4/7/09

thank you so much mom. i think the best way to send it is in a letter. but put a sticker or picture of jesus on it. no joke. cuz usually they wont open it if you do so. i really appreciate this letter. it really helped. the quote that you sent was said in a fireside last night about being receptive to personal revalation. thats so cool. im glad to hear about the house. i need the address so i can tell the mission president of a change of address and cuz all my amigos here really want to know. so just send the address in the next email por favor. here is a question for devin fletcher... on your mission did you know an Elder Argueta? my companion knows him.. anyway. yeah so this week was pretty good. portuguese is still coming along okay . the more i work the better i am at it... crazy huh? i sent a real letter to you guys, and one to david urbina... but i sent it in the same envelope. haha sorry. but yeah so my companion is great, the food is.... idk. haha but the highlight of the week was conference. i have never been so happy for conference. it makes me mad because i know that they are always this good i just was an idiot in the past and didnt pay attention. boy how much i wish i would have, thats one of the many things i regret. but yeah.. so my testimony of these 15 men grew so strong. i know they are men of god. i love jerrery r hollands talk. it was so good. so powerful. so inspiring. im ready to teach about the savior and his wonderful sacrifice. i want to get out in the field but i thank the lord for the time i still have left. its so good i still have it. i thank anyone who is reading this letter for the support. i love you all. mom the date is coming sooner and sooner. i assume its still happening on the 1st right? well i love you and the more emails i get here the happier i am. eu amo voces muito

okay so as i promised here are some pics. and before i forget tell devin happy birthday in a week or so. ha okay

me with my pants pulled way high teaching my district ha

thumbs up brazil

thumbs down usa


this brazillian elder piphone and elder holt

3/25/09

thanks mom that email helped alot. things are going great here and its now five weeks until im out of here. im so excited to leave here but im so not ready so its good i still have time. so these week was good. the language is getting better. its going to be a while before i get it but its coming. i assumed before entering the mtc that the language would just come, definately not the case. a couple times this week i was thinking how nice it would be to speak in english. but hey no need to complain, cuz this is where i am called and who the lord calls the lord qualifies. im going to send some pictures in the mail pretty soon, so you can see how cool brazil is. its great to hear from all of you. sorry i only have one hour so ill try to respond and im only supposed to reply to family, so ill do my best to respond in this big letter. Dad thanks for the letter, its good to hear about that. im getting more and more excited to teach the gospel. today i went to the police station to get finger prints and get legalized and i saw missionaries who are out in the field and it got me excited. they said the language comes after like 2 months in the field and then you just role.... so im excited for that. its hard every week because we make great friends with the brazillians and there only here for a short stay so we have to say goodbye every week. but then more come and we make more friends. dad if you can send that blessing id be greatful, if not thats fine too. well what else.... kendal thanks for the letter. and david that email was awesome, im so glad to hear that. get ready cuz your time is right around the corner. mom you dont have to rush on the credit card because i cant use it till i get it the field. they give us money here its called reais (hey-eyes) and they took our cards and money from us until we leave to go on the mission. hmm well im having a great time. there is not much to report about, just class. and im having alot of fun and good experiences. and im growing closer to the savior each day. Mom i really apprieciate all the support, and from everyone. its so good to get on the comp on wednesday and see what you guys have to say. say hi to patric for me. and just try not to worry about me. im in the Lords hands. i miss you guys tons but im happy where im at. again you should receive pics in about 10 to 12 days. i love you all and continue to pray for me! thanks for everything


Ate mais

Elder Fletcher

3/18/09

i am excited to do the lords work. i cant wait to get out in the field but the ctm is helping alot. its hard to focus 24/7 on one thing but I'm doing my best. i heard a quote from the area 70 in brasil, it goes like this "pray as if everything depends on the lord, and then work as if everything depends on you" i believe that if i do this i will be just fine. i know this church is true, i know that joesph smith was a prophet of God and he restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ back to the earth, i know that Christ laid down his life for us and through him we can return back to our father. i have a testimony of the prophet Thomas s monson, i know he speaks directly with God. i am so grateful to be serving, i feel like i dont deserve to be a part of this great work, but the Lord has called me and i know i can do it, or i should say the Lord can do it through me. i am thankful for all the support of family and friends, i know i couldn't do it without that, it sounds wierd to say but i have a testimony of the power of satan, he works so hard on missionaries its unreal. he knows that we are about to bring many people to the Gospel and he is working so hard to not let that happen. this truly is hard work but i know its going to pay off. im really excited.

Love Elder Fletcher

P.S. if you could send that blessing you gave me like a month before my mission and put it on an email that would be great.

Tchau!

3/11/09

Hey family..
mom i hope that this is your email, i couldnt remember. But im in brazil right now in a cookie/internet shop.. this is where the missionaries have to go in order to email. so today i went to the Campinas Temple and it was muito linda!! it really helps to get out of the CTM it feels like a prison.. ha but its all good. so i can send an email once a week and you can email back on this address. so im loving it here, its really cool and i cant wait to start my real mission. it seems like i have been gone for like 5 years and its only been 3 weeks. but from what everyone has been telling me the CTM is like a time warp. and once you get into the field time starts up again. my pday is wednesday so ill be maybe to email every wednesday. ummmm... oh this friday we get to go out and do street contacts. its kinda crazy, but my new companion Elder Gomez speaks spanish and he can understand portuguese very well. and speak it pretty darn well. as far as my portuguese.... its okay. its going to take alot of effort and faith to be able to speak it well enough to teach by the end of april. so keep praying for me. well i dont know what else to say, other than i love you all so much and i miss you alot. but this is where the lord wants me and this is where i want to be.
love
Elder Fletcher

P.s. Pray for me

P.P.S. im also going to send this to dads email just in case this isnt moms..

2/27/09

Famila,

This week was good. I had a couple tough days in which i was quite homesick. But, I'm getting over it. I miss you guys so much. I know what I'm doing is exactly what I need to be doing! I love this gospel and I KNOW! I KNOW! it is true. So I can start by telling you about this boring week, or I can just say...I got my visa! We are leaving March 4th! So I'm pretty pumped about that! Dad will you send my blessing that you gave me? Por favor? And I will give you my email and all that good stuff when I get to Brasil. Pray for me!! I got to go to the temple today. Awesome! The thing you go through before the last room had 25 spots. Crazy. I love Provo and I love this MTC but I can't wait to get to Brazil. Like it was such a relief to get the visa! Well I miss you guys and I love you so much. Thanks for the yellow card mom and for the letter. Kendal you too. Dad and Devin as well. Thank you all! It is really nice to hear from you guys. It's going to be a lot less communication once I get to Brazil, but I will be fine. I hope! Well I got to get going. I love you all so so much. You are in my prayers ever second. Love you ALL!

Elder Elliot Ainge Fletcher

P.S. Here are some pictures (pitchers) <-----That's for Patric

(pictures to come)

Familia,

The MTC is awesome. I love learning about the gospel and Portuguese. I miss you guys but there is so much to do that I never have time to sit and think about how much I miss you. Until now! Well I love you all and please pray that I will have the spirit with me. Anyway my companion is awesome, my roommates are awesome, the MTC is awesome, the food is awesome and the gospel is awesome. Me and my roommates decided to help us learn Portuguese faster by at lunch only speaking Portuguese, oh and at dinner and breakfast. I have wonderful teachers that care so much about us. And its just so good to be here. No word on the visas yet, but we are the 3rd group of Brazilians (there are 34 missionaries waiting for visas) and it usually takes 2-3 weeks. Since its carnival there, the people who sign the visas are way behind. Ina couple of days I will send pictures but I am too busy to do it right now. But I love you all and I'm so excited to serve the Lord. Pray for me that I will be able to always have a desire to serve. You are in my prayers. I love you all so much! And may you please not worry about me. I don't want you guys too. I'm sure you're not, I just thought I'd say. Well I gotta go and get my laundry.

Love, Elder Fletcher

P.S. Use DearElder.com

(ask David Urbina or Devin Fletcher about how to do it)

Let us all press on in the work of the Lord

Mev familia,

It has been amazing, stressful, crazy, funny, tiring and everything else you can think of. But this is going to be such an amazing experience. Saying goodbye was so hard but I don't have any time whatsoever to think about it. The day was so jam packed!! But it was also really cool. While I want to go down to Brazil so bad, I really do enjoy it here. We had two great meetings today that were full of the spirit. And we are cramming all this info into the next 3 or so days. Being a missionary feels amazing. OK listen up mother, this is VERY IMPORTANT. In my room or the living room couch is my call packet/folder/book thing. Inside or around it is a yellow paper folded up and it has my yellow fever/typhoid immunization record. I need you to overnight it ASAP because I can't get into Brazil without it. Sorry for the hassle but it needs to be done. Well I'm extremely tired and I'm going to "retire". So I'll keep in touch!! Love you all!

Elder Fletcher

P.S. I will be starting an email account shortly. (I'll let you know the details.)

P.P.S. Tell David and Devin that the MTC is awesome and they would love it.