A new assignment...

Dear Family,

      The Lord works in mysterious ways and this time, it involves us.  We had a meeting with Elder Bassett of the Seventy and the Brazil Area Presidency.  Elder Bassett told us that we are being tranferred to the Brazil CTM (MTC) to work with new missionaries in any way we are asked to.  They have a tremendous need for couples to serve there and it has been a real overload for those currently serving.  So, hopefully we can go help.  We will let you know as things develop.  At this time, we are still scheduled to come home on April 28th and that will not likely change.  Brother Doug McAllister who is the chief legal counsel for the Church in Brazil came and visited with me for a while.  He serves two times a week at the MTC and he has been visiting with Elder Bassett about our assignment.  He just wanted to reassure me that we could do it.  Mom wasn't here when he first came.  We talked about a lot of things and when I showed him the exercise program for missionaries that I designed over a year ago, he got teary-eyed and said, "Your calling isn't a coincidence."  He said how nice it would be to have it in Portuguese and I went click, click and up came the program in Portuguese and then he couldn't talk.  I clicked again and showed him my email today from Leandro Luna, a professional trainer and the son of President Valter Luna who I baptized.  Leandro had promised me that he would go through my program and correct any errors in Portuguese and send it back to me.  So, he sent it back this morning after more than a month, the morning we had our meeting with Elder Bassett.  Brother McAllister told me that this could be a blessing to the missionaries for generations if they could be trained to take care of themselves while in the MTC for six weeks that they would be prepared for the mission field.  So many missionaries struggle with emotional issues relating to their mission and I know from experience that exercise can solve quite a lot of their anxieties and worries.  So anyway, we hope to be able to do some good out there.  Please pray for us.  This is scary, just like any new calling in the Church, except this seems a lot scarier for some reason.  There has to be some important reason for us to be there for a short 12 weeks because it would have been a lot easier just to stay where we are.  We pray that we can quickly see what the Lord would have us do.  He is already preparing us in ways that we could not foresee.  Stay tuned.

Love You All, 

Elder Sonderegger

​Amada Família,

     Well, we keep learning a little more.  Excuse me for being excited and nervous at the same time (all nerved up as we say).  ​We had our last fast offering fund meeting and Elder Costa was presiding.  When mom and I came in the room, he looked at us and said, "Did you have a meeting this morning?"  "Yes, we did."  "Everything ok (and gave us a thumbs up)?"  "Yes" and we gave him a thumbs up back.  Then we went right in and let Elder Bassett know that we will serve where we are asked to serve.  I mentioned to Doug McAllister this morning the physical challenges that I have as well as the ones that mom has and he finally said, "Some times you have to take a leap of faith."  I know that is true and so we will do it.  I think the Lord sent Doug around the corner at the right moment to visit with me.  He is such a solid, good, spiritual man and I would confide anything to him.  We have really grown to love him and his sweet wife.  We will still get a P-Day, just not sure when.  Elder Bassett called Ozaní Farías the youngest DTA in the Church and asked him to arrange a car for us.  That will be nice most of the time.  A lot of times the bus gets you where you want to go faster.  Elder Bassett as well as Brother McAllister told us that the temple and the MTC are the most spiritual places in São Paulo and that we would feel the spirit right when we walk through the door of the MTC.  I know the spirit makes a huge difference in how we grow and progress.  I have been amazed reading Jordan's emails from the MTC in Provo and how he has grown so much spiritually.  You can read it in his letters.  Elder Correa the Brazil Area Executive Secretary put his arm around me (I had some business with him) and said, "Congratulations my friend."  I said to him, "I guess you already know."  He nodded and said, "Not everyone can serve out there.  Everyone here in the office has great confidence in you.  You are supposed to serve there for a reason."  That humbled me to the core and it did mom too when I related that to her.  Well, here we go, another adventure.  I guess it is time to really work on our faith.  As Nephi said, "If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them."  We will just go and do.

Love You,

Elder Sonderegger