A New Area!!

Dear Family,

Today will be kinda short. (Aren't they all lately! grrrr)

Today is transfers and I'll be going to a town called Sao Borja. It is up on the border with Argentina.

My new compainon will be Elder Marinho. This will be good because he got in the mission with me!

It'll be cool. I don't have a lot of time to write...have to pack.

It's been a good run here in Quarai.

But I gotta eat, pack and stuff...

Love you all!
Elder Jed Breinholt

This is the new chapel in Sao Borja.

Thanks to Elder Lee's website I was able to get these pictures. Elder Lee has been in Sao Borja for awhile now. I met his Mom, Lynn on a missionary mom e-mail group.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Dear Family... that I love so much...

Today I am writing you all from Santa Maria.

I had to renew my visa, so I had to come here just for today. Speaking of that, last night at 11:00 pm we left Quarai and we got here at 4:00 am. So I’m pretty tired, if this e-mail doesn’t make a lot of sense you’ll know why. What’s worse is that we have to leave 7:30pm tonight to get their 1:15 am tomorrow, super tiring!

I got the package everything was great thanks.

Because I’m in Santa Maria it will be a little short. Transfers are next week, so the next e-mail you get will tell you all where I’m going...or staying.

Things with the companion are this: like I said in another e-mail...he gets really stressed...so I have to calm him down...but things are good and will always get better.

So that’s my life! This week was good with zone conference and all. You know the times they are a changin’! And it’s getting better all the time!

Anyway it’s kinda short but I’ll have more news next week!

Love you all

Elder Jed Breinholt

Family...

Dear Family
This week has been good I guess.

Turns out I’ve become super peaceful and passive on the mission especially with this companion.

The baptisms were good the water was cold. The pump for the water to heat the font was broken. Every baptism I have had in the mission there’s always a problem with the heat.

Sorry that this e-mail will be a little short but I'm kind of tired and I have to write president.

But I love you all and will write more next week.

Elder Jed Breinholt

Hello Family!

Today was really awesome because we played soccer with the Uruguay Missionaries International P-days are AWESOME! So I'm sending you some pictures of that! Maybe you'll find someone that somebody will know. But let me tell you how this International P-day got started and yes it does have to do with conference:

So Saturday we got all ready for Conference and went to our lunch appointment and then we went to the chapel to watch conference when we got there we found out that the satellite translator broke and there wasn't going to be any conference it was pretty sad. So we missed the first session but decided to call president and see if we could go to Uruguay to watch it. He said yes, so we went there for the afternoon session. There we had some pretty interesting experiences trying to get the T.V. to work to watch it in English but finally we got it. Anyway so we were over there with the Uruguayan missionaries and we all decided to play soccer together. That's what we did today it was really fun! Saturday night we didn't watch the Priesthood session for two factors 1. It started at 9:00pm 2. We didn't know that the satellite got fixed.

But about Conference: I only watched 3 sessions so bear with me.. My favorite talk was Elder Hollands I think it was really powerful and moving I also liked Elder Scotts about going to the temple even when its close. Remember in June when I wrote you guys about the dedication talks of the Curitiba Temple and how someone talked about the same thing while he was talking I was remembering that talk too it was really good!

Zone Conference is coming up on the 16th so I'll get your package then. A little bit more about Gaspar, Carla, Francielle, and Sindi. Francielle and Sindi are not little girls One is 15 the other is 17 but Sindi doesn't live with them she lives with her husband (they're not married) 17 years old and lost in the world. We were trying to help her but you know how it is. Francielle will be baptized with her Mom on Saturday, completing the family except Sindi. It'll be great. But the Baptism was really good!

Anyway I'm doing good and it's getting better all the time but I want you all to know I love you and pray for your strength every day. Stay firm because this is the way it is. The gospel is true and we can be together forever! I love you and appreciate your support.

Was it long enough?

Love

Elder Jed Breinholt

I'll post the pictures next week. I'm in Utah with Ben and Annie for Spring Break!

Portuguese Lesson Enclosed...

Dear family

Today was transfers, and nothing will happen with me! I’m remarkably happy, this way I get to see the fruits of my labors here in Quarai. This week I was thinking about how you guys must be pronouncing this name so I’ll help. It’s pronounced Quad-i-e (note the I and the E are both long sounds) I hope that helped.

Sunday will be the marriage of Gaspar to Carla and the baptism of Gaspar so that will be really good. If you want to get them a hymn book the family name will be Família dos Santos.

Anyway so yeah, about Mothers Day I don’t even know if I’ll be here in Quarai then so well see here in a few weeks 6 to be exact.

Why did nobody tell me that Elisabeth and Bobby will be going to Virginia? I knew that they were still looking.

Anyway other than that there hasn’t really been a lot of stuff new this week turned out to be kinda boring but it’s been good over-all really.

So that’s my life and I love it!

Love you all,

Elder Jed Breinholt
Sorry it’s so short...more next week! Lots of good stuff will happen this week!

P.S. Sorry about the late post this week we've been without internet for 2 days. We have been literally snowed into our house for two days and Tracy and I went out for the first time today. It was awful! School has been cancelled and Tracy's office closed Monday and Tuesday and school is also cancelled tomorrow. No school tomorrow because most of the neighborhood streets are just one lane and the busses won't be able to run. We only got about 8-10 inches but the wind blows it into drifts that are 8-10 feet high in front of peoples houses and in the middle of roads. And on the lawn we have hardly any in the back yard. It's crazy! Our house was spared this time but our street and the house next door were not quite so lucky! So, 3 snow days in one week. Both Ben and Annie said at dinner tonight that they were ready to go back to school. I wonder if it had anything to do with me making them clean their rooms and bathrooms this morning! Hmmmm what can I get them to do tomorrow!

This is the drift looking up our street it's about 7-8 feet high!

This is the house next door.
They always get plastered with that big drift.
Sometimes it continues across the yards and across our
driveway but this time we were lucky.

Family!

I don’t really have a lot to write this week...and plus...
I’m helping another Elder with some pictures...it’s his last week and the mission.

Anyway this week was awesome! Found a lot of incomplete families. Families where the parents are inactive and the kids aren’t baptized. It was a really good week with a lot of good experiences...signed the beginning papers for the wedding of Gaspar and Carla. It’s going to be awesome.

So really the only thing is a funny story about how we found one of these families. We were walking to find a door we already knocked that I had thought of the night before. So we were walking and we walked passed a door when I heard a girl speaking English. So we walked past and I looked at Elder Trindade and said "lets help her" so we did. We helped all the kids in the family with their homework. Come to find out...the parents are inactive members. It was a really good lesson. The parents have a great desire come back to church and have the kids baptized...it’s awesome! So when we left the house Elder Trindade looked at me and said "we already knocked that door". Turns out it was the same one I was thinking of! The Lord really prepared that family and led us to find them...it was awesome.

Time is short...so I’ll add a picture to help ease the pain.

A giant frog...the 2liter bottle is for reference!

Com Amor

Elder Breinholt

Família Querida (Dear Family)

Companionship Trinholt!
This week has been Awesome!

The baptism on Saturday was really good, very spiritual. It’s always a great feeling to know the person that is getting baptized is really a convert. One of the problems here in Brazil is that people are very whimmy. So they get baptized and then they go inactive. It’s sad really...but when you have that convert, that really is converted, it’s great. Maria Leia, 6 months ago she didn’t want to know anything about the church. She was even a little reluctant to sign the baptismal record of her son. Then just look what happened Saturday –baptism!

It’s funny we were talking to her the other day and she told us that her favorite part of church is Relief Society, the union of the sisters in the branch. This is the blessing of the organizations in the church...this is why we have them! To build unity...it’s a great blessing!

Anyway...

Yeah transfers happened...4 weeks ago...I thought I told you guys I switched companions! Weird...anyway Elder Trindade is from Bethlehem (in Portuguese Belem) a city at the mouth of the Amazon...he’s pretty good I guess...

The stuff in the package is great the only thing I want...is Ho-Ho’s and scripture markers...and muffin mixes too...I’ll look if I have other stuff...and get back to you.

Anyway…the work is going really good.

I don’t know what you can say to the missionaries...don’t tell them I got a baptism Saturday...It’ll sound braggy!! Tell them that I’m doing great and loving the work. Missing cars and air conditioning and sun that doesn’t bake my brain. Tell them that we had Elder Amato talk to us and that he said something I really liked...baptism comes as a result of obedience. This is what I have learned, and applying it has been tons of fun! A challenge to be more obedient than my companion is really fun. Unless your companion is a slacker...but even then...help them be more obedient than you...I really don’t know...the mission is just a lot of fun! (My Relief Society Presidency are feeding the Elders in our Zone for Zone Conference this week and President Cannon always asks me to give a little report on Jed.)

But that’s my week...

With pictures...baptism...Me and Elder Trindade...

Anyway love you all,

Elder Jed Breinholt

Holy TAN Batman!

Foto: A really cool tree in a park in Uruguay...I couldnt resist taking a picture

I’ll start by saying no I didn’t burn anything...the only thing I’ve burned in the mission is some spaghetti sauce I was making. I happen to think the tradition is kinda silly...and plus...my clothes are still good.

But the mission life is good...

I’m going to include answers to everybody’s questions and such in this e-mail.

So this week we had mission tour with Elder Amato who is an Area Seventy like I told you about last week. It was a good conference. I thought a lot about what I could do better.

The best experience I had this week was teaching Carla and Gaspar. Saturday night we went there and watched “Together Forever” with them and we talked about eternal families. The member we were with bore her testimony extremely strongly. The spirit was so sweet there. My testimony was strengthened because of that lesson. And what was better was that...ok Gaspar has been going to church firmly since we started teaching them and his daughter 2 weeks after. Carla had just gone to church the first week with Gaspar. Anyway, so she was wanting to get married but church wasn’t important and stuff like that. We were a little worried, how could we help her allow the spirit to testify to her. She had kinda a closed heart. But Saturday was AWESOME it really touched her I think. So Sunday morning rolled around and SHE WENT TO CHURCH! It was awesome.

The Lord is really blessing us here in Morelle(the name of the branch) We had a lot of people that went to church that I had never seen in church this Sunday. A lot of inactives. Miracles are REAL!

So do you know who will be the next mission president is yet? It’ll be interesting to find out.
We are getting a new Mission President this July here in our mission (South Dakota Rapid City)

Elder Tindade is my companion. I thought I wrote you guys about him. We’re doing good he is really stressed. I tell him everyday...RELAX DUDE!

Anyway, this Saturday we have a baptism, a recent convert’s mom, it’s going to be AWESOME. I’ll send you pictures.

So this is my life as a missionary...

Love you all

Elder Jed Breinholt

P.S. Thanks for the e-mails everyone! And the ideas Amy and Angela, they’re different than anything we are doing.

P.S.S. I’ll take more pictures...you just wait

Mother I Love You, Mother I Do!

Dear Dad,

Your e-mail this week really was exactly what I was needing.

Yesterday we had a great experience with a lady named Marialea. We challenged her for baptism on March 7th. She is the mother of a member here and we’ve been teaching her ever since I got here. She was really active in another church, but after her son got baptized she felt confused. She felt good when she came to our church. One of the problems she had with her other church was that no one would visit her from the church, so she felt a little lonely. We started visiting her with members, WHAT GREAT SUCCESS! Now she rarely misses a Sunday at church. The problem was she wasn’t feeling ready for baptism. Last night we went there and asked her the baptismal interview questions. After that we told her what she answered was exactly right and challenged her. It was so great. We also had the confirmation of Fabricio, our baptism 2 weeks ago, that was also good. The work is moving forward. We are getting ready for the marriage of Gaspar and Carla, things are getting under way on that....YAY!

This week, Thursday to be exact I will have one year in the mission. This week we also have a conference with one of the Area Seventies in Brazil it should be good. It couldn’t come at a better time, a super recharge.

Remember Zone Conferences and how you come away feeling on fire ready to baptize everyone. Now imagine with an Area Seventy! This is the perfect time for this to happen.

I’d really like to know some of the ideas you used on your mission (or saw used) to find new people to teach, besides knocking doors. And maybe some funny stories that have to do with that. (Ok all you cousins that are RM's post a comment about the above and I'll send them on to him)

I will talk to you next Monday and talk about my resolve to do better.

Love your one year old son,

Elder Jed Breinholt


(2 letters this week)

Ok, so I wrote a lot to Dad...but I‘ll write about the questions to you.

This week we are going to get our mail and stuff. So I’ll get my package then.

Pao de Queijo by nature is salty. I’m sure they turned out awesome! But by all means try them again and again and again!

This week has been unbelievably hot and humid. The past 4 days it has rained at night, it’s a good thing it was at night.

I’m going to start a list for my next package. Don’t worry when you send it just so you know.

Barbeque sauce - There is a member that served in Boston here and he wants bbq sauce, peanut butter and such.

Scripture markers - Those simple ones I have and I would also like an all in one. (You can find them at Seagull Book) You mark a lot of scriptures in one year. Even more if you have two sets of scriptures.

I had a whole list of stuff in one of my planners...but this is a start.

The branch is good...growing a lot...we (me and Elder Trindade) are doing good. We've caught the wave in this branch. I hope we can keep it going!

I love you mom and the rest of the fam!

Elder Jed Breinholt

p.s. Ask Elder Oliveira what his first name is...for this member...and ask him if he remembers meeting an Elder de Juli that served 2001-2002 in Boston. He never served in the Portuguese branches but says he knew a lot of Portuguese speaking members.

Do you have a recipe for cheesecake...there is a Brazilian that wants it!

Love you

Elder Elvis Jed Breinholt

The Last Link!

Here is the last link of the chain!! Year One is Done!






Next week we start taking two marbles from the glass each week, when it's empty he's home!

Dear Family,

Today...is rainy.

This week has been alright I guess. This time switching companions has been a little bit different but I’ll pull through don’t you worry.

I’ve been thinking this week a lot about how to apply charity and love. How I can love people more, my companion as well as those I serve. It’s something I need to work on. There’s always something. That’s what we get for not being perfect.

It’s so weird to hear about these friends of Abi’s going on their missions...it makes me feel old.

The baptism was good. The companionship is alright. I get impatient with people that complain about everything!

I haven’t seen the Uruguayan Elders for 3 weeks...so we haven’t played soccer with them.

I need to write president...but I love you all and pray for you

Elder Jed Breinholt

Father...

I'm working like there's no tomorrow. 37 lessons this week 4 people in Sacrament Meeting.

I've learned this transfer to recognize the Lords hand a lot more. It's crazy how many miracles are wrought in the mission.

Thanks for the talk. I liked the story about your mission. What other stories do you have from your mission? I'm interested to hear them, you never really talked about your mission in depth when I was at home. I really liked your talk. That's one thing I've learned how to do on the mission better...write talks.

Tracy sent Jed a copy of a talk he gave yesterday on the Word of Wisdom.

Anyway this week is really without many surprises or new things. Gaspar and Carla are progressing, and we have a baptisim lined up for this saturday...fabrisio is his name he is a good kid.

So that's my life right now...learning alot!

Elder Jed Breinholt

Love you All

Hey Family!

So when I read about Elder Correa and Elder de Oliveria I laughed pretty hard. Mostly because the other day I was looking at my map and I found Santa Maria, California. I told myself I was going to visit there after my mission...just to take a picture.

Elder Correa and Elder de Oliveria are in our area here in Gillette. Elder Correa was born in Mexico, speaks Spanish and is from Santa Maria, California. Elder de Oliveria is from Boston but was born in Brazil and speaks Portuguese. They were at our house for dinner on Sunday and they were arguing about which language is better Portuguese or Spanish.

So about the package. The ward sent a bunch of stuff...floss...toothpaste...Cheetos (Brazilians thank the ward) stuff like that.

Thanks for the article...it will help a lot.

I sent him an article from Elder Jay E. Jensen "Have I Received an Answer From the Spirit"
Ensign April 1989

This week was really tiresome...so my mind is blanking on what to write. Carla and Gaspar are doing good. This week we had 72 in Sacrament Meeting, it was really good.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM! I completely forgot until the 29th when I looked in my planner and said, "It's my Moms birthday!" yeah...sorry about that... I would have wrote last week but I didn't remember.

My first year is coming to a close here shortly and there are times that I don't think I can go another...it's kinda weird...other times it seems that it's gone so fast.

Anyway...sorry it's really short this week...but my mind seriously got fried with the sun this week. The sun is extremely hot!

tchau Amo Vocs

Elder Jed Breinholt

Hey Fam!

This week we had Zone Conference it was good...about listening to the spirit...learned a lot...it was really good! I’ll answer some questions and then if there is anything else I’ll write.

For Mom:

1. Did you receive the Wards package to you? Yes...it was good...Thank you everyone!

2. I’m sending your package this week anything else you want? Do you want me to send you a card for your camera? Card...2 gigs is the max... and a card reader please! Chocolate chips would be good...a big bag! And if there is a way for you guys to send me shortening...that’s one thing that I haven’t found here is shortening. Last Sunday I made bread...turned out decent but I didn’t have shortening...is there a way to make shortening?

3. Is it still Hot, Hot, Hot? Is it ever! I’m sweating like a pig!

4. Have you played soccer with the Elders in Artigas yet? Are there Americans there too and where are they from? No...And everyone that I have met over there is American...everyone! But I got a Spanish grammar book to start learning Spanish...from Elder Plumb from California!

5. How are you and Elder Rocha getting along? Yeah...we have our ups and downs but it’s
good

8. I would love more pictures!!! I need a card reader

9. Where is Elder Mathis from? SANDY Utah!

For Dad:

The city (Artigas, Uruguay) on the other side of the border looks even larger than the one you are in. How many wards or branches are over there? And are they branches or wards? (You said the church is pretty strong there.) It’s a Stake with wards over there...I don’t know the exact number...I’ll ask!

I would think that the units over there are in a different Stake/District. Is this true? Yeah they’re in a different area of the Seventy too! The South America South Area here in Brazil, but Quarai was already part of the Uruguay mission...a long time ago!

Do you just walk across the border are do you have to show your passport? Just walk. Uruguay is really lax about stuff like that. When you fly that is where they are strict...have to have your passport and stuff. But to walk you got nothing I don’t even have my passport...it’s in Santa Maria!

You talked about Gaspar and Carla. How are they progressing? Are they your only investigators? How many more do you have? Beautifully! Gaspar was at church this week...rode his bike...he’s already asking about baptism and if he has to be married...great experiences this week! Here in Brazil you find a lot of people that are just living together it’s kinda difficult in that respect. The reason is...one word...MONEY. It’s expensive to get married so people just don’t. We are teaching a lot but Gaspar and Carla have the most potential.

Anyway Zone Conference was really good! Really really good! I learned a lot! The spirit really is a complicated thing to listen to but study brings understanding!

I love you all and pray for your success!

Elder Jed Breinholt

Family...

This week has been pretty good. Filled with lots of walking and hurt feet. But they´re getting better! This week has been filled with a many challenges and many miracles. We taught a lot of lessons.

Right now we´re teaching Gaspar and Carla, I don’t know if I already told you about them. What an amazing family. Gaspar takes care of horses for some guy and lives on this farm the farthest house from the center of the city in our area...WAY IN THE BOONDOCKS. Elder Rocha found them through Carla on the bus. Really this family is awesome. Last week they came to church. We hadn´t even taught them The Restoration. Gaspar woke up at 5:00 instead of his usual 7:00 to go to church and then they came in a taxi. All of our lessons with them are really spiritual...we´ll see!

So I was thinking what else I wanted and I decided I want one of those measuring cups like the pampered chef one we have that does liquid and solids. I’ve started cooking a lot more and everything is in metric so I need some stuff in both. It’s hard to find here in Brazil. Also I want measuring spoons.

Zone Conference is Thursday...should be good.

The Eders in the picture are me, Elder Mathis, Elder Felix and Elder Ferreira. In the birthday photo are Pres. Angelo, Lerri, me and Elder Ferreira. Have fun! Talk to you all next week...

Jed Breinholt

Who are in the pictures...

Jed, Elder Mathis, Elder Felix and Elder Ferreira

Sao Pedro Branch President Angelo, Lerri, Jed and Elder Ferreira

And they called the place Quaraí!

Hello Family!

This week has been awesome! Seriously it’s been full of miracles and successes.

First let me tell you about the area a little bit...

Quarai is a small city on the border with Uruguay. Only 18,000 people or so in Quarai but the church is pretty strong here. There are 4 branches here, and it’s really close to becoming a stake. Everybody is wanting this a lot. Anyway it’s really good because we get to go into Uruguay (not too far). We get the pleasure of the duty free shops. That means some foreign things (including American) being on the border it’s good because we get to talk with the Elders in Artigas (the city in Uruguay) a lot. We’ve been there 2 weeks and I’ve seen them both times, the same ones, 8 of them. I think there’s more in Artigas. We’ll play soccer with them soon...I’ll take some pictures.

My area is the smallest in Quarai just one street (with a few side streets) but it’s long like 3 miles from one side to the other. I have some pictures but you’ll have to wait...because I need to buy a card reader...I’ll buy it next week.

Elder Rocha is good, kind of a burner...meaning he tells you how it is but it’s good for me...we’re working hard. This week we had 5 investigators in Sacrament Meeting it was good.

We’re teaching a guy named Gaspar and his family...this was our miracle this week...Gaspar, he owns a farm at the end of the main street in our area. He woke up at 5 instead of his usual 7 o’clock to be able to go to church. He took a taxi because it was really far...which is a sacrifice...it was awesome!

Love,
Elder Breinholt

Happy Birthday!

This is the cake that the Branch Presidents wife in Sao Pedro

made for Jed's Birthday on December 21.

Hello!

Today I went to Uruguay and bought some Chrome cologne. I’d been needing some cologne and they have duty free shops there…awesome!

The new area is really small basically just one street but its good...the branch is a lot stronger than Sao Pedro.

My mission is changing...for the better...much much better...working harder than ever.

It’s good! I’m having a lot of good experiences.

Elder Rocha is good...he’ll kick me into shape.

I don’t really have a lot to write this week. I’ll write more next week.

Love you all

We've gone from this...

To This!

I'm looking for count down ideas for next year. The chain was a last minute FHE idea one link per week. I'd like to do something different for next year. Something we do each Monday when we get Jed's e-mail. I'd love your ideas!