WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, so Cissa was baptized this last weekend and it was really special; it was amazing how fast she was baptized. It was only about 5 weeks that we taught her and that she was baptized really it was a blessing from the lord. 
  
I can’t explain the story I have had the last 7 weeks, I have learned so much and I have really found out why I was 
  
sent here to Brazil.
  
It says in my patraricle Blessing that there are people that only I will he able to help and to bring the gospel. Ever since the first time I met Cissa I felt like I knew her and I felt a obrigação to help her. I wanted her to know the truth and I wanted her to be baptized, it wasn’t easy that is for sure. 
  
She grew up in the Catholic Church and she went every Sunday! She did things totally different then us; she prayed differently she thought of god way differently She drank coffee, todos os dias and she had a lot of friends saying false things about our church, I saw gods had in the conversion of Cissa but also I saw the destructed battle with Satan. 
  
With a lot of prayer, fasting, and help from the members Cissa found the pathway of God! The baptism was so special it was amazing! 
  
I can’t even put it into words! After the baptism Cissa turned to me and said " Elder Reiss thank you so much for what you have done for me, thank you for your patience and for showing me the pathway! With tears in her eyes and tears in my eyes all I could do was smile, I was speechless! 
  
The feeling I had was the best in the world. After her baptism she was like a new person, it was unbelievable how much she had changed; We visited her later that night after the baptism, and she couldn’t stop smile and she thanked us for everything. 
  
God has a plan for every one of us. 
  
He has a plan for me her in São Paulo. He has sent me here to reach out to people; I am a strong believer in Foreordination. I was sent here for a reason, to talk to certain people to help certain people and to baptize. 
  
I am so grateful for the spirit and for him guiding me everyday. 
  
It’s a lot easier to follow the spirit when we are worthy and we are obedient to the commandments of god, 
  
I love my mission, it is amazing I am having the battle of my life, but I love it, I have two feelings, 1. I don’t want to come home. and 2. I want to come home. 
  
 The first one is clear, I don’t want to come home because I love my mission I love the people I am serving and the things I am learning. The second one, I want to come home because I, in a way, have a new start. 
  
Before my mission I had all my future planned out, I knew what I wanted and what I was going to do, but now a lot of things have changed and its starts all over for me when I get home.
  
I have a lot more knowledge that I didn’t have that will help me with my family and with work. I am excited to get home and to continue preaching the gospel and apply the things I have learned in my life. 
  
O yea, for all of you that don’t know yesterday was my ONE YEAR MARK. WOW it goes by so fast, it kind of scares me, haha! I can’t wait for this next year I have got a lot a head of me.
  
Dang, this week was really good! 
  
 
  
So Sunday we had a great opportunity to have dinner in President Jackson’s house ,WOW!. It was amazing the fist American dinner I have had in one year. It was my favorite TURKEY AND MASHED POTATOS. After dinner we had cake and ice cream, mmmmm. WOW it was amazing. Well I hope everyone had a good week like I did and I hope everyone is as happy as I am.
  
 
  
Micah thank you so much for the stickers and the CARD…..it made me laugh really hard, I love you so much and thank you for your support. ZACK my man I hope you are doing better now you are out of the hospital and thank you so much for the email you sent me I am really proud of you for reading the book of Mormon, I hated to read before my mission but know I have learned how to love it. 
  
In the mission I have read the book of Mormon two times and  Doctrine and covenants once and the pearl of great price once, Now I am working on the New Testament but I kind of like the book of Mormon a lot better. 
  
But yea if I was you Zack, I would buy the bible and book of Mormon separate.
  
But get what you like the best. 
  
I am going to miss you two but bud, it’s going to go by so fast. 
  
You better be getting ready for me, cause when I get home I am going to take you down hahaha
  
I am always praying for you guys. Thank you so much for your support and all for you do for me. It means so much. 
  
Hey dad I was wondering if you or mom could write to Cissa, you can just send it to me because she lives in the favela and doesn’t have a mailing address. 
  
I know she wont be able to read it but I will translate it for her. IT would mean a lot. 
  
 
  
Again thank you so much I love you guys 
  
 
  
and BOA SORTE esta semana!
       

Landan Birthday is April 22nd, if you would like to send him a card here is his updated address

Rua Euzebio de souza, 121

Jardim Londrina

Sau Paulo, SP

05638-000

February 11th Letter

WOW! Well this week I got an email from everyone in the family! Thank you so much. I dont have time to write everyone but thank you for the emails and for the pictures. Amber i dont know if its a good idea to send pictures anymore it makes me sad and want to come home cause i miss the kids so much....ahah no I am just joking. I love the pictures and it makes me so happy to see how much the kids have grown. Maybe I can get pictures of Mom and Dad and Zack haha . 

Mom just send the packages to the mission home. I think you have the wrong address so I will send the new one to you.

Well I am doing really good. I am loving my mission, I still have hard times but I have learned how to handle these hard times by myself and with the Lord. You're right Erin i have had a lot of spiritual experiances in my mission, so many I cant really count but I will write a letter for the family and talk about some of the experiences. 

The language is coming along I guess, I can understand pretty much everything but the hard part is just speacking correctly. I am having a hard time with my comp becusae he has 3 months until he goes home and he doesnt really work.  Its hard when you have a missionary who wants to work hard and a missionary who is a slacker and just wants to go home. 

I love you all and am so thankful for everthing, Erin you asked whats up with me and Syd, well we are just writing letters. Its been about one in a half months since i have heard from her, but i emailed her my new adress and i received a little email today from her. I guess she has been really sick, but I actullaly sent a letter talking about her and stuff. Hey did you guys get the package i sent like two months ago? Let me know Well family,  I love you and cant wait to here from you again. Thank you, sorry I didnt respond to alll your emails but I would still like to hear from all you hahaha I know I am a little selfish.. 

Love you all, 

 Love Elder Reiss

PS Tell Auntie Ruth that I met that kid in the ctm and we talked about Cody and Troy it was apretty cool to met him.

February 4th Letter

Hey family...

OK,  first this is my address.

Rua Pascoal Rizzo 218 PQ. 

Alexandro Sao Paulo S.P. 067142500

Well there you go!  Hope you can find me on google earth. Well I am in a place called Cotia and it is amazing! My ward is the best and the members are amazing also. We are working hard and we have 3 baptisms set up for the 21st. We are teaching this lady and she is really difficult, haha she said that she saw an angel and that this angel spoke with her and said that this church is good and stuff but she said the angel didn't say anything about the baptism so she doesnt know yet, Ummmm so she is awaiting for the angel to appear again and tell her to be baptized. People here are really crazy and weird they always talk about angels and dreams and stuff, but its hard to believe, who knows maybe it is real but I really dont know what to think with some of these stories. My comp is from Fortelaza and he is really short,  he comes to my stomach :).  I saw my first monkey in the road today, and its been really hot here and really rainy,

Well that is about it for this week, sorry its not a lot but i am running out of time.  I love you all. I sent a letter for you all in the mail this week.

I love you so much
Love Elder Reiss

January 28th Letter

Hey family, well I am pretty good, I guess haha! This week has been really really hard, my companion is a lot different then Elder Oliveria but he is cool i guess. My area is really beautiful, there are a lot of trees and jungle. There is also a a Buddhist Temple in my area that is really cool! I will have to take some pictures and send them to you guys, I would send you my address but i dont know what it is?, but next week I will get it for you guys. 

We are right next to a main highway and we always walk on the side of this highway its pretty crazy. I like my ward here. The people are really cool, and my ward bulding is really really big, and a member of the seventy is in my ward. I forgot is name, sorry. 

 It sounds like everyone is doing good. I have been thinking about the family a lot escpecially the little kids, how are they, dang I miss them a lot, and how is  the new baby, do we know if it is a boy or girl yet... i need to know these things. My portugues is getting better i guess.... I have to talk a lot more when we are opening an area cause we need to find a lot of people and i am trying to talk to everyone that I can. I have changed a lot... I am in the missionary zone :).  When i look at a person I see them as a child of god and I want to help them and tell them about the wonderful messageful message we have. 

Well thats all I have to say for now.  I love you guys and thank you for everything. 

O'Yea,  the mission did change thats why the address changed. 

Love you all 

Love Elder Reiss

January 21st Letter

Well i got transfered. I have a new comp his name is Elder de Souza he is brazilian and speaks no english! Oh yea we are opening a new area, it freakin sucks! So thats all the new news about the mission, when i left my area yesterday people in my area had this huge party for me and stuff it was cool. I cried and creid and cried I will miss that area, but now I am out of the Favela and in a nicer place. 

I  really dont have much time to write more, and just to let you guys know I am going to be really busy this next couple months with this area cause me and my comp dont know anything haha, so if my emails are short to be mad. I will try to write letters more about the transferes. I love you all and cant wait to here from you again. 

Love you so much 

Love Elder Reiss

P.S How is Todd Bay and the new media place he has been planning?

Change of Address

Hey the office of the mission changed.
Here is the new address.
Love, Elder Reiss

Rua Euzebio de Souza, 121
Jardim Londrina
São Paulo, SP
05638-000

Landans Area

Here are some of Landans investigators, and baptisms.

Do you think that he climbs those stairs.....???

He probably should, considering his new eating habits! :)

And moms enabling, sweet filled packages!

This is Landans first companion Elder Cassenote.

This is Elder Oliviera , Landans current companion. Landan has really liked him, and they seem to get a long really great!

This was his Thanksgiving Dinner...

He definitely hasn't lost his character, sense of humor and spaziness!

I am so proud of this boy! He looks so good, and happy. I know that what he gives to the people he comes in contact with is so great- even if they don't hear his message, I know that Landan has a spirit that changes people. They are lucky to have him.

The Things you learn on a Mission!

So i am learning a lot of things on my mission, things good and things that are
pretty much worthless to me. For example, I figured out out how to over power the rubiks cube ( you know the cube that has a lot of little cubes with different colors and you have to get all four sides the same color) well after 2 months of trying to figure things out i finaly over 
came the adversary of this game and i matched all the sides haha. I was proud 
of my self. So thats about all the exciting news for this week. Oh 
yea and I know that I will be tranfered this coming Tuesday my comp 
talked to the President today and he said that i have a lot of time here in this 
area and that i need a change so i can grow and learn... So i will most 
likely email you guys next week with a new comp and a new area crazy, huh? 
Well it sounds like the family is really doing goood like always, it has 
been really hot here and i cant stop thinking about the snow there in Heber 
City. I really do miss snow. We have had some pretty wicked rain storms here 
also. One night i had to stay up and talk to my comp cause he was so scared, 
I stayed up for about one hour just talking about stuff untill he fell a 
asleep. haha! I like the lighting and the thunder here its like nothing i 
have seen in Utah, its a lot more dangerous.  Well family i love 
you so much and thank you again for all you do! O yea I have a baptism this 
week. The guy is is 22 years old and he is golden. He is really a good kid.But I love you guys and will talk to you next week love you with all my heart.

Love Elder Reiss