September 2009 - September 2011

The Journey from Beginning to End

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Week #19: "A Week in The Life of a Missionary"

Wednesday, 27 January 2010
 
Dear Family type people who still live off in the desert way far away,

How are y’all? I’m doing pretty good. Our lunch with members fell 4 times last week, so I ate a lot of Ramen noodles.

So what did you think of the pictures?   I hope Mom shared them. Kidding, Mom. Let’s begin from January 20, 2010 and just see what all I did since then.

Jan. 20- PDay

After p day ended we had a family home evening with Elcy, a lady we are teaching and was going to be baptized on the 22nd. She is a golden investigator. Easy day.

Jan 21- Thursday

Weekly planning, and lunch fell. We had the interview for Elcy tonight, so I went on a division with our Zone Leaders and I worked with Elder Dos Santos who was the Assistant to the President last transfer. I learned a lot in a small space of time. It was amazing. We had to reschedule Elcy’s baptism to next week.

Jan 22- Friday

We went to Ana Paula’s house in the morning and helped her prepare for all the last minute stuff like the interview and all that. Fun. Then lunch fell in all three possibilities. The calendar they have for us is slightly confusing, so nobody really knows what's going on. (Don’t worry, we have already sorted everything out.) After, we went and got our 2 week allowance. We really needed it.

Jan. 23- Saturday

Lunch fell again. Today was a contacting day because we are basically baptizing our entire teaching pool next week. It’s going to be so awesome! A wedding and four baptisms, (all adults, not little kids!), in one night. It wasn’t too successful, and I forget why. . . I think something came up with wedding paperwork or something and we had to run everywhere. We taught Fabio and his wife Suelen (two of the four) about the day of the Lord and little things afterwards. Fabio usually has a lot of questions, especially doctrine wise. Not in a Bible bashing sense, he just really wants to know. The hardest thing with most investigators here is that nobody seems to understand that the LDS church is the only one with AUTHORITY to baptize. Some people understand practically everything and have the faith in Jesus Christ and believe in the First Vision. . . but they just can’t understand that the church was taken for a while from the earth along with the authority(Priesthood). It is so annoying the circles we can get into because of this. One day I will have a beat all answer to this dilemma.

Jan. 24- Sunday

Lunch fell again. It is Sunday. We can’t buy food. Thankfully the night before we bought food just in case this happened! We went to the baptism of another couple of elders in my district. They didn’t clean out the font, so the water was a little dirty.. . eww…

Today wasn’t a very productive day. The manual says Sundays, weekends and holidays are the best days to proselyte because everyone is home. It is opposite here. Every one is home. But everyone is drunk. This = problems. It’s getting easier to find the right people, though. Just got to keep praying to be led.

Jan 25- Monday

Went to Ana Paula’s really fast. After, we had our “transferrly” interview with President Jayme. It feels like while other people are in there they take forever, but when it is your turn you sit down, have a first prayer, say hi, then have a second prayer. But then you go out and other people say that you were in there forever. It is so weird. President Jayme is a really funny guy, too. And very understanding of lots of things.

After, I had a 24 Hour Division with our Zone Leaders again. I stayed with Elder Dos Santos in our area for a long time until this morning because.. I will explain later. Anyway, was my first day of pretty much speaking just Portuguese. Wow… Somehow I can understand so much more now. It’s weird because sometimes while I think, the Portuguese word comes to my head first. Not often, but enough that I notice.

Jan 26- Tuesday (Division)

We basically had a good day today. Went lots of places. Until… We had a problem with the paperwork for the wedding and we had a document that needed Ana Paula and Joseneire’s signatures, and also the two witnesses. We were running all over the place, and then we had to wait for Ana Paula to get home from work way late at night. I was so tired! It's all good now, though.

Jan 27- Wednesday –PDAY!

Hey, this is today! We went and played soccer again from about 7-11 this morning. I am totally out of it right now. After, we went to the lan house to send email. After, we only have one lesson scheduled and then Fabio’s and Suelem’s interview. I am scared that we are going to have another division, because they are starting to kind of eat my money for bus rides back and forth and all the time wasted just in traveling. But yeah, that was my week.

I found a good talk in the book Because He First Loved Us by Pres. Eyring. It's called Witnesses for God, 5 October, 1996. There is a part in there about Sacrament Meeting and what a testimony is and isn’t. I really want to show that to a few people, but I only have it in English, so.. haha.

It rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains and rains a lot.

Let Sam P know that he doesn’t really need to bring a rain coat. I haven’t even used mine yet. If it is raining harder than what an umbrella can cover, then usually we just stay inside.

Well, I am almost out of time on my computer here. I don’t want to pay more money right now.

I got about 15-20 letters from the Zone Leaders during this past week. It's all from December. I think the most recent was from Ally. Maybe Dad's from after the new year.

Who won the bowl between BYU and whatever that other team was? In December?

Hope you are all doing good! Love y’all!

Elder Tenney tEnney teNney tenNey tennEy tenneY

Say hi to Olivia for me. And you can send photos in envelopes. That is what puts a smile on this missionary’s face.

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Wedding & Baptisms! & Pictures At Last!! 20 Jan 2010 Email

Dear People Who Gave Me Life,
Hi Mom! Hi Dad! :p
 
(Elder 10-e: 26 December 2009)

Uneventful week. Let's start from the beginning. Last P-Day, I forgot to tell you about my bus ride home from soccer. There was some guy from a different church who got up in the front and started preaching. He then went around telling us all how we could be saved. Then he took out some sort of perfume/oil (it was blue, I remember that, and it smelt funny) and wiped it on our hands, then he went and brushed everyone's hair with his hand saying "be blessed, be blessed."

A little awkward.

Then people gave him money.

Manaus Mission Conference @ The "Meeting of the Waters"
(where the Rio Negro & Solimoes of the Amazon meet)
(Wikipedia: Solimões (Sunnymeans) is the name often given to
early stretches of the Amazon River from the border of
 Brazil and Peru to its confluence with the Rio Negro.)
23 December 2009

Brazil Manaus Mission Conference on the Amazon River
23 December 2009
 
Elder Gannon & Elder Tenney on the Amazon - 23 Dec 2009
(One week before Elder Gannon completed his mission & returned home)
 
Anywho, we had an FHE with some people. It was fun. Then we had another. Fun, also. Then we had another. Can you see the pattern? They are fun to have, though. Ana Paula and Joseneire are getting married on Friday next week, and Ana Paula is getting baptized right after. We planned the wedding last night with some ward members.

Elder Gannon & Elder Tenney @ Marcel's Baptism
(Elder Tenney's First Baptism) - 28 November 2009
 
We have a golden investigator. Her name is Elcy, she is about 35 with a little 6-7 year old son. We have been teaching her and she is getting baptized on the 22nd... This Friday! Eu estou animado!! She is super accepting of the messages, has lots of good questions, and an open heart. It's super awesome.

Also, a man and his wife are set to be baptized on the 29th also after the wedding. Names: Fabio & Suelem. I hope Elder Gannon reads this. . .

Also, we may baptize Joseneire.  He may need a little more time, but he is thinking seriously about it.

I love those moments when you can just feel the Spirit vibrating all around the room. É bem legal.

(Flowers @ the Sao Paulo Temple - 27 October '09)  
 
Elder Tenney calls this one "Dirty/Clean" (23 Dec 09)
"The Meeting of the Waters" - the Amazon River
 
Well, that's the missionary work. Now,  for elder 10e.

Elder Tenney & CoCoNuT (Photo: 30 December 2009)
 
Yesterday I found a huge spider the size of my open hand in our house. I took some bug spray and sprayed it and it just started twitching like crazy. Then one of its legs fell off and it just curled up and fell from the ceiling to the floor. NinjaKitteh Strikes Again!

Elder Sales and Elder Tenney (Photo: 14 January 2010)
 
One of the lines for our water is broken I think, because we have no water pressure in our shower. Also, every time we flush the toilet bad smells come from the kitchen sink. What on earth is going on?
 
We are allowed to listen to motab- type stuff from 6:30 to 8 in the morning, and 9 to 10:30 at night. On pday we can also listen to disney-type stuff and soundtracks from movies and classical and all that stuff as long as it's not bad. I don't have any way to listen to music on cds here. If anything, take my i-pod and load as much music as possible and send, but I don't really need it...

But yes, we are allowed to listen to music.

I played soccer this morning at the church parking lot. Quasi ganhei. Fun stuff. Elder Seastrand has a memory card reader his parents sent him. I´m going to try to upload a picture to send. The internet is super slow here, so I´m only going to be able to upload one or two if I'm lucky, cuz I´m taking high quality pictures.

(Editor: As you can see, we got lots of great photos today!  Hurray!)

Tchau,

ELDER TENNEY

a igreja de JESUS CRISTO dos santos

("THumBs Up - All is Well, All is Well")
Photo: 18 November 2009

(Editor's Note:  For those readers who are not familiar with LDS jargon, "Mo-Tab" is an abbreviation for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir & P-Day means "Preparation Day" which the missionaries have once a week to do laundry, grocery shop, and other errands as well as approved leisure activities. And "FHE" stands for "Family Home Evening" which members of the LDS church strive to have each Monday night where they spend time together enjoying gospel-centered discussions and activities.  This post is a combination of his big email of the week and a couple of our questions to him in separate emails).  Thanks for reading!

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

13 January 2010 Email (Finally some details!)

Dear World,

I am doing very well. Right now I’m super excited that Sam is coming to Manaus! So awesome! I even wrote President Jayme about it!  So cool! (Editor:  His good friend Sam P. from St. George has been called to serve in Manaus - enters the CTM in Sao Paulo in May!  We are all so excited about this!)

Work is going good. The Manaus temple is in a place called Ponta Negra. Its in Central Manaus, and it will be finished four months after I leave, so Sam is going to be able to see the dedication! Lucky! There is a huge bus system here. There are 5 main terminals and I live next to T5. I can easily get to the staff building if there was an emergency, and the temple grounds are just further down. Easy for everyone.

The weather is hot. I have a  funny tan line.

Mosquitos aren’t too bad anymore. I use lots of bug repellant and a fan and a blanket, because it gets cold at nights! About 28 degrees Celsius or so! So Cold! 28C = 82F

My clothes are fine. I have been wearing the same pants and shirt since the CTM. Just kidding. I have only been wearing the tie I left in though. It is just trashed. Thanks for the new ones too!

Elder Seastrand is awesome. He has one year of college at BYU already done, and he is planning on doing medical. He played American Football (I have to say American because football here is that other sport…) and knows the doctrine backward and forward.

We have a baptism coming up of a lady whose brother I contacted with Elder Gannon. She has a very big heart and is very accepting. Her name is Elcy. We are also working with a guy named Fabio who is about 30 and has a wife and little daughter. He knows its true, but he just says he wants to get to know the church a little better before setting a date. Soon.

ANA PAULA IS GETTING MARRIED! It was so awesome! We watched the movie together forever with her and Josineire and he was a little hesitant, but he said Lets do it! YAY! (We've been praying for Ana & her boyfriend - prayers are answered!)

Ok, that answers all of Dad's questions. Lets see what I wrote in my planner to write to you today…

There is a guy who looks like Mr. Bean in our Ward.

I went on my first split with a guy in this ward who is going to the Recife (Reef) mission in Brazil in a couple of weeks. I was senior for a while! :P (kind of) We taught the First Lesson on the Restoration a couple of times and about the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon lesson was to Elcy. I still have many problems with the language, but I can teach. Have a conversation? Absolutely not. Teach? Yes.

 This last Sunday we had a big Catholic family come to church. They could so easily get baptized this transfer. I am excited.

Today we rented out a giant indoor soccer field and had a BBQ. It was super fun. My shoes are full of turf, but it was good. It was right next to the bowling. I played goalie for a few rounds. It was so scary! Brazilians kick the ball waaaaaaaaaay harder than I’ve ever seen at any high school game. I almost got my head taken off, but I did assist in one goal. The location is the Esplanada at the Bola do Suframa.

We had a zone conference two days ago. I only got one letter and a package from my friends for Christmas that Jessica S. sent. Christmas all over! Yay! The letter was from dad with Grandpa’s obituary and the picture. The other elders tried to guess which was Dad in the picture of him, Wade, and Curtis, and only one got it right. It was funny.

I “inherited” a chess board from Elder Gannon. It's been in the mission for a long time, passed from one person to the other etc. Elder Sales (Brazilian) and I play every other night or so. Elder Sales is from Sao Paulo and he is fluent in English. Pretty cool!

For the next somewhat bigger box you send (Birthday or Christmas or whatever,) could you send an American Football? And lots of ones. ($1.00) Just change out my cash that I left at the house for ones. Brazilians are always asking to trade for them, but all I have is a 5 and a 20.

On that happy note, Happy Independence Day! (Editor:  ???  We don't know what that means, either.)

Wednesday, January 06, 2010

06 January 2010 Email

I be good now. Ate food. Food good. (Editor's Note:  Elder 10e mentioned in a separate email today that he'd been living on ramen noodles and oatmeal the past few days as their money didn't get transferred into their account on the usual day this time - and I know he  never was a big oatmeal fan...he must have been to buy "good food" this morning:)  Grammar different 4 Portuguese. Hard remember Englesh. Hope you be good, too. Try I will to save money this transfer. Elder Seastrand, awesome is he. Spent 9 months in Maues he did. Interior that be. Jungle deep. No chapel there. Has a font though. No River Baptisms without permission special. He trained Elder Hubbard from my group. Pretty cool.

We are going to watch the movie Together Forever with Ana Paula and Joseneire tonight. President Jayme said there are only 3 reasons why people don`t get married.

1- They don’t have enough money. Easy obstacle. It's only R$88 here in the city of Manaus.

2- They don’t understand it is a commandment of God. Again, teaching, reading scriptures, praying, going to church will help overcome this.

3- The sad one. They don’t love each other. This one is a little more personal for people to think about and discuss. Very sad when it happens.

We have 12 new investigators from this last week. Pretty cool. We are trying to work closer to home now too instead of going out to Armando Mendes on the far side of our area.

I am making the Mission Journal forward to you and Dad. Its all in Portuguese, but you can copy and paste it into the Google Translator and read it. Make sure you put it from Portuguese to English! Enjoy.

We may have a few baptisms this transfer. Not too sure on it yet, but I will keep you posted.

I get really tired at nights now and I just fall right to sleep. Then I wake up ten minutes before the alarm goes off now. I get up, pray, go take a shower at whatever temp the water happens to be (only cold in mornings) (Water pressure is down now, have to shower with little bowls of water dumping on head and whatnot.) Fun stuff, eh?

I love the study time in the morning. I always find something new.

I ate Cow Intestines and stomach the other day. It was chewy. I’ve lost track of how many different kinds of fish I have eaten here.

Still hot.

(Editor:  And I don't think the temperature is going to change:)