September 2009 - September 2011

The Journey from Beginning to End

Sunday, May 29, 2011

"100"

ONLY 100 DAYS LEFT FROM TODAY FOR MITCHELL'S MISSION IN MANAUS!!! :D

Saturday, May 28, 2011

Week #88 - Part 2: New Mission President

Elder Tenney will be getting a new mission president on or about July 1st!  He will miss President and Sister Jayme tremendously, but his new mission president will be wonderful.  Doesn't he look happy? Elder Tenney will only have him for two transfers!

Ana Lucia Da Silva Klein and Herberto Moroni Klein

Herberto Moroni Klein, 51, and Ana Lucia Da Silva Klein, five children, Brazil Manaus Mission; Ipanema Ward, Porto Alegre Brazil Stake. He serves as a counselor in the Brazil Porto Alegre South Mission and is a former stake president, counselor in a stake presidency, bishop, Young Men president and missionary in the Brazil Rio de Janeiro Mission. Institute director. Born in Porto Alegre, Brazil, to Edmundo and Olga Carlota Dittrich Klein.

Sister Klein is a former stake Relief Society president, stake Young Women president, Relief Society president, Young Women president, Relief Society teacher, Sunday School teacher and seminary teacher. Born in Florianopolis, Brazil, to Vicente Manoel and Auta de Paula Raimudo Da Silva.

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Week #88: And....

Dear Family,

How are all of you? I am doing just grand. In a nutshell, missionaries are starting to get a little sick again in the region, so I gotta be careful on where the water I´m drinking comes from and stuff. Elder Marchette in my district spent all last night vomitting and whatnot. Not pretty. Also, Taiane, who was marked to get married and baptized this week, didn´t work out because her little 5 month old daughter got pneumonia last Tuesday and is still in the hospital. Doing better, but it was enough to set us back a bit. I´m finding some old investigators that are starting to get interested again, but we really need a new teaching group. We went out to the park in the city center and did contacts with people there for a few hours. It brings some interesting conversations, from crazy pastors to wild hippies. There was one guy who stopped US and asked us 3 questions: 1- Are you Mormon? 2- Do you use your Bible or the actual Bible? 3-Do you keep all the commandments? The 3 one was his way of saying why don´t you keep Saturday instead of Sunday. From that point, I knew he was an Adventist, so I tried to explain to him and invite him and whatnot, but he wouldn´t give me a chance to speak, so I just listened for a little bit, and he finally let us go. I got his phone number at least. We did a service project at Bishop Diniz´s house yesterday and pulled all the weeds out of his backyard. He is a school teacher that teaches class in the morning, afternoon, and night classes, so he rarely has time to do stuff like this. Oh, yesterday was a holiday in Brazil. I don´t know if I said this yet, but I think Brazil has more holidays than any other country. There are like 2 or more every month. Just another excuse to go drink and miss work. Oh well... Hope you are all doing great! Love y'all tons!

-Elder Tenney

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Week #87 and Week #86

Week #87:  What a Fast Week!

So this last week was pretty good. Jaimison, Luide and Larissa were all confirmed this Sunday at church, so we are all caught up now. This week is Taiane´s wedding and baptism. Should be a good one. José hasn´t really gone anywhere. The fire kind of cooled down with him, but we have a bunch of other super awesome investigators that we are teaching right now. For now, I think what our big issue is going to be is finding more people to put into the system for the next few months. If we don´t find people now, June and July are going to be kind of empty. We had Zone Conference Monday and Tuesday. It was most excellent. I participated more than usual due to the small size of the zone here, so suddenly I seem to be a talking machine to president I think. After this conference I actually really do feel more confident in what I am capable of doing to help others here on the mission. It´s funny because the Church Mission Office makes the curriculum for training missionaries, and now they aren´t teaching so much what the topics are, but how to teach in general. I guess they realized we know the material, but we are just terrible teachers. :p It only works when the Spirit of the Lord is with you, otherwise you are wasting a lot of people´s time, talents, and money. Let´s see... It sounds like Elder Poulton was called out to Boa Vista. Lucky guy. That´s the one state I haven´t gone yet. Let´s see how he does. I hear it is super hot and sunny during the day, sunscreen a must have. Well, I guess that´s it for this week. Elder Guerreiro and I are getting along splendidly. He and I have a lot in common. Hope you are all doing well, and I´ll hear from you next week!

Love in a bucket,

Elder Tenney

 Week #86:  Another Week.....

Elder Tenney and Train
May 2011

Well, I basically don´t have anything new since Sunday, so here are some pictures. Another couple of baptisms this week if all goes well. Love you all tons!

Thanks for the amazing phone call. Take luck!

{Short email this week since the Mother's Day call just 3 days ago, but pictures make up for it!}

"Greengo the Dog"
30 April 2011
  
"Mario and Family"
30 April 2011
{Mario and his wife are the couple Elder Tenney told us about a couple of weeks ago who had been inactive and decided to come back to church and they had children who are ready to be baptized and other family members interested in the gospel!}
  
"Jaimison"
Baptism Day
30 April 2011

"Joa Vitor"
Baptism Day
07 May 2011

"The New District"
(Elder Guerreiro and Elder Tenney far right)
09 May 2011

Monday, May 09, 2011

Week #85: Part 3: Mother's Day Call!

Elder Tenney did call on Mother's Day...an hour and 45 minutes late due to a meeting with the bishopric after their church block, but it was worth the wait! We got an hour and a half of talking time - our longest yet!   He is doing very well, loves Rondonia and the work is going very well there.  He would love to finish out his mission in this area, but, you never know what will happen.  He and his companion are currently working with the non-member husband of the Relief Society president in their ward who has not been interested for about 5 years in listening to missionaries, but has warmed up to Elder Tenney and Elder Guerrero, even giving them a ride home recently!  (thank you for doing that Jose!).  They have baptisms scheduled this week, and are busy going through the ward member list of over 700 members - less than 200 are active members, so they are finding out who has moved, died, and so forth.  He tells us this area is wealthier and the most American-ized of any he has lived in.  They are fed dinner 2-3 times a week now by members, which has not always been the case.  Bless those good people for taking care of our missionaries!  The weather is not as hot as in the city of Manaus, and he is loving that.  They are still searching for a new apartment as every time they get a good rain, which seems often, their kitchen and bedroom flood.

Well, it was our last phone call before he comes home.  120 days!!!  We did discuss a few of his plans for when he gets home, but he knows he has a lot of missionary work yet to accomplish in Brazil before that wonderful homecoming day arrives.  So...we carry on!  :P  He would love to hear from any of you who would like to write. His address is the mission home address posted on this blog.  Thanks!

Saturday, May 07, 2011

Week #85: Part 2: "No Way!"


"No Way!" is all I could say when these came from my missionary today!

What a surprise!  I hope he didn't go without food to send these!
Love and miss my boy!  Phone call tomorrow!!

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Week #85: 18 "A ùltima ligação"

Hey all,

How be's you's? I be good. I be fine. I be great. I be forgetful of grammar of Eenglishs. I be here in Porto Velho still. I be with new comp. Name of him is Elder Lucas Guerreiro from São Paulo. Parents of him live in Pleasant Grove in Utah. They be far away. They moved there long time ago it was. Baptism we had this last Saturday. Jaimison be name of him. I forget card reader today, so I send pictures next week of baptism of him and baptism of others for this week. I try to make phone call 6 my time, 4 your time. PM. I don´t have phone number. Actually, wait a bit, let me check. I think number is ****.  Don´t know which. But, I call to you first. We didn´t plan with any members yet, but they are all super rich here so a quick call to send the number don´t hurt a bit. We were going to call from one place, but then we found out the family was going to Cuiabá, Mato Grosso, this weekend, so we had to change plans. I hopes it works out. This last week was a little slowed up with the transfers because it was going to and coming from the airport and getting companions together and sleeping in different areas and it was slightly disorganized. But, if everything works out we will have 3 more baptisms this week. I am loving this area a lot. It be good. Well, if we don´t get the phone call worked out, it's all good. It´s not like I have to wait until Christmas to talk to you again. Have a good week. Love you all kilos and kilos and kilos, until it becomes tons! :p

-Elder Tenney

{Elder Tenney's blog title this week translates to "The last link"...not sure what he meant...unless it's a golf reference maybe with it being "18" weeks till he's home...crazy kid. We are excited to talk to him in just a few days!}