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!

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!!

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!}

Week #84: "19"

Dear Family,

How are all you doing? I am doing just great. It´s a little hot these days, but I´m living with it. As usual. This week is the last week of the transfer and I am really wanting to stay here with Elder Amorim. We have a whole lot of work lined up for these next few weeks. I am super excited to see how it all goes down.

We had our baptismal meeting last weekend and it was amazing.

Baptisms of
Fernando, Thacila, Geovana, Pedro,  and Michele
23 April 2011

One Big Family
23 April 2011

There were so many people there, including many family members! One of our baptisms for this week fell because he didn´t go to church this week, but we re-marked him for next week. It has been a long time since I have had a teaching group this big. I think when I was with Elder Seastrand we had one about the same size. It´s nice to have so much to keep us busy. We seem to keep finding new people, too, during our appointments so it´s an ever growing process. The Lord is truly blessing us here in this area.

Easter was cool. Lots of the members gave us chocolate Easter Eggs. I will take a picture of one and send it next week. In all, we have one wedding planned for the 21st this next month, and we are hoping to have some more for the end of the month or beginning of June. Wow... it´s already June. Happy bday, Livvy. :) Ok, maybe it's still a little too early for that. Well, all in all, we are doing just fantastic, and I hope you all are too!

Love,

Mitch

ps- Tell all the ward member folks I said "hi".

{Editor:  "Hi" to all our wonderful ward members! :)  Thanks for reading.  In case you are wondering what the "19" title to this blog entry means....it means only "19 weeks" until Elder Tenney returns home! The countdown has begun - only 3 more transfers! Hurrah!}

Week #83: Water Water Water everywhere

Hey all yous peoples at home! How be you? I be good. I no take pictures for long time. Sorry. Will make pictures with machine today and send week that come. Being blessed in this area. We have 5 baptisms marked for this week and 4 more the week that comes, and another 3 for next month after a couple weddings and whatnot. I think I already explained Mario coming back to church last week, and how they were inactive when his kids reached 8 and continued. Now they are 14 and 12, and as we were teaching, all their cousins and aunts and uncles that live around the house also started listening in and most want to be baptized now! What a gold mine. Hard work paying off.

House flooded again. Happens when there is a hard rainstorm. We are moving sometime in June once the contract ends and we find a new place. We have an awesome location right now in the middle of the area near the chapel, so it will be hard to leave.

 

Dad asked some questions:

Do you and the mission have any plans for a going away party for Pres. Jayme? Has he said what he plans to do when he returns to the states? Is the mission responding well to his goal setting some months back? Did he have to send any missionaries home that didn't comply and didn't want to be there and work? How are the plans for building the 4 stakes the church asked for to get the temple built? How is the retention there in your mission? What differences are you seeing in your new ward where there is a good number of stake and general leaders who live in the area? How is the Seventy to work with? Have you had any interaction with him since he got back from conference?

As far as I know, no party yet. Pres. still has one more transfer. They are planning on moving to Las Vegas maybe because they have kids there. The mission responded very well. Nobody was sent home as far as I know. It kind of scared everyone into place. The 4 stakes are coming, but I think the temple will be first. Retention is around 60-70 percent I think. I am being blessed in this area with members who understand the importance of missionary work. I haven´t really interacted with the seventy all that much. He is a hyper guy, though.

Elder Amorim and I are really wanting to stay together for next transfer. We are getting along extremely well and having lots of success together. Never a dull moment. Pray for our investigators, so that they can overcome their addictions (for those that have) and that the hearts of their friends and relatives will be softened to listen to our message, too! But, as we know, faith without works is dead, so go give the missionaries in the ward a few references, too. Help teach with them and all that jazz.

Hope you are all having a great time!

Love you!

-Elder Tenney