4Life in Canada!

Rene Rivera, Rigoberto Melendez, Deysi Menjivar, Ana Melendez, Carlos Ramírez, Alan Michaelis, and Jason Gough

Earlier this month, 4Life Vice President of Distributor Relations Alan Michaelis and Director of Marketing Jason Gough traveled to Montreal, Quebec, Canada for meetings with 4Life distributors. Montreal is a predominately French-speaking city, but we have a growing group of Spanish-speaking distributors in that area. International Diamond Carlos Ramírez has been especially instrumental in sponsoring and training them, and he joined Alan and Jason for the 4Life meetings in Montreal. Most of the distributors they met with speak French in addition to Spanish. Jason Gough hails from Canada and speaks fluent French, so it was invaluable to have him there to address French speakers in their native language.

On the 4Life executives' first night in the city, Carlos held a 4Life opportunity meeting. Jason and Alan briefly introduced themselves and explained their specific roles within the company. The next morning, Carlos held a leadership meeting with some of the distributors in his group, and recognized them for their efforts in growing their organizations and increasing 4Life's presence in Canada. Later that night, Alan and Jason hosted a meeting about 4Life for distributors and their prospects—the room was packed! Jason presented the material in French, and Alan gave a corporate presentation in English, with Carlos translating into Spanish. Local distributors shared their product and opportunity testimonials. By all accounts, it was a wonderful event.

Alan and Jason came home from Montreal with ideas on how to help the distributors in Canada better build their businesses. They're working on both new and enhanced forms of communication to help distributors succeed and also branch out into the French and English-speaking markets in Canada. Although smaller in numbers compared to some other areas of the world, the Spanish-speaking group in Montreal has already displayed an extraordinary amount of passion and commitment to 4Life. Several of them have committed to attending our convention in May—and that number is increasing!

We're very excited about the growth of 4Life in Canada, and we're thankful for leaders such as Carlos Ramírez who take the time to train and nurture the distributors in their group. We're looking forward to many years of growth for 4Life in Canada!

Blessing Lives Through Service

From the very beginning of 4Life, it has been clear to us that this is a blessed endeavor. As we came upon certain obstacles and crossroads, we often felt that we were being sustained by a power above our own natural abilities—not because of any credit to us, but because of 4Life's potential to bless so many lives. We have a strong conviction that when you serve others, great blessings come.

Earlier this week, we announced that we had accepted an assignment to serve an 18-month mission for our church in Milan, Italy, beginning early summer 2009. We are so pleased that the nature of this particular assignment will allow us to balance our service commitments in Italy with our current obligations at 4Life. We will continue to be in attendance at all major 4Life events, and will still be very involved in directing the future of this company. We have never felt more confident and optimistic about 4Life's future.

We have also never been more confident in the talents and abilities of our Home Office staff, 4Life staff throughout the world, and distributor leadership in the field. And, anyone who knows our President Steve Tew knows that his expertise and dedication have always excelled beyond that which any company could hope for.

We have been so touched by the expressions of support that have come from so many of you as you have heard our news. How grateful we are that 4Life has attracted a culture of people who understand so well the power of faith, and the blessings that come from service and sacrifice. Thank you for being who you are. You continue to be an inspiration to us. We look forward to updating you as our adventure continues.

4Life has always been about achieving dreams, and that's definitely true today. Although we did not seek out this assignment, it has always been a dream of ours to one day serve a mission together. We are grateful to 4Life and all of you for making this dream possible for us. We are more committed than ever to helping each of you realize your own dreams.

We firmly believe that as we serve others through the mission of Together, Building People, the entire 4Life family will experience great blessings. Thank you again for all of your love and support. We'll see you soon at illuminate '09!

The famous Duomo Cathedral in Milan, Italy

Create your future

David Lisonbee, Felipe Rivera González, and Bianca Lisonbee

We recently saw a sign that read, "Home is where your story begins." In the case of International Diamond Felipe Rivera González, home really was where his story began, and it was also where he found the courage to make his story have the right ending. Felipe grew up in a very rough neighborhood. His mother taught him that you're free to make your own decisions, but then you must live with the consequences. He was surrounded by poverty, drugs, gangs, and despair, but he chose not to be a victim. Felipe learned from his mother that no matter how bad your situation is, you still have the power to make it better by making good choices.

Felipe's story is a testament to the power of working to make dreams come true. At 4Life, our 4Life Transfer Factor^® products and Life Rewards Plan^™ give people the vehicle to influence their own destiny. Recently, we heard a radio program about businesses that are actually doing better during the economic recession, including fortune telling. At first we laughed, but then we talked about how in times of uncertainty, people want someone else to assure them that all will be well. 4Life continues to thrive during these tough times, but rather than relying on someone else to tell you your future, 4Life gives you the tools to create your future.

Felipe Rivera González did not rely on anyone to tell him what his future would be. He learned that by making good choices, he could shape his destiny. He says that choosing 4Life was a good choice that has changed his life forever. Felipe has written a book based on his life that he hopes to publish one day. In the meantime, many people—including us!—have been inspired by his story of triumph over challenge and hope over despair. We are so grateful for people like Felipe who are making good choices, creating their future, and teaching others to do the same.

Biking with RioVida®

George Fei, Leon Thiessen, Steve Tew, Bianca Lisonbee, David Lisonbee

Recently, we had a chance to visit with International Diamonds Leon Thiessen and George Fei. During our meetings, Leon told us about his passion for biking. It started several years ago when his daughter, Shawna, also a 4Life distributor, invited him to join her in a sprint triathlon. He loved it, especially the biking portion of the race. Leon said, "I had re-discovered one of the great joys of childhood!"

Since then, he has completed a variety of bike events—some for fun, some for competition, and some for charity. He has finished both the 35-mile and 67-mile segments of El Tour de Tucson in Tucson, Arizona. This is one of the biggest bike races in the country with over 9,2 riders. And, Leon just turned 60 in January!

Leon set a goal to complete a "century" ride (100 miles) this year. He said, "4Life Transfer Factor^® products have provided me with phenomenal health support. Endurance training can be taxing on even the healthiest of immune systems. I take 4Life Transfer Factor RioVida Tri-Factor^® Formula as part of my training regimen to help support my body's antioxidant levels."

Leon recently began sponsoring the Fresno Elite Iron Team, which consists of about a dozen athlets that compete in Ironman^® triathlons around the country every year. Leon commented, "We are in our third year of competition and our RioVida jerseys have traveled to major events all over the United States. It was great to see our team coach Faron Reed come across the finish line in his RioVida jersey at the Ironman national championships in Kona, Hawaii. Another member of the team was photographed biking across the finish line in an event in Pacific Grove, California, and was highlighted in an issue of Triathlete magazine."

We were so inspired by Leon's story about re-connecting to his love of biking, and how he utilized 4Life Transfer Factor products to help create wonderful success for himself and many others. Keep up the great rides, Leon!

Fresno Elite Iron Team