17 June 2013 (this post is out of order....sorry)

In my new ward. We have a new Bishop and hes really great. Hes been the stake president before so he has a lot of experience and hes excited to work and help out. We're gonna have lunch with him tomorrow. We have lunch and sometimes dinner with the memebers every day except on Monday. We usually get some money though to buy food. My companion knows how to cook decently so I'm getting over my fear of cooking and breaking/burning everything in the kitchen. Our house is nice and I'll send you some pics of it when I can. We dont live in our area but its only like 10-15 minutes walking. The Relief Society made a care package for us yesterday and they put some basic food stuff in it for our house. I'm not sure what we're gonna do for lunch but whatever it is should be good. The time is going by really really quickly. This week was pretty good though. Sometimes I feel like I'm learning more than I'm teaching. You grow a lot personally and realize whats really important and think about your priorities. Yesterday at church was really interesting! The family that was supposed to give the first 2 talks in sacrament meeting got sick and right before sacrament meeting, they asked me and my companion to give the talks! It was a complete surprise. Luckily my companion went first haha. I wasnt really sure what I would talk about until 30 seconds before I stood up. President Lima (the mission president) had talked a lot about one of President Monson's talks from General Conference. I felt inspired to talk about that talk, focusing on the 4 principles that help us to be "more useful servants". Dilligent scripture study, teaching with testimony, planning your life with purpose and serving with love. I talked about these 4 points and gave some personal experiences and other stories that I remembered from other GC talks in the past. It went really well and had some members that said they really enjoyed it. I just stood up and talked for about 15 minutes and the Lord helped and guided me. After church, I had some members that asked me to sing for them and that was fun. I just sang a couple church hymns but they really liked it. Felt good to sing. I really dont have too many opportunities like I would like to. I read and studied a lot this week about some other talks from General Conference recently and also in the past. I feel inspired to be better and to help others grow when I read the experiences of the prophet and apostles. I especially enjoyed this promise/counsel from President Eyring when he said, "My promise to you who pray and serve the Lord cannot be that you will have every blessing you may wish for yourself and your family. But I can promise you that the Savior will draw close to you and bless you and your family with what is best.    Sometimes we feel as if we deserve blessings just because we are faithful and obedient. Sometimes it is difficult for us to comprehend that life isnt always fair. We know that it isnt always fair but especially in the moments of trials and difficulties, we begin to doubt and question. We rationalize our complaints and lack of faith because we may feel that "maybe God doesnt love me". This is common and unfortunately it is easy to fall into this trap. I am glad to say and find peace in the principle of hope. Hope is powerful. We can all be sure, as I am, that truly, Heavenly Father does love us. President Eyring promised us that we may not recieve exactly what we want or what we feel we deserve, but that we will be blessed "with what is best". I know this is true. We can find great peace and comfort in the knowledge that even though we cant see future, we can have hope that the future will be bright, independent of the problems and difficulties we will have. 

Job, who had many problems, was counseled by a dear friend when she said, "Although affliction cometh not forth of the dust, neither doth trouble spring out of the ground; 7 Yet man is born unto trouble" (Job 5: 6-7)   

Trust in God. He love us. Mom, I love you and am grateful that we can have hope in the Savior. He is the light of the world (John 8:12)

25 June 2013 with LOTS of pictures

from Elder Knotts 25 June: I did get to see the training and I even watched it in English! It was really great! I'm super excited to see all the new missionaries and new things changing. At the meeting there were probably over 200 people that watched the meeting at our stake center. It was great. I loved that Boyd K Packer talked that the most important teaching is done by mothers. I loved that part. There were tons of great things and I took notes but I just dont have them with me right now. ...... I've been working a lot on improving my Portuguese. Its getting there. Some missionaries from my group and I went to the air port yesterday to renew our visas. We ate a buffet and I'll send you some pics. (pictures are below) At the air port I had a really great experience. While I was waiting for everyone to finish, a man came up to us. His name is Stuart and he is a member of the church from Scotland. His accent was awesome by the way. Hes been in Brazil for a couple months and speaks a little Portuguese. To make a long story short, he needed some help to talk with people and explain some stuff. I worked as his translator and helped him figure some stuff out. .......it was great to help him and translate with English and Portuguese. It was a really cool experience. This week was good though. We've been visiting a lot of families and are trying to help some less active families to return to church. My companion only has a couple weeks left on the mission but we're really trying to work together and meet our goals. So, I'm sending you a bunch of photos so you can put those on fbook and on the blog. And please share all of the great experiences you're having. I'm excited to hear about whats going on at home and how (everyone) and the family are doing. ........

Elder Jared Knotts

3 June 2013

My first week here (in Madureira, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) went pretty well. We visited a bunch of members and the first Sunday here was really nice. We had almost 100 people at church and was glad to meet even more people. Well my new area is a about 3 main areas that are all pretty close together. This new area is much smaller than Irajá which is good because Irajá is huge. My new area is about 30 minutes away from Irajá. The first week has been good. I met a lot of members and the Bishop and some other local leaders. Sunday was pretty good. Church attendance was a little smaller than average this week with 96 people. Usually its about 110 or so. Its a nice area and has tons of people who live here. My companion, Elder Motta is on his last transfer and then he goes home to São Paulo. Hes a nice guy and we get along pretty well. Hes an incredible artist. He sketches and draws super well. I havent had the opportunity to sing here yet but I'm excited for sometime in church when I'll have the chance. We've been working hard and teaching more. Its good to have some change. We dont use the bus very often here. Tomorrow I'll go to my first Mission Counsel. Its once a month when all of the ZoneLeaders and the Assistants and President Lima get together and we recieve a special training and then pass the training on to our Zone the next day. Today is my first PDay here and we're gonna clean the house and maybe go to the church with the some other missionaries. I'm feeling good and glad to be making a difference. I've been reading a lot of talks from General Conference and am grateful for inspired leaders that are so experienced....... Its great to see pics of Jordan's graduation. Seems like mine wasnt that long ago. I love the scriptures and pray for understanding and wisdom so that I can understand and apply the lessons I'm learning........ The weather here right now is really nice. Its been raining a little bit but its been in the high 70s. I'll try to send pics next week. Its been a while since I've sent any for you. Sometimes I just forget my memory card at the house but I'll send some next week. .......I read a great talk this morning by President Boyd K Packer and he said, "I have come to know that faith is a real power, not just an expression of belief. There are few things more powerful than the faithful prayers of a righteous mother."

.......

from 27 May 2013

Well tomorrow is the transfer and I'm leaving Irajá!!!! I will sincerely miss it here but I'm going to another area SUPER CLOSE! Its a different Stake but its really close so I know that some of the members here will come visit me haha. There are leaders in the mission. And there are 15 stakes in our mission. Each Stake has 5 or more companships of missionaries. One of these companships are the Zone Leaders and then the Senior companions of 2 other groups are District Leaders. I was the District Leader in Irajá for about 4 months. Now I will be going to my new area which is in the city of Madureira. My area will be Sulacap. Madureira is pronounced Mah-doo-ray-ruh. Irajá is pronounced Ear-uh-jah. I hope that helps a little bit haha. I'm a little sad about the transfer but I'm also SUPER excited! I've been here for almost 11 months. .......   I have a lot of friends that will be going to the other mission because our mission is gonna split. Its kinda sad and I'll miss them but I'm glad to be staying in Rio. Sincerely, I'm doing really good. We had a week or two that were kinda tough because we didnt have many investigators to teach but this week we visited TONS of people and we also had a baptism for this 12 year girl named Natália which would be Natalie in english. We helped reactivate her mom after being inactive for more than 15 years. I love so many people in this ward ....

from 20 May 2013

first this is part of the email I sent to Elder Knotts:

....so much going on and working hard to complete everything.  I was behind a lesson in RS and spent the better part of the week studying Lesson 8 in the Lorenzo Snow book.  Do you study those lessons too?  When I read the title of the lesson "Search Me, O God, and Know My Heart", I thought to myself, "you really need this lesson, don't skip it!"  So I started studying it and have found it to be most beneficial!!

"I have reason to believe that many of the Latter-day Saints, during a great portion of their lives, could approach the Lord in all confidence and make this same prayer (from Psalm 139:23-24)—“Search me, O God, and know my heart, and see if there be any wicked way in me;” but if we, as a people, could live so as to be able at all times to bow before the Lord and offer up a prayer like this, what a delightful thing it would be, what an attainment we should have acquired in righteousness and good works! … I would recommend that [every person] adopt this prayer of David, and see how near he can live according to the light that he has, so as to make it in all sincerity part of his devotions to God. Many fail in coming up to this standard of excellence because they do things in secret where mortal eye cannot penetrate, that have a direct tendency to alienate them from the Almighty and to grieve away the Spirit of God. Such persons cannot in their private closet use this prayer; they could not unless they had repented of their sins and repaired the wrong they may have committed, and determined to do better in the future than they had done in the past, and to establish a character before God that could be relied upon in the hour of trial, and that would fit them to associate with holy beings and with the Father himself when they shall have passed into the spirit world.

… We must be true men and true women; we must have faith largely developed, and we must be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost to aid us in the work of righteousness all the day long, to enable us to sacrifice our own will to the will of the Father, to battle against our fallen nature, and to do right for the love of doing right, keeping our eye single to the honor and glory of God. To do this there must be an inward feeling of the mind that is conscious of the responsibility that we are under, that recognizes the fact that the eye of God is upon us and that our every act and the motives that prompt it must be accounted for; and we must be constantly en rapport [in harmony] with the Spirit of the Lord.

 I have spent much time on my knees pleading with Heavenly Father to search my heart and help me with good intentions!  I have had several good missionary experiences this week at school, with Jared Harvey's mother, with a complete stranger.....I am trying!  :)  

love and miss you terribly!

MOM

then sent to me, his mother, in response 20 May 2013

Hey Mommy!

I'm so glad to hear that youre searching the Lord and youre finding Him! How sweet it is to feel the Spirit's embrace. I will absolutely make this prayer also! Plead with the Lord that He may search my heart and help me to abandon feelings of anger, hate, selfishness, pride, sadness and loneliness. He is more than aware of how we feel but asking Him for help opens up the door for Him to teach us what we can do. Sometimes we have so many problems and challenges and we dont know what to do. We run out of ideas or just dont know how to begin and confront the problem. Personal revelation through prayer and scripture study help us that we may know the will of the Lord and what He desires that we do. I am so thankful for the scriptures. I honestly dont think my testimony would be so strong without the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. Just like Nephi, my soul delighteth in the scriptures and my heart pondereth upon them. I read Alma 33 again this week. I've already read this chapter several times but I love it even more with each read. Especially 33:11. I love when he bears his testimony of prayer and thanks the Lord for hearing his cries in verses 4-10. And in verse 11 I especially love when he says, "therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine afflictions, for in thee is my joy." Truly, my joy is in the Lord. I love you mom and am so thankful for your help and prayers. ..... I know the the Lord will continue to bless you because of your faithfulness and service to His children. 

Elder Knotts

from 13 May 2013

Part of a letter to me, his mother, sent 13 May 2013 We had gotten to Skype the previous day for Mother's Day.

It was so great to see you and Jordan yesterday! I love you and thank you for your help and prayers. 2nd Nephi 2:6-8 is so powerful! It is such a great missionary scripture to motivate people to share the gospel. How great is the importance to make these things known! ..... I read 2nd Nephi 4:15-35 several times recently. Nephi is so amazing and his testimony and counsel is full of the Spirit. I liked especially verses 18, 28, and 31. They make more sense in the context of the chapter as a whole but its good to pay super close attention to those verses when you read the chapter. I love the scriptures and just like Nephi, my soul delighteth in the scriptures and my heart ponderth on them. Verses 15 and 16 explain this so elequently. I love it. 

...... I'm feeling fine. We run every once in a while in the morning to exercise. With my shoes and clothes on, I'm at 190 lbs. so thats not too bad. Its a pain that we didnt get to talk very much yesterday. 40 minutes goes by way too fast. This will be one big thing that I will change when I get home. Our family is so important. I love you and cant wait to hear from you again!

Elder Knotts

Hey Mommy!

Its so great to hear from you. Thank you for the fasting and prayers. 1 year in Brazil!!! I cant believe how fast its gone by. I remember everything about those last couple days and moments. I feel so much more prepared to do whatever the Lord tells me to do now. I'm extremely excited to talk to you soon! The time difference is actually 3 hours. 1 there is 4 here. .......So many crazy and great things have happened. I've met some amazing people ...... . Thats good that you're almost done with school for the year. I'm glad youre making goals and planning! Do you have ideas or plans that youre gonna do this summer? I've been reading the scriptures a lot and tons of General Conference talks. I've read 20 different GC talks from President Eyring and I'm gonna read more. I've been reading and taking notes and writing down spiritual impressions into one of the note books you gave me. The other note book will be for notes and ideas for Jesus the Christ that I will start reading on my 1 year mark this Thursday. I'll start it and finish it before I get home. Thats the goal at least. It will be incredible to study more in depthly about the pre mortal, mortal and immortal life and existence of the Savior. Just beginning to understand His role will motivate me to be more like Him and to help others. Read 2 Nephi 2 verses 6-8. Then read it again. And a 3rd time. And after the third time, just read verse 8 until the word Messiah. I was inspired and directed to read this last night before I went to bed and it was very powerful for me. Well I love you so much Mom and will talk to you more on Sunday!!!!!!!!!!!!