A Week in Santiago

Dear Family,

Wow, this week has really been crazy! I arrived in Santiago on Wednesday at about 4 o' clock with my companion Elder Oliveira. I'm his second companion and the oldest in the mission in my district!

My district has three companionships; ours and the other two are fairly new missionaries that are training! President told me that it's time for Santiago to explode and wants me to make it happen. He says that he is confident in me and that Santiago has a lot of potential to have a lot of success.

This week I am a little worried because it looks like President put me in the Branch that is needing the most help! Yesterday there were 35 people at church! We marked with 10 members to pass by our investigators houses and walk with them to church. Not any of them went to church!

Santiago is a lot different than Salgado filho! I'm not really sure where to start but, President just told me to preach the gospel! Great counsel, isn't it? We are really going to need your prayers here!

Elder Oliveira is a really good missionary. He has been a member for 4 years but has done a 3 year mission preparation course and knows the doctrine pretty well for a greeny ;) Also I would appreciate your prayers on his behalf because some times he gets depressed and stops talking to me.

This transfer should be good, we are starting from a level so low that it should be good to see all the progress we will have! We also already have a few people that we will baptize in these next weeks; Cátia, Brenda and Neusa, pray for them!

Sorry, I'm out of time.

Love, Elder Zimbelman

God Knows our Hearts

Dear Family,

This week has been a great week!

Throughout my mission I have learned many things that will be with me for eternity. Knowledge and experiences that could not be replaced in any other place.

This transfer has passed by very quickly and soon I will be in a strange place learning a whole new type of work! I have been called to serve in a city called Santiago. It's a city close by that is not very big and in my district there will only be 6 missionaries!

It looks like it will be very similar to Santo Ângelo; the area is pretty big and they have just completed rebuilding the chapel! Elder Bruno, my LZ right now that lives in our house here in Salgado Filho already served there and says that it is an awesome place that has a lot of potential to grow! I will do my best to help the branch there turn into a ward and fill the new chapel.

At the same moment that I am very excited, I am also going to miss Salgado Filho a lot! There are a lot of recent converts here that have really been growing and progressing that I really hope stay strong!

Salete

This week we had Salete's marriage and Baptism! It was really special! She has been going to church ever since I have been here and was just needing to get married. Elder Monteiro and I did just about all of the paper work for her and she was really happy! She will be a very strong member of the ward here!

Raissa is also doing very well. Here family is taking the church a lot more seriously. They were to all of the meetings at church yesterday and didn't wait for the bus to pass but, walked all the way with three young girls! They are really showing there faith and progressing. I won't be here to see their marriage and baptism but I am sure that shortly it will happen!

We have also been working with a man that will be a great leader in the church. He is about forty-five years old and has some serious problems but the first steps he has already taken and really wants to change! All of the things he has passed I wouldn't feel comfortable telling you but I know that God has a time and purpose with everything that he does. The first time that we taught him he was in his parents house and showed interest in the message but we went back and they didn't accept us. It has been about three months and we were teaching a totally different family and he was at the house, drinking. We taught the restoration and we didn't even pay very much attention to him. But, when we were leaving he told us that he wanted us to pass by his house.

After that it's all history, he has gone to church two times, knows that what we have taught is true, he is reading the Book of Mormon and is really preparing for his baptism, the last time we taught him he asked us how to pay his tithing! His neighbor was joking and said that maybe I could come back and baptize him(Santiago is pretty close by here). I would really like to be here! He is very intelligent and he will certainly be a conversion that will bring many other people to the church! Pray for him!

Well, I am very excited to go to Santiago and start my work there but please remember me in your prayers! Thanks for all of your prayers!

Love,
Elder Rob

Cristiano and Family

P.S. Alessandro blesses the sacrament now! Cristiano is our ward mission leader! Tiago is his counselor! Almost all of our converts here are really strong in the ward! Thanks for your prayers!

Milton and Maristel
A cake for Elder Rob


I turned this twice but for some reason it won't stay!

Trying to put it all together

In the mornings I like to spend a little time on the computer.
Since we don't have TV, I depend on the internet to keep up with life outside my walls.
I also check email and do a little blog hopping to keep up with family and friends and add a little inspiration to my day. My favorite blogs are on my sidebar.
Today Melissa from inspired room posted a link about having courage to be yourself. I found it quite timely and a good reminder for me as I work on restructuring my days.
As usual I have a lot more things I want to do than I have time. I also want to be attentive to details (like keeping my house clean and cooking eatable dinners) as I put together a skeleton of a schedule so that I will really have the ability to follow through with my plans but still maintain flexibility.
(As opposed to the unrealistic rigid ones I've made in the past)
Hopefully I will be able to accomplish more if I don't have to be spending a lot of time catching up on things I've let slide for too long.

Any words of advice for me?

Dream

Dear Family,

How is everyone? It was so good to hear from so many this week! I'm glad to hear that your all content and happy!

Well, sadly a lot of the people that were on that list didn't go to church and aren't progressing like we were hoping but we still had a great. This week I went on division with Elder Laney and we had a lot of success the two days we worked together. He is a really good missionary. I don't know if you all remember but we live in the same house. But, now Elder Monteiro and I work separated from Elder Laney and Bruno. He is very funny and reminds me of Sean. He is kind of a nerd but really funny at the same time. Any way, we had a good division and I felt a lot more excited to work.

Last week I also had my interview with president and he helped me to have a better perspective on the time that I have left in my mission and that I am in control of what happens and told me to dream. Here in Salgado Filho we are really meeting a lot of new investigators that have a lot of interest but I don't think I will stay here long enough to see them get baptized. I'm excited to be transferred and I am grateful for the time that I have had to learn so much here and work with such good members and leaders. I hope that I will be able to apply this in my next area! Pray for me. I will know where I will be going and who will be my comp. next week!

Yesterday Raissa was baptized! She was the first in her family and soon her parents will get married and will follow her example. She was very excited and there is a young couple in the ward that has really been visiting them a lot and the dad, Ricardo baptized her.

I have been thinking a lot about what members will be the most faithfuls and which will edify the church the most. It is clear the a young family can learn and grow and certainly help the church to grow. But the children also have such a great potential to learn through seminary, institute, go on a mission and really turn leaders. We are preparing Raissa to be a strong example and to stay firm in the church! Pray for her too!

Thanks for all of your love and support and especially for writing me! It means so much to me.

We just got back from a hike of the biggest mountain in Santa Maria which we call the antenna.

I will send some photos!

Love,

Elder Z

Just for a moment

(image from the internet)

This morning the house is very quiet.

It's here.

The time I've been watching and wondering about is here. Months of worry and anticipation and now the moment has come.

I returned from aerobics today to find the house still and quiet.

Mark is at work.
Jennifer began her first day of High School.
Christian is actually hiking Mount Timpanogos and will begin the first day of his senior year tomorrow.

But today I sit in the stillness of my home.
Alone.
Spread before me is time and opportunity.

While I thought a lot about this moment it has managed to come upon me slightly unaware after a tornado of activity in the last two weeks of summer.

Yet summer still remains. It's still warm outside. The sun shines brightly and beckons me out to pick ripe blackberries and tomatoes and sit in the shade and read as I listen to the sound of the stream and birds busily finding worms and taking baths.

I have rooms to clean and laundry to wash. Organizing to be done. Weeds that need uprooting. Planning to do.

But for a moment I am frozen in time. Trying to understand and take it all in.

Soon after we moved here I put together a spread sheet charting the children's movement over the next 10 or so years. I charted them through elementary, middle, high school and college. I included missions and possible marriage dates. It was incomplete for the older ones because I realized that as they became independent it would be up to them to fill in the blanks, to see where their choices and lives would take them. At that moment 9 or 10 years seemed so far away -yet here we are. Mark and I home with two kids in High School. I remember when we moved here - looking around at families in the ward with High School kids and older ones that I never met and thinking that they had entire lives that I knew nothing about. They seemed old to me. But yet, here I sit... just where they were 10 years ago. I don't feel old. In fact in many ways I feel younger than ever. I thought about doing another spread sheet but it would be pointless. Too many blanks I would try to fill in and that's not really my job anymore. Next year at this time I will only have one child at home - a spreadsheet seems like overkill.

So here I sit in the quiet stillness of my home.
Alone.
Spread before me is time and opportunity.

I wonder where the next spreadsheetless 10 years will take me.
Some things will fill in on their own but there are still blanks left for me to fill in.
Choices and options that will shape the next 10 years.

I'm glad I don't have to know it all right now
and I'm glad to have the guidance of the holy ghost
and love of my Father in Heaven to help me in my choices.

And for this moment...

I think I'll go shower.

Home again, home again, jigity jig

(this is not a current picture - the colors have not changed and I have no fall decor up yet)

I arrived home Monday just after two pm.
My trip to Illinois was good.

We left last Wednesday morning, early, about the same time Christian left to take Amy to the airport. Olivia was an angel for two long days in the car. No one fell asleep while driving. Getting out of the car in Omaha I was reminded that I live in a very dry climate.

We arrived on Thursday in time to get the key to the apartment and were greeted by a crew to unload the moving van. Beds and the crib were put together and clothed in clean welcoming sheets.

The empty truck was returned Friday morning and by Friday evening most of the boxes were emptied also and hauled away or broken down and put outside to be stored.

By Saturday evening the fridge was full, closets and bookshelves organized and all that remained were the pictures. Aaron and Celisa went out to celebrate their 2nd anniversary while I got some alone time with Olivia. When they returned we stayed up till midnight hanging pictures and figuring out where to put the last of everything.

Sunday was relaxing. Church, games, a walk in the rain, fireflies and Livi laughed for the first time. The ward has lots of PhD students with their families adding dimension to a variety of people in different life stages. It's comforting for me to meet those who will be loving and caring for my family.

I left early Monday morning - once again struggling with my emotions but once again feeling comforted - knowing they are where they are supposed to be and all will be well. When the plane landed I got a text from Celisa. Olivia rolled over for the first time. Life moves forward and I feel peace and joy in my life.

It feels good to be home.

This week

Dear Family,

This week has been good. I have been feeling really worn out and been having a few problems with diligence and planing but the work is moving along.

Yesterday the north wind was blowing really hard and it warmed up the temperature and woke up these members from there hibernation. So we had 170 people at church. 13 of which where investigators.

My district is working towards our goal to baptize 24 this month and it is looking all to possible! Elder Monteiro and I are working with 10 people that will be able to be baptized before the end of the month if they are prepared. For that reason we will need your prayers! These people are, Rita, Marlene, Fernando, Marta, Cristiele, Suellen, Felipe, Larissa, Raissa and Salete!

These people are very special and are getting to know the members, exercising their faith and progressing and could really use your support.

My comp is doing well. He is a good worker and is very smart. He's a little on the quiet side but I'm LOUD enough for the two of us. But it looks like Elder Branco really is going to go home. He will be coming out here tomorrow and then catching a plane home. He is planning on coming back out to the mission but I think it would be hard. He will really need our prayers!

Well I have really been feeling the love of the members here. Here in Brasil all of the materials that you can buy from the church you have to make an order to São Paulo or you can buy them at the bookstore in the temple. I asked for a few books and some garments too and they bought them for me and didn't accept my money. The members here are really good to us! They are also always visiting with us and giving us referrals! It will be tough to pass in a better area than this! It also will be hard to leave!

Well I sure love you guys! Thanks for all of your prayers on my behalf and also for everyone here that you all have prayed for!

Love, Elder Rob