Hello!
Things here are going super well! We have a baptism planned for this Sunday, and we are super excited! His name is Paulo and he is 14. He plays soccer for one of the junior teams of the professional team here in Sao Paulo. He is super excited to get baptized, and he has made friendships with a bunch of the kids here in the ward. The only difficulty is that he has to play soccer on sundays every once in a while.
The past two week we have been living with two other missionaries. The missionaries in the area next to us moved houses but for two weeks they didn't have a house to live while they were moving and getttng everything ready. So they stayed with us. It was super fun but super messy! But they moved into their new house yesterday. So me and my companion are happy to just have peace and quite now!
This area is sweet! But i really miss the country. I want to go back to a quite little city with forest and people with manners. Here in the city its so crazy, and people are sooooo rude and always busy. And everyone in this area is super rich. Its nice to have all the nice things like Mcdolnalds and Walmart and stuff, but i really miss the country!
Oh and I got a hair cut today... Brazilians just dont know how to cut hair.
Other than that everything is going well!
Thanks for all the love and support!
Elder Schoen
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Saturday, March 20, 2010
email update
Elder Schoen has a new email address: james.schoen@myldsmail.net
He can receive emails from any one but is only able to respond to his mom, dad, brothers, and sisters. He loves to get updates via email. He really loves to get letters and pictures in the mail. Thank you for keeping him in your prayers!! - Kaelene
He can receive emails from any one but is only able to respond to his mom, dad, brothers, and sisters. He loves to get updates via email. He really loves to get letters and pictures in the mail. Thank you for keeping him in your prayers!! - Kaelene
3/17/2010
So this week was good! I did a two day division in an area called Jardim das Vertentes. Its the 2nd smallest mission area in the world 2nd only to Temple Square. It was super fun and it made me appreciate my area! haha
Satuday morning the Stake President here had a breakfast and training with all the missionaries serving in the stake. (the São Paulo Stake) I found out that this stake was the first stake established in South America! Pretty cool. Everyone that lives in this stake is super rich and has many generations in the church. One of the counselors of the stake president was there and all the Brazilian missionaries were freaking out becasue he is an actor that does a ton of commercials here in Brazil! It was pretty cool. The breakfast was AMAZING! They made pancakes and waffles with suryp! It was so good, and they had mangos and kiwi and juice and a ton of different types of crissont and muffins! It was soooo good! The highlight of my week! haha
Other than that it was a pretty normal week, nothing extremely exciting happened.
Thank you for all the love and support!
Elder J.D. Schoen
( actually something interesting happened: When we mail letters he is lucky to get them in 3 weeks, when we send a box - it takes any where from 2 months to 3 1/2 months. I sent a box on March 1st and he got it on the 11th. The remarkable thing is the box contained 6 videos he requested as a teaching tool. "Reflections of Christ" by Mark Mabry http://www.reflectionsmg.com/reflections-of-christ-videos.php is the name of the video, it's just pictures set to music. I guess Heavenly Father really needed those videos quick. So I sent 10 more - I'll let you know if they get there just as quick.) - Kaelene
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
3/10/10
Hey!
This week absolutely flew by! I can't believe that its already P-day! Things with my companion are going way way better! We are actually starting to get along really well, and we are starting to see some succcess. This week we found some awesome new investigators that we are super excited about! The past two days have been super sunny and hot! ITs awesome! Yesterday was the first time that I saw sun in over 3 weeks! It was super rough. I dont think I could ever live in seattle! haha
I received a package from Wendi ( JD's aunt)! Which was awesome! It was filled with snacks, so me and my companion are extremely happy!
So President Cooley made a bunch of new rules and one of them is that we can't play sports anymore... AT ALL! So that means no more soccer. I really hope its not because I sent that other elder to the emergency room a couple weeks ago. If it is then I might not come home alive. All the Brazilians are going to kill me! haha
Other than that there aren't really many new things. Just same old same old. But i sent alot of pictures this time, so everyone should be happy!
Thanks for all the love and support!
Elder Schoen
This week absolutely flew by! I can't believe that its already P-day! Things with my companion are going way way better! We are actually starting to get along really well, and we are starting to see some succcess. This week we found some awesome new investigators that we are super excited about! The past two days have been super sunny and hot! ITs awesome! Yesterday was the first time that I saw sun in over 3 weeks! It was super rough. I dont think I could ever live in seattle! haha
I received a package from Wendi ( JD's aunt)! Which was awesome! It was filled with snacks, so me and my companion are extremely happy!
So President Cooley made a bunch of new rules and one of them is that we can't play sports anymore... AT ALL! So that means no more soccer. I really hope its not because I sent that other elder to the emergency room a couple weeks ago. If it is then I might not come home alive. All the Brazilians are going to kill me! haha
Other than that there aren't really many new things. Just same old same old. But i sent alot of pictures this time, so everyone should be happy!
Thanks for all the love and support!
Elder Schoen
view from the tallest building in Sao Paulo
As far as the eye can see!
Elder Schoen in front of the Temple
family they are teaching
teaching English
Thursday, March 4, 2010
3/3/10
Hey!
This past week went by super fast! Things here in Vila Sônia are going well. We are starting to figure out the area, we pretty much know our way around.
I'm starting to learn what Patience is... My companion is... a challenge, to say the least. I´ve experienced some of the loooongest days of my life with him. I've never had so many evil thoughts about a person before. haha....Its a continual struggle to be Christlike. But I'm learning that nothing gets done and we don't have the spirit at all when there is contention, which is almost always. So I'm practicing just grinning and bearing it. Becasue if he doesn't get it his way the world explodes and he stays mad for like 2 or 3 days. So its better to just do all possible to try and keep peace so that we can have the spirit. Because without the spirit we are just waisting our time. I've already experienced a couple days when we are fighting and then magically all of our appointments will fall through and then it will start raining and we will have nothing to do but knock doors for 7 or 8 hours. It feels at times like I have those demontors from Harry Potter following me around... It's not very pleasent = Very long day!
So I've just been doing everything possible to not let fights happen, becasue its SO not worth it.
The other day a miracle happened and we found an Elect family. They said the missionaries were teaching them before and they liked it, but then the missionaries just stopped and they don't know why. They tried to look for the church on 2 sepereate occasions but couldn't find it. Then we came along. We marked a baptism/wedding date with them (no one here in brazil is married) they are super exicited! We are just praying that the paperwork for the marriage will go through quickly, usually it takes 6-8 weeks.
Yesterday I started an English class in the chapel. I am doing it from 8-9pm on Tuesday nights. It was sweet. There were like 15 people that went and 3 were investigators. I taught them how to pray in English. Everyone liked it alot, so I think this will be a great tool to do missionary work.
Today we went to the Center. Downtown Sao Paulo. It was sooooo crazy! We went to the tallest building and took pictures at the top (i will send the pictures next week) and we went and ate at a Churrascoria (buffet of meat, its like Tucanos, but way better) and we went to the street where they sell all the fake stufff for super cheap, and I bought a Brazil soccer jersey.
This week I will hit the 8 month mark on the mission. Its amazing how fast time goes by!
I know that what I am doing is the most important thing and of the greatest worth that I could be possibly be doing right now. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints IS the only and true living church. I know that missionary work is not just the work of Elders and Sisters, that every member of the church has the responsibility to open their mouth and invite people to come unto Christ. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He knows us individually and He is here to lift us up in our times of difficulty and suffering, but we have to go to Him. It's like that picture of him knocking at the door. If you look carefully the door doesn't have a handle. The handle is on our side of the door, we have to open the door and let Him be a part of our lives.
Thank you for all the love and support!
Elder J.D. Schoen
P.S. Shoutout to my best friend Chad Cooley who got his mission call and is going to New York, New York South Mission!!! Congrats!
This past week went by super fast! Things here in Vila Sônia are going well. We are starting to figure out the area, we pretty much know our way around.
I'm starting to learn what Patience is... My companion is... a challenge, to say the least. I´ve experienced some of the loooongest days of my life with him. I've never had so many evil thoughts about a person before. haha....Its a continual struggle to be Christlike. But I'm learning that nothing gets done and we don't have the spirit at all when there is contention, which is almost always. So I'm practicing just grinning and bearing it. Becasue if he doesn't get it his way the world explodes and he stays mad for like 2 or 3 days. So its better to just do all possible to try and keep peace so that we can have the spirit. Because without the spirit we are just waisting our time. I've already experienced a couple days when we are fighting and then magically all of our appointments will fall through and then it will start raining and we will have nothing to do but knock doors for 7 or 8 hours. It feels at times like I have those demontors from Harry Potter following me around... It's not very pleasent = Very long day!
So I've just been doing everything possible to not let fights happen, becasue its SO not worth it.
The other day a miracle happened and we found an Elect family. They said the missionaries were teaching them before and they liked it, but then the missionaries just stopped and they don't know why. They tried to look for the church on 2 sepereate occasions but couldn't find it. Then we came along. We marked a baptism/wedding date with them (no one here in brazil is married) they are super exicited! We are just praying that the paperwork for the marriage will go through quickly, usually it takes 6-8 weeks.
Yesterday I started an English class in the chapel. I am doing it from 8-9pm on Tuesday nights. It was sweet. There were like 15 people that went and 3 were investigators. I taught them how to pray in English. Everyone liked it alot, so I think this will be a great tool to do missionary work.
Today we went to the Center. Downtown Sao Paulo. It was sooooo crazy! We went to the tallest building and took pictures at the top (i will send the pictures next week) and we went and ate at a Churrascoria (buffet of meat, its like Tucanos, but way better) and we went to the street where they sell all the fake stufff for super cheap, and I bought a Brazil soccer jersey.
This week I will hit the 8 month mark on the mission. Its amazing how fast time goes by!
I know that what I am doing is the most important thing and of the greatest worth that I could be possibly be doing right now. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints IS the only and true living church. I know that missionary work is not just the work of Elders and Sisters, that every member of the church has the responsibility to open their mouth and invite people to come unto Christ. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that He knows us individually and He is here to lift us up in our times of difficulty and suffering, but we have to go to Him. It's like that picture of him knocking at the door. If you look carefully the door doesn't have a handle. The handle is on our side of the door, we have to open the door and let Him be a part of our lives.
Elder J.D. Schoen
P.S. Shoutout to my best friend Chad Cooley who got his mission call and is going to New York, New York South Mission!!! Congrats!
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