Hello. Lots of things happened this week and will continue to happen this month. First off, we have transfers on Thursday and I will be staying with my current companion, Elder Fincher in Philipsburg. I enjoyed this last transfer so I think this one will be just as good. We also got word that starting June 1st, our mission will get new missionaries every other week up until around August or September. So by that time our mission will have upwards of 200 more missionaries! With that there is a really high chance of me being in a trio which, it will be nice to see another person, finally 😂. Also this transfer is only 5 weeks long instead of 6 weeks long. There could be more changes going forward. I don’t know what will happen but I will make sure to let you know. Have a good week. Love, Elder Souza

Hello, everyone one! This week was good but the people we were teaching pretty regularly either didn’t want to meet any more or they won’t call us back so that kind of stinks. It snowed again this week haha, but we should be in the 70s by the end of next week, although you never know I guess. Hopefully you all had a great week and enjoyed Mothers day! I got to talk with my Mom, and Aunts and Grandmas this week, which was awesome. I am very grateful for my family and love then very much, especially my Mommy! I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have accomplished half the things I have without her. I’m an Eagle Scout pretty much all because of her, and the list goes on.

I’ll be honest, I’m getting a little anxious being in quarantine and not sure when it’ll end, but I think we all just have to make the most with the cards we’re delt so to speak. Just be hopeful and enjoy the little things. Thanks so much for all the support and responses and emails. They mean a lot. Have a great week! Love Elder Souza

Hello. We have had another pretty busy week. We are still teaching lessons, about 2-3 per day. We’ve been contacting a few members each day. Facebook is really taking off in our mission and missions around the world so we have been busy making posts for the mission pages. Other than that I’ve just been studying a lot and doing family history. If I were you during this time I would just spend as much time with your family and do the things you wouldn’t normally get around to doing. Learn something new and strengthen your relationship with Jesus Christ. That is where happiness and joy is. Have a good week and be safe. Love Elder Souza

Hey everyone. This was a good week. We’ve had about 2-3 lessons everyday! It’s no longer snowing but it’s been pretty rainy. I can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it in the past but every friday night we have a “date night” with our mission President over Zoom, where he tells us a bed time book of Mormon story and also gives us some updates of what’s going on in the world. This week however, was extra special because Elder Bednar and his wife were there. It would have been so cool to see him in person but I guess Zoom is the next best thing. He told us about what’s been going on from his side of things, and shared an awesome message with us. Earlier that day he had a meeting with President Nelson and told him that he would be video chatting the Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh mission that night and wondered if he wanted to tell us anything. And as a matter of fact President Nelson did have something he wanted to tell us. This is what he said,
“They need to learn all that they can through the experiences that they have from their mission president and his wonderful companion and from their other companions. They need to learn all that they can learn because they’re putting in place now a substantial part of their spiritual foundation for the rest of their lives. The remainder of their lives, spiritually, in large measure, will be determined by the foundation they establish as they serve as full-time missionaries. Tell them to learn. Tell them to strengthen that foundation and they’ll be blessed and prospered.”
That was a pretty cool experience for sure. I’ve heard Elder Bednar say in past talks as well as that night directly to us that we are on our mission at this specific time for a specific reason. I think a lot about all that I was able to do and experience the last few years at home and at school and have felt now more than ever that this is where I should be at this time. I miss Oregon just about everyday but I know I am here now and it’s where I should be. Hopefully you are all safe and healthy still. Love, Elder Souza
Sorry no pictures I will try better next week

Hello. How is everyone doing? This week was one of our busier weeks, we had a few lessons this week. We’ve been spending more time than usual calling people and it has been working out. It snowed a few days this last week, but now we are going back to sun and around 50 degrees. Hopefully it continues to get warmer because it’s almost May! I’ve had a lot more time to study the Gospel and the history of our church and it’s been really great. I would encourage all of you to spend more time In the scriptures and learning during this time. This is a pretty unique time and we have a lot more freetime. Also watch some Gospel movies. Our mission President is allowing us to watch Gospel movies and they are actually really good. I would encourage you to try and have spiritual experiences throughout the day and I promise it will make things easier. I hope you are all healthy and are finding peace during this time. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27) Don’t be afraid, be happy, find joy in everyday and have faith things will work out. “But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe.” (D&C 63:9) Love you all, stay healthy and have fun, Elder Souza

Hey everybody, this week I was transferred to Philipsburg, PA. My new companion is Elder Fincher. He is from Price, Utah. It’s been a good first few days. This area is a lot different than Hershey. It is a branch instead of a ward, so there aren’t very many members. It’s one of the biggest areas in the mission in how much area we cover but it’s pretty scattered and not as many people. It will be interesting to try to meet people over the phone or social media only, because I can’t meet them face to face. It snowed on friday for a little bit, then yesterday was 60 degrees, and today we have a tornado warning. The weather has been all over the place lately haha. Hopefully I will have more to tell soon. We’ve just been calling a bunch of people and reaching out over social media and through members trying to find people. Hope you all stay safe and have fun!Love, Elder Souza

Hello. It was a good week. I was really looking forward to general conference this last weekend. It is pretty cool that the whole focus was on the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and as a missionary we share that message everyday with people. I’m excited to see what the new temples look like as well. A temple in China is a big step and I think the temple in Dubai is going to look pretty fancy. Also we are getting a temple in Pittsburgh! The Church is really moving forward and I can’t believe how much energy President Nelson has at his age. I also wanted to add that almost every one who spoke this general conference that wasn’t an Apostle, spoke to us while I was in the MTC. It was kind of funny to listen to them again because I felt like I just saw them. I hope you all enjoyed general conference as much as I did.

I am done with training now and will be leaving Hershey after being here for 12 weeks. I’m going to Philipsburg, PA. It’s in the middle of the state pretty much. This next transfer will be interesting because there is a likely chance I may not meet anyone in the area in person!

Hopefully you all are safe and healthy, and making the most of your time in quarantine. Love Elder Souza

Hi everybody, just like the rest of the world (I’m assuming) we are in isolation. At times I feel like my companion and I are the only people left on earth because it is so quiet over here. It was a good week though. The members have been bringing us food everyday since the isolation started so that has been awesome. We send a lot of messages to them to help uplift them and give them comfort and I think that the Lord is blessing us with food! We call a lot of people and search for people we have met on Facebook, we have had some good luck but it doesn’t beat seeing them in person.

This is a unique time but we will be okay. The Lord has a plan and expects us to continue to be obedient and stay committed. This is a great time to grow closer to him, I have enjoyed this time to study more and invite you to do so. Do whatever you can to fill your day with the spirit and this time will be a blessing to you.

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Without fear, there is no courage. Without tumult, there is no peace. Peace is offered to us by the love of the Savior and his Atonement, it is received by our obedience to his commandments.

Here is something from my Mission President I wanted to share.

– President Bednar (Elder David A. Bednar’s nephew),
“The Lord is doing His work His way. We are the students of his way, not the school masters. The Lord doesn’t need good weather, good health, and thriving economics to do his work. In fact, some of his most artful work comes in bad weather, in times of drought, famine, poverty and rampant disease. The lord is opening the door not closing it. Gods hand is not stayed. He is not standing still. Don’t “pass” the time in which he is separating the righteous from the wicked. Gather the righteous and have faith he will help you.”

Have faith. Don’t be afraid. Things will work out. It’s hard being away from home, but following the Lord makes it worth it. I miss you all very much and pray for you daily. Have a good week. Love,-Elder Souza

Hello there! This has been a very interesting week and I think it will continue to change as the weeks go on. On Tuesday I had an exchange with the Zone Leaders but about 2 hours in, we got the email from our mission president that we can no longer have face to face interaction and that we can’t do exchanges, so we switched back. The Elder I was with however, grew up with Jabari Parker (NBA basketball player/LDS member) and his dad was Jabari’s bishop. I told him how I kinda know Jabari and he did some camps here and bought me a Gatorade one time, haha.

The rest of the week has been a lot of phone calls and Facebook messages now that we are in isolation. The way we do the work might have changed but the work that we are doing hasn’t. The Lord still expects us to do our best and stay committed to sharing the Gospel with others. I wanted to share 3 scriptures that our mission president shared with us and I invite you all to read them and see how they relate to today. 3 nephi 22:7-10, Helaman 12:2-3, and D&C 45:31-33. Feel free to read the whole chapter of each if you want but they fit very well. Many people feel that God has no control over today’s world, but I promise you that He is in complete control and He knows what He is doing. Remember His Son, our Savior. Be obedient and faithful. And the Lord will bless us with health, comfort, and the strength to lift up others during this time. Enjoy your week! Love Elder Souza

Hello everybody, so this week was good. We’ve been really busy finding people to teach and have had some good luck. Unfortunately because of the virus, we have officially been told no more tracting. So we have to find some new ways to find people. It will definitely slow things down, but we’ll be okay. I was just thinking about how many things have already happened on my mission that add to the experience. For example the virus and the bicentennial, and other changes to the mission rules. It’s kinda of a funny time. This week will definitely be interesting. This letter isn’t very long because I wanted to share this letter that my mission president wrote our mission. It makes a lot of sense and is important to remember in times like these. Also the quote from President Nelson is good. And lastly the picture of the burger is from a place called Sheetz, which is only in Pennsylvania. It’s a gas station, convenient store, and really good restaurant. You can get pretty much every fast food item and customize it. It’s great. Enjoy your week! Love Elder Souza