Elder Avery Rhodes Mission

Hello family and friends, These past few weeks have been really solid and have flown by. Today Marks the start of my third transfer here and 3 months exactly in Brasil. Today one my comps in the trio got moved to another city so we are just back to a normal companionship of 2. It was fun while it lasted though! Some new and exciting things is that now we can go back to knocking doors and contacting people on the streets. It has been restricted here for the last 19 months and missionaries serve for 2 years so you can imagine that literally almost no one knows how to do missionary work this way. So, it's been interesting that's for sure haha!! This past week were were able to visit ilhabela on p-day, this place was dope! It's an island that has some sweet beaches and waterfalls and is pretty much what you think of when you think of Brasil, I'll attach some pics below. One of the missionaries was running down this huge slippery rock and belted out a Portuguese hilario...

Hello friends and family,  Sorry its been so long since I have written last, I bet everyone is just dyinggg to hear from me...maybe haha.  I have been in Brazil now for a little over 2 months, isn't that weird to think? It's honestly gone by pretty fast and I have learned so many cool things. I've learned that the Brazilian people are just the coolest and that they seriously love their rice and beans lol, I mean LOVE their rice and beans. It's kind of funny, because I too now love my rice and beans. ;)  I've even been debating putting beans on my Chipotle burrito when I come home, I truly can say that I am a changed man.  The language is coming along, God sure does support and help his missionaries. I am now with an American missionary as my comp who has been here in Brazil for 10 days lol, so combined we don't even have 3 months of experience in the language but we are along and trying our best and having a good time doing it!  This transfer I have the opportun...

Hey all!! Elder Rhodes here, still alive and well. The Brazil Santos Mission has been very cool and a great learning experience. At times, I miss how so darn comfortable my other mission was lol but I know that this is exactly where I need to be at this time.  With that being said, I've already been here for 5 weeks, isn't that crazy!! And get a load of this, in a few days I will be half way done with my mission, already a year!? Man, where has the time gone. I don't know too much haha but I do know one thing for sure. When you love what you are doing, the person you are becoming, the people, and the Savior you are serving, time certainly flies.  Caraguataba is good. We have started an English Class here and the turnouts have been so awesome. We have found lots of teaching opportunities about the gospel by doing this.  We were also able to have zone conference this last week which is where a lot of the missionaries gather together for an awesome day of trainings and food ...

This past week was certainly one for the pics holy smokes! To start, my area now that I am covering is Caraguatatuba. It is a small little town on the beach a couple of hours from the City of Santos. We do lots of our missionary work on the beach, contacting, studies, and what not so that is nice haha can't complain about that! The drive in was a 5 or so hour ride in a van all along the coast and it was about the coolest thing ever driving on mountains of rainforest and looking down and seeing the ocean waves crash against the rocks. I've come to realize that between serving here, and Enterprise, Oregon, I have been pretty lucky on the views side of things haha. Soooo, Life in a new country what is it like eh?? Well let me tell you, not easy haha! Going from a place, mission, and friends, that I loved so much to coming here where I don't know how to do anything let alone talk lol has been a little challenging! But you know it's okay. I know and do feel ver...

  Hello!! I am happy to announce that I am alive and doing well! I have made it to Brazil and am loving it. It has been such a new experience. Fun, crazy, difficult, yet amazing all at the same time. I can tell that these next 13 months will be a lot of growth for me haha. For the past week I have been in Santos which is a huge island city about 2 hours from São Paulo right smack in the middle of the mountains and the ocean. The area that I will be serving in the at least the next month and a half or so is the most northern area in the mission where elders go, it is called Caraguatatba and I can't wait. Everyone says it is so beautiful and fun and it'll be great. The language, oh boy the language haha...Now that is a feat we have ahead of us! It is so cool being immersed into a language and culture where you have to learn everything very fast and everything is so new. I an able to not speak much haha but can understand the conversations which Is good! If there is one thing ...

Well folks, I got word last week that I will be shipped off to Brazil this Friday. It is just so crazy to think back and reflect on my time here in Idaho and Oregon and the many miracles I have seen and been privileged to witness first hand.  If there is one thing I know for sure it is that the work of the Lord goes forward, so we must continue to push forward in faith as well. Being a missionary is like seating in the front row to the best show ever, a miracle a day is what I like to say.  One miracle I would like to recognize is the joy and happiness that comes through simple gospel principles. Being kind, going to church, reading the scriptures, praying, and being full of gratitude to our Lord and Savior truly is a recipe for enduring joy and peace.  Idaho and Oregon will always hold a special place in my heart ;) I am so grateful for all of the people that I have met, taught, and ultimately been blessed by. So thank you. I am leaving my home, a place that I love with ...

  Hello everybody!! These past few weeks/months have been crazy! I went back through my blog and counted 10 posts, and I have now been out on a mission for 10 months. So, once a month is what we get hahahaha I know I need to do better! I have loved my mission so much and am forever grateful for the opportunity God has has given me to serve and love the wonderful people of Idaho and now Oregon. Living in La Grande is the coolest place ever. So green and pretty and the people are so funny. We have had so many teaching opportunities here and things have been going so well! Elder Sampson is my roommate now and he's dope. Makes me laugh a lot lol and y'all know when I laugh I laugh hard so we have a good time! Here a some pics: -Kennedy's baptism, she is the best!! -Nice pic in front of wallowa lake -Whole mission pics -Pics with ma friends

  Oregon is crazy. I've never been and now I'm pretty convinced that is the prettiest state in the U.S. I don't know how I feel about their mask mandates and all that jazz but man! The views, mountains, lakes, and rivers sure makes up for it! We live a few days a week in Enterprise and Joesph Oregon. These are hugeeee tourist attractions and have convinced me and my comp that we are buying land out here after the mission. It's amazing! We have been blessed with lots of teaching opportunities and having a front seat to seeing the gospel of Jesus Jesus Christ bless people's lives is something that I'll never forget. This week we were able to meet someone who had just moved from where I moved from, Star Idaho 3 hours away. And her husbands boss is someone that I knew. We were able to start teaching her because of these small connections that we have had in common. If I have learned anything it is that God is in the very details of our lives! Hie cool is that!? ...

Welp, as you can see from the header I am moving to Oregon! Whaaaattt. Where even is Oregon haha? I have been in Star and Eagle for the past 6 weeks and have loved it more than anything. Being able to serve in the area where the Meridian Temple is as well has been such a blessing. Getting to drive by that every day is just the coolest. So! I am being transferred to La Grande Oregon. Which, I found it is the farthest away area from anyone else in our mission, what did I do to deserve this haha?! No, but I am really excited and greatly anticipate the opportunity. I will be living half of the week in La Grande and then the other half driving and hour and a half to another town called Enterprise and will be staying there in another home. So, half of the week in one place and half of the week in another will keep me very busy and will be so fun! General Conference proved to be amazing! I would invite you all if you haven't already to listen to the words of a prophet. Every time I do ...