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Jason will be returning from his mission to Brazil on February 9, 2010.  The time has really gond by quickly.

01/11/2010 Letter

Hey familia!!!
How are things? Well things going good on this end of the world. We had a division this week it was sort of cool. I went with the other martins here in the area. We basically spent the three days trying to find new people to teach. It was cool because we had basically spent the whole afternoon tracting. I love tracting it is a lot of fun. We found a few people who were sort of interested but not a whole lot. The only thing with tracting is that you very rarely find someone who wants to up and come to church. Unfortunately herein Brasil Religion has become somewhat of a social past time more than an actual search for happiness in truth. Many times you will find it difficult to baptize using tracting because everyone already has their group of friends in their church. So we teach them and if they aren’t even interested in making a visit to church than that is about all we leave an invite and leave.
We probably would have had a lot more references this last week but some of the appointments fell through. The good thing is that this week there are a lot more appointments filled in because of rescheduling.
The ward here is really nice. It seems I get to give talks almost everywhere I go. I think I have given a talk at least ounce for every transfer. At least it seems like it. They are really patient with my Portuguese and that seems to make everything better.

 
I had a thought this week on my talk. It was about the attributes of the savior. It basically came down to this without trying to put his attributes and trying to become more like him there is no possible way we can return to the presence of God. Mathew 5 talks all about these attributes. We need to make ourselves more like him. The greatest of them all is love as explained in 1 Corinthians 13:13. I took a phrase from a talk given by Marion J. Romney. I found it in the Ensign of March. He says more or less that service isn’t something we do just to earn us the right to live in the celestial kingdom. It is the very fiber of which a celestial life is made.  So we need love and charity.  I also made the note, which has been seen by probably lots of people, that it is impossible to put just one attribute in our lives without having affected the growth of the others in our lives. I think the best way I can explain that is by giving you Moroni 7:47-48 I believe they are in this chapter if not 7 then chapter 8.
Well that was basically the week. Eduardo will receive the priesthood next week. So I am pretty much exited for him. Also Benê might move to Recife, which could be good for her in preparing for the temple.  We are trying to work more with Eduardo’s family.  So far the teaching has been going well. We just hope that they will continue to come to church and prepare to be baptized.
Well I love you all I hope all is going well for you.  I am praying for you and know it wont be too long now before I will see you all again.
Love you
Elder Allred

01/04/2010 Letter

Familia!!

So we had a good week. I was called to stay here with my comp. but I and my comp had to go with the others in the zone to Recife for a counsel with other missionaries. We spent Monday night cleaning our apartment so that the sisters could stay in it. They had to come from Arcoverde. It took us practically the whole night to clean and prepare because of the last missionaries that left the mess. Anyways we did that and then went to sleep.
Tuesday was the big 21. That was cool. Our recem investigators made a cake for me and I won a stuffed animal tiger. That was funny. Yep and then we went to Eduardo’s house who has been preparing for baptism. Rianlly and his family made another cake and so I ate more cake. That was also a fun time. We had to leave early to let the sisters take the apartment and enjoy the hard work we put in to cleaning it. We packed up our backpacks and went to the other elder’s house. After that we had some time to relax and play some uno and whatnot. The other elders from Bom Conselho both were transferred so in the other house we had about 8 missionaries.  Early the next day we went to the transfer meeting. It was a long trip and the best part of the deal was that I got package!!! Ya!!! Sharesse sent me some pretty sweet stuff!!  Thanks Sharrese for everything but I will write you a letter to thank you in person sort of. Lol.
We had to get our haircuts so we went to the other zone leader’s apartment in Recife and worked the night there. Luckily we had a guy who cut ou hair for 3 reis. I never felt so sad about paying for a haircut. His haircut was very well done and he only wanted to charge 3 reis for it. I couldn’t help but think of mom and her hard work and considering the extra effort he put in to shaping my hair the way my head is  I paid him a little more because it was worth what he did.
But before this there was a shooting right outside in the street. I was sleeping waiting for my companion to get done and the next thing I know everyone is screaming and pulled me waking me up to the other side of the room. We turned off the lights and prayed and everything was fine. This is the 3rd time I have been near a shooting in my life…
Well we went to the meeting and left to come back home. During the ride we saw a rainbow during dusk hours. Could you believe the rainbow was entirely white? It was easy to see because of the charcoal dark rain clouds behind it.
These last few days we have been trying to get the missionaries all excited for this transfer.  I am praying for the best. I want to end my mission out hard just as I started it. I love each of you and I am praying for you all. I hope all will go well for you these next few weeks. I love you.
Elder Allred

12/28/2009 Letter

Hey familia. Well we had a baptism on Saturday. It went well. Her name is Benê. She has had a very difficult life but I know through the gospel she will find the peace she needs. The important step now is that she goes to the temple. I know that it will bring comfort to her more and more each day.
Well I will pull out the money later just so you know.
Also I wanted you to know that it was great talking to you this last Friday. I enjoyed it and don’t worry, I wont let it get me trunky.
Transfers are either tonight or tomorrow. I am not exactly sure what is going to happen but what ever it is I will follow the Lord’s will in things. I am hoping for the best. Although this last week was a little crazy in our zone. We kindda came out weak. But next transfer will better things. I love you all I am happy to be here and look forward to seeing all of you soon. I am sorry this is so short. I love you and have a great week.
Love Elder Allred

12/22/2009 Letter

Hey Familia
well I guess yesterday we had to go to the p-day especial in Recife we got home about 8 at night. But I will send to you the telephone number and the time at which we can talk. Because of the number of elders I will need to talk to you about 8 at night here my time.   I believe that the other elders should be finished. But it is sort of funny here and I choose not to judge them, sometimes they stay on longer than they should so if it is busy I will still hang on and be at the chapel. It will be good because I will be the last to talk on the day so there won’t be any rushing. I look forward in talking to you this Christmas.
I guess a lot happened this last week. I was gone for the better part of last week in a city called Bom Conselho. (Good counsel) I was on division trying to help mark baptisms. It was a good success. We managed to help 3 people accept dates to be baptized.  It was funny to get to know the people there in the short time I was there. I did a division with Elder Ferrari. I will make sure I can write specifically in my journal what happened so you can read it after words. I got home on Saturday after we did interviews and while we were walking to an investigators house we got a call from Carlos, the 1rst counselor of the bishopric. He asked me to talk on the birth of Jesus Christ. Well imagine me talking about that subject in 10 minutes. It’s like trying to pack an elephant in a ring box. There is so much to analyze that I stayed up until 3 in the morning writing out my ideas. I took a Liahona and started to read it. Interesting I found what I needed. Instead of giving a talk for 10 minutes I gave it for 15 and talked about the importance of Christmas and included the birth of our savior as a leading subject of my talk. I then talked about the importance of keeping the spirit of Christmas in ourselves by doing service for others and an increase in love. And so by having the spirit of Christmas with us can we truly remember the savior. So it went well because the first talk was 10 minutes and I had all the time in the world to talk after. The lord probably knew that I would need a little more time. But imagine a subject so encompassing as that on the actual birth of our savior. It is so big  a subject that in the book ´´Jesus the Christ“ its event leading up to it, the actual thing itself and the small events taking place after comprise about 4 chapters of hard reading and lots of end notes. So I wasn’t sure how I was going to do it but I managed.

Yesterday was good we did our p-day and I blistered my feet playing soccer. But all is good. Yesterday I put oxygenated water on it and a band aid dad made me buy especially for blisters. But it was a big sucker. It took up almost my whole big toe on the underside. I just talked with Elder Cluff for a while. He and I are really good friends. He wants me to come and visit him after the mission in Arizona. He is in my group also. Cool thing is that in Boise Elder Durrant from my CTM District lives there. And Cluff and Durrant are practically brothers from the mission. Durrant is in the Manaus Mission and I think gets home a few days before I do. So when Cluff comes up to visit him they are going to call me up to hangout. That will be cool.
Well I love you all. We are working hard here and I will tell you about the special things that are happening here when we get those things accomplished. I can’t wait to talk to you. Love you.
Eder Allred

12/14/2009 Letter

Hola Familia.
Things are going well here. I am enjoying my stay here in Garanhuns. We had a rush week we had to go to Recife on Friday and it was a crazy week. I’ve been learning a lot lately and it has been a good learning experience. Anyways the highlights of the week are that we found a few new families and a few people that haven’t been to church for a long time. Also we are working a lot more with the members here. We did a division on Tuesdays and Wednesday with an area that is really having a lot of troubles here. We gave them some advice and tried to help them with what we could. During the division I had to travel to another town nearby for a lunch appointment and also in trying to locate an investigator who is trying to prepare for baptism. It was another one of those moments where you learn by experience. We had no idea when the bus leaves and so we didn’t get the bus until 12;40 because the only other bus leaves at 12;40 so we got there at enough time for our appointment with the one of the ladies in our ward and had only an hour to try and get someone to teach. Unfortunately the last buss from the town leaves at like 4:00 so it didn’t leave much time to find her. It was sort of a waste of time really but next time it will be smooth runnings.

We left to go to Recife on Friday because Elder Richard G. Scott and Elder W. Craig Zwick were there to speak to us. Also sister Beck the President of the Relief Society was there also to speak to us. It was a good meeting. We had to leave on Friday because the meeting was going to take place on Saturday in the morning so we slept in another house. I think that is the first time in my life that I haven’t been able to sleep. Aside from the fact that I can sleep on solid rock if I wanted to the couch I was assigned to was horrible and the mosquitoes were relentless. Needless to say I was glad we had a return trip so that I could get some sleep. Anyways we got to the meeting and I learned a lot of new things. The best part of the meeting was when Elder Scott asked us to tell our President and his wife the good things we liked about them. I don’t think I had ever seen president cry as he did that day. He told us his Christmas at that moment was complete. Elder Scott than asked us to do a training which was fun and he called on the others in the room to speak to us. I wrote some things down. It was really difficult to write a lot of things that came to mind because I didn’t want to miss anything that was being said. Anyways at the end Elder Scott bore his testimony telling us that he knows Jesus Christ lives, because he knows him. It fortified my own testimony. We also had the opportunity to greet him and shake his hand. This will have been my third time meeting an apostle of Jesus Christ. It will be my last group meeting with a general authority. We got back in our area on Saturday night and began working again trying to find people to teach. Garanhuns is really different from the other cites I’ve passed through it is much cleaner and has a good feeling to it. I don’t worry so much about crime here. The members are friendly.
I had a great surprise on Sunday. If you remember form Arcoverde a family we had taught. We reactivated Amria and baptized her two kids and also her niece (who recently got married) and my last comp Elder Amorim baptized their Grandma. Anyways they came and visited me here during stake conference. It was one of those really happy moments knowing that they are staying firm to the gospel that was taught to them and to the testimony they received. They are all doing really great and we had a good talk about life and stuff. It is always good to see the people I helped to be baptized stay active in the church after so much time.
Well I love you all and hope this letter finds you well. I miss all of you and hope all is going well there. I am praying for you always.
Love Elder Allred
p.s. I will be working on getting a phone number this week to send to you before Christmas.

12/07/2009 Letter

Hey familia!!
Well unfortunately I was transferred on short notice. But that is normal. We had been doing great and it was more something that some other missionary had done that caused this transfer. It wasn’t in my district or anything but in another zone and so I was called there. I am interior again.  I am not exactly sure what the Lord has planned for me here but we will see what happens. I guess I will probably end my mission here we will see.
Anyways I got the phone call on Wednesday. It was sort of like a last minute thing. I got to the transfer meeting the next day and got the news. We spent all of Thursday scrambling to get here in Garanhuns before 7 o’clock because there was a baptism. So that was basically Thursday. Then on Friday Saturday and Sunday we spent our time getting to know the area because neither me nor my companion have been here before. Only I had done divisions here but they were in the other part that isn’t our area. I will get to see some of the folks from Arcoverde which will be good.  They will all be coming here for Christmas and so at least we will have the opportunity to see them again. Garanhuns is really different than any other area I have ever passed through. It is really cold here at nights. Much like Arcoverde. Only thing is that it sits in the top of a summit climb 1 hour from Arcoverde so it gets a little colder her.
The city is nice. It has a lot of trees and peaks. But don’t worry, I won’t go climbing any of them. I learned my first lesson. Anyways I guess that is about it in my life. We have about 5 areas in our zone and they are all really spread out. I guess that means me and my comp will have to do some traveling. Haha.

So has it snowed there yet? Are you having a good time in Boise? It sounds like everyone has been getting used to the life in Boise. Tyler if I could give you some advice and if you would take it I would say that it would be good for you to write on occasion to Sam and call him up when you can. I also kept in touch with Tyson during the time we moved. Try to enjoy the time you have also in High school. You will always have to move around in life and it is normal for you to feel the way you do. It means you care for others and it is sad that we have to leave behind the ones we care about. But you will be very grateful for the experiences of moving when you go on your mission. The other thing is that you are uniquely gaining experience that many never have the chance to have. I have known people to stay in the same place their entire lives. Although it has its advantages the experiences you are gaining also will enable you to gain many other advantages. Your life will be full of memories from many different places and you will find it easier to locate and connect with others. You will never lose your friends. Mainly because friendships aren’t measured in how far apart we are or distances, but they exist anyways through our love for others; so no distance can damage or break friendship it sort of puts a damper on the fun times but never our acknowledgment that they are our friends. And if our friends need us or we need them they are still there to talk to. The lord will greatly need people like you in his mission field as he has used me my entire mission. I can do absolutely nothing wrong and I still get transferred. So I have had to move more than 10-12 times during my mission. Luckily I was already prepared for it and found it easier to do my work while others get transferred, become easily unhappy with it and drop their work. They go haywire on the mission. I won’t tell you that it was easy for me to move. It never was and never is sometimes it takes a few days to get used to the area and the people. Sometimes we are filled up with negative thoughts but in the end it all works out and if we just continue to do the right thing than we are blessed. So just keep up being the cool guy you are and everything will go good. You will see your friends again.
Well I guess that is about it with my life on the mission. Sure I had my negative thoughts when I got here but they are slowly getting resolved with time. I think my next week all will be normal. Just so you know a transfer to interior is a pretty drastic move. It means letters, people, and many good comforts such as an HSBC bank are gone. But it was really funny I think almost inspired. I went to Bom Conselho the other day and we had to do some interviews there. One of the missionaries there, Elder Ferrari had what is called a “survivor button´´ (probably deranged from the same idea as the easy button. You push it and it started to sing that 70´s music ´´I will survive“ I cracked up; it was perfect for the situation I was in. Well I think I will let you guys go. I love you all and hope that all is going well. I am praying for you continually. I love you.
Elder Allred

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11/18/2009 Letter

Hey familia. Well I wasn’t transferred and neither was my comp. We are staying here in Rio Doce. I am not exactly sure what will happen as of now whether there will be an immediate change in the District or not. We will have to see about that one.  Well as far as the week is going we have had a lot of great things happen. irmão Germilton who had been away for so long has received a calling in the church as ward activity leader and also the ward “bem estar“ I am not sure how that is in English I forgot the title in English and can’t remember it. It deals with the distribution centers and helping families in need. He will be very dedicated and it is good to have been apart of the return trip he made to the church.
We are working a lot with members who are less actives. We want to help this ward grow a lot more and try to help the ward missionary program increase in size. We will be doing a series of activities in preparation for Christmas and hope to see a lot more excitement in the ward mission.  Emerson and Etyanne talked us last night. We had tried to see them and called them up to schedule something and they told us it would be difficult. Emerson was studying and everything. Well we did a division and I went to visit some of our investigators that live in the apartment building just under the building of Emerson and Etyanne. We had been in the middle of the lesson when Emerson came up to us and asked us to come and visit him. So we went. Etyanne got assistance to all the praying she had done. Her mother wasn’t excited for her baptism and she wanted to have her acceptance before she went ahead. Her mom told her on Monday that she was going to come and see her get baptized and also that she was waiting to get the Book of Mormon from us when she comes. So we left one for her when she comes. We are now waiting anxiously to see what day they want to decide to be baptized. We are going to talk to them tonight.
A young lady who we are talking to has been trying to come to church. She prayed and asked about the Church. Through her prayers she received an answer as promised in James 1:5 and she felt the spirit as explained in Galatians 5:22-23. She wants to go to church but is having problems going. We know that this happens much. There will always be opposition is the things that are righteous and that are true. Unfortunately that is the fact of life but what never ceases to amaze me is even though she and others have so much opposition in joining the church and following Jesus Christ they keep firm to the answer they received for them and keep doing all they can to go forward. We had been teaching a younger man about 13 years old. He had wanted to be baptized from the first day he went to church. In his prayer he asked if the church was true and if the messages we had been giving to him and his aunt were true. Even though his parents wouldn’t allow him to follow his answer he told us that he knows what is true and when he gets to the age where he can decide for himself he will find the missionaries again. It is my prayer that he will. It has taught me that when we receive an answer to prayer and our testimonies grow that even opposition can’t stop us from doing what is right. It might prolong it or make it a little more difficult to follow, but there isn’t a single thing that can stop a person if they truly believe in the answer they received.
Well the week went by we had a long day on Monday and Tuesday in preparation for transfers.  Last night the phone call didn’t hit us so all is good here. We have a lot to do here still and some things to work out in the area but I am excited for this transfer.  I love each of you. I am praying for you and wishing the best for you.
Love Elder Allred

11/09/2009 Letter

Hey familia
Como esta a vida de vocês?
Well we have been working with a few families this week. But as always the opposition comes in. I have learned something. If it becomes too easy to do something right than perhaps there is something wrong in the equation. It always seems to be that the ones that are met with a lot of opposition are usually that ones that are more willing to follow Christ and keep his commandments. Of course we know that the adversary doesn’t want the elects of God to be found and he puts many things in the way for them not to be found. When they are it is sort of like a battle the whole time we help those individuals. So when we get so much negative opposition it is a good hint that we are in the right place.
WE had zone conference this past Thursday. It was very spiritually uplifting. I felt that spirit more each passing hour we sat listening. Our Presidente had been on a mission training with Elder Richard G. Scott. He told us of the testimony he gained in talking with him and in listening to his testimony. I am hoping to get the opportunity in hearing him if he passes here during his stay in Brasil.  President shared a thought with us on faith. He said that we have a step by step pattern in the way we use our faith in Jesus Christ. First we need to believe in his words, the words given t us by his prophets, and also those we read in scripture.
After we believe we need to compromise in doing everything that is asked of us. Then opposition will come when we reach that point of nearing our desired goal and doing his will. At that point we don’t give up but continue on in faith waiting for the lord to work his will. He will eliminate the opposition keeping us from completing his will. Then we need to get on our knees again and thank him for that ting which he did. I too was impressed by this before the conference. I was reading in Helaman chapter 10 about Nephi. I had been struggling with some things in the work that were leaving me almost discouraged. I read this and understood that we need to have faith and persevere in doing his will. WE often times remember our physical or spiritual weaknesses during times of opposition so we need to forget ourselves and get back to work. Then the lord does his part. I am very glad we have his helping hand in our lives and have felt it many time during this time on the mission. IT is a humbling experience to feel the love of our Heavenly Father in our lives amidst our weaknesses. He loves us and guides us and I have a testimony of that. Overall it was a good conference and strengthened us. It is good to reflect on these things while writing so thanks for being so patient in reading this.
The people we are preparing have met a lot for this option this week. One of the women we are teaching who was marked for baptism had a lot of trials come to her all at ounce. Her ex came by after 3 months asking her to live with him again, that same day her friend she hasn’t seen for practically 5 years came by asking her to go out with him, she has been working at her brothers beach hut to gain some money and was invited to drink and has been a little sick this week. The big thing that got her was the coffee. She drank coffee that week. So it has been a rough time for her. I know that the Lord will help her this week. And we will stop by her home to keep giving her the strength she needs.
Sunday was a good day. I sat in sacrament meeting and my comp was called by the bishop. He looked at me while talking to elder Amorim. I knew that the speaker was late and was scheduled to go at that time. And I had to laugh because I knew I was going to be called. So my comp came back sort of trying to decide if he was going to tell me or not. And I was called to speak with about 3 minutes of preparation time. Good thing I wrote the conference notes in my planner because I talked on that. They gave me 6 minutes and I talked for 15. I am not sure if it went so well but I felt good and the Holy Spirit was with me. Our recent convert Anderson who had found us on his motorcycle got the Aaronic priesthood on Sunday as well. I was very happy about that. Also Ediclenio who was baptized at the beginning of his mission by me elder riddle and elder whiting is going on his mission. He went through the temple last week. I didn’t get the memo until late and didn’t go. But hopefully I can pass through the temple with him before he leaves.
Well that was my week. I got the package you sent me. Thanks a ton for the music. It is all my favorite study music form home. I appreciate it a lot. Thanks also for the gadgets and candy. I hope it is ok to give the pez dispensers as gifts. Is that alright? Well I love you thank you for everything. The package was like getting a piece of home. I really loved it. I hope all is well with you and I am praying for you. I love you all.
Love Elder Allred