Final Letter from Brazil

Dear Family and Friends,

Three years ago today Howard and I were set apart as missionaries.  Seems like yesterday and yet so much has happened and changed, including us.  With my Brazilian background I thought I knew Brazil but after three years I realize I knew nothing.  And now all I know is a lot about central Sao Paulo and a little about other areas that I've learned from our missionaries from other areas.  Saying I know Brazil would be spending three years in Central California and saying you know the United States.

It has been three magical years with so many wonderful experiences and new friends. It has been a marathon but these last few weeks will be a full on sprint.  We will have interviews and zone conferences with each of our nine zones, a stake conference, two speaking assignments for sacrament meetings, and a fireside.

These past three Fridays we have had dinners with the other residents of our building (that one was just hor d'vours), the other members of the mission presidency and their families, and the Coordinating Council and wives as a thank you for the love and support we have received from them.

We are also grateful beyond words for the love and support we have received from you!  We love you and look forward to seeing you again soon.

We have experienced many miracles both here and at home during our time of service and feel greatly blessed.  We know Heavenly Father has been looking out for us.

We will be speaking in Sacrament Meeting on July 14th at 10:30 in the chapel on Ole Bish Lane and hope to see many of you there.

Beijos e abracos,

Lissa, Mom, Vovo

 

District Conference (as in small stake) in Botucatu

   

Our fabulous missionary couples

   

Coordinating Council

Dr. Suess tree where I run

Residents from our apartment building

Our wonderful mission presidency and their families

Capivara grazing in the park (piracicaba's version of deer)

Howdy!

Hey all!

Just a little note to let you know we’re alive and well. Time is flying by and we’re wondering how we are going to be able to leave behind these special people  and this wonderful country. I know this sounds a little premature but we’re on our final round of stake conferences so every time I speak I need to say goodbye and let the people know how much I love them!

Fortunately we still have plenty of time with our missionaries and have interviews scheduled clear until June 27th. 

We’ve had a hot summer and are now going through the rainy season which is also hot! I know you in Utah have very little sympathy for me and will have to remind me next winter how tired I was of the heat. 

We have terrific missionaries and see miracles happening every day. Brazil is a wonderful country with warm and loving people. Many are prepared to hear our message and the Lord is putting them in our path. We feel so privileged to be able to participate in 

this work and these miracles. 

We feel your love and support and are so grateful. 

The gospel is true!

Mom/Vovó/Lissa 

Dear Family and Friends!

Hope all is well with all of you.  We love you and pray for you and think of you often.

We've had a whirlwind few months here in Piracicaba.  Since April we've had three children with their spouses and children (11 grandchildren in all, two of whom we'd never met before), and several members of Howard's family come visit.  It has filled our house with love and laughter and we have loved everyone of our visitors and every second we've spent with them.

We've also had to say goodbye to the first groups of missionaries we received here two years ago.  We become so attached to these wonderful young men and women and really miss them when they leave.  The other side is we get a whole new group of valiant missionaries ready to devote themselves to the Lord's work and we get to add them to our every growing mission family!

Spring in Piracicaba is beautiful.  We went quite a while with no rain, but a week ago we finally got a couple of rainy days and everything has turned green again.  First about six weeks ago, these enormous trees blossomed with beautiful purple blossoms.  Next there were the orange blossoms on trees and now the pink that look a lot like the fruit trees in bloom at home.  We're starting to see the yellow Ipes and soon we'll have the orange Flamboyant. The jasmin are starting to bloom as well and I'm catching whiffs of their sweet smell as I walk down the streets here.  Some burrowing owls have made a home in the park where I run and life is good!

We continue to love working with these wonderful youth along with our senior couples, the Wagers and the Pierces.  I don't know what we'd do without them.  The Wagers with their vast knowledge of Brazil and the US have been invaluable and they have done so much in getting the office organized.  The Pierces have been taking care of missionary housing, a huge job we were unable to do accurately before they came.  They make sure the houses are in good working order and stop by occasionally to check if they're being kept clean, something I'm hoping is improving.

We love you all and would love more visits here in our little corner of the world!

Love,

Mom/Vovo/Lissa

 Our oldest daughter Ashley and her kids

Howard's niece Desiree, her mom Duella (Howard's sister), his niece Gerilyn (Julie's daughter), and his sister Peggy.

Saying goodbye to Ashley and fam

 Howard's sister Glenda, her husband Steve, their daughter Audrey, and her husband Gordon

Making Sunday biscuits with Mae

Beautiful blossoms

Nick and Gina with Jonas, Derek, and Elsie

Farm fun with the Kings

beautiful blossoms

Saying goodbye to missionaries at the Piracicaba River

Fun with the Kings

The Kings

The Kings

Missionaries and the Kings

Spring blossoms

Howard, Peggy, Doug, Gerilyn, Des, and Duella

Striking flowers

Desiree

Cute King kids

With Nick's family

Jonas and our resident owl

Jonas and Mae

🇧🇷 🇧🇷

Fresh oranges

Fun panoramic

Derek, Jonas, and a teensy lizard!

Derek

Amy's girls: Gigi and Coco

3 Handsome princes

Coco, Jetty, and Gigi; Amy's kids

Trucker Strike

Hi Y'all!

I know Amy just posted something from me but I thought I'd catch everyone, especially the families of our missionaries, up on what's going on here.

First we had a wonderful visit from extended family.  These visits add an extra ray of sunshine to our lives.  And even more than the delicious American food they brought, their company was so loved and appreciated!

Our visit from Elder Cook was cancelled, but it's just as well.  With the strikes going on here he probably couldn't have made it to Piracicaba anyway.

As many of you are probably aware, the truckers are on strike here.  They're striking against the outrageous hike in gas prices as well as the general government corruption.  So far the work hasn't been too greatly affected. Howard has given the missionaries extra money so they can stock up on rice, beans, spaghetti, etc.  We have been blessed to be able to find the gas we need when necessary and have been walking and working from home most of the time.  Everything has been peaceful, with just an occasional march with honking horns etc.  We feel safe and we feel that our missionaries are safe.  We continue to pray for this wonderful country and people and keep an eye on our missionaries and how they're being affected.  We continue to have our leadership counsels and zone conferences.  We did have a pair of sisters who got stuck in a city away from home, but were able to stay with the sisters there and make it home the next day.  The missionaries have also complained that since their investigators don't have gas they're staying home and having family parties on Sunday.  This is disappointing but we know that "no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing".

We love you all!

Mom/Vovo/Lissa

Duella, Howard, and Peggy at the Piracicaba River

Piracicaba River

At the mission home 

 So great to have family visit!

Sao Paulo

Our beautiful Piracicaba

Family dinner

Big brother with his sisters