"...Almost a quarter of my mission already gone and I have only just begun here in Brasil"

Sent: Monday, May 13, 2013 11:02 AM
Subject: Caraca! O Tempo Está Diminuindo!

This week was the first time I have really felt like the time is going by quickly. Yesterday was my 5 month mark! Seriously?! That's almost a quarter of my mission already gone and I have only just begun here in Brasil! Its time to put my shoulder to the wheel and get work done.

This week was different. We had Zone training on Tuesday until 2 pm, 12 weeks training in Rio on Wednesday until 4 pm (training for the first 12 weeks a missionary is in the field), Thursday we went to the doctor until 5 pm to find out my companion has blisters in his throat, Friday was more or less normal, Saturday was solid, and Sunday was great.

We have been losing quite a bit of time due to sickness within our companionship and its beginning to be depressing because I'm developing love for our investigators and feel awful when we don't make it to our appointments. I'm not sure how much longer my companion will have to take it easy, but he doesnt want to sit around the house and neither do I, so we still try to work as much as possible until his throat cant take it anymore.

We had a really good day this week when we went on splits with a couple members of the ward where we taught a bunch of great lessons, solidified some testimonies, and got a TON of references. We did an activity with some members where we sang hymns for them while they thought of friends, family, and neighbors who needed to hear the gospel message and now we have a great lot of people to visit!

We also marked three baptismal dates with a woman named Denise and her two kids Douglas and Nicolas. They were the first family that I had a solid lesson with my first week here and they are growing tons! It is so amazing to see a family grow together in the gospel from the first meeting to the point that they are ready for baptism!

I know this work is the Lord's work and I see His hand in the things we do each and every day.

So this letter didn't send last week because the internet went out, but I'll just add a little bit of what happened this week.

We didn't have the baptism of Denise, Douglas, and Nicolas as they went into Rio for Mother's Day, but we plan on having them baptized this Sunday!

Joares was interviewed for baptism and passed, but still doesn't know if this is the true church... Its a little frustrating because he has a testimony of everything we teach and of the Book of Mormon being the word of God, but he has yet to put it all together and realize that this is the Lord's Church. We will keep working with him though!

Iolanda (Yolanda) is golden. She has come to church the past three weeks and loves it! We are trying to figure out whether to baptize just her, or wait for her husband Aridio to gain interest again. He is very Catholic and when we teach him we have very spiritual experiences and feel like hes growing, but then other lessons he is drunk and fights with us about everything. So we are going to teach the Word of Wisdom this week and hope that gives him some incentive to look a little harder at what we are teaching him.

We also found a new family! Marcia and her son João are a contact we made a couple weeks ago, and when we returned and taught the Restoration they were very interested. We are going to teach them with their husband/dad on Sunday because that's the only day he is available so please keep this family and all the other investigators we have in your prayers!

This week as I was studying the first chapter of Preach My Gospel, I was reading about power and authority. It says that, as missionaries, we all have the authority to preach and teach the gospel as we have been set apart to do so. But the only way we can gain the power (as mentioned in the story of the Sons of Mosiah) is by being exactly obedient and keeping our covenants. I have a strong testimony that we are able to witness miracles as we are exactly obedient.

"Obedience brings blessings; EXACT obedience brings miracles." 

Look for ways that you may be slacking with your covenants or even the commandments you might be breaking and strengthen them! The Lord has prepared things for us that we cant imagine in the Kingdom of His Father, so why are we wasting our time with these trivial things that bring "happiness" that can only last a few minutes/days/years? Eternity is a much longer time than we all give credit for... Re-evaluate what you're doing each day and LOOK for ways to improve!

We all have areas in which we can do better. Heavenly Father loves and blesses us when we are striving to become like our Savior, Jesus Christ and I know that it is only through the incredible Plan of Salvation that we are able to return to live in His presence one day.

We must live the gospel of Jesus Christ: having faith in our Savior, using that faith to induce repentance, being baptized by someone who has the proper Priesthood authority of God, receiving the precious gift of the Holy Ghost, and living in a way that is pleasing to God until the end. I promise that this is the only way. But you will never know until you pray about it and ask the Creator of the plan if it is right. Ask Heavenly Father for absolutely anything! He loves us and answers our prayers!

He sent His Son Jesus Christ to pay for our sins if we would accept Him and become like Him through repentance! This is His Church! The Book of Mormon explains this plan perfectly and it doesn't matter how many times you have read it before or if you have never read it before. Give it a chance and tell me if it doesn't make you happy.

I know this work is the work of the Lord and He is making it possible for me, a lowly American, to change the lives of all these Brasileiros. I love you all and wish all you beautiful awesome mothers out there a happy mothers day! Be obedient, read the scriptures, and be happy!

Com fé e amor,

Elder LeSueur

Mormon.Org

Mother's Day

We had the awesome opportunity to skype with Elder LeSueur today, and he is doing great! He looks wonderful and sounds great. He spoke in Portuguese with us and we think he sounds like a native! Here are a couple of screenshots from the big event:

Mom & Dad, The Jensens, The Johnsons, and both grandmas were able to connect on the call!

A good time was had by all (:

Trevor and his companion, Elder B. Carvalho

...And here's the audio of Elder LeSueur's testimony in English and an account of The First Vision in Portuguese. It got cut off at the end, but Elder B. Carcalho told him that his Portuguese was spoken without an accent! 

In Case you want the English text to what exactly he is saying in Portuguese:

" I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. When the light rested upon me I saw two personages , whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other-- This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him! "

Mormon.Org

"The Book of Mormon is true and has brought me closer to my Savior..."

Hello beautiful people! So I have officially been in Tallahassee for one month and tomorrow will be my three month mark on the mission. What in the world is happening to all this time?!

What have all of you been up to? I'm really very curious since only about 3 people besides my family have written me letters... Come on people, show me some love! I at least have an excuse to not write first because I don't have your addresses! Even if you email me your address I will write you a letter! Empty mailboxes at the end of the day are so lame for missionaries.

Anyway, this week was definitely your typical roller-coaster ride as a missionary! We had days that we taught 7 lessons (a large feat on TCC Campus) and we had days that we didn't get to teach a single soul and we had everything in between. We found a few new people who are very interesting and potentially sketchy... So, keep my safety in mind on Tuesday if we end up going over to his place for dinner! Haha I'm kind of kidding…

But what I learned from this week is that we are going to have some incredible days that don't compare and we feel on top of the world, but we can't enjoy those days if we don't experience the trying days, too. How boring would it be if we just did the same thing every day with the same results and never had to deal with disappointment? After all, we learn best when things don't happen the way we want. What I'm trying to say is that even though the bad days are really tough out here, knowing that our Heavenly Father is in charge and will bring us success makes everything worthwhile. Elder David Bednar spoke in a CES Fireside last night and said it really well, "Strong faith in the Savior is submitting to His will, even if the outcome is unfavorable... Do you have the faith NOT to be healed?" Do you have the faith that everything will be for the best when you let Heavenly Father direct your path, or only when it's convenient to what you want? It's hard to keep that state of mind, but it makes life much more enjoyable; I promise!

He also said "Not shrinking is much more important than surviving." Our faith is always either increasing or decreasing... Be productive in your lives and take 10 minutes each day to read your scriptures! It is TRUE power against the adversary and you will notice a difference in your happiness!

Okay, enough chastisement.

So, yesterday was Mary's baptism (we moved it because we had to work a Family History Fair all day Saturday) and it couldn't have been a better ending to my first full month in the field. I was privileged to perform the baptismal ordinance for her and it was the most amazing thing I have done. To be able to do something for the Lord that literally cleanses someone from all sin... That is so much power and so humbling. The service was incredibly spiritual and nearly the whole ward was there since it was right after church!

More than ever, I know that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ on the earth. I know that my work as a missionary is bringing people closer to Him and only through these ordinances are they able to return to live with our Heavenly Father. Being a part of the reason people can have that amazing gift is mind blowing.

The Book of Mormon is true and has brought me closer to my Savior as I have read and tried to abide by its teachings. There is nothing more that I want than for all of you, my wonderful family and friends, to have the happiness that comes with being a valiant follower of Christ. Please, read the Book of Mormon daily and gain that personal testimony of its truth! It will come to you, I promise! But, no matter what I say, it has to be through your desire.

I love you all so very much and I pray that you continue to find success in this life! Remember you are a child of God and He loves you more than you can comprehend! I testify of that in the name of Jesus Christ. Be happy and serve someone in need this week :)

Love,

Elder LeSueur

Mormon.Org

"I couldn't be more proud to be a missionary..."

Hello beautiful people! This week has been amazing and has absolutely flown by! As I have said before, I'm scared that these next two years will be a blur and I'll be home before I know it.

I had a much better week than last week with being able to actually contribute to the lessons we have taught and become more comfortable with talking to the people we contact on campus. We have one girl named Mary who has a baptismal date and is progressing wonderfully, but is still waiting on an answer. I'malmost positive that she has already received it, but doesn't know that it was her answer.

Another investigator named Laverne has been having a rough week and said she is going through some depression, so please keep these two ladies in your prayers! I have a very strong testimony of the power of prayer and know that Heavenly Father will answer our prayers and give everyone help who needs it if we pray!

A really cool experience we had with prayer this week was with a guy named Tim who is a member of "Smoker's Square" (where we do a lot of proselyting, ironically) and he had become homeless. He asked us to pray for him, and we did that night, and the next morning he let us know that he had found a place to stay. It might sound coincidental, but I promise that was an answer to our prayers. Prayer is our two-way communication with Heavenly Father and I promise He hears AND responds! Be patient and He will give you exactly what you need.

Anyway, life is great and I couldn't be more proud to be a missionary. Yesterday wewere on campus (campus is dead on Fridays...) and there were several preachers there talking to students about the Bible and stuff. I wasn't offended by them being there and was actually glad to see them concerned for the welfare of these students because there is a TON of help needed at TCC. But when we walked past them, they started preaching to people that we worship the devil and that they should never talk to us. That's when I just felt offended. Haha except a couple of kids thought they were being ridiculous, so they came up and talked to us anyways and told us they were talking smack about us and asked us questions. We all agreed that with the name "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints", we most certainly do NOT worship the devil... Anyway, they helped us out a lot more than they hurt us, so who's on the Lord's side, who? WE ARE!

I'm sorry if this is coming off as kind of an angry email, I promise I love everyone even if they talk smack about me :)

So, we played sand volleyball last night (which was freezing cold because we have had a cold front come through) and I've been dubbed as the best diver in our District. I'm proud of this honor and I will admit I had some pretty sweet diving plays!

Other than that, we had "ramwiches" which is ramen boiled just enough so you can unfold it, then you mix the seasoning with an egg and fry it into the ramen, then add meat and cheese, then throw some bread on both sides and its a great meal! SO GOOD! I highly recommend all you college students to try it because it’s cheap and very filling.

Anyway, I love you all so much and I hope life is going absolutely amazing! Remember that obedience is the first law of heaven and we will be blessed when we are obedient. I know that Jesus Christ died for our sins so that we can repent and be forgiven of them and receive His mercy. I love my Savior for this wonderful gift! I know the Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ and you willcome closer to Him through reading it. It truly brings happiness and I praythat you all read it daily! I love this Church with all my heart! I love you all and miss you! Be loving and charitable!

Love,

Elder LeSueur


Mormon.Org

"His Plan is Absolutely Beautiful and Perfect Because He is Perfect..."

I can't begin to tell you how fast these days and weeks are beginning to go by now. It seriously scares me how quick things are going to go by, especially once I'm out in the mission field and doing the real work!

This week has been absolutely great. I have learned a ton in the gospel and have even started getting back into the swing of learning Portuguese. I kind of hit a wall for a while and needed to get back into it or I would have been in big trouble with the natives... I still probably will, but I will be way better off than most of the rest of my District!

We are teaching 4 investigators right now: Germano, Michel, Xavi, and Morgan. This week, we have committed all but Morgan to baptism and even though these are practice scenarios, the Spirit is just as real as if we were to be teaching true investigators! Helping them overcome their struggles and to gain faith and teaching by the Spirit is such an amazing experience and I can testify to all of you that this is truly Christ's church!

I also was able to finish reading The Book of Mormon all the way through today and let me tell you, there definitely is not a more true book on this earth that can bring you closer to God. Please, if you aren't reading it now or if you have never even read it in your life (non-members included), just take a few minutes out of your day to read it and experience the pure happiness that comes from it! I know it's the word of God and He will bless you for reading it diligently, seeking to learn! Moroni 10:3-5 says it all!

I got to host the new missionaries again this week and only got to host one and he was from Tahiti and spoke purely French. It might have been one of the coolest experiences I have had here with another missionary because even though he was miserably cold in the 5 degree weather and couldn't communicate with anyone, he was so excited to be here and doing the Lord's work! He is a convert of just a year and in the little English he did know, he told me that he wanted to meet the missionary who baptized him (I guess he works here at the MTC) and thank him for the best gift he has ever received in his life. That touched my heart so clearly and made me so much more excited to bless the lives of others by bringing them God's true word.

In other news, I think we might have broken the freezing point today because the snow is FINALLY starting to melt and I was able to walk outside in shorts and a t shirt. So if you'd like, go check Provo's weather for the day and tell me how crazy I am for thinking 30 degrees is a nice temperature.

I want all of you to know that I see the hand of the Lord in my life each and every day and feel His love more than ever because I have dedicated myself to living according to His word. Having experienced the worldly happiness and this true happiness, I would choose the spiritual side every time! I want you all to share this love and joy with me and I invite you to change whatever you need to change in your life to be in accordance with Heavenly Father's word! His plan is absolutely beautiful and perfect because He is perfect.

I testify that He loves each and every one of us equally and desires that we submit to His will by seeking true forgiveness of our sins, big or small, and doing all that we can to show our love to Him. We can all return to His presence through His great and eternal plan!

Eu amo voces muito and miss you tons! Please keep/start writing me! Have an amazing week and go do some good in the world! 

Com muito amor, 

Elder LeSueur

Mormon.Org

"We Have the Potential to Become Like Him..."

It has been an absolutely crazy week! I just want to start off by saying I love you all and miss you so much! This past week we experienced a flu outbreak which kind of caught me for a day so I was stuck in bed all day Wednesday wishing I could be doing something productive, but it was also kind of nice to be able to sleep 20 of the 24 hours! It was tough because I was having really weird dreams and kept waking up feeling like something was wrong and then I was just so vulnerable to thinking about everyone back home I got really upset and really homesick.

I want everyone to know that those feelings (any bad feeling we get at all) are from Satan himself and he is working so hard to discourage us and make us feel like we can't live up to the potential we have as God's children. Think about it... We learn from our parents and eventually become like them because of the observations and everything we have of them. Now apply that to Heavenly Father. As His children, we have the potential to become like Him! How cool is that?! I challenge all of you to find out for yourselves what you can do to become more like Him and have all that He has. 4

We have also been dealing with the coldest consistent weather I have ever felt. It was 0 degrees this morning on our trip to the temple and that made the ten minute walk feel like an eternity! As soon as we stepped outside it felt like I couldn't breathe because it was so cold and so dry! Miserable... But that just makes the entrance into warm buildings all that much better! I have been feeling so great the last couple weeks and I know its because all of you are praying so fervently for me to have all that I need, so THANK YOU! Please keep the prayers coming ;)

I was reading in Alma 26 the other day and came across the scripture about why he was boasting in God. Verses 10-12 and 27 summed up to me says that we are nothing in our own strengths, but with the help of the Lord we can have success by bearing our afflictions with patience. I know this is true because I have been dealt some pretty rough things already! And whenever I've complained or felt like I was being wronged, it was so much harder to be happy or gain blessings from it. But when I was willing to accept it as the Lord's divine plan for me, I understood the lessons I needed to learn and how it would help me in the future.

For instance, yesterday we were teaching one of our progressing investigators, Fabiano, and the lesson ended up being the last lesson we would teach him because he had stopped progressing. What I learned was that when Elder Ginez and myself were not teaching in unity (the most important key of teaching), we didn't allow him to be taught by the Spirit and everything fell through. There's a lot more that I learned, but I'm running short on time.

I just want all of you to know that the things you deal with in this life are preparing you for the future and giving you knowledge you must know for the next life as you become like God!

To finish off, I have some awesome news... Drum-roll...

People are starting to get their visas from Brazil! The district that is just one week ahead of us started getting them today and Elder Christensen of my district got his too! AHH its so exciting and so much more motivating to know we are finally so much closer to being where we are going to be proselyting! I'm so excited to get to Brazil! Even though I won't be able to get letters and packages as easily, its still way exciting.

Speaking of letters and packages, SEND ME MORE! I'm really wanting to hear from all of you about your lives! I know its time consuming and I cant be a hypocrite because I never really wrote missionaries, but I would love it :) I gotta go, but I love you all!

I know this gospel is true and I know that Heavenly Father loves each and every one of us individually and knows us personally too!

I look forward to your letters :) Be happy and go share something with someone in need! 

Love, 

Elder LeSueur

Mormon.org 

"It's amazing the things we are capable of..."

Hello my beautiful friends and family! Sorry it has taken me more than a week to finally write this email... our P-Day is on Friday and since we got in on Wednesday they didn’t let us have one last week! So finally I’m here to tell you about how well everything is going! Gosh this experience is so amazing. It has been a whole bunch of ups and downs but the ups WAYYYY outweigh the downs! 

I have been doing more learning this past week than I did the entire time in Hawaii... I have learned more Portuguese in the last week and a half than I learned Spanish in my whole freshman year in high school! Holy cow its amazing the things we are capable of if we have the Lord on our side and are doing what we know He wants us to do. Conversely, life is much harder whenever we aren’t doing what we are supposed to be doing so the choice is yours, but BE SMART. 

My companion is Elder Ginez and he is from San Luis, Arizona. He speaks Spanish natively so Portuguese is much easier for him, but I think I’m catching up ;) he is such a great companion though. I have learned so much from him its amazing! 

I love the Spirit here and the people and the teachers. Everyone is so friendly it makes me want to hug every single one of them! I miss all of you though. I know that I'm here doing something much greater than what I could be accomplishing at home so i cant complain.

I just want all of you to know that I know that God loves every single one of us and the evidence is in the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. He sent His Son to die and pay the price for ALL of our sins and through sincere repentance we WILL be forgiven of them. I know life is tough and there are a lot of things that happen that you wish didn’t, but its not always up to us. But Heavenly Father will always love us no matter what! And I testify of that in the name of Jesus Christ. 

Anyway, I hope all is well back home! I know you are all missing me soooo much but don’t lose sleep over it... It’ll be a couple years ;) but if you want to write me, do it through dear elder. I only have 30 minutes to email so I don’t want to spend it all reading yours! Thanks guys I love you all so much! Make good choices! 

Elder Trevor LeSueur

Mormon.Org