Hello again from Piracicaba!

Dear Family and Friends!

How time flies when you're having fun and we are definitely having fun!  I don't mark time by months anymore.  I hardly know what month it is and I really have a hard time keeping track of the seasons but time is marked by transfers.  Each transfer seems to zip by and we sadly say good-bye to missionaries who have become like family to us and happily welcome new members to our ever growing family!

This last transfer we had the privilege of having Sister Neill Marriott come visit our mission.  She is as charming, delightful and wise in person as she is when she speaks in conference.  We had a brief but wonderful time with her and her husband.

During interviews this time I had the chance to visit some cities in the mission that I was not yet acquainted withand make some new friends.  Always fun.

We see miracles happening all over the mission.  Howard started making a file and he already has over 100 pages just for 2017.  Some of these are happening within the families of our missionaries.  One Sister left on her mission without her parents even being married.  Within the first couple of months of her mission her parents were married, baptized, and now her mother is serving in the Primary presidency in her ward.  Others have parents who are receiving the lessons, or feeding the missionaries, parents who would have nothing to do with the church before their missions.  We still have some missionaries who receive no support from their families and we constantly pray that their hearts will be softened.  We are seeing people just show up at church and wanting to be taught and baptized and people who are praying for guidance and the truth and having the missionaries knock on their doors the very next day.

We are also strengthened by the faith of the members here.  Yesterday we heard of a sister in one of the branches here who can't afford the bus fare to attend church every week, but she attends once a month so she can partake of the sacrament and pay her tithing.

I guess it's winter here.  We had one day last week where it didn't get out of the 60s but for the most part we're in the 80s.  It is cooler in the mornings, usually low 60s, which makes running a little easier.  Except I did something to my hip.  I think It's tendinitis.  Fortunately these next four weeks are super busy and I wouldn't have time to run much anyway.  Hopefully with a little rest I'll be good as new soon.  

This last weekend I had to do a 50 minute training to YW leaders on chastity and then give two talks.  Way out of my comfort zone.  I wore the bracelets my children gave me for Mother's Day and some special earrings from special friends.  They gave me strength and courage, knowing I have people loving, supporting and praying for me.  I think all went well.  Howard in the meantime gave four talks.  He's amazing.  He gathers ideas as he sits on the stand and then gives an amazing and inspiring talk on whatever he is guided to say.  Yesterday we were invited to a Forum on Religious Freedom at one of the Stake Centers.  We only found out about it yesterday morning and with a really busy day we didn't even know if we'd make it.  There were two other pastors speaking and the stake president.  Partway through the meeting the counselor in the stake presidency leaned over and asked Howard to say a few words.  He knocked it out of the park!

As far as family goes, we should have two new grandchildren in the next few weeks!  So excited.  Michael is going to Alaska to stay with Sonia and Wilson until he comes to Brazil for the month of August.  Daniel graduated from SVU and has taken a job teaching math at a jr. high in Arizona.

We're loving Brazil, our home base of Piracicaba, the people, the language, the food, the missionaries.  We feel very blessed and very humbled to have this opportunity.

We love and miss you all!

Love,

Lissa

Two stalwarts in Avare

Botucatu

Capivari elders and sugar cane harvest

Lara's baptism and 8th birthday party

Lissa near her favorite smoke stack

Sister at mission ropes course

Ropes Course

So long Sister!

Visit to Roberto's home and family just before his baptism

5 great ones headed home

Welcome to Piracicaba!

Silvana's daughter's baptism and family!

Pres. Lima's food storage

In front of Avare Christo Redentor

Playing Uno with headlamps during a rare power outage

4 generations of stalwarts from the old days in the 60's

Setting apart another Brazilian elder from Botucatu

Pioneers of the addiction recovery program in Rio Clara

In front of the Piracicaba Falls near flood stage

Lunch with 4 generations of Toyamas in Pocos de Caldas

Mission conference with Sister and Brother Marriott

Mission conference with Sister and Brother Marriott

Leadership council

Leadership council

Leadership council

Leadership Council

Mission Life

Hello Dear Family and Friends!

It's been another amazing few weeks.  It's always fun, uplifting and inspiring to spend time with the missionaries.  Add to that equation General Conference and the Mission President's Seminar and life couldn't get much better!

We loved gathering in the Stake Center with the members and local missionaries.  There's a room where the talks are transmitted in English.  I go there because i love to hear their voices.  After conference we gathered all of the local missionaries and had a little conference recap where we all shared some thoughts and insights from conference.  This is something we always do at home with our family so we've started this tradition with our mission family.  So great to hear their insights!

This last weekend all of the mission presidents serving in Brazil gathered for our semi-annual training.  I've come to look forward to this so much.  It's so much fun to be with Paulo and Jalayne.  We've also made a lot of other friends and it's so great to be able to pick their brains and share ideas.  The training is always inspiring and uplifting and I leave ready to tackle the world.

Yesterday was transfer day.  We received 12 new missionaries.  One is from the Philippines.  That's a new one for us.  I guess we were supposed to get two but one is waiting on a visa.  I guess it's not just the American missionaries that have trouble with that.

They arrived first thing in the morning, were "trained" here in the mission home.  After a morning of training they met their new companions and we had a barbecue together with the missionaries that were going home.   From there we went to the bus station, the hub of transfer day.  Seems like almost all of the missionaries pass through there on their way to new areas.  It's really fun to see them all together!  From there we went to the temple with those who left today.  It was a long, but a rewarding and happy day.

We love you all and are grateful for your love and support.  We definitely feel it!

Love,

Mom/Lissa

 Departing sisters

 JaLayne and Paulo at the mission president's conference

 The Lisonbee's, JaLayne and Paulo at the mission president's conference

 Paulo and Dad (and then everyone) in front of where the "new" mission home was (Grandpa's time- 50's/60's)

The view from our bedroom window

Zone Conferences, Transfers and More

Hi All!

Time keeps zipping by here in Piracicaba!  In February the Brazilians celebrated Carnaval.  We didn't see much in our area but seems like many of the stakes here held youth conferences over that weekend and holiday.  Howard and I had the privilege of speaking at four of these-two on Sunday and two on Monday.  It was fun to be with the youth and see them enjoying the activities and sharing in each other's company.  Being from an area where there were not many LDS youth I remember how important these activities were to me.

Then we had transfers.  We lost some gems but gained some new ones!

This last week we had our zone conferences and this week starts three weeks of interviews.  I love this new schedule and being able to spend more time with the missionaries.

With zone conferences my running schedule has been off and I ended up running one evening in a torrential rainstorm.  It was only sprinkling when I left and actually it's easier running in the rain than in the heat.  Anyway, I ruined my mission phone.  It drowned! I lost some pictures and my notes.  I'm using my old phone from home until I get a replacement.  It was one of those memorable runs though.

We've had some amazing miracles here in our mission.  One person of another religion dreamed the name of our church.  She investigated it online and is now receiving the lessons and preparing for baptism.  Another family had been contacted by a pair of sisters but with transfers the sisters hadn't returned.  In the meantime someone had delivered a basket of food and some money to them in the name of the church.  When inquiry was made as to who sent it, the deliverer said it was two missionaries in white shirts and ties, with  name tags, one tall American and another Brazilian. We have no elders working in that area and the ones close by had no idea what they were talking about.  We don't know where the help came from but we're not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.  We're grateful for any help we receive.  Our missionaries are seeing other miracles in their lives and in their work as they work hard and are obedient.

We're on our second round of stake conferences now and are speaking nearly every Sunday.  Will it ever get easier?  I comes so easily for Howard!

We love and miss you all and hope some of you will come visit us while we're here!

Love,

Mom/Lissa

 Some of our wonderful sisters

 Zone conference

 Soggy car

 Happy to have completed an honorable mission

 YM preparing for missions

 Missionaries of Excellence

 Zone Conference in Piracicaba

 Lunch after interviews in Botucatu

 Zone Conference

 Encampment

Girls Camp

Hello From Piracicaba!

Dear Family and Friends,

I know it's been a long time since I've written.  I figured most of you are following our mission experiences and didn't need a detailed version of my trip home.  Besides I got to spend wonderful moments with many of you.  A quick overview:  I went home for Emily's wedding which was perfect.  Thank you to all of my Friends who helped with this special occasion. I was also able to attend my grandson's baptism which was an honor.  Howard got to be an unofficial witness via Skype to both the baptism and the festivities of the wedding.Having a cardboard cutout of him didn't quite make up for his absence especially when Emily tried to dance with him.

Other than those two special occasions I was able to spend time with family sledding, attending BYU basketball and a grandson's lacrosse game, making candy for the reception, an awesome bachelorette party (Watch out.  We're all trained in self-defense now) and lots of fun hang out time.  I got to meet my new grandson Solomon who was born in September and found out I'll have two more this summer: a girl from Nick and Gina and a boy from Amy and Dave. That'll make it an even dozen.  Lunch and dinner with friends and family and even a long run with Felicia, and cross country skiing made it the perfect trip.  Maybe a little too perfect.

I had to go through the adjustment of leaving family and being a missionary in a foreign land all over again.  Fortunately this adjustment came much faster and I'm back into the full swing of things.

A couple of weeks ago there was a worldwide missionary training and we pulled all of the missionaries in for that and a zone conference.  It was a great day and so great to be with all of the missionaries again.

Now we're doing interviews.  According to the new schedule we will be doing zone conferences and interviews every transfer.  Last week we left on Tuesday and didn't get home until Sunday night.  We have two more weeks of interviews, but we'll only stay in hotels two or three times in those weeks.  While Howard is interviewing, the zone leaders are doing training with the missionaries.  Last week's trainings were impressive and I love the time I get to spend with the missionaries!  They're amazing!

I see many complaining of all the snow you're getting and I'm somewhat envious.  My first winter home when I'm running in the snow you need to remind me that I said I'd rather run in the snow than the heat and humidity that we have here!

Life is good.  We feel blessed!  We see the Lord's hand in this work everyday and are surrounded by miracles.  We appreciate your prayers.  We feel them.  And we hope many of you will come visit us while we're here.  We'd love you have you!!

Love,

Mom/Lissa

Driving to the worldwide training

 

 11 investigators Howard crammed into the car last Sunday

This Elder's first baptism in Portuguese. 

He's only been out 2 weeks. 

He doesn't speak much Portuguese but he makes up for it with his smile!

 Sao Joao de Boa Vista

Pirassununga 

 Sao Carlos

 Baptism in Villa Sonia

 Nova Piracicaba

The Bride

Amy and Dave's boy due in July

Nick and Gina's girl due in June

 All my children

 Almost all of the Americans in one place. 

The bravest of the brave watched the training in Portuguese.

 My newest grandson, Solomon

Sammy's baptism

Happy New Year! And Utah Bound!

Dear Family and Friends!

2016 was a fun, exciting and adventurous year and we look forward to a new one with much more fun and excitement!

December was a fun and busy month for us.  We started by saying good-bye to some beloved missionaries and welcoming in a new wonderful batch.  From there we went to our Christmas zone conferences.  We had training in the morning and then music after lunch from the various zones and various missionaries.  We have some amazing talent in this mission and it really helped put me in the Christmas spirit. Especially when one of the conferences fell on the day the #LighttheWorld challenge was to light the world with music!

A special thanks to the sisters who unfortunately were sick and had to spend a few days in the mission home because I don't know how I would've wrapped and labelled the missionary's gifts without you!  A blessing in disguise I guess.

The highlight of this month was the two weeks we had Emily with us.  We played hard while she was here.  Three highlights stand out.  The first was the day we got to zipline over the jungles of Brazil and then go play in a waterfall.  Next was the day she went and worked with the sisters.  She had so much fun and came back so happy and excited and also a little homesick for her mission.  The third was the days we got to spend with her old companion Mercia Francino who returned from her mission less than two weeks ago.  They laughed and giggled the whole time like a couple of jr. high girls and we had some fun adventures. Letting her go was hard.  Harder for Howard than for me since I'm headed to her wedding in a couple of days.

Also a reminder for anyone who has not received an invitation and would like to come, her reception is on Saturday January 14th at the church on Ole Bish Lane in Highland from 6:00-8:00.  Missionaries and missionary parents, I would love to see you!  I'll even have a little gift for you!

I wish you all a very blessed and happy new year.  

Love,

Lissa