Missão Brasil Recife

Hoje começamos o processo de despedir aproximadamente 140 de nossos 221 missionários. Partirão durante um período de muitos dias. Também temos que colocar todos os missionários brasileiros em novos duplas e proteger sua saúde e segurança. Isso será fisicamente e emocionalmente desafiador. Também estamos perdendo 5 de nossos 6 secretários no escritório de missão que estão agora fazendo muito do trabalho nesse processo. Isso torna-se ainda mais difícil ao que precisamos fazer. Estamos constantemente lidando com uma situação muito fluida, onde as coisas estão mudando rapidamente. Temos feito reservas para todos mas não recebemos cópias dos planos de voo para mandar ainda. Quando tivermos informações, enviaremos para vocês. Enviaremos por e-mail ou colocaremos no Facebook as informações que temos. Será muito difícil respondermos às mensagens indivíduos. Lembre-se de que nenhuma notícia é boa. Nós estamos preparados. Estamos fazendo o nosso melhor. Milagres estão e continuarão acontecendo.

Today we begin the process of sending off approximately 140 of our 221 remaining missionaries. They will leave over a period of several days. We also have to place all Brazilian missionaries in new companionships and ensure their health and safety. This will be physically and emotionally challenging for everyone. We are losing 5 of our 6 mission office secretaries who are doing much of the necessary work. This adds even more challenges to what needs to be done. We are constantly dealing with a very fluid situation where things are changing rapidly. We have made reservations on our end but we do not have copies of travel plans to send to you yet. When we have accurate information, we will get it to you. We will email or post any information that we have. It will be very difficult to respond to individual messages. Remember that no news is good. We are prepared. We are doing our best. Miracles are happening and will continue.

Presidente e Sister Houseman

Missão Brasil Recife

Answers To Questions

American Parents -

Answers to common questions that I am receiving -

· There is no plan for your missionary to return to Brazil.  Plan on them finishing their missions in the USA.

· We have no clue how, when or where you will receive their new mission assignment if they will return to the field.

· Your stake president needs to follow the missionary release guidelines they have been given.

· They will quarantine at home unless you receive special instructions, which will be extremely rare.

· If they are quarantining at home and returning to finish their missions, they won't be released and will have to continue following missionary rules while quarantining. 

· The plan is for all Americans to return home THIS WEEK.  In fact, the Sao Paulo missions are sending them TODAY.  Travel to a major airport from Recife is a little tricky right now but I know they are reserving flights as fast as they can right now.

· I have received emails from two families regarding the need for their missionary to quarantine somewhere besides their home because of health situations at home.  If you also have that situation, you need to tell me IMMEDIATELY!!!!!

· I have no idea when or how those who were scheduled to end their missions on March 31 will now leave.  I will tell you as soon as I know but you might know before I do from Church Travel.

I do not know how this will all play out.  We have about 225 missionaries in quarantine.   We will lose well over half of our missionaries.  We are receiving displaced Sao Paulo MTC missionaries with a three hour notice.  In two weeks, we will also start receiving Brazilian missionaries serving in other countries who will return to Brazil, go through a mandatory quarantine and then be reassigned to Brazilian missions.  

It will break our hearts to tell our missionaries goodbye.  We love them dearly.  They will need lots of hugs when they get home.  This is a lot to process and it happened quickly.  

We will communicate the best that we can! 

Sister Houseman

Por Favor...

Muitos missionários que serão evacuados estão viajando para Recife para ficar perto do aeroporto, para que possam sair assim que os voos forem confirmados. Seus companheiros brasileiros estão sendo enviados para duplas ou triplos com outros missionários. Isso pode atrapalhar a oportunidade de ligar para você hoje. A melhor coisa que os pais podem fazer para ajudar a todos nós é manter a calma. Por favor, não envie mensagens ao seu missionário por meio de membros ou outras pessoas. As pessoas estão dando más informações e rumores e isso está assustando os missionários. Por favor, seja paciente e espere que eles liguem para você. Pode não ser hoje. Eu prometo que todos eles são seguros e saudáveis. Nossos planos de evacuação de emergência são mais importantes do que telefonemas no momento.

Many missionaries who will be evacuated are traveling into Recife to be close to the airport so they can leave as soon as flights are confirmed. Their Brazilian companions are being sent to be in companionships or trios with other missionaries. This may disrupt their opportunity to call you today. The best thing parents can do to help all of us is to remain calm. Please do not pass messages to your missionary through members or others. People are giving them bad information and rumors and it is scaring the missionaries. Please be patient and wait for them to call you. It might not be today. I promise that they are all safe and healthy. Our emergency evacuation plans are more important than phone calls right now. 

Presidente & Sister Houseman 

Travel Plans

Parents of Americans -

(As always, please do not forward this or post it on social media.  Every mission is receiving different instructions.)

The church has arranged for chartered jets to fly the American missionaries from São Paulo to the USA.  The Recife missionaries will leave São Paulo on Thursday evening (I do not know the exact time that the plane will leave).  Our mission office staff has worked magic to obtain a flight for each missionary to travel from Recife to São Paulo.  Due to limited flight options, some will have to start flying to São Paulo on Wednesday evening.  If I am told what time the chartered plane leaves São Paulo and when/where it will land in the USA, I will notify you.  If I don't tell you, it means that I don't know.  Church Travel will purchase all connecting flights from where the chartered jet lands to each missionary's home airport.  That information will be sent to you and/or your stake president by Church Travel.  I will not receive any of that information.  If everything goes as planned, they should all arrive at home on Friday.  Please do not arrange for groups to pick up your missionary at the airport.  They are coming home to be quarantined.  This needs to be taken seriously.

We implemented our emergency evacuation notice earlier today.  All of the missionaries are either already in Recife or traveling to the city now.  They will begin arriving at the mission office soon where they will begin the process of checking out of the mission.  We will provide housing and food for them until they leave on Wednesday or Thursday.  

We need your prayers.  Please pray specifically that can all travel safely into Recife.  Please pray that their flights from Recife to São Paulo will leave as planned.  Please pray that the São Paulo airport will stay open even though the city is going on lockdown on Tuesday.  

Your missionaries are nervous, as to be expected, but they are strong and they have faith!  When they arrive at home, they will have stories of countless miracles that are happening all around them!

Sister Houseman

State Department Information

Dear Parents of American Missionaries -

PLEASE DO NOT FORWARD THIS EMAIL OR POST IT ON SOCIAL MEDIA.  EACH MISSION IS SHARING INFORMATION AS IT PERTAINS TO THEIR AREA.

We were required to register your child in the United States Department of Defense STEP program.  This allows the State Department to know exactly where all American citizens who are abroad are located.  It also allows them to aid in evacuating US citizens if necessary.  We completed all of these registrations.  The mission office address and phone number were used as their Brazilian contact information but the name of one parent, your home address and phone number were listed as the emergency contact information.  

Can ONE PARENT please reply to this email with the following information to ensure that we have accurate information for you in our system:

• Please designate one parent as the emergency contact and tell me their name
• Home address
• Cell phone numbers for each parent
• Email addresses for each parent
• Preferred airport where we should send your missionary if they are evacuated

You might receive updates from the State Department.  If you do, please do not forward it to the mission office.  We will receive the same information that you receive.  If you get a confirmation of their registration, it does not mean that there is an emergency or that they are being evacuated.  I don't want you to worry unnecessarily.  

Please know that our entire focus is on the safety of your missionaries right now.   We are in contact with our Area Presidency as local situations arise.  We are receiving a tremendous about of information and support from them.   We have emergency evacuation plans in place for every area in the mission that can be activated with one phone call.  

There are several scenarios of how our mission will be impacted by missionaries being released and/or reassigned to US mission.  We can't even speculate how it will happen because there are so many possibilities.   At this time we aren't able to tell you how your missionary will be impacted, not because we are withholding information, but because we don't know until we receive specific instructions.  Right now we are keeping all of the missionaries happy, healthy, safe and trying to provide some structure to their homebound schedules.  

You are ALWAYS welcome to contact us with questions or concerns.  It might take us a little while to get back with you.   I am making notes from parents as I receive them regarding special circumstances at home that might impact an early return/release.  

Thank you for your support and your prayers.   We are in awe of the miracles that are occurring around us just as we are in need of them!

I promise that as soon as we have information to pass to you, we will do it immediately!

President & Sister Housemn

Brazil Recife Mission

Informação Urgente

Recebemos uma notificação oficial de que todos os missionários estrangeiros em nossa missão serão enviados para casa. Cada família receberá um e-mail com informações específicas sobre seu missionário. Estamos trabalhando o mais rápido possível para enviar essas informações à medida que as recebemos. Também queremos notificar todos os nossos missionários imediatamente antes de ouvi-lo de outras fontes. Seja paciente até que possamos enviar seu e-mail para você hoje à noite.

We have received official notification that all foreign missionaries in our mission will be sent home. Each family will receive an email with specific information regarding their missionary. We are working as fast as we can to send out this information as we receive it. We also want to notify all of our missionaries immediately before they hear it from other sources. Please be patient until we can send your email to you tonight.

Presidente & SIster Houseman

Missão Brasil Recife

Recebemos uma quantidade enorme de informações nas últimas 24 horas. Como cada um de vocês, estamos tentando entender como isso afetará nossos missionários. À medida que recebermos mais informações, compartilharemos com você. Até então, todos os nossos missionários são felizes e saudáveis. De fato, hoje não recebemos telefonemas sobre missionários doentes. Podemos sentir suas orações e definitivamente precisamos delas. O Departamento de Viagens, o Departamento Missionário e os líderes da igreja também precisam de suas orações. Eles estão tentando realizar uma tarefa monumental agora, enquanto trabalham com governos e companhias aéreas em todo o mundo. Sabemos que dizemos isso todos os dias, mas lembre-se de que nenhuma notícia nossa é uma boa notícia. Nós amamos seus missionários!

We have received a tremendous amount of information in the last 24 hours.  Like each of you, we are trying to understand how it will impact our missionaries.  As we receive more information, we will share it with you.  Until then, all of our missionaries are happy and healthy.  In fact, we didn't receive any calls regarding sick missionaries today.  We can feel your prayers and we definitely need them.  The church's Travel Department, Missionary Department and our church leaders also need your prayers.  They are trying to accomplish a monumental task right now as they work with governments and airlines all over the world.  We know that we say it every day, but please remember that no news from us is good news.  We love your missionaries!  

Presidente & Sister Houseman

Missão Brasil Recife

Raisins

Hello Everyone, 

Hello! Last week was another thing, that’s for sure haha. To start, Elder Villarroel and I had splits. I went to Massaranduba with Elder Zuniga and it was the bomb! He is so fun and it was good to go out with him. It was interesting to see a different area. It was very similar with my own area now, just without hills, lol. The hills in my area are killers, so it was good to realize that not all the areas are like mine hahaha. 

After splits, we had Zone Conference!  They invited me to play the piano and it was great!  I was definitely happy for all the lessons my mom gave me :) During the zone conference, the President shared two phrases that I really liked.  The first was, "Vida e dificil e depois morremos." The second phrase "Quem segue O Senhor: Oje iremos ver!",  These phrases translate to: "Life is difficult and then we die."   And, "Who will follow the Lord: Today we will see." He went on to explain that everyone has their difficulties.  Life is hard.  It is simply a fact that we live with.  However, we see the true disciples of Jesus Christ in those who choose to follow Him in difficult situtations and difficult times.  We will see who will really follow the Lord not in moments of joy and relaxation, but also in opposite times. I also received a package from my family at the Zone Conference!  Thank you very much, guys!  I love you all!

My week got even more interesting after the Zone Conference with all the church announcements.  Because of the sacrament meeting of the corona virus it was canceled, the temple was closed, the general conference will be only on TV, etc.  All the members down here are freaking out lol.  They don't shake our hands and make us use hand sanitizer when we get to their homes haha.  They always ask us if we have any news from the church, which is funny, because they are more informed than we are.  We have no way to receive news lol.  Brazilians tend to be a little dramatic when it comes to things like that.  But, in order to be prepared if there is a bigger panic over the virus, President and Sister Houseman sent all the missionaries extra money to be prepared for what lies ahead, so we are ready! We had a lunch appointment on Sunday with a member.  They asked us if we had the sacrament.  We had not had it yet.  They had not either.  They asked us if we brought any bread.  Of course we had not.  They had no bread.  Not even a roll or a scrap or anything. We looked around.  All we could find was some raisins.  So we blessed and passed a couple of raisins.  It was a very memorable sacrament. It showed us what is important, and that is the Savior and remembering him. It was something I will never forget. We are really blessed here in Brazil.

I love you all!  I always love getting your emails!  

Have a good week!

Elder Larkin

Missão Brasil Recife

A Presidência de Área do Brasil nos notificou que, a partir de agora, os missionários de Recife devem isolar-se em seus apartamentos.  Nem todas as missões no Brasil receberam essas instruções.  Eles ainda podem sair em horários menos movimentados para comprar comida.  Eles não devem comer seus alimentos armazenados, a menos que sejam instruídos a fazê-lo.  Há muitas perguntas sobre como os missionários passarão o tempo, como ainda poderão fazer o trabalho missionário, como se comunicarão com suas famílias etc. etc. Trabalharemos em colaboração com a Presidência de Área para responder a essas perguntas.  À medida que as informações estiverem disponíveis, as compartilharemos com vocês. O melhor lugar para receber informações é o nosso grupo de missão no Facebook.  Nós tentamos postar todas as noites para que as famílias tenham informações precisas.  Mesmo com tanta coisa desconhecida sobre o que está acontecendo, nossos missionários são felizes e calmos.  Eles não têm medo porque estão preparados.  Todos sentimos seu amor, apoio e orações. Temos muita fé no poder da oração!

The Brazil Area Presidency has notified us that effective immediately the Recife missionaries are to stay in their apartments. Not all missions in Brazil received these instructions. They can still leave at non-peek times to buy food. They are not to eat their stored food unless instructed to do so. There are many questions regarding how the missionaries will pass the time, how they can still do missionary work, how they will communicate with their families, etc. We will be working closely with our Area Presidency to answer these questions. As information becomes available, we will share it with you. The best place to receive information is our mission Facebook group.  We try to post every evening so families have accurate information.  Even with so much unknown about what is happening, our missionaries are happy and they are calm. They are not scared because they are prepared. We all feel your love, support and prayers. We have great faith in the power of prayer! 

Presidente & Sister Houseman

Missão Brasil Recife

Joao Vitor

Ola Tudos!

This week was so amazing! First off, it was Elder Villarroels birthday! He turned 19 and I got all of the youth together to make him a cake and throw a surprise party for him. It was so much fun! It turned out to be a whole event for the ward, and we even had some investigators there too, which was a good experience for them to make some friends in the ward! 

Then we had a training with all of the new missionaries this transfer with president at the mission office, which was amazing as well. It was to help us get adjusted and to give us some other tips as well. President talked about faith and why its important to have faith in missionary work. He said that without faith we dont really have a purpose and that by faith, everything is realized, including the gift of tongues.

Then we had meu primeiro batismo! Joao Vitor was baptized and it was such an amazing experience. After he got out of the font I was helping him with the white clothes and I asked him how he was feeling. He said that he was without words and just started to cry because he was so happy. The next day we told him that he needed to be early to sacrament meeting because he was going to be confirmed, and he showed up 45 minutes early. He beat us, the missionaries, to church! It was so amazing to see his great amount of faith and to see the spirit work with  him from when we started teachig him all the way through too baptism. Im without words too about this experience.

Im always glad to hear from  you all! Eu espero que vocês vão tem um boa semana!

Amo Voces,

Elder Larkin

Jordao Alto Week 2

Hey everyone!!

This week was an amazing week! Ill keep this one short because you all probably get a million of these emails, lol.

This week we found a lot of new investigators. 

On Sunday we wound up having 10 investigators come to sacrament meeting, and afterward we had a group discussion about the restoration which was amazing. They had all done the reading assignments we left them before and they all came prepared with questions! It was an amazing opportunity for all of them to hear the questions from the other investigators and for them to bounce their ideas off of each other. We were able to mark 4 of them for baptism in the next upcoming weeks, so I hope all goes well with them and they continue to progress in the gospel!

We have also been teaching a kid named Joao Vitor who is an absolute stud. All of his family has left the church, but he continues to come every Sunday and we meet with him often. He is going to be baptized this Saturday, so please keep in in your prayers!

Spiritual thought this week comes from D&C 58:3-4. The Lord rarely puts us in places where we feel comfortable. We all have trials and tribulations, but as the Lord says in these verses, after the trials come the blessings. We are all given trials to learn and grow and to eventually become like Jesus Christ. 

I love you all, I hope you all have a good week!

Elder Larkin