helped them to progress toward their baptism date this Saturday everything seemed to be perfect, until Diana told us that she didn´t think she would be able to be baptized... Hearing her say this crushed my companion and I and after talking to her for a bit we found out it was because she was afriad her mom would not allow it. My companion and I both knew that she was 100% ready for baptism and needed the guidance of the Holy Ghost in her life, so we were ready to do anything to help her get baptized. We came back another day and taught the pricncipal of tithing and the law of the fast and the power that fasting has. We invited her to do a fast with us that her mom would allow her to be baptized, and she gladly accepted! Sunday, a few days after the fast, Elder Dodson and I went to Diana´s house to speak with her mom. We shared a message about God´s plan for us and what our part is in that plan and then asked her if she would allow Diana to get baptized, and she said that she would allow it!! The lesson that we had with her was great and I could tell that Diana´s mom enjoyed a lot of the truths that we shared. After that visit I was just so happy that Diana would be able to be baptized and recieve the gift of the Holy Ghost.
There really is nothing better than recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost. With this gift we are able to allows enjoy the presence of the spirit and recieve guidance. However this guidance is something that we must constantly be searching, and as we do so the Lord will guide us in our lives.
I hope that we all do our part to seek the guidance of the spirit in our lives everyday. Love you all and hope you have a great week!
Love,
Elder Rice
August 24, 2015
Hey everybody!!
To be honest, this week has been so-so. It seems that everything my companion and I had planned fell through. Splits with members, family nights, appointments, lunch, literally everything, if it was planned it didn´t happen. But what I want to share with you guys is a new appreciation I have for the scripture D&C 18:10,15 ``Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight if God." And if you were to work all of your days proclaming repentance to this people and bring one soul to me, how great will be your joy in the kingdom of my Father`` (that may not be word for word correct I translated it back from portuguese)
This week it we worked everyday to bring as many souls to our Father (in this case bring them to church), and unfortunately those who we had been working with so firmly didn´t come. But this man (in the attached photo) his name is Jefferson and after months of working with him, finally my companion and I were able to bring him to church. We visited him Saturday night and had a very frank conversation about why he hasn´t been going to church, like any other time he gave a dozen excuses, but finally my companion and I just stopped him and said the only thing holding you back is your guilt. You know you need to be at church and you know that this is the only thing that will get you life back in order. He paused and holding back tears he said ``I know, tomorrow I´ll go to church``.
The next morning we stopped by to go to church with him and we found him and his son, completely ready to go. I can't express how happy it made me to see him in church clothes ready to go. And I felt, the value of every soul in the eyes of God. To see just this one man back at church made me so incredibly happy. I can´t wait to continue to help him get back on track to being a strong member of the church again.
Never forget the worth of all souls in the sight of God, even the worth of your own soul. Work everyday that you can to help others accept this Gospel and the incredible peace that it can bring you our lives.
I love you all and hope you all work to save the soul of another!
Love,
Elder Rice
Hey everybody!!
To be honest, this week has been so-so. It seems that everything my companion and I had planned fell through. Splits with members, family nights, appointments, lunch, literally everything, if it was planned it didn´t happen. But what I want to share with you guys is a new appreciation I have for the scripture D&C 18:10,15 ``Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight if God." And if you were to work all of your days proclaming repentance to this people and bring one soul to me, how great will be your joy in the kingdom of my Father`` (that may not be word for word correct I translated it back from portuguese)
This week it we worked everyday to bring as many souls to our Father (in this case bring them to church), and unfortunately those who we had been working with so firmly didn´t come. But this man (in the attached photo) his name is Jefferson and after months of working with him, finally my companion and I were able to bring him to church. We visited him Saturday night and had a very frank conversation about why he hasn´t been going to church, like any other time he gave a dozen excuses, but finally my companion and I just stopped him and said the only thing holding you back is your guilt. You know you need to be at church and you know that this is the only thing that will get you life back in order. He paused and holding back tears he said ``I know, tomorrow I´ll go to church``.
The next morning we stopped by to go to church with him and we found him and his son, completely ready to go. I can't express how happy it made me to see him in church clothes ready to go. And I felt, the value of every soul in the eyes of God. To see just this one man back at church made me so incredibly happy. I can´t wait to continue to help him get back on track to being a strong member of the church again.
Never forget the worth of all souls in the sight of God, even the worth of your own soul. Work everyday that you can to help others accept this Gospel and the incredible peace that it can bring you our lives.
I love you all and hope you all work to save the soul of another!
Love,
Elder Rice
August 17, 2015
Hey Everyone!!
This area is a blessing! The members of this ward are incredible and dedicated to helping the work of the Lord not just continue but accelerate! Every Sunday the leadership in this ward has a quick meeting after sacrament meeting to see how they can help those who are new or coming back to church have a good experience. The leadership here really understands the meaning of magnify your calling and it shows.
Because of the members of this ward all the people that we are teaching or working with become integrated and feel right at home the first time that they visit. Just from watching the way this ward works I am learning a lot of what it means to have charity. From greeting people at the door to visiting people at home everything the people do here is out of love for others or the Lord. I have learned more about charity by seeing it in action than I ever have studying about it.
Because of this ward and my companion we have been able to find people to teach and help them progress. It is amazing to see the difference the gospel can make in someones life in such a short amount of time. There are four people we hope to baptize in the next couple of weeks, Diane, Fernanda, Talia and Laurauna. All of them have already started to make changes in their life and have noticed the difference in how the gospel can bring happiness to us. I am looking forward to helping them enter the waters of baptism and recieve the gift of the holy ghost.
Someone else I would like to mention, is a less active, Elder Dodson and I have been visiting this week. Her name is Lúcia and when she mentioned to us that she was depressed and even thinking of suicide we knew that we had to help out. We told her that we would come by everyday to read the scriptures with her and see how she is doing. Everyday we read one chapter with her and left one with her to read. After just three days there was already a noticable difference in her appearence and she even told us that she felt happier. This is a testimony of the power of the word of God. If we study and apply the principles found in the Book of Mormon as well as the Bible it can transform our lives for the better!
This is my invite to read, study and make a plan on how you can apply the teaching of the scriptures in your life. If you do this you will find that you are able to live a happier and healthier life. I love you all and hope you have a good week!
Love,
Elder Rice
Hey Everyone!!
This area is a blessing! The members of this ward are incredible and dedicated to helping the work of the Lord not just continue but accelerate! Every Sunday the leadership in this ward has a quick meeting after sacrament meeting to see how they can help those who are new or coming back to church have a good experience. The leadership here really understands the meaning of magnify your calling and it shows.
Because of the members of this ward all the people that we are teaching or working with become integrated and feel right at home the first time that they visit. Just from watching the way this ward works I am learning a lot of what it means to have charity. From greeting people at the door to visiting people at home everything the people do here is out of love for others or the Lord. I have learned more about charity by seeing it in action than I ever have studying about it.
Because of this ward and my companion we have been able to find people to teach and help them progress. It is amazing to see the difference the gospel can make in someones life in such a short amount of time. There are four people we hope to baptize in the next couple of weeks, Diane, Fernanda, Talia and Laurauna. All of them have already started to make changes in their life and have noticed the difference in how the gospel can bring happiness to us. I am looking forward to helping them enter the waters of baptism and recieve the gift of the holy ghost.
Someone else I would like to mention, is a less active, Elder Dodson and I have been visiting this week. Her name is Lúcia and when she mentioned to us that she was depressed and even thinking of suicide we knew that we had to help out. We told her that we would come by everyday to read the scriptures with her and see how she is doing. Everyday we read one chapter with her and left one with her to read. After just three days there was already a noticable difference in her appearence and she even told us that she felt happier. This is a testimony of the power of the word of God. If we study and apply the principles found in the Book of Mormon as well as the Bible it can transform our lives for the better!
This is my invite to read, study and make a plan on how you can apply the teaching of the scriptures in your life. If you do this you will find that you are able to live a happier and healthier life. I love you all and hope you have a good week!
Love,
Elder Rice
July 27, 2015
Hey Everybody!
The weeks really start to fly by as you get more and more time on the mission. This next week will be a new transfer and it seems like this one just started.
This week has been good though. I have had the opportunity to give English lessons twice a week, here in the group, for the past few weeks, which has been an interesting experience. My ability to speak Portuguese is still far from perfect, so trying to explain grammer concepts to people in a language I struggle to speak is a bit of a challenge. So this week I asked the help of a young man here in the group. His name is Cayvn (Kevin) and he is incredible. All on his own he taught himself to speak English. When he told me that he taught himself English, I just assumed his ability to speak was pretty basic and he only knew some simple phrases. But one day when we were planning a lesson together, I asked him ``so how much English do you know? How do you feel about planning the rest of this lesson just in English`` He said he could do it and we started speaking only English, and I was blown away. This kid taught himself to speak english fluently completely alone. He said when he was 10 years old he got a dictionary and just started learning words, then he got some grammer books and started putting things together, and now he´s fluent! I think its incredible and he is a great reminder that if we put our mind to something we can accomplish it!
This coming Saturday Elder Da Silva and I are hopeing to have 3 baptisms. It would be incredible if we were able to accomplish it and I know that if we just work diligently it is possible! Remember the value of hard work and that it will always pay off. I have meet some incredible hardworkers here in the mission and some other who could care less. Those who have the disposition to work hard always seem to have a better understanding of our purpose here in life and what is possible for us after this life. Remember that it is by grace we are saved after ALL that we can do. So get up and get to work and God will make up what you lack!
Love you all and hope you guys have a great week!
Love,
Elder Rice
Hey Everybody!
The weeks really start to fly by as you get more and more time on the mission. This next week will be a new transfer and it seems like this one just started.
This week has been good though. I have had the opportunity to give English lessons twice a week, here in the group, for the past few weeks, which has been an interesting experience. My ability to speak Portuguese is still far from perfect, so trying to explain grammer concepts to people in a language I struggle to speak is a bit of a challenge. So this week I asked the help of a young man here in the group. His name is Cayvn (Kevin) and he is incredible. All on his own he taught himself to speak English. When he told me that he taught himself English, I just assumed his ability to speak was pretty basic and he only knew some simple phrases. But one day when we were planning a lesson together, I asked him ``so how much English do you know? How do you feel about planning the rest of this lesson just in English`` He said he could do it and we started speaking only English, and I was blown away. This kid taught himself to speak english fluently completely alone. He said when he was 10 years old he got a dictionary and just started learning words, then he got some grammer books and started putting things together, and now he´s fluent! I think its incredible and he is a great reminder that if we put our mind to something we can accomplish it!
This coming Saturday Elder Da Silva and I are hopeing to have 3 baptisms. It would be incredible if we were able to accomplish it and I know that if we just work diligently it is possible! Remember the value of hard work and that it will always pay off. I have meet some incredible hardworkers here in the mission and some other who could care less. Those who have the disposition to work hard always seem to have a better understanding of our purpose here in life and what is possible for us after this life. Remember that it is by grace we are saved after ALL that we can do. So get up and get to work and God will make up what you lack!
Love you all and hope you guys have a great week!
Love,
Elder Rice