Happy Thanksgiving! I hope it was good for everyone. That holiday doesn´t exist here... But it seems that they are starting to get into the spirit of Black Friday here in Brazil. (not too much, but I saw that some places here in Brasil are doing that, it was on the news while we were at lunch)
Anyway, my new companion, Elder F. Silva turned 19 a week or two ago. He started his mission in February. That´s right, he started when he was 18! The church lowered the age for Brazilian missionaries on the conditions that they are finished with high school before their mission. Elder F. Silva is from the south of Brasil just like Elder Eberhardt. He´s also caucasion, so I look more Brazilian than he does. It´s funny, I´ve never had an American companion who looks American, except for Elder Epperson in the MTC. I guess in turn, I´ve never been the American companion who looks American either. I am on the other hand the token Japanese elder in this mission, and everyone knows I am Japanese, a singer, and I cook well. That´s my legend. I guess being tall too. It´s been raining a little bit every once in a while. Thank goodness that Irmã (sister) Marta bought boots for me. I gave her the candy Janet sent, and she and her family were very excited. American candy makes people happy.
Wednesday will be my last Zone Conference, and on Thursday there will be a community wedding held at the church. There are a lot of people who live together here who are not married. You´d be surprised at the rate, so the city council, judges, and politcial people do a community wedding as a service for the people here. Normally people don´t get married because of the cost or the hastle, but they are trying to help the people here. And our church is the nicest church in the whole city. The bishop here is great and opens the chapel up to the community to get the church´s name out there. So, he offered to host the community wedding at the chapel for the second time. It will be nice. We are going to help out too.
Service is a great way to show people that we are followers of Christ. When was the last time you did something to help someone? (just a question for you to reflect on)
I know the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true church of God on the earth, and that we are preparing for the second coming of the Messiah. Let´s build the kingdom by serving others.
Anyway, I love you all. I hope you have a great week!
-Elder Samuel H. Chiba
Monday, November 28, 2011
Monday, November 21, 2011
Bitter Sweet
This weekend was bitter sweet to say the least. We baptized a very special girl on Saturday, her name is Jaiane. She was confirmed on Sunday. I baptized her and Elder Eberhardt confirmed her. Sunday night she gave us some "cacau"! Did you know that chocolate comes from a fruit? The juice is pretty good, but the actual fruit is a little weird but cool.
Anyway, that was the sweet part. On the other side of things Elder Eberhardt was transferred. We were both very sad. He is now one of my best friends. It´s interesting how missions work out. I hope you can all meet him someday.
My new companion will be Elder F. Silva. He´s also from the south of Brazil. He´s a pretty cool guy, I´ve met him a couple of times already. He started his mission this year. He´s either 18 or 19. I know he started when he was 18. The church lowered the age limit for Brazilian missionaries to 18 years old instead of 19. There are a couple younger elders in our mission. I´m feeling kind of old. 22!!!! Weird right?
So, I guess I want to share my testimony with you about the pre-existance, and that I know that we all lived with and knew eachother before we were born. We are all here to be tested in order to live with our Father in Heaven again. During this test sometimes you run into old friends that you never met in this life, but feel as if you know them. And when you find them again after a long time being apart, it´s a really great happiness. I look forward to seeing all of you in 6 weeks, as we´ve been apart these 2 years. It will be so wonderful to see you all again. I pray that we all work to make the right choices and endure to the end so that we can all meet again in a state of everlasting happiness. The gospel is true, and only through the Savior we can make it back to live with God again.
Have a great week!
Love you,
Elder Samuel H. Chiba
Anyway, that was the sweet part. On the other side of things Elder Eberhardt was transferred. We were both very sad. He is now one of my best friends. It´s interesting how missions work out. I hope you can all meet him someday.
My new companion will be Elder F. Silva. He´s also from the south of Brazil. He´s a pretty cool guy, I´ve met him a couple of times already. He started his mission this year. He´s either 18 or 19. I know he started when he was 18. The church lowered the age limit for Brazilian missionaries to 18 years old instead of 19. There are a couple younger elders in our mission. I´m feeling kind of old. 22!!!! Weird right?
So, I guess I want to share my testimony with you about the pre-existance, and that I know that we all lived with and knew eachother before we were born. We are all here to be tested in order to live with our Father in Heaven again. During this test sometimes you run into old friends that you never met in this life, but feel as if you know them. And when you find them again after a long time being apart, it´s a really great happiness. I look forward to seeing all of you in 6 weeks, as we´ve been apart these 2 years. It will be so wonderful to see you all again. I pray that we all work to make the right choices and endure to the end so that we can all meet again in a state of everlasting happiness. The gospel is true, and only through the Savior we can make it back to live with God again.
Have a great week!
Love you,
Elder Samuel H. Chiba
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Um Apóstolo do Senhor
So, this past Saturday we had an amazing day. Our mission received a visit from one of the twelve apostles. It was absolutely amazing. I had the honor of conducting the hymns. I was kind of nervous. I conducted the special musical number that our whole mission sang too. (By the way, Sister Dias told me I was to conduct the musical number the day of the meeting! Good thing I´m pretty well rehearsed in that kind of thing... But nonetheless I was a little nervous and shaky...)
It was really uplifting. I learned a lot and I can´t really share everything that I learned. But I´ll share with you some of the high lights.
So, first off he started with a greeting from President Monson. President Monson told Elder Bednar to tell us that they love us and pray for us. It was a really nice thing. He said that as he was leaving his meeting with the 1st presidency and the quorum of the twelve President Monson stopped him and told him to give us that message.
He said that the Book of Mormon has two underlining themes.
1st - Come unto Christ
2nd - In the Strength of the Lord
We all like to study by topic, which is a good thing, but when we see how topics are related we will truly understand things better. He also said some interesting things about faith, and a praying in faith.
We´ve all heard the prayer at church "please help those who are not here this week that they can be here next week," which he said is a nice and sincere prayer, but is completely lacking in faith. Faith leads to action, so he gave an example like "we´ve noticed that there are many of our brethren missing here today, and we pray that after we leave this meeting to go out and find them and bring them back even though we may be hungry. please help us to have the inspiration to not all end up at the same person´s house." That´s praying in faith.
He also shared some interesting things about the future for when we are parents. It´s interesting to think that as parents your responsibility is to raise our children to leave you, and if they leave you and are unable to fend for themselves you´ve failed as parents. It´s the same thing as missionary work with the people we teach. The people we teach need to learn to rely on the Lord and not on us as missionaries. (you know teach a man to fish verses giving a man a fish) We just show them the way and how to do it.
Missionary work is not so much what you do, but who you are. Be what we preach. Have clean eyes. The natural man is selfish, but the saint turns outwards.
Anyway, there is more that I learned, but as I was learning from Elder Bednar, teaching is more than just talking. It´s 1- listening 2- observing 3- discerning and 4- talking. Those are the steps of teaching.
I´m really grateful for the opportunity I had this past week to learn from an apostle of the Lord. It was truly amazing. We live in a period where prophets and apostles are on the earth. What a blessing it is to have them to guide us and teach us. It´s just one more thing that strengthens my testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ´s true church. God will always guide His people by prophets, because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
I love you all. Thank you for all your love, support and prayers. Have a great week.
-Elder Samuel H. Chiba
It was really uplifting. I learned a lot and I can´t really share everything that I learned. But I´ll share with you some of the high lights.
So, first off he started with a greeting from President Monson. President Monson told Elder Bednar to tell us that they love us and pray for us. It was a really nice thing. He said that as he was leaving his meeting with the 1st presidency and the quorum of the twelve President Monson stopped him and told him to give us that message.
He said that the Book of Mormon has two underlining themes.
1st - Come unto Christ
2nd - In the Strength of the Lord
We all like to study by topic, which is a good thing, but when we see how topics are related we will truly understand things better. He also said some interesting things about faith, and a praying in faith.
We´ve all heard the prayer at church "please help those who are not here this week that they can be here next week," which he said is a nice and sincere prayer, but is completely lacking in faith. Faith leads to action, so he gave an example like "we´ve noticed that there are many of our brethren missing here today, and we pray that after we leave this meeting to go out and find them and bring them back even though we may be hungry. please help us to have the inspiration to not all end up at the same person´s house." That´s praying in faith.
He also shared some interesting things about the future for when we are parents. It´s interesting to think that as parents your responsibility is to raise our children to leave you, and if they leave you and are unable to fend for themselves you´ve failed as parents. It´s the same thing as missionary work with the people we teach. The people we teach need to learn to rely on the Lord and not on us as missionaries. (you know teach a man to fish verses giving a man a fish) We just show them the way and how to do it.
Missionary work is not so much what you do, but who you are. Be what we preach. Have clean eyes. The natural man is selfish, but the saint turns outwards.
Anyway, there is more that I learned, but as I was learning from Elder Bednar, teaching is more than just talking. It´s 1- listening 2- observing 3- discerning and 4- talking. Those are the steps of teaching.
I´m really grateful for the opportunity I had this past week to learn from an apostle of the Lord. It was truly amazing. We live in a period where prophets and apostles are on the earth. What a blessing it is to have them to guide us and teach us. It´s just one more thing that strengthens my testimony that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is Christ´s true church. God will always guide His people by prophets, because He is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
I love you all. Thank you for all your love, support and prayers. Have a great week.
-Elder Samuel H. Chiba
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
Milagres Acontecem de Vez em Quando
I got back to Açailândia on 4:30 am Thursday morning. Our week of missionary work was a few days shorter than normal, but a miracle happened. We´ve been teaching some families and some people recently, and about 90% accepted our invitation to church on Sunday. We had a total of 16 people visiting church on Sunday. I hope they all liked it. We´ll be following up with them this week.
As of the third of November, I will be home in less than two months. Yikes! Time sure is flying fast.
My companion looks more American than I do, and I look more Brazilian than he does. It´s pretty funny. My two previous companions were both American but, like me, don´t look like a "typical" American. You know, blond with blue eyes. Irony.
The whole mission will be going to Teresina this Saturday to have a special meeting with Elder Bednar. I´ve never actually met an apostle before. I´m excited and nervous at the same time. It will be nice though. I look forward to seeing an apostle of the Lord. I´m sure it will be amazing.
I´m grateful for this church. It´s amazing. I know that Christ lives and that only through Him, we can once more live with our Father in Heaven. I hope you have a great week. I´ll tell you about our mission conference next week.
Love,
Elder Samuel H. Chiba
As of the third of November, I will be home in less than two months. Yikes! Time sure is flying fast.
My companion looks more American than I do, and I look more Brazilian than he does. It´s pretty funny. My two previous companions were both American but, like me, don´t look like a "typical" American. You know, blond with blue eyes. Irony.
The whole mission will be going to Teresina this Saturday to have a special meeting with Elder Bednar. I´ve never actually met an apostle before. I´m excited and nervous at the same time. It will be nice though. I look forward to seeing an apostle of the Lord. I´m sure it will be amazing.
I´m grateful for this church. It´s amazing. I know that Christ lives and that only through Him, we can once more live with our Father in Heaven. I hope you have a great week. I´ll tell you about our mission conference next week.
Love,
Elder Samuel H. Chiba
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
O Último Treinamento
Well folks,
I was traveling all day long yesterday, so I wasn´t able to email you guys. I left Açailândia at 9am and got to Teresina at 9pm. It was a long bus ride. I went all by myself because the Zone Leaders missed the bus that started in Imperatriz and passed through Açailândia, but I made it safe and sound.
So, I´m here in Teresina for the last leadership training of my mission. The trainings only happen once every two months. And two months from now I´ll be home... But they are really nice. It´s an energy and moral booster.
It´s started to rain a little bit lately in Açailândia. It´s been nice. The weather has been cooling down a little bit.
Anyway, my comp and I are making a change in our approach to preaching the gospel. And we´re a lot happier and feel like we´re being more successful. We´re teaching a great family and taught them about temples. How families can be sealed together forever in the temple, as well as baptisms for the dead. We felt the Spirit really strong that day. We also found another nice family recently. Teaching families is the best. Teaching in general is great, but it´s especially nice teaching families. I´m really grateful for this gospel. I know it´s true.
Have a great week. Love you all.
-Elder Samuel H. Chiba
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