"Oi
Thanks for the story. I really liked to hear about your mission.
Wanderson, our baptism last week, was confirmed this week and received the priesthood. He went on his first division with us yesterday. That was cool. He is really awesome and wants to serve a mission. We're working to get a family of five baptized this Sunday. I really think that they will. This is a family that accepted baptism a couple of times, but then quit.
Can you please send some new pillow cases? I let two get all moldy and now they're really gross.
Oh...the zone loved your presents! They say thank you.
I have to go now, but I love you all!"
Elder Christian
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
"I Thought You Forgot Me"
"Oi!
"Well, the phone call was great. We got to talk to him for 60 minutes, but it didn't come off without a hitch. We were supposed to call at 12 Noon Mountain Time which is 5 pm in Brazil. So, at the appointed time we dialed the number he had given us, but were told the number was not in service! Tried again, same result! I had his mother trying to find the phone # we used at Mother's Day to see how many digits were in that number. After several more tries, I noticed that the area codes in our phone book for three cities in Brazil were two digits, and he had a zero in front of two digits in the area code he had given us. I tried the call without the zero and it went through. That whole scenario took 17 sweaty minutes and his first words were, "I thought you forgot me." Whew!
He had spent the day with his companion tracting. Apparently Christmas Day is just like any other day in Brazil. Christmas Eve they celebrate with fireworks, barbeques, and beer. That's kind of like many summer activities in the northern hemisphere. Remember, it's 95 degrees where he is and extremely high humidity.
We learned that his companion is from a smaller city close to Sao Paulo on the coast, and has been a member for three years. The ward where they attend is weak with only about 70 members attending and only 7 or 8 priesthood holders. Many have apostatized, but they did have a baptism this past week and another is scheduled.
There are 170 missionaries in the mission and 13 zones, each with two zone leaders. There are eight missionaries in the office, two of which were formerly his companions. He reports that he must have an accent when he speaks Portuguese, because he has been accused of being from at least ten different countries, some in South America and others in Europe. The U. S. wasn't one of them.
He says that there are some great fruits there. I had asked him about the acai berry, fruit from the Amazon which is extremely high in antioxidents and now making waves in the nutritional market. He admits he has gained some weight, as evidenced by the tightness of his suit pants.
He apologizes that he cannot write to everyone as he would like. His schedule is so busy and every minute is taken up with some part of the work. He appreciates the cards and letters and thanks everyone for their support even though he can't reply as he would like.
It was great to hear the sound of his voice. This was our second phone call. There is one more at Mother's Day 09. He wasn't allowed to call home last Christmas from the CTM, because there were too many missionaries and not enough phone lines. Time flies.....he has 10 1/2 months left, but who's counting.
"Well, the phone call was great. We got to talk to him for 60 minutes, but it didn't come off without a hitch. We were supposed to call at 12 Noon Mountain Time which is 5 pm in Brazil. So, at the appointed time we dialed the number he had given us, but were told the number was not in service! Tried again, same result! I had his mother trying to find the phone # we used at Mother's Day to see how many digits were in that number. After several more tries, I noticed that the area codes in our phone book for three cities in Brazil were two digits, and he had a zero in front of two digits in the area code he had given us. I tried the call without the zero and it went through. That whole scenario took 17 sweaty minutes and his first words were, "I thought you forgot me." Whew!
He had spent the day with his companion tracting. Apparently Christmas Day is just like any other day in Brazil. Christmas Eve they celebrate with fireworks, barbeques, and beer. That's kind of like many summer activities in the northern hemisphere. Remember, it's 95 degrees where he is and extremely high humidity.
We learned that his companion is from a smaller city close to Sao Paulo on the coast, and has been a member for three years. The ward where they attend is weak with only about 70 members attending and only 7 or 8 priesthood holders. Many have apostatized, but they did have a baptism this past week and another is scheduled.
There are 170 missionaries in the mission and 13 zones, each with two zone leaders. There are eight missionaries in the office, two of which were formerly his companions. He reports that he must have an accent when he speaks Portuguese, because he has been accused of being from at least ten different countries, some in South America and others in Europe. The U. S. wasn't one of them.
He says that there are some great fruits there. I had asked him about the acai berry, fruit from the Amazon which is extremely high in antioxidents and now making waves in the nutritional market. He admits he has gained some weight, as evidenced by the tightness of his suit pants.
He apologizes that he cannot write to everyone as he would like. His schedule is so busy and every minute is taken up with some part of the work. He appreciates the cards and letters and thanks everyone for their support even though he can't reply as he would like.
It was great to hear the sound of his voice. This was our second phone call. There is one more at Mother's Day 09. He wasn't allowed to call home last Christmas from the CTM, because there were too many missionaries and not enough phone lines. Time flies.....he has 10 1/2 months left, but who's counting.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Christmas is NEXT Week?!!!!
Oi!
Ya, know, your question about the phone call is a really good one. To be honest, I thought we still had like three weeks until the phone call, but Christmas is NEXT week! AH! President hasn't said a word about the phone call, that is interesting. He might give some rules, he might not. We'll see. As for us, I'll find a member, get their number and try to schedule a time for you to call them. I'll try and schedule it for Dec. 25th, 5 pm Brazil time. I'll let you know on the 23rd or 24th and I'll confirm the time.
I love the packages that you've sent. Elder Santanna as well. He hasn't stopped talking about the little maglite you sent for the 15th day. He really appreciated that. It's really fun to open these presents one day at a time. That package was the latest that I've received from you.
We have two baptisms that will happen this Sunday. Two 20 year old guys named Fransisco and Wanderson. It is very likely that because of these two, five more will follow in the next few months. We have also started to animate the members here with a program that I learned with Bro. Quatel in Vinhedo. It is going to be really good and will animate the members. This ward is small and weak. There were only 50 or 60 members at church Sunday... and out of all of them nine priesthood holders....OUCH! alright, let's baptize! I am getting used to Rio Claro. I feel I'll be here for awhile.
I love you and am happy. I am excited to talk to all of you! I will let you know how that will work out next week. I know the church is true!
Ate mais!
Elder Christain
Ya, know, your question about the phone call is a really good one. To be honest, I thought we still had like three weeks until the phone call, but Christmas is NEXT week! AH! President hasn't said a word about the phone call, that is interesting. He might give some rules, he might not. We'll see. As for us, I'll find a member, get their number and try to schedule a time for you to call them. I'll try and schedule it for Dec. 25th, 5 pm Brazil time. I'll let you know on the 23rd or 24th and I'll confirm the time.
I love the packages that you've sent. Elder Santanna as well. He hasn't stopped talking about the little maglite you sent for the 15th day. He really appreciated that. It's really fun to open these presents one day at a time. That package was the latest that I've received from you.
We have two baptisms that will happen this Sunday. Two 20 year old guys named Fransisco and Wanderson. It is very likely that because of these two, five more will follow in the next few months. We have also started to animate the members here with a program that I learned with Bro. Quatel in Vinhedo. It is going to be really good and will animate the members. This ward is small and weak. There were only 50 or 60 members at church Sunday... and out of all of them nine priesthood holders....OUCH! alright, let's baptize! I am getting used to Rio Claro. I feel I'll be here for awhile.
I love you and am happy. I am excited to talk to all of you! I will let you know how that will work out next week. I know the church is true!
Ate mais!
Elder Christain
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Transfer to Rio Claro
Oi!
I was transferred yesterday. I have left Vinhedo. I miss Vinhedo, Elder Nodal, Elder Bradford, and Elder Clark, but I'll get over it quick.
I'm now in a city called Rio Claro. I'm in the Rio Claro 2nd Ward. My comp is Elder Sant'anna.
He's a Brazilian from Sao Paulo and has 6 months left on the mission, but I am his senior. OOPA! He just hasn't qualified yet, that's all. I think I appreciate this change. I can take things with greater calm and sensibility. I feel like in Vinhedo, I rushed around like a chicken with it's head cut off and didn't get very far.
It's really hot here. REALLY HOT, and really noisy. We live in the downtown area and there are always cars, busses, and trucks passing by. We live in front of a high school, and we live with our zone leaders...again! LOL. Our zone leaders are Elder Martin and Elder Carvalhal. Elder Martin was Elder Clark's comp in the CTM. I bet we have fun together and baptize a lot. Rio Claro has the stigma of being one of the dead zones, but I'll forget all about that and everything will work out.
I'm very happy about my last week in Vinhedo..our numbers were awful, but something really special happened. There was a family in our ward whose newborn daughter died on Sunday morning. I was eating lunch with the bishop that day and we went back to the chapel for the funeral. I played the piano, and after the talk played postlude for nearly 45 minutes. The spirit was very strong and many people commented, but what was most special was one brother that come up to me, hugged me and said, 'You are always around to help with anything Elder Larsen, it's we that are failing you guys.' We had a lot of difficulty in Vinhedo, but with that one sentence, I felt like we had done our part, that we were appreciated and worthy missionaries. That night I played the piano at the stake again for their Christmas fireside. Beside this I have played in over 90% of all the sacrament meetings. My patriarchal blessing and the blessing that Pres. Broderick gave me when I was set apart as a missionary are being fulfilled. The piano is playing a big part in my mission.
There's a family in Vinhedo that has the same crock pot you have and they want some recipes, because they always burn stuff and don't know how to stop. Can you send some recipes. They speak English so don't worry about the language.
I love you and am happy and content. Thanks for everything. I know the church is true.
Elder Christian.
I was transferred yesterday. I have left Vinhedo. I miss Vinhedo, Elder Nodal, Elder Bradford, and Elder Clark, but I'll get over it quick.
I'm now in a city called Rio Claro. I'm in the Rio Claro 2nd Ward. My comp is Elder Sant'anna.
He's a Brazilian from Sao Paulo and has 6 months left on the mission, but I am his senior. OOPA! He just hasn't qualified yet, that's all. I think I appreciate this change. I can take things with greater calm and sensibility. I feel like in Vinhedo, I rushed around like a chicken with it's head cut off and didn't get very far.
It's really hot here. REALLY HOT, and really noisy. We live in the downtown area and there are always cars, busses, and trucks passing by. We live in front of a high school, and we live with our zone leaders...again! LOL. Our zone leaders are Elder Martin and Elder Carvalhal. Elder Martin was Elder Clark's comp in the CTM. I bet we have fun together and baptize a lot. Rio Claro has the stigma of being one of the dead zones, but I'll forget all about that and everything will work out.
I'm very happy about my last week in Vinhedo..our numbers were awful, but something really special happened. There was a family in our ward whose newborn daughter died on Sunday morning. I was eating lunch with the bishop that day and we went back to the chapel for the funeral. I played the piano, and after the talk played postlude for nearly 45 minutes. The spirit was very strong and many people commented, but what was most special was one brother that come up to me, hugged me and said, 'You are always around to help with anything Elder Larsen, it's we that are failing you guys.' We had a lot of difficulty in Vinhedo, but with that one sentence, I felt like we had done our part, that we were appreciated and worthy missionaries. That night I played the piano at the stake again for their Christmas fireside. Beside this I have played in over 90% of all the sacrament meetings. My patriarchal blessing and the blessing that Pres. Broderick gave me when I was set apart as a missionary are being fulfilled. The piano is playing a big part in my mission.
There's a family in Vinhedo that has the same crock pot you have and they want some recipes, because they always burn stuff and don't know how to stop. Can you send some recipes. They speak English so don't worry about the language.
I love you and am happy and content. Thanks for everything. I know the church is true.
Elder Christian.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Thanksgiving at Paulo & Keiko's
"Oi!
Thanksgiving was wonderful. It was very fancy, but very American. We went over to Paulo and Keikos's and the whole house was decked out in Christmas. They had invited the new stake president because Paulo is also newly called to the stake presidency. I talked to Pres. Kawaii about the division of the ward and he said that it is happening, that it would happen at the beginning of the new year. He was very excited and supportive of us. Paulo and Keiko also invited two other families from our ward and one family from the other ward. I know all of them well and it was awesome! The turkey was perfect, the pumpkin pie as well. We are so visiting Brazil after my mission and I'll introduce you to this family. They are one of my favorites of my whole mission.
The best news is that we got a new Ward Mission Leader, Brother Iglezia! He was just released from the stake presidency and I bet is probably the best member in both of the wards combined. I could not be happier about his call.
Today we are going to Campinas to buy some clothes for Elder Nodal. I don't need anything, but I will look for music. I want to ask you to send the "Called to Serve" MoTab CD and the new MoTab Christmas CD called "Rejoice and Be Merry." Also try to send some orchestrated hymns and classical music (can you specifically look for Vivaldi, he has a bunch of beautiful violin music). I bet you can find a set of classical music with a bunch of music for cheap. Pres. just gave us new rules about music, so I have to refurbish my ipod when I get the chance. We can listen to anything from MoTab, any orchestrated hymns (on any classical instrument) and any classical music.
Oh, and guess what, my shoes already have a hole in them, do you believe it. I'll send a picture to you next week.
We don't know anything about transfers, but we both want to stay. Elder Nodal because he wants to pass Christmas here, and I because I want to work with Irmao Iglezia. We'll see what happens.
Oh, also this is cool. At lunch on Sunday, the member's parents were over and they just got back from a church history mission. He finished the mission, but is slow on writing the book, so I told him that I would bother him about this until the book is published and that I would do everything I could to help him. This was a surprise to me, but I really want to come back down here for a few weeks after the mission and help him put the book together. They have hundreds of stories of the pioneers in Brazil and this stuff is amazing and has to be published. We have a lot to do down here in Brazil in one year. LOL.
I love you and am working hard. Ate logo! Enjoy your acai!"
Elder Christian
Thanksgiving was wonderful. It was very fancy, but very American. We went over to Paulo and Keikos's and the whole house was decked out in Christmas. They had invited the new stake president because Paulo is also newly called to the stake presidency. I talked to Pres. Kawaii about the division of the ward and he said that it is happening, that it would happen at the beginning of the new year. He was very excited and supportive of us. Paulo and Keiko also invited two other families from our ward and one family from the other ward. I know all of them well and it was awesome! The turkey was perfect, the pumpkin pie as well. We are so visiting Brazil after my mission and I'll introduce you to this family. They are one of my favorites of my whole mission.
The best news is that we got a new Ward Mission Leader, Brother Iglezia! He was just released from the stake presidency and I bet is probably the best member in both of the wards combined. I could not be happier about his call.
Today we are going to Campinas to buy some clothes for Elder Nodal. I don't need anything, but I will look for music. I want to ask you to send the "Called to Serve" MoTab CD and the new MoTab Christmas CD called "Rejoice and Be Merry." Also try to send some orchestrated hymns and classical music (can you specifically look for Vivaldi, he has a bunch of beautiful violin music). I bet you can find a set of classical music with a bunch of music for cheap. Pres. just gave us new rules about music, so I have to refurbish my ipod when I get the chance. We can listen to anything from MoTab, any orchestrated hymns (on any classical instrument) and any classical music.
Oh, and guess what, my shoes already have a hole in them, do you believe it. I'll send a picture to you next week.
We don't know anything about transfers, but we both want to stay. Elder Nodal because he wants to pass Christmas here, and I because I want to work with Irmao Iglezia. We'll see what happens.
Oh, also this is cool. At lunch on Sunday, the member's parents were over and they just got back from a church history mission. He finished the mission, but is slow on writing the book, so I told him that I would bother him about this until the book is published and that I would do everything I could to help him. This was a surprise to me, but I really want to come back down here for a few weeks after the mission and help him put the book together. They have hundreds of stories of the pioneers in Brazil and this stuff is amazing and has to be published. We have a lot to do down here in Brazil in one year. LOL.
I love you and am working hard. Ate logo! Enjoy your acai!"
Elder Christian
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