April 28, 2014

Well daddy-o,

This week was just incredible and so full of ups and downs but in the end it was such a great Sunday. It was the best thing ever to see Kaique and his mother and they were just so fun! His mom is crazy, she wouldn’t shake my hand she hugged me in front of everyone at church! But it’s a cultural thing and everyone there understood. It was funny all in all. Kaique has a step-sister that is two and she loves me to death. She didn’t leave me the entire day at church and when it was time to go she cried so much! I can’t wait to see darling Alaynna and be the coolest uncle ever. 

Well we have been teaching this awesome family, and the parents were all ready to get married and getting ready for baptism. We had planned the baptism of the kids this past Sunday and everything was going great. But the father of the family fought with the mom and got really cold with the church. It was pretty devastating because he seemed so truly converted. He said he wouldn’t go to church anymore and what not. We kept going back and we taught his kids and they were baptized this last Sunday. After the baptism, he sent his family to the car and he talked with me and Elder Batista. He said he was holding back because he was the one pushing them all to make the decisions and he wanted to see the rest of his family walk with their own legs to the right path. And when he saw that they did he told us that he is ready to go to register for his marriage and get married and baptized in the church. 

I cannot tell you how great of a feeling it was dad. We were one cloud nine with that. The baptisms went awesome, it was so so so great to see Kaique, but the best part of all was hearing the father say that too us. 

I am happy everything went well with the surgery. I always get nervous whenever anyone goes under anesthesia. That’s not the greatest result to hear but I am glad you are doing well for now. Pretty crazy that everyone is back now. I sure am blessed with such great friends who have been awesome examples and brothers. 

The work here has been good dad. We have been doing a whole lot of everything to find people. Knocking doors, activities, family home evening with members, and talking with the people on the streets. Transfers already went, this last transfer was only five weeks. But I stayed here with my awesome comp and we both will be getting some new comps who spent a long time in the United States here in two weeks. Now all of the missionaries that spend more than two transfers in the states waiting on their visas will have to stay in the MTC in São Paulo for two weeks just learning Portuguese.  Elder Batista and I are really excited. All of my good buddies who work hard stayed here in the zone too and we are all really excited for the next transfer. 

I am not going to lie dad, here everyone lives a very simple and humble life. And they work really really hard, or they don’t work at all. There is no in between. I have learned to be grateful for a lot of things that we have and especially how grateful I am for our government back at home. It’s beyond corrupt here. But yeah, that’s what’s going down this week. It has been great. I am excited to see what I will learn from another comp, and am so excited for the opportunity to still be with Elder Batista. Nothing but happiness here and thanks so much for the email dad. It really means a lot, I love you so much and hope you have a great week. I am so grateful for the gospel and the happiness that it brings to all of us and the opportunity to witness such incredible miracles each day. Thanks so much for everything dad. I love you

Elder Paynter

A Beautiful Family

April 14, 2014

Hey mom,

I loved the email. I am so glad to hear that you had an opportunity to talk with the missionaries. I am so glad to see your love for them has grown. You are very right, here, they treat us like kings and I have like fifty grandmothers here in this ward that do everything for us. The relief society gives us a bag full of groceries each week. They are such angels here. Yeah you are spelling his name right. I consider Kaique my brother. He is a lot like Levi to tell to the truth. I really hope they get to meet one another. Alaynna is just so darling. I cannot wait to play around with her and to hold her. And take her golfing and such.... hahaha jk.

Well mom, this week was great. I will share a few moments that made it so incredible. We have been teaching a family of five that has been progressing super well. They truly have a strong testimony of the restored gospel and we have seen them such huge changes in their lives. I can say that they are letting go of the fruits in the monkey traps. It’s one thing to have an investigator that wants to get baptized, but it’s a whole other thing if you have one that wants to repent. And this family is so great. We were teaching this family this week, and we were talking with the parents about marriage and about the wedding we will have to arrange in the near future. Then they started talking about a bunch of things that they like about church and what not. Then the quiet little eleven year old boy raised his hand. He is pretty shy but I love the kid, he is always reading the book of Mormon too. He started to talk and got shy and stuttered a whole lot, but then he got it out and said " Uhhhh, elder, when you came here the first time you said something that was true. You said that this book would change our lives and our family." I was so touched to see that he understood the gospel. That he was able to trust in the promises of the Lord and that the Lord is so loving as to bless them with such marvelous changes in their family.

The next night we went to visit a recent convert who was waiting to be confirmed in church, and her husband who is a member, and her mother who we are teaching now. After the lesson, the recent convert said she wanted to bear her testimony and she talked about how her life and her marriage were failing but through the gospel all of that changed and she is able to find the happiness and peace that she has always wanted. Then her mother who we are teaching started to talk about how she has felt such great changes in her daughter's life and how she wanted that same peace for her life.

Then we met with the lady after church on Sunday. We had made goals with her to stop smoking. She has always struggled and she gets really nervous which makes her smoke. And after church she came up to us crying, and said that she had only smoked two cigarettes on Saturday, and that she hadn’t smoked any on Sunday and never would smoke another cigarette in her life. She is such a wonderful lady that is truly seeking after the sanction and peace that the atonement of Jesus Christ offers.

I know that this gospel is His. And that through it we can change and become new people. I know that there is no greater joy than that which the gospel brings to us and to our families. I know that this is the work of salvation, the true work of God and I am so grateful to be able to help bring it forth. I love you all and hope you have wonderful week!

Elder Paynter

April 8, 2014

Hi Mom,

       Well this week was a blink of an eye! And what an incredible blink at that. I LOVED conference. I cannot tell you how much I needed to hear some words that were said. But I will start with the beginning of my week first so I can remember what great things have happened. 

       Monday night we took part of the family home evening with a member. The investigator he invited ended up not showing up so oh well, but it was a good moment to strengthen the faith of the member because he needs it. We played the jellybean game and it was so funny. Wow the rotten egg jellybean is disgusting and it was the first one I got. And with it all I taught about how at times we all get different beans in our lives but ultimately we are the ones that decide to be happy. I shared the scripture in psalms 118:24. And talked about the simple fact that we have one more day in our lives is enough of a blessing to make us happy. After we played Jenga with this family, and they loved it. We left with our heads high from that house because it’s a family that has almost been broken many times, and just has some scotch tape holding it together right now. 

       The rest of the week we did lots of things that I don't completely remember. We taught our beloved family of five and they are more and more converted each time we go back. The Lord is answering our prayers. The husband had gotten mad at the wife because she wasn't reading the Book of Mormon. He said, "You think these things are just a joke? They are from God" It was really cool to see his powerful testimony in the way he acts. How many times in our lives have we not read the Book of Mormon, and through that action we tell God that we think it’s just a joke. The family is happier than ever and went to conference and loved each bit of it! We challenged them to get married and baptized and they said they would look for their answer at conference. So now we get to go back tomorrow night and get things rolling! I am so excited for the future of this family. They have already received so many blessings from the Lord for their sincerity in seeking the truth. 

       This week I was able to finish reading some things that you sent in the package. I looked at the ward newsletter. It was really really good. I looked in the back and saw the missionary spot. I am proud of Taylor and not one bit surprised that he is doing so well. When I read Teagan's part, I broke down. What a great example of a true servant of the Lord in seeking to heal so many aching hearts. At times it so easy to forget just what we are supposed to do, and I had forgotten. I spent some time after reading the letter to thank my Heavenly Father for having helped me to remember those things, and asked for forgiveness of my selfishness. I love the gospel so much, and there is nothing better than seeing it being preached in its purest form of love. Thank Teagan for his example. Thank Dave and Mindy for raising such an incredible son, and for being so inspired to share his experience. 

       It was a celestial week, and I am so grateful for each moment that I had. I hope you all have great one like I just did. I love you so much mom,

       Thanks for your example of Christ-like service to everyone and for all of your loving kindness. I love you.

Elder Paynter

March 31, 2014

     My comp is Elder Batista again! We got two fridges...... ha-ha one is full of books..... Ha-ha the other is full of food! Ha-ha but that’s not important. Oh and yes I got the package! Thanks so much! I am going to do the Bean Boozled thing today for a family home evening with a member and some recent converts.

     We are teaching three big families, and yes we need to get three weddings going.... ha-ha but it will be exciting! We taught this family, and when we went back they hadn’t read the book of Mormon. So we taught them a lot of things and challenged them to read as a family together and pray together after we left. The next appointment we marked fell through with them, and I was ready to drop them, but we decided to go back and it was the best lesson ever. We showed up to the house and the son was outside sitting on the curb waiting for us. We entered in the house and without delay, the father said, "great let’s start with a prayer, can I say it?" my mouth just hung wide open. Of course and he told us how after we had left the other day, they read the chapter we marked and then they prayed, then read it again and prayed, and then read again and prayed, and again and prayed. And they had gotten their answer the next day! We are just on cloud nine right now, the family went to church and is just so excited for everything! Tomorrow we will talk to them about marriage and then Thursday we will have a family home evening with a member!

     We had a baptism here also on Sunday, and the baptism’s mother came to church, everyone came up to her and asked oh are you a member? And she said not yet but I am getting there! Ha-ha we marked an appointment with her this week and hope she will be baptized the Sunday after conference.

     Well mom, I have so much I want to say but I am running out of time already. I am happier than ever, and never felt more like a missionary in my life. I love the gospel so much. I am so grateful for the little blessings that I have already seen from my mission and the huge blessings from the gospel. Nothing is better than the comfort of knowing our family is eternal! Thanks so much for everything mom! I love you so much and hope you have the greatest week!

Elder Paynter and Elder Batista

We had to clean the baptismal font Saturday night, so we wore our
shirts that we got when we were comps in Campinas.

March 24, 2014

Mom,

         That email was incredible! I loved it so much!!! I want you to send the talk please and whatever else. Tell Dave what a great teacher he is for me. That is so cool because this week in our zone meeting I hit a tiny bit about Joseph and the courage he had to choose the right. But my lesson was very superficial compared to this, wow, so good!

         I still haven’t gotten the package but I got transferred so I will be going to Campinas tomorrow to see where I will be going. It was quite a week mom; it was a great time to tell the truth.

         We had our zone meeting on Tuesday and then I went to Albuquerque's area to do a division with him. It ended up going way long and I stayed there until Saturday. It was the best week I have had in a long time, and we were able to talk about past experiences that we had and rekindle our great desires to do the Lord's work.

         Albuquerque will be a friend through all the eternities and I am so grateful for the example he is to me. We did a lot of good work there. We went to visit a family of recent converts that live way out in the boonies on a farm, we had to get a car ride with members to get there and it was way dark at night. We had to open up a few cow gates and scare off the cows so they would get out of the way of the road. It was so much fun. That night Albuquerque had borrowed a guitar and had the lyrics and chords to "Take me home, Country Roads" by John Denver and he played and I sang. It was such a fun time. 

         We taught a member's daughter in law also, she isn’t married and we talked a lot with her about the importance of marriage before the Lord, and I was getting ready to lay down a bunch of scriptures to show the importance but the Spirit stopped me, and told me just to bare testimony, and I did and it was never easier because I am so so so grateful for the blessings that the temple has brought our family. It was the best feeling ever, and the lady started crying I was having trouble to keep the tears in but we got through ha ha and it was great. She said she would talk a lot better with her "husband" and get back with us. 

         Then Elder Brayden, my way good buddy who is going home today, came to visit the area because he started his mission there and he chose to go back to visit it. So it was a really great time to see him and to be able to say goodbye, he is such a great buddy and I will for sure be keeping in contact with him. He taught me so much here on the mission. Such a cool kid, got accepted into Chicago University for grad school in paleontology. So I might have to visit Chicago sometime.

         When I got back on Saturday, my comp had introduced a family that they found while I was gone, and this family is extremely ready to receive the gospel! We had taught them about the Book of Mormon and they accepted baptism, we do have to get the parents married first but the daughter who is 20 ish accepted and asked if she could bring friends with her to church also. It was such a blessing.

         We marked a baptismal date with Mirelle, but her work keeps falling through on her so she ends up working on Sundays and so we decided to throw her date back a little, but she is progressing and it is easy to perceive her growing close with our Savior.

         These last two transfers were really tough here in this area, and all that I did lead up to finding these people and I hope that they will be baptized in the future. I learned so much about patience and love here, and I am so grateful for the opportunity that I had to be here. It was the best week I have had in a long, long time. I love this work so much, and I am so grateful for the blessings we have from the gospel, most importantly my eternal family. I love you so much mom and dad, thanks so much for the blessings you brought to us all! I love you!

Elder Paynter (Sunsy) 

March 17, 2014

Hey Mom,

I am sorry it is so late, we had a great p day today and went to visit some members form a nearby city. (When I say nearby I mean like an hour and a half) but they go to our chapel and they really take awesome care of us. This week after our mission tour, which was great by the way, we were walking to the big bus station in Campinas and Nina and her family called and they met me at the bus station and bought three big bags of food for us to take home and then gave us fifty reais to spend too. It was so kind, it’s so crazy. Right now the Lord has been blessing us so much materially. A few weeks ago I was in a stick to pay my fast offerings, and the normal amount I usually give, I really needed the money but I paid the normal amount I give. And ever since then the blessings have poured out for all of us here. It’s so great to be able to strengthen my testimony of tithing and fast offerings.

Mom, this letter is so great. I love hearing about your spiritual experiences out at home, you are helping me so much. I am just so happy for all of our family. We are all so blessed. It’s so cool that we have the opportunity to live in this day in which the Lord truly is hastening his work. It’s crazy with how much the opposition has grown but we already know who wins this battle. It’s time to wear the right jersey without shame. I love that quote you sent me mom. I have been reading Jesus the Christ and it’s incredible. I have been so happy to be able to know more about my Savior and feel closer too. I just got done reading about His meeting with Nicodemus, and wow, we can all apply so much of that to our lives. I think so many of us are just like him. It’s becoming one of my favorite passages in the bible.

This week was really tough to get all of our work done with the time spent in Campinas, but we were very blessed with great progress, and a surprise investigator who came to church for the first time with her son, and loved it. We will be teaching her this week. Her name is Alessandra. Pray for her and for Mirelli so they can make the right choices. This week has been great mom, but i have to run and prepare a lot of things for our zone meeting tomorrow, I hope to be able to tell lots of great miracles that will happen this next week. I love you so much. Thanks so much for the wonderful email mom. You are the best. I love you,

Elder Sunsy