The Sweet Season of Christmas - Natal!!

E aí!! Feliz Ano Novo para Vocês!!! Espero que O Natal foi ótimo para vocês!!

The week was really good!!! We found some great new investigators that have a lot of potential. To start off the week I stayed in the hospital with Elder Preator while he had kidney stones. We got there Monday night and left Wednesday morning on Christmas eve. He was a trooper. Elder Willardson and Barusso brought us like a survival kit which was funny.

Christmas morning we woke up and made red velvet pancakes which were so good!! then we had a great Christmas lunch at the stake president´s house with his family. The best part of the day definitely was skype!!!! é o melhor!!! gostei muito. 

Me and Elder Willardson are working hard and having a lot of success. It’s been a blast working with him. This week will be his last full week on the mission so we are gonna hit it super hard. He’s a great example of staying strong and enduring to the end on the mission. 

We have some really special families that we are teaching. Being in the lessons, teaching and testifying of Christ, brings a joy that is impossible to explain. The Spirit is so strong and it feels so great just running around and proclaiming the everlasting gospel to everyone we see!!

It is so awesome being here in Brasil. The people are so loving and have big hearts. There is this awesome guy in our church who is from Peru but has lived in Brasil forever. He speaks with a way thick Spanish accent, and speaks a mix of Portugues with Spanish and comes up to about my chest in height. He is such a funny guy with a big heart. He can make anyone feel 10 times better about themselves.

It’s such a blessing being able to make lasting friendships with these people we meet here. I know that I am where I need to be and excited to finish out the next 6 months strong.

I love yall so much!! Christ lives! He is the light and life of the world. 

Elder Bean

Elder Preator had surgery for his kidney stones

This is the hospital room that Elder Preator and I stayed in for two nights,
I had the comfy grey couch to sleep on

Christmas Eve dinner

Sporting our Helaman Strong dog tags

Making the red velvet pancakes

Our "griddle"

Our zone shirt says He is the Gift

So good!!!

Back of our Zone shirts

With the Stake President's family on Christmas

The Ward Mission leader that just got released

Feliz Natal!!!

Heyy fam!!! 

Estou muito animado por Natal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! yeahhhhhh. This past week was great. Last Wednesday we had a Mission Christmas Activity for the whole mission. It was a blast. We got there at 8 in the morning (had to take a 45 minute bus ride, then an hour ride on the metro). It was such a blast. It started off spiritually, then we left to go eat lunch. When we came back we watched the movie Frozen. lol. All 200 of us missionaries. Then we had a Talent show, then we had an awesome dinner. We finished off the night watching Ephraim's Rescue, a very powerful spiritual movie. We ended up getting home at 12:30. It was awesome getting together with everyone in the mission and seeing people that I hadn’t seen for several months. 

Our zone here is awesome!! Today we did a zone Christmas activity. Had a blast. Me and Elder Preator made hot dogs (Brasilian style) and it turned out really good. We did a "Secret Santa" and bought presents for each other in the zone. Turned out really good. We made tshirts as a zone with "Ele é o Presente" on the front (He is the gift) and then a Christmas tree with our names in it on the back. Me and Elder Preator also printed a Christmas card of us two on it to give to everyone. We had a ping pong tournament and just had a blast enjoying the Christmas season the best we can. It was a Christmas activity I’ll always remember for sure. 

Our zone is really good, we have some awesome people. We have 3 new guys who just got on the mission three weeks ago, two Americans and one Mexican. Elder Nordfelt and Seely are awesome and Elder Castillo (the Mexican) is such a stud and has stayed with us in Gama a few times already. It’s hard being away from home for Christmas but it’s so crazy how differently I look at things this year, than I did last year. Last year, I thought more about myself. This year, I think more of the new missionaries who will spend their first Christmas away from home and remembering the Real present of Christmas, our Savior. This Christmas we got some awesome things planned. We will wake up and make a Christmas breakfast using that Red velvet pancake mix mom sent me, some eggs, and Leite with canela (hot milk with cinnamon and sugar. so good.). We will then watch a church Christmas video and do a little study in the scriptures about Christ’s birth. Then the best part, SKYPEEEEE> yeahhhhhh. soooo stoked.   I think it will be in like the afternoon. 

Eduardo almost was baptized this weekend but he didn’t pass his interview and Matheus is traveling. But he sent us a message that when gets back home he wants to mark his baptism!!!    

I’m doing great, missin yall a ton but having a blast out here and enjoying the time I have left. I love yall so much!!!! Have a merry Christmas.

Feliz Natal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Tenha um ótimo Natal e Ano-Novo!! 

Love,

Elder Bean

Everyone,

Thanks for all the emails and Christmas wishes. Really means a ton to me!! If I wasn't able to reply, just know that I did read it and it meant a lot to me!!  I miss and love yall so much!! Feliz Natal!!!!

With Elder Lima "my son" and Elder Montes "my grandson"...Studs!!

Mission Christmas activity

Elder Grisham

Me, Elder Ellis, Elder Preator

Elder Moreno, Me, Elder Preator

Our Zone

Ping Pong tournament

The three newest missionaries Elder Nordfelt, Elder Seely and Elder Castillo

Almost Natal!!!

We worked so hard this week and had a ton of success!!! It is such a blessing to be here and to notice the small and tender mercies everyday. I remember going to seminary in high school (had some awesome seminary teachers) and sister Lucas when she taught would always ask us when class started about the tender mercies we noticed around us.  I’ve definitely been more in tune with the spirit here on my mission and able to notice those small and simple things everyday. 

Yesterday was stake conference and It was such a joyful moment for me hearing our stake president announce the people that would receive the Melchizedek priesthood, and hearing Rogerio's name!! It was awesome. So afterwards, Rogerio was ordained to the office of elder and they have the priesthood in their home. It was so special. Seeing him baptize his wife a few weeks ago until now. Our stake president told our bishop who told us that his interview was incredible. I love Rogerio and Jhennifer so much!! Such a special family. We were at their house on Saturday, and they were already excited about Bryan (3 months old)  going on a mission someday and wanting him to go to Texas :)

We have so many awesome investigators that we are teaching. Marked a lot of baptism dates this week. Invited a tonnn of people to follow Christ and be baptized. 

It is fun being a zone leader. It’s stressful sometimes but I love helping the missionaries in the zone try to work harder and meet their goals. We made daily challenges with the zone last week are going to do the same this week. It is a blast with us four here in Gama Leste. 

There is so much joy in missionary work. It's a feeling that is so difficult to explain, the happiness you feel when teaching the gospel and seeing the lives of others change for the better. The best gift we can give for Christmas is to remember "He is the Gift." "Ele é o presente". When we remember Christ and what he did for us, we will feel the desire to share the gospel with those we love. When I feel tired of getting rejected, or tired of doing contacts or knocking doors, I remember my Savior and what the atonement means to me, what his eternal sacrifice means to me. When I remember Him and His love for me, nothing else seems to matter. Any difficulty or problem that I’m having just loses its importance and I feel a inner desire and fire to just spread the gospel and "preach of good tidings and great joys".  

This Wednesday we will have our Christmas party with the entire mission which will be a blast!!! It will be all day long. Our mission has over 200 missionaries now. 

Feliz Natal. Ajude seu próximo e sempre lembra-se "O Que Jesus faria?" (what would Jesus do)

Love,

Elder Bean

Eating at the Bishop's house after church on fast Sunday.

Teaching a lesson after lunch