We received this from Jake's Brazil Mission President:
Dear Elder/Sister,
It was with great joy that we are informed
of your Missionary Calling to serve in the Brazil Santa Maria Mission, the best mission in the world, (For we
have the best missionaries in the world and the best people in the world to teach!).
We are anxious and excited for your arrival. We would like to express our love
and disposition to help you to become an excellent Missionary, to partake of
the joy that comes as you bless the lives of our Gaúcho Brethren, just as much
as your present and future family, and to develop a profound and everlasting
testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ.
You were called of God and set apart since
before the foundation of the world to serve and rescue our Heavenly Father’s
children in this specific time and place. The Lord’s elect await you, and it is
your responsibility to dedicate your time, thoughts, and desires to diligently
find and bring them to Christ. Remember that there will be “two years (or a year and a half) to work,
and eternity to remember”.
We have the privilege to serve in a land
of strong culture and traditions. The Gaúcho people are simple, warm, and
hospitable, and you will quickly learn to love them. The beautiful plains and
their memories will always remain written on your hearts, as they have been on
ours. We would like to include as well in this first contact with you,
instructions pertaining to your stay for these two years, (one year and a
half), in the rural regions of the Rio Grande do Sul. We have included on the
backside of this letter information that will be extremely useful to you. Study
and follow them thoroughly.
We recommend that you study the Book of
Mormon, especially Mosiah 27 and Alma 26, which teach of the powerful missions
of Alma and the sons of Mosiah. Study the Missionary
Manual as well, so that you may
be familiar with the rules and norms that you promise to accept and keep during
your Mission. Particularly, we invite you to read in the spirit of prayer Preach My Gospel entirely, as essential
preparation for your Mission. Accept this as your first assignment of your
Mission.
It will be a privilege to have you serving
at our side, as well as the rest of the Noble Warriors of Christ who anxiously
wait for you, in this sacred work. We are excited to meet you!
Sincerely,
Délgia and Adalton P. Parrela
BRAZIL, SANTA MARIA
MISSION
THE BEST MISSION IN THE WORLD
THE BEST MISSIONARIES IN THE WORLD
“Act with INTEGRTIY
Serve with LOVE
Work for the TRUTH”
“There is safety in
Obedience”
Please read carefully
the instructions below and review them with your parents or those responsible
for you:
· Many people think that the cold climate is
predominant in our State, and because of this, many new missionaries do not
bring sufficient clothing for the heat. The truth, after all, is that in the
area of our mission the winters are extremely
cold, and the summers extremely hot.
For this reason, we ask that the Elders bring as part of their clothing both
long sleeved and short sleeved white shirts. Suits are required.
· Include in your packing two sheets and a
pillowcase. You are not permitted to sleep directly on your mattress. All of
the Mission houses rented for the residency of the Missionaries have blankets –
three per Missionary – and individual fans. They are, (and are to be maintained)
clean and adequate for use. Damages caused to house equipment of the Mission
will be paid by the Missionary.
· Learn to wash and iron your clothes, and
to clean the house and make your bed well.
· We recommend that you start now to use
your dress shoes that you will bring
to the mission; this will contribute greatly in your adaptation. Remember
Elder: You will always walk with them.
· Please, (if applicable), remove
orthodontic braces and provide sufficient prescription glasses for two
years/one year and a half. In the case that you need odontologic or ocular
treatment during your Mission, you or your family need to pay the expenses.
· Missionaries are not authorized to use
backpacks (please do not bring one) or trinkets. During proselyting,
Missionaries should preferably carry scriptures in hand; however small hand
bags are permitted (a scripture bag/case)
· It is recommended that you bring a pen drive to save files, and to show
church videos during lessons. Bring also personal memory cards in order to
store pictures. You can bring with you the only approved musics in our Mission
downloading them from the link http://1drv.ms/1dkswHz
· Please, do not bring anything that distracts. This includes playing decks
of cards, games of any kind, musical instruments (violins are acceptable if you already play with excellence –
the mission is not a place to learn to play). Do not bring devices that play
music, i.e. I-pod, nor headphones.
· Starting now, start sleeping at 10:29 p.m.
and waking up (and getting out of bed) BEFORE 6:29 in the morning. Change the habit
of being on the Internet until late at night, and wasting time watching
television or playing videogames.
· To preach the Gospel with vigor we need to
be healthy. Daniel 1 and D&C 89 teach that we need to nourish our bodies
with wisdom. Soda, sweets, cookies, white bread, and instant noodles do not
contain necessary nutrients and should never substitute fruit, salad, and
vegetables while we prepare. It is recommended that you learn how to be able to
prepare your breakfast utilizing the benefits of fruits, honey, and fiber such
as oats. We should learn to prepare raw and colored salads, and good tasting
vegetable soups to serve as dinner.
· 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 3 times a
week will help in your physical preparation, remembering that if you are overweight
you could have problems with arteries, sleeping irregularities, and over
sweating. The practice of non-aggressive sports will also help (do not play
soccer, which also is not permitted on
the Mission).
Our Beloved Mission is blessed with a Culture of
Obedience and Missionaries of extraordinary faithfulness. One of our slogans is
“There in Safety in Obedience”. As is
stated in the Missionary Manual and your call letter, “it will be your duty to
maintain the highest patterns of conduct and appearance, keeping the
commandments, and obeying the rules of the mission and following the counsels
of the Mission President.”
