Monday, July 8, 2013

Hey,
   So yes I have met the new mission president. He came to our house to look at it and talk with us. We also had a conference with the whole mission. It was really cool. He is a really good guy, really excited for starting the mission here. He changed the focus from families to men, people who can have the Melchizedek Priesthood. So, still a bit on families. He wants to establish the church here, because there are so few wards and stakes. He's a good president. Yes I will probably be with this comp until the end. We will see next week. I found out though that I will be one of the first groups leaving the new mission! Only 3 other missionaries will leave with me. So that’s exciting. The first last interviews with the president!

   That hasn't happened yet, the i-pad thing. I think it will in America though. Not sure if it ever will here . We would be robbed every couple minutes.

   We had a baptism yesterday! Samuel’s sister. It was really good cuz that makes three weeks in a row now that we are baptizing. Also a family went to church that will be married this week and we will baptize them. Really cool. We are excited and it is making the bishop really excited as well with all the success we are having.

   Only one other area in the zone baptized, so not too good in the zone. The new president wants every area to baptize every week, so really high goals. We have a lot to do for the zone to reach that level.

   This week was stressful cuz of all the stuff that was happening but now it will all be normal work. We still do lots of tracting here in Brazil, partly because there aren't near enough members to just do social media and stuff like that. And door to door still works here. Samuel and his sister were found knocking on doors.

   Alright, sorry it’s so short this week. There are lots of changes and I was reading about all of them. Next week I’ll be more organized and give more time to you guys. I love you!
Elder Baldwin

Monday, July 1, 2013

Alright, where to start. First of all, wow. It's already July. I’m kind of in a dazed state right now and not really sure what to write.

   Everything is basically the same as it was before. Just now, our mission president got here today and he is getting settled in. I still haven’t met him and don’t know when. It will be this week. But I’m not sure when. He is leaving everything the same for right now. The first transfer date is set for the 16th, and that's when he will start moving stuff around. Even then, it won't be too much. He will really start moving stuff around the transfer that I go home, cuz that is when a ton of missionaries will start getting here. I am still Zone leader. The assistant is my last companion Elder Pimentel, and another missionary from the other mission from which we got two more stakes. I’ll probably stay zone leader until the end of the mission, cuz they both will stay more time than me. No worries, assistants don’t even do anything, definitely not baptize. Yesterday we baptized again! That young man, Samuel. We found him a week and a half ago! I still can’t believe that he had that much faith to go forward and be baptized. He really is really good. His sister came and watched the baptism as well, and he even invited her to be baptized as well. We will help her maybe even this week. Their parents we are teaching, but they aren't married (big surprise!).

So me and my comp went crazy in the beginning of the week, teaching a lot of lessons. one day we got 6 lessons with member! That was cool. that was good cuz the last half we spent in other areas trying to find other baptisms. The zone closed with 12 baptisms, 3 short of the goal. It's frustrating, but we have no one else to blame but ourselves. Its Mission Juiz de Fora. It means the outskirts judge. Weird huh? or the Judge who lives in the outskirts. The weather has been really good to us. That’s winter for yeah in Brazil. I love you all and hope you guys have a good week.
Elder Baldwin

Monday, June 24, 2013

Hey Mom and dad! Thanks for writing!
   Alright, where to start.....I guess I'll start with my zone and this week. So we baptized! A young man named Denner. He has been going to Seminary for 2 months now, and he decided himself when he wanted to be baptized. It was really sad cuz neither of his parents went to see the baptism, but he was fine. There is a family in the ward that have really brought him in and made him feel welcome. He was telling us that he may want to serve a mission too. I really hope so. He is the kind of young man that you write 40 years later and find out he was stake president lol. The zone did really well as well, getting 4 baptisms in total this week. This brings us up to 10 baptisms in the zone for this month. Really good for any zone really, but especially this one. Normally a zone, when it does good, will get high numbers one month and the next crash because they have to prepare others for baptism. I have never seen a zone do really well like ours has two months in a row before. We are going for number one again so this week is the long stretch.  Either way we have done really well this month. The Missionaries are very excited for the new mission as well. The sisters will stay dad, but there are some going home this transfer that need to go to Rio before the mission splits. Their plane ticket is already bought and so they can’t change the flight. Mine can still be changed cuz it’s a bit more in the front.

    Dad I think you gave me this scripture already. But I will study it again. I am also in 2 Nephi in the book of Mormon, but I’ll admit. I have been reading a bit of the old testament too. I’m in Samuel, reading about kings Saul and David. I have never read the bible before, and I’ll admit, I am glad I have read the book of Mormon so much before because it has helped me see how the bible can help, when it is understood in the right way.

   Alright, so let me tell you about the conference. It was really good and very spiritual. So they are opening up the internet, email and Facebook and other things, for missionaries to use to contact investigators and confirm appointments. But who knows when that will be for Brazil. I think only in a few months. It will probably come right as I am leaving. Also, because of the many missionaries that are coming they are going to try and tick missionaries in the chapels during the week to give tours and teach lessons in the chapels. Not sure how well this will work here because there are lots of drunks and people who will just want to get free water and see if they can steal something. But who knows, maybe in the good neighborhoods they will put them. It’s a really good idea.

   Alright, I need to go now. I love you guys and hope that you have a good week with Bekka. Give a kiss to the nephews for me! This week will be busy doing all the changes for the new mission, but we will still try and baptize :) Love you so much!!!
Elder Baldwin

A Letter from President Lima

Elder Baldwin

We are being testimonies at this time of marvelous prophecies being fulfilled in front of our eyes. In section 88, verse 73 the Lord said: “Behold, I will hasten my work in its time”. With the announcement of the reduction in  age for our young men and women to serve made by our Prophet, President Monson,  last October, a wave of rectitude and righteousness is spreading around the world and with it the creation of 54 new missions. We, are extremely happy for the division of the Brasil Rio de Janeiro Mission and with the creation of the Juiz de Fora Mission, because we are certain that in this side of the vineyard the Lord´s Kingdom will grow like never before.

And as if that wasn´t enough, in April 2013 General Conference, our beloved Prophet announced the construction of our long  awaited Rio de Janeiro temple. These are marvelous blessings that we can now look  forward to and see the whole impact in the edification of God´s kingdom.

Please accept my deepest and sincere gratitude for being part of bringing all these blessings to us. You are one of those described in Section 138 of Doctrine and Covenants (verses 53-56) as choice spirits who were reserved to come forth in the fullness of times to take part in laying the foundations of the great latter-day work, including building temples.

It is with this faith that I announce to you that from  July 1,  2013, you will start to serve the Lord as a full part time missionary in the Juiz de Fora Mission, chosen and called to be a pioneer in this new Mission.

The address for the mailing of the Juiz de Fora Mission is: Av. Barão do Rio Branco, 3053, Ed. Blue Tower - 9º Andar-Salas 901 e 902, CEP 36013-311 - Juiz de Fora – MG – Brasil. You may start addressing your mail from July 1, 2013 to the new address.

My prayer and faith is that you will continue to be faithful and diligent in the fulfillment of your purpose as a missionary and for doing so, will receive the greatest blessings reserved by our kind and loving Heavenly Father.
With Love,

President and Sister Lima

Monday, June 17, 2013

Hey Mom and Dad,
 
   Yes! I got my package! Finally. They have had it there for awhile they just kept forgetting to get it to me. Thank you so much for everything and I am once again impressed with how good you packed everything mom! I loved it all, especially all the stuff with peanut butter in it. They don’t sell that here in my current area. Really it’s really rare in Brasil.

   Well, we had a baptism this week but it fell through. Basically he just wanted to wait one more week. It’s sad but we can’t force people to receive blessings. But he is firm for this next week, and we are preparing some other people as well for baptism. We will see how it goes. The zone did well, we got 4 baptisms this week, bringing our total to 6 or the month so far. We have two more Sundays to pull it together, and get our goals. The Lady that had the experience with the book of Mormon wants to be baptized but her husband prohibited her from doing so now. He is not a very spiritual man and he thinks that she is just crazy and not really feeling anything. It’s really sad the way the devil works, and he throws in whatever he can to impede the baptism. I have really seen his power here on the mission not just in this case but with others as well and it is frightening.

   Yes! So we got light back in our house and our phone is working again. Blessings! Yes I had to use all the candles that Maria and Bobby sent me, so they were well used and huge blessing for us in a time of need.
   I will start serving in the new mission at the start of July, so I’ll be 20 still when I can have said I served in two missions!!! I’m still pretty young ;) don’t be writing me off so soon yet.

   So the new mission president is President Cascardi. He looks really cool. He is Brazilian but apparently lived in Utah for awhile and speaks fluent English. He is owner of a franchise of one of the best language schools here in Brasil that teaches English. So he seems really cool. See if you can’t look him up and see what it says about him. Anyways, my time is up. I love you guys and hope I got to all of your guy’s questions. I love you and have a good week!
Elder Baldwin

Monday, June 10, 2013

Alright, where to begin?
   So this week they cut our power in our house. Yep. So we are taking cold showers and lighting candles to see at night. Since it gets really cold here at night and the water feels like ice it doesn't really work to take a shower unless I want hypothermia. So I’m heating up water on the stove and putting it in a bucket and scrubbing myself down. By candlelight. Fun stuff. Experiences of the mission. lol. Apparently the dude whose name was in the house canceled his account with the light company without telling us. So we are going to slap him in the face. He is the ex-bishop of this ward. Also, someone didn't pay the phone bill so we don’t have phones for right now. This week was really great :)

   Anyways, enough whining. The training went really well for the District leader. He got really excited to learn how to talk with the sisters and they are getting better now, doing more and complaining less. There is still a lot to be wanted but they will get there. The zone only baptized one again this week, that same district leader. He is on fire. This next week the zone has about 4 baptisms planned out so pray for us that they go through. We still have three weeks to meet our goals. We want to do even better than last month.

    This week, thanks to that and the mission council we did not have too much time to work in our own area. Also, we had to rush to an area really far to interview a baptism that didn't happen and ended up wasting the whole day. We even missed our church meeting. Thankfully the members brought our investigators to church for us. That was a blessing.

 So a family came to church for the second time, and we went and taught them last night. Turns out, they aren’t married. But they are really awesome. We are gonna stick them in the process and just teach em slow, cuz it’ll take about a month. There are a couple other young men and young women going to church that we are going to visit this week and invite them to baptism. Apparently the members have been inviting them over for family nights and teaching the lessons and stuff. Kinda cool but at least it worked.

  They called me the other day about what airport I’ll be flying into. We call it the trunky call. Every missionary gets it a few months before they go home. The other members of my group already have plane tickets and know the days and stuff but not I. Since I’m on the new mission it complicates things, seeing as how the new mission president hasn’t come in yet.

   That’s cool I got a new call. Unfortunately I found out that my certificate for completing a mission will read mission juiz de fora. That’s fine I guess, but it just feels wrong cuz i served 90% of the time in Rio. But ah well.

   I’m not sure if I’ll stay in this area the rest of my mission, cuz the new president will open up lots of new zones and areas, and he may use me being the senior zone leader here to get a lot of info and maybe train new zones. My old comp, Elder Pimentel who is an assistant right now called me and said that the new president will probably be having lots of meetings with me and counseling with me. whoopee. More stress lol. It’s cool but I’m a little nervous.

   Alright I’m sending a new letter my mission president sent me basically saying goodbye. Print it out for me and put it in my book of remembrance? Thanks.

   Alright thanks guys for your letters, and dad I enjoy reading about the lessons you give to the high priests. It gets me thinking in different ways about the doctrine. Love you all!
Elder Baldwin

Welcome to the Brazil Juiz de Fora Mission

                                                                                 Rio de Janeiro, June 5, 2013


Dear Elder Baldwin,



It is with great joy that we welcome you to the Brazil Juiz de Fora Mission! We are honored to have you in this great work of saving souls! There is no doubt that there is no other experience more motivating and that brings more satisfaction and joy than this work.

We are ready to help you fulfill your missionary purpose of “inviting people to come unto Christ by helping them receive the restored gospel through faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement, repentance and baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost and enduring to the end.”

We challenge you to pursue all opportunities to learn and practice the principles of the Guide to Missionary Service - Preach My Gospel. This will enable you to be a valuable tool in the hands of the Lord.

As the Brazil Juiz de Fora Mission will only be fully operational on July 1, we are at your disposal for any questions that you may have.

The Lord will pour out great blessings in your life as you serve with humility and follow the Spirit. You will feel a happiness that you have never felt to serve our brothers and sisters in Juiz de Fora Mission.




With Love,


Pres. e Sister Lima