August 29, 2011

Today will be a very short email. Sorry, this week was avery rough week. My companion has been sick for a couple weeks now. And we have been there and back almost everyday to the hospital and buying medicine.. etc yeah.. we ran out of money and we won't recieve money until Thursday so I think I will need to use the card a couple of times. I am sorry I try and avoid using the card as least as possible. 

I like our president I know he loves us, but he is very busy and sometimes it is really hard to talk to him. Transfers are coming this sat. I will let you know if I will be leaving this area. So I will let you know what is going to go down. 

The mission is tuff, but life is pretty tuff.  All the things that I am learning here will help me become a better person. Just take it step by step and I think everyting will be ok. Just like learning a languange I had to start with the basics and learn each day and at times you will stop learning you will think that you don't need to continue to study portuguese, but this is wrong we are always learning to become better.

I love you guys a lot. Thanks for the emails. Next week I will have a bit more time to email you all.

Elder Ontiveros

August 22, 2011

Dear familia,

Well hello! I am glad that you all liked the spider movie. Wooo it freaked me out also. We found this spider in the church, luckly I have never seen a spider in our house. I don't know what I would do if I saw one like this.

Well this week was a good one we had our conference with president and I learned a ton. I have a lot to improve on.  I like when president comes because he´ll take us all out to lunch and it is some good FOOD! All you can eat rice, beans, lazanya, varity of fruits, soda, ice cream. It is the BEST! 

Our president talked about become what you can do to become a better person. What we need to do to become better people.  He shared a scripture in mosiah 3:19 and it talks about the atonement of Jesus Christ . We need to use the atonement in our lives everyday. We need to repent because we aren't perfect. We will make mistakes, but we have Christ who paid for all of sins so that we can repent. It is something that I am very grateful for. My testimony has strengthed a lot in the Atonement, it makes us become better people . Our goal here on this earth to become like Christ our reedemer our foundation.  What a great example to follow.

I was really glad that we had our conference because sat. Bishop asked me to speak again on Sunday.  So I just shared what I learned at conference. I really hate the feeling before speaking. I would rather die I think. After I got up and started talking it wasn't soo bad. I think they understood to what I was saying.

Wow I knew Jake would do great! I am very excited for his Senior year! Just don't get hurt! Yes that linked worked Mom, I think it got me a little bit too excited! Haha YEAH!

This was another great week! I am praying for you all! And I know that you guys are recieving blessings! It is just amazing. I love you all soo much.

Elder Ontiveros

August 15, 2011

Hey mom
 This week went pretty fast for me. We had three baptisms this week. One of them was a wife of a less active family. They recently got married so that she could be baptized. They are almost like a familiy to me. It was really cool to see the change in her at the begining she seemed uncertain, but she started getting used to things and all of a sudden she just can't stop smiling and laughing. We also baptized her daughter. The daughter kept telling her parents and us that she didn't want to get baptized until Bishop talked to her and she decided that she would get baptized.  She wanted to suprise her parents. So we interviewed her in the mourning and right before the baptism she walked in all white everyone was suprised. It was great!   I don't think I will ever feel comfortable also teaching or bearing my testimony etc. Smiling and laughing I found out helps alot.
Oh tell Dad happy late Father's Day and tell himI love him. How was Father's Day? 
I'm sorry I need to load these Photos everyhting is going well! I love you mom and iz and jane and jake and everyone else 
elder ontiveros 

- Show quoted text -

August 8, 2011

Dear Family,

Hello how are things going? Well, mom I’m glad this week went by fast for you, because it was a slow one for me. We baptized five people last week ( I think I shared this information with you) We figured out that one of the people we baptized had another name that she didn’t use. Luckily, my companion felt that he needed to talk to Bishop about it because it is a ordinance.  At first I didn’t really think it mattered, but Bishop said that she needed to baptized again. Her name needs to be said exactly how it is on her birth certificate. So Saturday we, Bishop and another member said he would go and fill the font up. The next day was a Sunday. We planned to rebaptize her during class. Email in English is becoming very frustrating! Anyways , the water that was filled on Sat. disappeared and we didn’t have any water to fill the font back up again. There was enough water to where I could kneel and she would have to sit it worked and we were able to baptize her. Kind of strange.

I read something this past week that I liked. In principles of the gospel I read that we need to learn how to be happy while working. People spend long hours working each day. Right now I am doing the Lord's work (the best work there is) and at times I feel very stressed, but I am going to need to learn and make goals on how I can better my attitude. It is great how revelation works. I felt that I needed what I read in that exact moment. Now I have to apply it.

Man this p day is busy again, sorry I don’t write very much. It’s sometimes very hard for me to write. My companion is good.I’m learning a lot.

Could I get some pictures of jakes scrimmage this week? That would be sweet. Here are some pics.

I love you guys

Elder Ontiveros

ps I love your emails mom and dad thanks 

August 1, 2011

Familia,

Well, it was so good to hear from! I liked how you talked about Grandpa teaching those little girls and how he probably wouldn't see them ever again. Yesterday, we had 5 baptisms. Afterwords  bishop called us into his office and thanked us for all the work we are doing he said yes you baptized five different kids, but who knows you could have baptized the next stake president. He shared his conversion story it was very cool. He was 14 years old when he was baptized, served a mission, got married and sealed into the temple and afterwords was called to be a bishop 28 years old. He told us that the missionaries that baptized him, could have been another number  to them and he said that you guys are saving souls (in tears) and the Lord has called you two missionaries in this area to save them. I'm very grateful to have such a freakin awesome Bishop! he works all night and all day. I dont know how he does it!

This week was a good week! We a big party at the church this Sat. It was pretty cool. A lot of food! I was happy! I was talking with a member and I really liked what she said about our church. She said it isn't easy being a member of this church and she said she is overwhelmed with getting all of the kids up in the morning to go to church. (I don't think you guys have ever felt this way) She said she cried and cried and prayed and prayed and read the scriptures and she said thats what made the difference. Thats what made her stronger.  Sometimes something will go wrong and you don't really feel like reading or praying, but that is truly what you need to do- read and pray. In the times that are difficult. Thats what strengthens your testimony.

Iz I'm so glad you shared your testimony that is so great! And you are so right! The Holy Gost is so awesome! We become better people from him. Always strive to  listen to him. Iz you are thirteen huh? Wow your old! Brazil is sweet. Really hot! So I lied, not very sweet. Just hot.  School is about to begin are you excited? I heard that it is really really hot in the U.S.?

I better go right now

Love you all

Tyler

July 25, 2011

Dear Family

Well I got the vídeo and loved it even though it was only a couple of seconds long. Wow Jane you have grown. How tall are you?  I liked your little pose.. haha

Well this week was a good week. We have been working with the same investigators for these past couple of weeks and this week… finally is their baptisms. We will be baptizing five people this week. A brother and a sister and a brother and sister from a different family and another boy.  It has been fun teaching these kids. They really have grown. They really have learned a lot and to see their testimony’s grow , has been a great blessing.  Yesterday, I had to unexpectedly confirm a recent convert man I was so nervous I told bishop that I had never done this before I have never practiced he let me know that he would help me it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. As I placed my hands upon Rodrigo I felt a sense of peace and the words just started flowing out of my mouth. I learned something very valuable and that is, I need to trust in myself first, I need to calm down, relax, take a breather and just go and Heavenly Father will help with the rest. Just like you said mom in one of your letters when the people (I can´t remember whom) but when they were crossing the river they needed to take that step of faith get into the water first and afterword’s the sea lifted.

 Oh and I spoke again yesterday.. I don’t know how well it went. I read a lot of scriptures and little bit from a talk given by Elder Oaks. He talked about desire I really liked it a lot. One thing that I really liked is that he said desires shape our priorities for example we may have a desire to eat, but we have a stronger desire to fast… Something like that. I really liked it.

Well, this week they have this Expo here in Acre called Expo Acre it happens every year. They have rodeos and they will show off different cars. Alot of different things (their version of the 24^th) so me and my comp we will go check it out today.

I'm sending some pictures. Check this house out!! It is very pretty and they have a bird.

Love you all

Elder Ontiveros

July 18, 2011

Familia,

You haven't seen my emails, I am sorry. Mom,  maybe gmail would be better. Did you get the movies that I sent? If not let me know.

Yes, we have a new misson president and he is reallly cool and I have felt his love he has helped me already in becoming a better missonary.  Today was a very great day! This email maybe very short. Very Busy! We went up to the stake center  made and ate lunch up there and played some soccer and a little bit of basketball. We made rice, salad and we bbqued some meat normal lunch here in Brazil.

We had two baptisms this week. One with Rodrigo who found our church through a site and he was studying for almost a year until he finally decided to make a visit to our church. Really Really awesome! And Talise who is a friend of a member. This week we will have another baptism. Me and my companion have made a goal to baptize each week . The members are really helping and working hard in finding new people for us to teach. I have never seen a member work so hard! These members in Brazil.. they know how to work. I am very grateful for them.

This week I get to talk in sacrement meeting again...great. I think I will be able to do a better job than the last time I talked. 

I'm glad everyone is keeping busy. Being busy is good.  I was reading the ensign of this past conference and I can't remember who gave the talk but he said something that was very interesting. ```we die to live and we live to die``  and after he shared that we could both die spiritually and physically. If we don't do what the Lord wants. I thought it was very interesting. 

Well I better get going now. I will send pictures next week and hopefully will have the oppurtunity to write you all indivdually.

 Iz I got your email thanks.. I hope you had fun at young womens camp.  Families are very important it is one of the biggest things that hit me while being here. It is where we all feel true happiness.  My companion is tough he is the only member in is family oh and I think his cousin is a member. He is a good kid.

Love you all

Elder Ontiveros

July 11, 2011

Dear Family 
These week until now has been Great. We have marked several dates for baptism. We should be able to baptize every week now. Yesterday we met with a mom and her son . The mom is a less active member and her son hasn't been baptized. We had a nice chat about the Book of Mormon. I think he enjoyed it. He likes to talk a lot, he is a very smart kid. He thinks about things that are important. It was really neat because the mom was also enjoying it and to see her attitude change from the first time we saw her. I could see how much she loved her son and she could see how much her son enjoyed talking to us. We marked a baptism for 31 of July. He accepted and they will be going to church this Sunday. This Gospel has the power to change peoples lives and help families become more united. It isn't the easiest living the gospel principles, but it will make us happier and better. I'm grateful for you my family very much. I'm almost half way there (I'm not counting) 
Love you all very much.
Elder Ontiveros 

June 29,2011

Hey,

 This week was better. Heavenly Father has been on my side. He is pushing me to work harder. It is really cool to see the change take place. My last email. Yes, I was very stressed. Very worried about speaking the language and very worried about saying a wrong thing. I don't know I just feel more comfortable. So what if someone doesn't understand me haha I'm going to repeat myself until I am understood. Yes I may have a weird accent, but I don't really care I'm speaking portuguese! My companion can understand me perfectly. And I have some things to say to you that are very important! That's how it goes. Almost every person we teach for the first time until they get used to it. Then they can understand me. It is very fun sometimes I feel very very uncomfortable but it makes me grow. I am able to have confidence in myself and what the spirit wants me to say.

Anyway that was what my week was like. Very Awesome. I'm learning a lot.

I emailed dad also, so you can read his. Thanks for the quote mom. I love you! I love all of you. Here is a video. It has been pretty cold here these past couple of days. It is starting to warm up now. You will see. With love

elder ontiveros

  ps Iz I stay far far away from girls. Just like you should stay far far far away from the boys! Dont you worry. We baptized her this last week. She is really cool. She wants to serve a mission. Sorry the video won't load. You might have to wait next week. love yall