......Oh yeah, my birthday huh? Thank you everyone for the birthday wishes. I really don’t have much planned for tomorrow. My favorite day of the week my whole mission has been Tuesday because that is weekly planning day where we always make new plans and get psyched for the new week. I know lunch will be good! I also will being going downtown to be a witness in the wedding of some investigators, that’s awesome! Then I will probably just work! Which I love to death so I will be happy, and maaaybe, there is some sort of cake involved in all that. Hmm awesome!

Well well well, as for the week! uuuuh.... Ha well COM CERTEZA the highlight would have to be the Zone Conference we had. There is this new chapel here in Fortaleza where they just basically threw a bunch of everything inside. Parking lot, Chapel, Classrooms, Institute, Get-a-job place, headquarters for some other things, anyways... it’s a monster and has 6 floors! Ha, so that was cool.

During the Conference something very cool happened. In the last few months I have always tried hard to receive personal revelation to help the Zone. Whenever we give training, we share what the Assistants say, then I will try to put my own thoughts in there as well. My Companion sometimes questions me, thinking we should share it straight, and that is the obedient way to do things. When we did this last training with the Book of Mormon, we shared everything right, but I put in two little touches in the practices. One, was that we need to show people how much we love the scriptures as we use them. As we do, we will show by example the importance of reading the scriptures in their own lives. We need to teach the commandment of the importance of reading the scriptures. The second thing is, as we help people with their doubts and objections by asking them to Read, Ponder, and Pray about the Book of Mormon, we need to make it very clear that we are here to help them with their faith, and how the testimony of the Book of Mormon fits into the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

So those were my two touches: Love for the Scriptures and Faith in the Gospel. Well in the Conference the Assistants followed up a bit on the Training they shared and had two different practices. Guess what the practices were about. Showing the importance of reading the scriptures, and teaching the first two principles of the gospel. WOW. So I don’t say this in a way that, they are copycats or stealing my thunder, or it’s my idea. But what I learned is that really, the leaders here in the mission are in tune with the spirit. These two touches I learned as I sought to prepare the training through the Spirit. That same Spirit talks with the other leaders in the mission. The Zone probably just thinks that those two touches I put in the training the other week came from the Assistants but it didn’t, it came from the Spirit. And the Spirit confirmed it one more time as the Assistants touched on it in the Conference. So I really did gain a testimony, that as a leader, I am inspired, and I am an instrument in God´s hands to help these missionaries here, and even more, learning myself!

In the Conference, Presidente Souza left his two Motto’s very clear. "He ain’t heavy, he’s my brother" and "Encantar e Surpreender". The Spirit really confirmed that these two mottos are perfect for my mission and that Presidente Souza also is a man prepared and inspired to be my one and only Mission President.  Also, My comp and Elder Villalba bore their final testimony before everyone. It was great. Yikes... I am next.

Also in the Conference guess who I saw?! My "Son" Elder Monical, and his "son", my "grandson" Elder Franco! Wooow! It has been a while since I have seen him, and it’s the first time I met my "Grandson".  Ha, and if you think that is great, my "Grandson" Elder Vasquez is now training, so that means that I met my "Great Grandson" Elder Thiemes! Ha! That’s right, here in the mission I am a "Great Grandfather" already, now that’s old!

Ha alrighty.... the rest of the week was pretty chill. I did another exchange with Elder Gregersen. We made a ton of a delicious shake that they just have here called Pó of Guaraná! Mmm.. also we invented the "Ants on a Log" shake which is Banana, Peanuts, and Chocolate.... Oh boy it is good!

Our investigators are good. This Sunday, Espírito Santo continued her streak of bringing a new person to church from her family and it was awesome because they were late, and this week 9 people all entered in and sat in the front. Good stuff.

Anyways that is my week for ya!
Good week for you all and thanks for the birthday wishes.
Love you all!
até mais!

-Elder Zachary Cetraro

HAHAHAHAHA!!!
I had to laugh because "Happy December" is exactly how I started off my letter with President Souza. And I thought I would be unique =P.

Happy December right back at ya. Wow, strappin’ in, and getting ready for the season of trunkiness to come in! Ha, but I know that is just because the Christmas spirit reminds me of home, but I will try my best to convert this spirit of Christmas to the spirit of bringing souls unto Christ. 

So I will get started on my week. Something that is funny now that I am a Zone Leader. Before I was known to be a dedicated Elder because I was right on with the whole missionary routine. Ha, but now that I am a Zone Leader I don’t think I have had one normal morning yet! First of all we suffered this last week because our Weekly Planning time was used with figuring things out for Conference and helping out the Sisters and talking about the Zone. I did an exchange with a District Leader Elder Kauffmann who was being trained in our house in Expedicionários when I was training Elder Medrado. He is so young on the mission, and he has the burden that I had when I had a year on my mission. So it really became obvious how much I need to lift up our leaders here in the Zone.

Thanksgiving..... was special indeed!! It was our Zone Conference!! Wow it was great! It was funny because President Souza called my name out as an example 3 times. Once, because I am "well-adapted" to the mission, the other is because I am an "Explosive Leader", and the other because I am "Happy & Elevated". I didn’t know President thought so well about me. Ha, but it was good to relax and socialize a bit. I will miss Elder Lopez who is the best image of a missionary of Power and Authority. He has been our Assistant since Elder Reynolds left and he has been great. He talked a bit about planning. It was great.

So yeah we baptized a family. Friday was sweet because me and Elder Villalba went to do the wedding downtown. We got to study a bit in a little park.
I think I need to go...my credits are gone?
Love you all, until next week!
-Elder Zac Cetraro

p.s. I ate piranha this week, best exotic food!

WOW!!! Thank you all! =) You guys are all great. I really appreciate a Happy Birthday from every one of you. =) Ha, I had a feeling yesterday that I was going to have a good surprise on my email for my Birthday. It (my b-day) definitely was different and was a little adventure but it was all good. I definitely gave the whole big 2-0 a big thinkin’ over. I’m done with my wild and crazy teenage years that really formed me into who I am, and now I am starting the most influential decade of my life. Where I will finish off my service to the Lord, pick a major and finish school, find my eternal companion, and probably start a family.

 AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! Scary but thrilling right?! Well I know time is only going faster, but when I hit double digits at age 10 it definitely seems like NOT yesterday (a lifetime ago!). So I will take it as it goes. I am thoroughly convinced though that life ONLY gets better. You just need to find the thrill in each season of life. I love the snow, I love the heat, and I love everything in between. So I am chill with the great adventures in front of me.

Anyways I’ll tell ya about my day. I am writing ya’ll a day late for a reason. So the highlight of my day was definitely the first hour. I woke up and read the letter from David and Laura’s Family that they told me to wait to open until my birthday. I really enjoyed it, tell them thank you. I thought the “Stand a Little Taller” thought was perfect for a missionary birthday =). President and Sister called and wished me a happy birthday, and I made some DELICIOUS açaí and busted out some letters! WOO!

A member family that we have been working with to baptize their 23-year-old nephew, who moved to live with them, invited us over for a lunch FHE. WOW, it was Chinese noodles awesomeness. Probably the only Chinese food I’ll have on the mission. It was good. But during all of this, my Comp was dying. He started to have some intense pain in his kidneys. Sunday and on my birthday it was killing him. So Sister called up a taxi and we spent the rest of the day until 9:30 at night, just to confirm that he really did have a kidney stone.

I think here on the mission one of the greatest lessons we have to learn is that we are here in this life, especially as a priesthood holder, to serve and not to be served. We have Jesus, the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, the Kings of all Kings, who showed us His life of doing exactly that. On a B-day, naturally we assume to be served because it is OUR day. I think Heavenly Father gave me a special birthday that showed me the spirit of the missionary service on my B-day as a gift. Also He gave me an opportunity to exercise charity, one of the biggest goals I am trying to develop here on the mission.

At the beginning, we just sat and waited, I wrote letters and read the BofM. It came to a time where my Comp was put on a bed and injected with medicine to ease the pain. For some reason during the first IV/injection hour, the pain only got worse. We were awfully confused, being two Americans in a Brazilian Hospital, and the whole process and examination wasn’t very well explained to us. My Comp was tossing and turning and I felt like I should put down the letter and help some how. I really felt helpless because I didn’t know what I could do to help. I wasn’t no Mom. What can a man do to help? I really didn’t know what was going on, neither did he. So I felt like I should give him a priesthood blessing and then aid him with getting water, and just standing there, being there for him and communicating with the nurses and doctors and such for him. Shortly after the blessing and me talking with a nurse, a different medicine/IV was put in, and he zonked out. He’s been doing good since then. This morning after reading some thoughts from a year ago I felt inspired to make a good breakfast for him, and clean up a big mess that he has been putting off for some time. Ha, so that was my birthday experience this year.

Besides that the week was pretty good. We are getting better at getting more lessons in and keeping up on the many contacts. This week was a GREAT one. WOW and do I have some great news for all of you! So this week we had Zone Conference and there were some announcements that blew my socks off! So first, the AP, Elder Araújo, who has been the AP since I arrived here, is leaving early for college this week. So my good friend Elder Reynolds (the tall American Zone leader from Juazeiro that I lived with) got called to be the new AP, and he is the first American AP since President Souza has been here in the last 2 years, big news for us. My old comp, Elder Hodson, then got called to be Zone Leader there in Juazeiro, something I KNOW he will be very proud of. All this made me very happy, but now for the BIG NEWS. President Souza was in conference this last week with some other Presidents here in Brazil, and it was decided that my Mission is going to be SPLIT!! HA, that’s right, there is going to be a Mission Fortaleza, and a new Mission Fortaleza Leste. So here in March we will be getting another Mission President for the other half of the mission, and July we will do the official split. HA, which means it will be possible for me to serve in 2 different missions! Ha cool huh? Our groups were made to sustain one mission, and now we will be split to cover two missions, which will be receiving many new missionaries to lead. Ha, I just know here soon things are going to step up for me and I know that I will see a lot of God’s hand in this transition process. It is He who planned this all, and it is just cool that I will have part in helping with this new big change in the new age of missionary work. So you guys will be hearing a lot more about that here in the near future.

This week we had a baptism of a really good kid, Jurandy. A friend brought him to church last week and we prepared him to be baptized this week. He did everything we asked and so in the space of one week everything happened for him to be baptized. Read, pray, receive an answer, learn and obey the commandments. Sad thing is though we received news yesterday that he will be moving this week. I thought it was a little funny since my first baptism in Juazeiro moved and I never saw him get confirmed (he did though), and now my first baptism here is moving too (he WILL be confirmed).

Besides that I also did a division with Elder Flores, a Gaucho Elder who only has been 1 month in the mission. He LOVED it and said he learned a lot. I gave him a tie and introduced him to Guacamole (they eat Avocado sweet down here). I felt pretty well with being the Senior and basically training, but at the same time I felt pretty humbled because I will need divine help for sure.

So yeah. There is a nice big Birthday email for you all. Parabéns Riley on the Eagle. That is awesome, Mom must be really proud. And yeah, I love you all and I am doing great down hereLove you all, and good luck with everything! =)

-Elder Cetraro

This week has been a pretty eventful week for me but... all good though! This week was interesting because it was the Christmas/talent show/zone conference. So that was fun stuff. It felt like I didn’t work in my area at all this week because I went on 2 divisions and took the day off for the Conference. The Zone Conference was soooo good. I KNOW that we have inspired leaders that receive revelation from God here in the mission. One of the things I think you would like to know that was inspired was the cleanliness part. The week before I begged Elder Reynolds to teach me his ways of cleanliness. I am naturally a slob. You know that, you lived with me. But I have been trying to organize myself and yeah. He taught us "The 5 S’s" - Sort (basically sort everything to see what is necessary and what it not... what is not, throw away - sooo hard for me) Straighten (a place for everything, and everything in its place) Shine (Be clean! If you dirtied it, clean it) Standardize (don’t remember this one) and then Sustain (daily keep it clean, this one is hard for me too)

Anyways, after this was the Talent show and OMG I need to find a way to get that to ya’ll. It was reeaally cool. So last P-day my comp said he wanted to play The Scientist (by Coldplay) for the talent show, and that morning we sang, "Be Still My Soul" in Portuguese. I realized that they were in the same key so I threw out the idea we should try to put them together. Then we realized we both wanted to play the piano. So we had the idea to switch off. So I won’t tell you the entire creative process but in the end it came out like this. My comp started on the piano and shortly after, I came in on the guitar and we are playing The Scientist. When we get to the chorus I put down the guitar and we play together and he slides off and grabs his harmonica. I figured out how to play chords so we made a transition into Be Still My Soul but Scientist style and in the transition he plays the harmonica. And then we sing Be Still My Soul in Portuguese..... And WOW, everyone marveled and wondered.... but most of all I did too! I never knew I had such musical talent to do something like that... YAY! =D

Then came the Christmas part. So President and his wife both shared stories, and they basically are my parents here. And it wasn’t until we all sang Silent Night that the Christmassy spirit hit me. I could just imagine a silent winter Christmas night and breathing some fresh cold crisp winter air. I could see that President and his wife really love us. After I just wanted a big mommy hug. It made me think of how every Christmas season, my mom always worked so hard to celebrate Christmas. You always tried to make it special together. I miss that. I miss you...and our full family. But it’s all good. I will really try this year to make Christmas more about Jesus than family, I guess. I am excited to study and find how I can fill myself with the spirit of Christmas and preach to others so they can have a special Christmas like what you did for me.

So there, that is all that is new with me! Wow. Fun stuff. So I read your Christmas letter. Wow, it has been an eventful year hasn’t it? It is weird to think I spent half of it with you guys. It seems like I have been here forever. Ha, and I think it is so funny that you mentioned the kids growing because I was looking at the pictures you sent me from a couple letters before. And I compared them with the old school pictures I had before and WOW! They really have changed. One thing is for sure though when I get back, Keegan and Riley will be my best friends! I just know. I think about it all the time how much I will love to hang out with them when I get back and how much COOLER they will be, ha. It is also sad though that we are a grown family now. No more KIDS.

LOVE YA FAM!

-Elder Cetraro