FYI

So i just wanted you to know that i actually will be sending an email next week. I reread the email president sent and it just said the fast would be for those who broke the rule and were on facebook. I did not break that rule so i will be emailing next week. I just thought you would want to know.

oh also i found out last night that Elder soucy is getting transfered and I will be getting a new companion tomorrow. Elder fretas. he is a Brazilian. so that is going to be big change and a growing experience for sure. it will be good. I could you your prayers though. I was just starting to get sort of comfortable, and Now its back into the fire. I know this is not going to be easy, but thats what life is all about stretching and growing. and that doesnt always feel good. but I know that with heavenly fathers help I can do this.

It was so good to see you all yesterday! that really was the greatest present I think I have ever gotten. I got to see all the people I love the most yesterday. Thank You for that! thank you for being such a wonderful family. I know were not perfect but I love you all anyways!

I love you all and hope that the next couple of days all you have together are wonderful!

Love
Elder Clements

its a 90 degrees and Christmas is next week... its strange/ Sweet!

Dear family and friends!

okay so this week has been pretty good/ frustrating/awesome/ crappy. some days were awesome we taught alot of lessons found new people, weather was good. then other days everything that could go wrong did. sunday was kinda crappy we had confirmed with 14 people to go to church and only 2 showed up. and jeffersons babtism this week fell because he had to work . Jeffersons is almost 18 turns 18 on christmas and is just so cool. I freaking love that kid. he really didnt know much about religion at all when we started teaching him and his mom. but after we taught him about the plan of salvation and why Jesus Christs Atonement is central to that plan and why its so important. he was converted. we were teaching the word of wisdom and the mom said she didnt understand why a little beer was bad for her and before we could respond he said Jesus chirst suffered so much for us will forgive our sins and he just asked us to keep his commandments, thats all. it is not that hard. I was pretty stoaked about that answer from a kid who really didnt know anything about Christ a few days before. hes awesome and I hope everything will work out this week and we can get him babtized on sunday.

um so what else, oh i have had alot of runs in with people who have done way to many drugs in their lives. I dont understand anything their saying and neither does elder soucy. so i dont feel to discouraged about that. but that language is well... okay. its changes everyday sometimes I can speak and understand good, then others just understand, then others i cant do anything. its hard because I want to be a good missionary and be able to teach well, but I just cant do that yet. I know it will come with time. I just feel bad when I cant explain something.

okay well I need to go! sorry its short this week and really kinda of a crappy letter. I promise it will be better next week.
I love you all and Wish you all a Merry Christmas!!

dear yall

Olá family and friends,

Okay so as a request i am going to talk a little about my area : I am in Campanário which is a part of a city called Diademia which is really just an add on to the monster city of sao paulo. it is a pretty small area size wise probably about the size of the riverview ward and shoreline ward combinded. except there are a bunch of hills and the houses are everywhere. there is very little if any open spaces. except the jungle that boreders the area. I dont get it but they just left a huge patch of jungle in the city. and its huge!. anyways I am in a branch that just opened 3 months ago and now just got a new building. the goal is to have it be a ward in a month or two. which is very possible.
there are so probably about 50 bars, churches, in the area. its really kinda of sad people just decide they want to open churches up in their garages and get money from people. sadly many people are successful. most of the churches are evengelical chruches. everytime i walk by they are just yelling... one church we walked by the other day and people were all standing up screaming and shaking rolling on the floor.... I just felt sick and moved on real fast.
Most of the week the place is a pretty good place to be. sundays are usually pretty bad. almost everyone has work off and has partys and gets drunk. so sunday is just loud and people just do really stupid stuff like ride motorcycles around drinking at the same time. I saw a crash yesterday luckily no one got hurt to bad just some road burn that was pretty amazing.
um so about the Branch: the branch is small and the members are for the most part really new to the church the people that have been memebrs the longest have only been in the church for 10-13 years. so we are working alot with just strenghing the church and the members.
and yeah thats a bit more about my area. if any of you have questions and want to know something about here please just ask.

okay so my week
well it rained alot! like someone turned a shower on. most of the days this week i was soaking wet all day... like shoes filled with water and making that sound that wet salks and shoes make. and its werid brasil basically stops in a really good down poar. thursday was pretty bad. basically everything we planned fell and so we just were outside in the rain all day. but we just did are best to be positive and keep going. which was hard at times because I was just wet and cold and wanted to go home becasue know one was home or would answer. but god blessed us so much on sunday and saturday and we found a bunch of people and a lot of people are progressing I think we will be having at least 4 or 6 babtisms in the next two weeks. it was so awesome to just see things fall into place after such a terrible day.

okay also by request from my mom a story from the week. this actually happened yesterday. so we have been working with a family well since before i got here. teotonio is the dad and was babtised 2 weeks ago. and now his daughter jackoline is going to be babtised. so yesterday we were just talking and elder soucy was talking with teotonio and Marcie (the mom) and i was talking with jackoline Teo ( the son 23) and Ana (teo girl friend who lives with them) and jackoline asked me if i missed home I told her yes i did and i thought i would always miss home and the people i love there. but that I knew that this was the place god wanted me to be and that when I teach people like thier family that I could not be happier. and then some how we got on prophets and i pulled out the ensign magizine and was showing them the picture of all the general athoritys and was trying to explain the role of the president, the 12 and the 70. and then I told them about how i used to have doupts about if all of this was true, if the church was true, if these men were really called by god to be prophets and lead HIS church. and i told them about how I did exactly what we ask our investigators to do everyday. i prayed about it and searched for answers. i then started to try and explain the feelings i got when i knew that it was true remember this is all in really bad portuguese. and i just told them i didnt know quite how to explain it in protuguese or english (teo speaks a little english) but that is just a feeling. And then this was the really cool part teo said I know what you are saying its a feeling because i am having that feeling right now. it was really cool to see the Holy ghost share the feeling that i wanted to share so bad but couldnt.

I Miss Home, I miss I miss family, I miss Friends, I miss My dog! to know that i wont get to spend x-mas at home and see the people i love so much is a hard thought at time. BUT I dont have any doubts that this is where god wants me to be and that even though I miss you so much I that I am happy.

I love you!
sincerly
Elder Clements

Dear family and friends!

well yet another week has gone by. its crazy I have already been in the field for 4 weeks. Pday was today because we went to the temple today. it was so nice to be in the temple. I was so grateful for the peace that i felt going into the temple. if their is onething i know is that satan is working really hard here and I feel it everyday. I didnt realise how much until i went into the temple. sunday was a huge soccer game between two big teams here and the corithains( the team basically everyone in the favela likes) won the game. the streets were everything but peaceful. people went crazy. basically everyone was drunk and setting off fireworks yelling driving motobikes around without mufflers....we went home because the spirit was long gone. the partying went on to the wee hours of the morning... which reminds me can someone send me earplugs. that would be an awesome gift.

besides sunday it was a pretty peaceful week. yesterday i went on splits with a brazilain. it was pretty fun. I was suprised to see just how far my portuguese has come. it was good to spend all day speaking portuguese but it was so nice when I got back to home with elder soucy.

thursday we had a lesson with claudia and ardioçõn and thier family. i dont know if i have talked about them very much but they are the first people i taught when i got here and its so awesome to see the light coming on in their lives. we are going to invite the kids to be babtised in a week or 2. they are such a awesome family. the parents have to be married first but they already have plans to be. hopefully we can do that this week or next.

I am learning so much here. I am learning about myself. I see how blessed I am everyday. I see how blessed i am to live in the US how blessed i am to have a wonderful family and friends. I see how blessed i am to have loving parents that taught me so much. I see so many kids everyday that really dont have anyone in there lifes their mom had them at 17 the dad walked out and so she works all the time and the kids have no one. I am so blessed to have this gospel in my life and i know the answer to so many of these peoples problems is the gospel. I know that. it sounds so cliche but Honestly the gospel can and will bless anyone in any circumstance. thats why i am here because I have been blessed with so much and I want everyone to have these blessings too. I know this church is truly Christs church. its not a mans church. it is Jesus Christ Church and he leads it through prophets.
Alright até proximo semana


I love you all!!
Elder Clements

A note to Mom including info for sending packages

Hi Mom!!!

first things first, I am doing well. yes this is by far the hardest thing i have ever done and I struggle everyday. and yes god is helping me!

I got the package you sent. Thank you so much!!!! about the cost for a package. yes if you mark the package over 50 i have to pay about double. sister tanner said that you should mark is below no matter what and be general about the contents like missionary supplies and candy. I am not sure how it all works but the way sister tanner explained it is that you should mark it below 50.
for calling home i will be buying a card and calling home with a members phone. it is a 6 hour time difference from home. i am 6 hours a ahead. I think i will be calling around 5 or 6 my time if that does not work let me know because i can call later. the time is not set yet so let me know what time works for you and ill figure it out.

Love joe!

Hello

Dearest family and friends

Dang i dont even know how to start. this week has been hard...this really is hardest thing I have ever done. this week has been amazing... i had my first babtism. ( more on that later.) this week has been eye opening... we really are so blessed to live in the united states.
okay so ill go over the events of the week.
this week we opened up a new building. almost everyday we spent the afternoons and nights giving out invites to the open houses and talking to people on the street and bring them in and showing them the building and explaining about the chruch and our beliefs. it was crazy but it was good i talked to about 200 people this week. and really can see my portuguese improving greatly.
we had zone conference on tuesday. it was good. it was all in portuguese. i didnt understand everything but I got the jist of almost all of it which was awesome. president tanner is so awesome. hes really just a loving guy. i dont really know how to describe him he just loves. sister tanner is awesome too. its funny to just be talking with them and remember what is was like to watch them when sister tanner gave conference talks and president tanner at BYU devotionals. they are both amazing. they gave me a box of cereal for my birthday. it is great. they dont have cereal here and the stuff they do have is so expensive.
if theres one thing i know. its this mission is making me so grateful to live where i do. everyday i just see stuff that i can really even describe. favellas are really dirty. and filled with some not very good people. yesterday i saw a bunch of guys giving alcolhol to a 10 year old i see stuff like this all the time. idk it hard to describe in words. just be grateful!!!

i had my first Babtism in the mission!!!!
his name is teotonio.. Hes about 50 and is a Man!!!! reminds me of a shorter uncle randy with a wicked sweet beard. anyways he so awesome and is just stoked about the gospel. he invites people everyweek and we are working with his family... and I would not be surprised if they are babtized in a week or two.

thank you all for the prayers!!! i definitly felt them this week! I dont know if i could do this with out them!
I love you all and am praying for you too!!
Love elder clements!

hello friends and family

okay so I am the feild. I am currently in the city of Diadema which is part of sao paulo. I am in a area called campanário. it is a favella. which if you dont know what that is google it. they are pretty legit.
so a ton has happend since i last wrote I dont even know where to begin. okay so i left the ctm last week and that was an adventure. they took us to the wrong mission presidents home. so we ended up in the sao paulo interlagos mission presidents home. and were there for like an hour and half. we then left finally and got to president tanners home. we meet them and had some training and interviews. we were there for like 3 hours then we went to a chapel an hour away and had lunch then met our new companions.

mine is Elder soucy. He is from montanna and has been out for a year and 8 months. hes a little bit truncky and tired which I can understand but it is frustrating at times. he is really good at portuguese and teaching and works hard when were out. and is really good at talking to people.

my area campanario is Ghetto. it is crazy how they build houses here. i dont even know how to describe them you will just have to look at pictures on the internet.let just say if an earth quake hits here....it going to be bad. the area has lots of hills. and is not terribly big i guess. it takes like 30 mins to walk from one side to the other. by the time i get home i am totally worn out. its crazy every street has 3 things a church of somekind, a bar and, sometimes drugs. mom dont worry I am safe. it ghetto but i am safe.

the peope here are very diferent. so far i have found 3 types of people one the people who hate us.( oh i got spit on this week... didnt get that mad just kinda was like really... okay)
the others are the people who are willing to talk to us but are not committed to anything and dont do anything... no joke on guy sat on a chair all day. then there are the people who are interested and are willing to do something to find out if what we are sharing is true.

I am not going to lie i am home sick. the times when i am not is when i am working and thinking about others so that what i have been trying to do. work my butt off and forget about me. its a work in progress and your prayers would be greatly appreicated.

I love you all!! I love this work and find get so much joy when i am doing it. I know that Jesus Christ is our savior and that his church has been restored to its fullness through a prophet of god. I also know that you can know this for yourself. you dont have to take my word or anyone elses. that is greatest part about it.

I love you !!!

First Area Address

So to send me letters send them to this address

Elder Josiah Clements
Cx Postal 26504
são paulo
SP 04311-970

and packages to the other one i sent a couple of weeks ago.

OPA!!! from the CTM for the last time!!!!!....I am a little bit exctited!

Hello dearest family friends and cool cats (dont ask me whos who) ;)

I am so HAPPY!!!! its amazing....missionary work and loving others is the best happy pills. life is a huge challenge everyday but I am very happy... its werid/ awesome like that.

okay so this past week... oh no before I got into that I want to talk about Elder Cornwell and Elder heath his companion. Sister Cornwell: I Just wanted to tell you that Your son is amazing!!! and is going to be an even more amazing missionary!!! he left today and I will miss seeing him everyday. but i thought you would like to know that he is doing so well!! The amount of growth I have seen in him is incredible. he is such an example to me and grateful to call him my friend. I thought you would like to know. if you are in contact with Elder Heaths mom please tell her that he is doing great!!

okay so my week... oh man so much and only like 10 mins left. we only have 30 mins here to read and write so sorry!

I went proselyting for the first time yesterday. IT WAS AWSOME!!!! I decided I was going to talk to the first person I saw and just jump in. It was kinda like cliff jumping. super scary but a totally great. we talked with tons of ´people and gave four Book of mormons away. It was all through very limited poruguese and mainly church vocab but I found after the first one i wasn´t scared at all and I am stoked to do this for 2 years!! Gahh i wish i had more time to tell you about the idivdual people becasue they were all amazing people.

okay we also had a training from the area president and Elder Evans of the 70. It was awesome. they talked about our purpose and focusing on teaching all of the gospel of christ and not forgetting anypart and helping people follow each part. the part he said we usually forget is enduring to the end. and how critical is that part. he also talked about tithing and how people need the blessing of tithing so bad especially Brazil.

okay that is about all I have the time for right now. this will be the last letter from the ctm and i don´t know if i will be able to email next week. but know that i love you all and I know that god will bless us when we follow his commandments

I love you all!!!

sincerly Elder Clements

Mom can you send me deoderant soon please They dont´t have stick deoderant here and the stuff they do have is not the most effective. I like the old spice stuff with the holes. it kind of looks like a strainer. hopefully you can fiqure it out. maybe ask alyse she might remember Idk but i would love that!

I love you mom!!!!

OPA!!!!!!

hello wonderful family and friends!!!

so where to bgein on this week, i have no idea..... um i got new brazilain roomates... they are pretty awesome. Elder Miranda, Elder, Costa and Elder. Sobrino. they are awesome. Elder sobrino is my faviorte becasue he looks like a little black budda with the best smile in the world and he always eats my cookies which makes me laguh more then upset. other then that this week has been much of the same old same old. next week i should have more to write about. we are suppose to go out in the city and proselyte next monday and also some one from the presidency of the 70 and or 12 are coming to give us a training next monday aswell. it should interresting.

the weather here is wonderful its like perfect spring weather in the Tri-cities. cool but not cold and sunny!!!! with a nice breeze. OH I almost for got. guess what yall i can now sing I believe in Christ in 4 languages. English Poruguese, spanish and German. thats right i spreckin the german.... :) that is the song we sang for choir on sunday. oh yeah I am in the choir. I think i told you that but maybe not. bascaillly choir is required.... they dont say it is... but we all know it is. the first week we got here there were may be like 30 americans and 170 brazians or spanish speaking now there are like 150 americans and 50 brazians... as one of the sisters here from argentia says all the time Esta Triste ( i dont think she know any other phases in portuguse otther then that.) I mean its awesome that people are getting their visas and i am glad they are here i just wish there were more Brazilians to talk to.

Portuguese is getting easier everyday. I am getting to the point where i can understand almost everything when they talk at a reasonable pace. I am getting so excited for the feild you have no idea!!!!! I talk with one of the teachers who served in Sao paulo Sul and is now a seceratary to President tanner just about everyday about what the mission is like and I AM SO EXCITED the majority of it is on the coast which I am super stoked about. but i am even more excited to get out and meet people and talk to people and help people...I Love being a missionary and i can;t wait to appy all i am learning here in the CTM.

sorrry is so short this week. this is what happens when i dont plan before hand on what to write. hopefully you enjoy it!

Love
Elder Clements

oh Ps please start sending mail to the address i gave you for packaages it my mission home because i am leaving in 2 weeks!!!

Mom: thanks for calling the mission mall place. the towel and sandals and shoes were the only thing i had not gotten. thank you!!!
Please give Becky Eric and the kids some love from me. I am praying for them!!!

Rhonda: thank you for the email hearing anything from home is great so dont worry about the email. i can get pictures i just can;t print them off so hard copys are prefered but ill take what i can get

Kelsey: thank you so much for the email i loveed it !!! and the pictures. I did get the package before i left provo. thank you!!!!! and thanks for the blog!

Hello Family, Friends, and loved ones (loved ones includes you all)

Well yet another week has come and gone, they seem so stinking long and yet so incredibly fast. time is such crazy thing on mission I am starting to learn. sometimes i have way to much time, others i have way to little time. it all depends on you perception. I Have 21 one more days in the CTM, sometimes i feel that is so long because I want to get out and meet people and teach people. other times I think holy cow I have 3 weeks left and I am not nearly ready to speak portuguese 24/7. this thought of just letting go of my english is very scary and very exciting. it going to be hard but I cant wait.

This past week the american population like doubled. and it looks like it will double again this week. the week i got here there were probably like 40 americans and now by wednesday there will be close to 200. its crazy!!! 67 this week and counting. we got 3 new elders in our district this week elder stotts (he was in my district in provo) elder herrera, and elder Skiles. they are are super cool and I am so grateful for the influence they have brought with them.

it is kinda of a mixed emotions week. all these americans coming is awesome but today all of the brazilians that i have come to love and call friends left today. i will especially miss my roommates they are so cool and are amazing. so many of these guys have given up everything they have to serve missions. they are AMAZING!!! I got to help them write letters home in english which was a blast. i dont know why it was so much fun but it was.

the days here have been very much the same everyday. great! but the same. so i don´t have any cool storys this week other then i swept up like 30 dead cochroaches the side of small pine cones yesterday...yuummy ;)

God Answers prayers! I know that with out a shadow of a doubt. there have been so many times this week that i needed help with the language, or comfort or guidence. and everytime i took that to heavenly father he answered and helped me. I know that we have a heavenly father who is our god and he watches out for each of us individually and cares about us and what we care about.

I love you all and hope that life is treating you well and if not i know that if you ask heavenly father for help he will answer!!

~Sincerly Elder Clements

Alyse and sister nelson I have gotten a letter from each of you and am sending one through mission back to both of you today hopefully it works.. i sent on last week so we will see.

whats up!!?? from the Southern Hemisphere

Hello Family and Friends, Hmm I dont even know where to start... not because so alot happened, but just because i dont know what to say. ;) sorry! Oh BIG news as i am sure most of you knew KYLE IS HERE!!!! it is so Awesome! I love haveing Elder Cornwell and Elder Sant here. its like i didn´t even leave home. me and Elder cornwell are in the same Branch so i get to spend all sunday with him. but this place is so small compared to provo that i see him and Elder Sant like 5 times a day. I would be putting spaces between paragraphs in this but the computer wont let me so i guess you will have to deal with it. this week has been kinda of a tough one. we as district have not been doing as well as woudl like in teaching and speaking. so it has been a week of correction and fiquring out what we needed to do to be better. our teachers have been quick to tell us where we are going wrong. which I am so grateful for!! some of the other guys in the district have not been so grateful and that has been hard on the whole group. But we are working on it. My portuguese is still gettting better slowly. I am trying very hard to be patient with myself and remain positive even if it is a slower at times. Oh and my English is getting worse everyday... you should see my journal. trying to write in english after spending the whole day with portuguese in your brain is just ugly. :) but i guess that maybe not bad thing. Okay i need to get going. sorry its so short this week!. I´ll make sure I prep for next week and that it is got more to it. Eu Amo-Voces Love Elder Clements PS. Alyse I got the letter you sent on the 6th through the missionties thing on the 13th or 12th. can´t remember. the mailmen are on stike right now so the mail is slow. hopefully it will end soon. pps Mom could you call the mission mall and see about the stuff that was on back order. it was some shoes sandals and towel. they didn´t get them to me in provo like they said they would. and could you make sure i have money in my account I dont have anyway to check the balacnce while i am here. Thank you!!!

Elder Clements and Elder Cornwell

Taken shortly before leaving the Provo MTC.

Bom Dia!!!! from Brazil!!

Hello family, friends, and loved ones!!!

I am in BRAZIL!!! I dont even know where to start!

I guess we will start with last tuesday, so we got up at the MTC in Provo got ready for the day did some last minute errands before heading over to the Travel office. There I said good byes to are district and about every poly missionary in The MTC. my roomate is like the god father of that place for polys so I met and became friends with about all of them. I miss them alot they have so a cool culture and are so friendly!! then we went to the airport and sat there for a couple hours and then got on plane. we saw a few missionarys just getting home it was awesome to see them and just to see what we can become. then we got on the airplane to ATL and that was an okay flight but not great. then once we got to ATL we had to go to the other side of the airport, which that is a HUGE airport. we made it in like 30 mins. then we were there for about 30 mins and then bored. there was about a 2 hour wait before we could leave because something had to be fixed anyways that flight was SO LONG. Luckly i had the seat next to me open so i could semi-sleep good.

Wednesday: THis day was super long as well. ( basically everyday is long!) anyways I woke up to an awesome breakfast on the plane and then watched us fly into sao paulo....ITS HUGE!!!!!!! anyways so then we got off went through customs excahnged money and then found our ride to the ctm.... I dont think i will ever complain about scary drivers again!! it was like a roller coaster :) my adrenlaine was going pretty good. then we got to the ctm which we late beacause of the delay in ATL so we were rushed to get everything in our rooms and to the meeting with presdient Clark. very nice man!!! anyways the rest of the day was very chill we did basically what ever we wanted.

Thursday... okay from here out its all kinda one blur so were done with the day by day.

I Love it here!!! its so awesome to be around Brazialins 24/7 I love it. My portuguese gets better every day!!! I have a new companion named Elder McCann from Oregon. hes awesome and he is going to campinas. I still am in the same disrict as Elder Hullinger and the other guys that came with me here. I was Made the District leader yesterday, which they didn´t even metion to me until our disrict meeting and they President Clark (diffrent then the Pres of the CTM) was just like oh Elder Clements it been decided tthat you will Be DL. all i could say was oh... Okay.

there aren´t very many americans here... there aren´t many people period. but all the Brazilains love us... not sure why but the do. they are so nice, we sit with them and talk to them all the time. I just can´t say it enough I love Brazil and the people here!!! oh I feel like a giant here. Brazilians are not very tall at all!! my teachers are like 5´6 ( which is pretty tall here) and 5´2 Brother vilas boas and Isreal. the food is great here. Breakfast is the same everyday which is my only complaint but it´s not that big of a deal.

I love it so much here! everytime i look out my window all i can see is building and skyscrapers for as far as you can see i get so excited! to go out and teach them.

I know that I was sent here for a reason and i know that god loves us!!

I love you all!!!

Elder Clements

MOM- I hope you got the email once i got here i will douple check to see if it was the right email address.

Your missionary´s arrival at the Brazil MTC

Dear Parents,

We are happy to send the good news that your missionary has arrived safely at the Brazil MTC. What a great joy and privilege it is to greet each missionary as they come through the front door of the MTC for the first time. We promise to take good care of your missionary.

They now have companions and are settled into their rooms. They are assigned to a district with capable and caring instructors for language and lesson study. The branch presidents and their wives, will soon give them a second greeting. These couples are rewarded in their callings through the love they always develop as they embrace and watch over the missionaries.

The MTC has a full time live-in physician to care for their health needs. He is assisted by his able wife. We are also happy to report that the Cafeteria food is abundant and very good.

Your missionary will be able to e-mail home on Preparation Day after a morning at the Temple. This will be either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on individual assignments.

Your very important young person is about to make an eternal difference in the lives of others. We hope you will be encouraged and comforted by this quote by President Lorenzo Snow: “There is no mortal man that is so much interested in the success of an elder [sister] when he is preaching the gospel as the Lord that sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord’s children.”

Please accept our love,

President Donald L Clark and Sister Zaza Clark

ADDITIONAL information . . .

DO not send packages to the Brazil Missionary Training Center. All packages must be sent directly to the mission where your missionary will be serving not the MTC. If you have already mailed a package to the Brazil MTC and it arrives after your missionary has left for the field, please understand that the package can not be forwarded to his or her mission and will be returned to you. The only other option is for us to open the package and forward the letters and photographs, giving the rest of the content of the package to the missionaries that are here.

WE Strongly eNCOURAGE sENDING HAND WRITTEN LETTERS. Please write your missionary´s first and last name. Your missionary will provide you with his district and box number. Also, please DO NOT SEND ANYTHING BY FEDEX, DHL, UPS, or other private carriers. The cost to get this type of correspondence is exorbitant.

My address in Brazil!...I am leaving on a Jet plane!, don't know when I'll be back again (two years ;D ) love you all!!!

Hey I just wanted you to let you know what my address would be in brazil before I left the states.

my mailing address at the MTC in brazil is

Elder Josiah Newell Clements

Brazil sao paulo south mission

Braizil Missionary training Center

Rua Padre Antonio D'Angelo, 121

Casa Verde

02516-040 sao paulo - SP

Brazil

this address above is for mail only not packages

send packages to this address

Elder Josiah Newell Clements

Brazil Sao Paulo South mission

R.Dr. Luiz da Rocha Miranda, 159 8 degrees( instead of degrees put a little 0 right next to the top right of the 8) Andar

Parque Jabaquara

04311-990 Sao Paulo - SP

BRAZIL

phone: 55 11-5017-5278

Okay so i hope this helps and you aren't confused!

I love you!!

sincerely

Elder Josiah Clements

News of Joe

Hi Everyone

I heard from Joe today, he got permission to call and let us know that his Visa came and he will be leaving for Brazil on Tuesday afternoon. He leaves from Salt Lake at 1:20 p.m. and flys to Atlanta get there at 7:30 and leaves at 9:30 and will get to Brazil at 8:15 am on Wednesday. He want to thank all of you who have been praying he would get his visa.
Trudy

Week 2 ......WHATTT!!!

Dear family and friends,

Dang time is flying! the days are incredibly long, but it only seem like a day ago was my first couple of day. Its been 2 weeks! it is just amazing. i am not sure you can fully understand unless you go through it yourself. it is mind blowing!

I am feeling much better this week. I have actually been able to eat more the a bite or two each meal. the food is good here but i am honesty kind of sick of eating. I feel like all I do is sit and eat all day. except gym! I LOVE GYM!!!! its the Bomb (sorry sister nelson hope that is an okay word to use at 20) we get to leave the compound that is the MTC and enjoy the fresh air and sun!! it is also just way nice to sweat! we have been playing sand volleyball most days. it feels so good to just play an d compete with other districts and guys!, plus we can jump and dive and it doesn't hurt. AWESOME!!

so Exciting news!! people are getting visas left and right. mostly people that came my week. i hear of a few people about every day. 2 guys form my district found out today and leave next wednesday. its so exciting! we have been praying everyday for our visas and god does answer prayers. I know he does!! we just have to ask. He wants to bless so bad, we just need to be humble enough to realise that we need help! There is a website where you can track the visas one of the guys who is leaving, his mom found it. he get to call her tonight and he is going to get it for us. so mom heads up.

Portuguese is..... humbling. I am learning fast and improving everyday, but i am relying so much on the lord. when i dont.... OH MAN!! you should see my face in class when our teacher is talking: I Have no clue what on earth he is saying. my mind just doesn't work, But when i am asking for his help and know i can't do it with out his help. I get it!!... I don't know how he does it. I just understand and learn. this is definitely his work! speaking has been and still is a challenge. I can semi-communicate. I feel like a little kid patching a sentence together with my very small vocabulary. but Heavenly father is helping me and I am so grateful!

Our schedule is basically the set for us but for the most part what we do during that time is up to us to figure out. it has been hard and a learning experience to learn how to to best use my time. like what should i study during my 3 hour block of personal study or 2 hour language block. it hard and great!!

so last week Elder Russel N Nelson of the quorum of the 12 apostles came and talked to us in Devotional. It was AWESOME!!! He talked about the Book of Mormon, and talked about the ensign magazine that just came our about the book of Mormon. He so spoke on so many things like how the Bible and book of Mormon work together to testify that Jesus is the Christ and our saviour and redeemer I know that the book of moron is true!!! and i know that everyone can find that out for themselves if they jsut ask god with faith that he will answer their prayer!

I love this gospel so much i wouldn't be out here if i didn't know it was true.

i love you all thanks for the support you give me!!

sincerely

Elder Josiah Clements

Shout outs....

Mom- I haven't heard anything from you and would like to. I am thinking of you and love you!! could you send me or have asa drop me off a blanket the one here isn't quiet doing it for me.

Asa- thanks for the prayers and email. i hope your date when good despite the awkward moment with the slaters I also need you address

Ben i need you address!!

Everyone- if you want me to write you get on dear elder and send me something so I have you address

lauren, Rhonda and kids, Kim, and Alyse I got you letters and will have letters back soon!! thanks so much I love getting mail!!! Kim thanks so much for the package!!

Dad and Arina- I am thinking about you and love you!!!!

Boom service with a smile..... this subject is courtesy of Elder Kyle cornwell.

Dear Family and Friends,

So first P-day... wahoo. so my p-day is tuesday from now which everyone tells me is the best because we have p-day, dinner and then Devotional. so we don't have any class time today. tonight's Devotional is suppose to be a huge deal... we were all given the ensigns for October on the Book of Mormon and told we all needed to read it by today... the rumor is Prsident Uctdorf or President Monson is coming... we shall see.

So the MTC has been pretty good for the most part. I have been sick for the past 3 or 4 days and it has made for a ruff week. I am pretty sure nothing makes you more homesick then being sick away from home! but I am feeling a lot better today and things are looking up. My Companion has been a super trooper about having me slow him down these past few days. His name is Elder Hullinger from Vancouver WA hes is HUGE hes like 6'5 and thick .. not Fat by anymeans just a solid kid! we are getting along quiet well. My roomates are two poly missionaries one went to Hawaii this morning and the other is been delayed like three times because of surgery and then his blood work was bad now they are doing test for cancer and some other stuff... he is a little discouraged to say the least. He just wants to get to Samoa so bad and I hope he does because he is an awesome guy!!

So the language is coming along pretty darn good, It is amazing how fast we learn here! I know that god is Helping us because there is no other way we could do this by our self's!!

Spanish is paying off Greatly too! who would have thought? :) we didn't have a forsure teacher for the first couple of days which was kinda of annoying but I guess taking on 200 missionarys in the past 2 weeks that were suppose to be in Brazil by now kinda makes it a little hecktic. our Teachers are Brother Smith who just got off his mission in june. he served in Brazil and so did Brother dodge. both are STUDS!!! anyways we started teaching an investigator on Friday in Portuguese... needless to say communicating has been kinda hard but it is amazing what we have picked up and can say and understand!

I Love you all!! and miss you! you can write me and email on DEARELDER.com and I will get it the same day! ( mom if you could put my address here that would be awesome!

I know that what I am doing is what God wants me to be doing and am so glad for this chance! I love you all!!!

Love Elder Clements

Ps. Sister Nelson and Alyse Thanks so much for the dearElder! it made me Day!!