This is a picture of the members of my zone. The occasion was a birthday of one of the sisters and they brought paper ties and antennae for us to wear.
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Zona Piracicaba
This is a picture of the members of my zone. The occasion was a birthday of one of the sisters and they brought paper ties and antennae for us to wear.
Another Great Week!
"This week has been great. The baptism of Victor went well....except I think his dad is going down hill. He'll eventually come around and accept, because of all the blessings that he is seeing his kids receive. I baptised Victor, but I didn't confirm him. The baptismal service was held together with the Piracicaba 5th Ward, our zone leader's ward. They baptized a man with whom I participated in a family night with Elder G. Silva the day I got qualified. The investigator amazingly remembered my name! That made me happy. It was really good, except for maybe the 2nd musical number, which was a hymn sung by the missionaries (I played the piano). But, oh well.
Yesterday, we had our conference with Elder Tobias!! Holy cow, it was awesome!! We came away with the desire to invite EVERYBODY to be baptized, even in the street! Pres. Castro Deus wants more 'Crazy Missionaries', more missionaries crazy to invite everyone. Elder McEwen and I are energized and excited, because we are going to make this month the Ammon Pattern of Excellence Month.
The picture is of E. Rossi, myself, and E. McEwen on the day of the transfer.
I love you and am having a great time. Keep praying for me and that we will be able to this Ammon Pattern.
Ate mais! Tchau! Elder C. Larsen
Friday, July 25, 2008
Great Week.....More Baptisms
"This week was a great week too! We went to the temple on Wednesday and that night we scheduled another baptism that took place on Saturday. It was the daughter of another family that has to get married. I was the one that baptized! Her name is Raquel and she 14. We are trying to schedule her parents marriage so the they can get baptized too. We've also scheduled the baptism of Diane's little brother for this Saturday. Her mom wants to get baptized, but can't because her husband doesn't want to get married. We're praying hard for them.....Jefferson and Kelly. The mom, Diane, and her little brother Victor, are awesome. We went and woke them up Sunday and reminded them about church, because they weren't going to go. Then, when it looked like they had missed the bus, and Jefferson refused to give them a ride, they set off to walk to church (which is a very long way, uphill....I've already walked it). That was when Jefferson was nice and gave them a ride. I was so proud of them! They were willing to walk all that way! YAY!
Sunday was amazingly stressful. Can you send me a car and a cell phone (that doesn't run out of minutes in two days! lol, just kidding). What happened was that was the day of Raquel's confirmation and we had arranged for a member to meet us at another investigator's house to pick him up. We arranged for a different member to come by a bit later to pick us up, but the first member showed up 1/2 hour late and because we were stuck with the investigator, we didn't have any way to let the second member know. Well, the first member arrived and we got to the church and walked in right at the moment that the bishop announced the confirmation, so we just walked straight up to the stand! Holy Cow! I have to find some stress management techniques, because that just about did me in! And when the second member came up to give me a bad time about not showing up for the ride, that was even worse, but when I told him what happened, he seemed sorry and his wife said she would give us a box of chocolates. Ha Ha. But the best part was during Sunday School, when I was trying to settle down from all of this, the 1st counselor came in and asked me to play the piano for the primary....and that was exactly what I needed! I was good after that.
Elder Tobias, a general authority is touring the mission on July 29th . I don't have any idea who he is, but it will be cool.
We found a big gecko running around our bathroom this morning. When we got home from Campinas he was on his back with his feet in the air...dead.
Thanks for everything! I love you and the work! Keep praying for me! Tchau!
Ate logo, Elder C. Larsen.
Sunday was amazingly stressful. Can you send me a car and a cell phone (that doesn't run out of minutes in two days! lol, just kidding). What happened was that was the day of Raquel's confirmation and we had arranged for a member to meet us at another investigator's house to pick him up. We arranged for a different member to come by a bit later to pick us up, but the first member showed up 1/2 hour late and because we were stuck with the investigator, we didn't have any way to let the second member know. Well, the first member arrived and we got to the church and walked in right at the moment that the bishop announced the confirmation, so we just walked straight up to the stand! Holy Cow! I have to find some stress management techniques, because that just about did me in! And when the second member came up to give me a bad time about not showing up for the ride, that was even worse, but when I told him what happened, he seemed sorry and his wife said she would give us a box of chocolates. Ha Ha. But the best part was during Sunday School, when I was trying to settle down from all of this, the 1st counselor came in and asked me to play the piano for the primary....and that was exactly what I needed! I was good after that.
Elder Tobias, a general authority is touring the mission on July 29th . I don't have any idea who he is, but it will be cool.
We found a big gecko running around our bathroom this morning. When we got home from Campinas he was on his back with his feet in the air...dead.
Thanks for everything! I love you and the work! Keep praying for me! Tchau!
Ate logo, Elder C. Larsen.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Miracle Baptism and Qualified!!!
"So this week has been awesome!!! Last Wednesday night a miracle occurred! We were on splits and when Elder McEwen went to a member's house, the daughter in one of our families was there talking with Mayara. Before he even started to teach she asked, 'Can I ask you something...What do I need to do to be baptized?' OH!!! It was a miracle, and it was proof of the Lord's acceptance of our sacrifices and hard work. Well, she was baptized on Saturday and she is as happy and faithful as ever. Her name is Diane and she is 14 years old. Elder McEwen baptized her and I confirmed her. I also organized and conducted the baptismal service which I was nervous about, but loved! (Oh ya, Sunday was interesting. We blessed the sacrament, spoke in church, taught the Gospel Principles class, confirmed Diane, and gave three blessings that night.)
Aside from that, we went on splits with our zone leaders so we could "Qualify" It was three hours of grilling about our knowledge of Preach My Gospel and mission techniques and rules, but both of us passed. That means that I am THE FIRST junior companion in the entire mission to qualify according to the criteria for senior companions. I qualified before many of our zone and district leaders here in the mission, and was the first 20 or so of all the missionaries here to qualify. This is something I take great pride in. We qualified Tuesday morning and that afternoon we had interviews with the president and as I walked into his office, I whipped out my qualification sheet and said "Olhe aqui!' ('Look at this!') The president relates the qualification and the 'Padrao Amon' (Ammon Pattern) to mountains that we have to climb and I've climbed one peak and now we're going up the other! Another thing that makes me happy is that our faith is shown by our works and fulfilling this qualification process strengthens my faith and enthusiasm! It was so good to hear the president's praise. He told me that he has so much pride in us, that he is really happy with our work, and that we are examples of Christlike missionaries, and that we surely are climbing the mountain.
Studing for the qualification really unified us as a companionship. We were already a wonderful team, but because we prepared for this together, worked on this together, and talked about this together for the past three weeks, it really brought a level of unity I've yet to see in the mission. This transfer has been, is, and will be the best yet.
Thank you for everything you do! Thanks for the packages and letters and prayers. I love you and am having a great time! The church is true! Jesus Christ is our savior and he loves us! Ate mais!"
The now QUALIFIED Elder C. Larsen
Aside from that, we went on splits with our zone leaders so we could "Qualify" It was three hours of grilling about our knowledge of Preach My Gospel and mission techniques and rules, but both of us passed. That means that I am THE FIRST junior companion in the entire mission to qualify according to the criteria for senior companions. I qualified before many of our zone and district leaders here in the mission, and was the first 20 or so of all the missionaries here to qualify. This is something I take great pride in. We qualified Tuesday morning and that afternoon we had interviews with the president and as I walked into his office, I whipped out my qualification sheet and said "Olhe aqui!' ('Look at this!') The president relates the qualification and the 'Padrao Amon' (Ammon Pattern) to mountains that we have to climb and I've climbed one peak and now we're going up the other! Another thing that makes me happy is that our faith is shown by our works and fulfilling this qualification process strengthens my faith and enthusiasm! It was so good to hear the president's praise. He told me that he has so much pride in us, that he is really happy with our work, and that we are examples of Christlike missionaries, and that we surely are climbing the mountain.
Studing for the qualification really unified us as a companionship. We were already a wonderful team, but because we prepared for this together, worked on this together, and talked about this together for the past three weeks, it really brought a level of unity I've yet to see in the mission. This transfer has been, is, and will be the best yet.
Thank you for everything you do! Thanks for the packages and letters and prayers. I love you and am having a great time! The church is true! Jesus Christ is our savior and he loves us! Ate mais!"
The now QUALIFIED Elder C. Larsen
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
New Companion, Same Joke, Pancakes
""Oi!
First...FELIZ ANIVERSARIO PAPA!!!! Parabens pravoce, nessa data querida, muito felicidades, e muitos anos de vida!! (that's the same song they sing at Rodizo!) haha! Happy Birthday!
Alright so we tried the pancakes and they turned out great! We held a a family night at a members house and we made pancakes..(well actually, she made the pancakes after we totally burned them! That family is SO SO wonderful) Everyone loved them, especially the maple syrup. The maple butter was completely eaten. I don't know why, I think the syrup was better...but for some reason we can't get it to be thick. What do you think we need to do? Anyway, they taste great and that was a fantastic idea to send those....thank you.
We pulled the prank on Elder McEwen and it worked perfectly...the past week he's been saying to himself...'Ela fala....Ela fala' or 'She speaks, she speaks!" It was really funny. He was already to baptize her and when she started singing, he just looked straight at me with the nasty ''Oh you' look. But I have to say he's the best companion I've had yet. I relate better to him than to any of the others. We're going to do a lot of good together. He's been out 10 months and he's our district leader here. He's a little funny, because he zones out a lot. He's definitely one that I want to keep in touch with.
This week we've been talking to more people than ever before. We've almost literally stopped every person we've passed on the street and talked to them. It's been quite amazing. I'm grateful that Elder McEwen is so comfortable and driven to talk to EVERYBODY. That is what I was hoping for in my companion when the transfer came around, because that's what I need the most help in. What has also been fun has been to see how well I've handled being the only one here who know what's what. Being new, he doesn't know who we've taught or where things are. I've had more responsibility and it's been fun. Sunday felt like home with a million different people swirling around me asking me questions and me finding out how I could help. In other works, it's been busy, and busy is good.
Tchau, tchau! Elder Christian
First...FELIZ ANIVERSARIO PAPA!!!! Parabens pravoce, nessa data querida, muito felicidades, e muitos anos de vida!! (that's the same song they sing at Rodizo!) haha! Happy Birthday!
Alright so we tried the pancakes and they turned out great! We held a a family night at a members house and we made pancakes..(well actually, she made the pancakes after we totally burned them! That family is SO SO wonderful) Everyone loved them, especially the maple syrup. The maple butter was completely eaten. I don't know why, I think the syrup was better...but for some reason we can't get it to be thick. What do you think we need to do? Anyway, they taste great and that was a fantastic idea to send those....thank you.
We pulled the prank on Elder McEwen and it worked perfectly...the past week he's been saying to himself...'Ela fala....Ela fala' or 'She speaks, she speaks!" It was really funny. He was already to baptize her and when she started singing, he just looked straight at me with the nasty ''Oh you' look. But I have to say he's the best companion I've had yet. I relate better to him than to any of the others. We're going to do a lot of good together. He's been out 10 months and he's our district leader here. He's a little funny, because he zones out a lot. He's definitely one that I want to keep in touch with.
This week we've been talking to more people than ever before. We've almost literally stopped every person we've passed on the street and talked to them. It's been quite amazing. I'm grateful that Elder McEwen is so comfortable and driven to talk to EVERYBODY. That is what I was hoping for in my companion when the transfer came around, because that's what I need the most help in. What has also been fun has been to see how well I've handled being the only one here who know what's what. Being new, he doesn't know who we've taught or where things are. I've had more responsibility and it's been fun. Sunday felt like home with a million different people swirling around me asking me questions and me finding out how I could help. In other works, it's been busy, and busy is good.
Tchau, tchau! Elder Christian
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
New Companion, New Goals
"Elder Rossi was transferred and now I'm with Elder McEwen from California. He is a great Elder and I am going to learn so much from him. I think this transfer will be by far the best yet. Also Elder M. Naschimento, our old zone leader was made Assistant. He is awesome! I got permission to open the package with Elder Rossi's oil vial there at the chapel, so I was able to give it to him. I also gave Elder Miranda the pistachios that were in that package and slyly distributed the cliff bars and gummy worms to some friends and all the elders on the bus back to Piricicaba. Everyone was pretty happy with me after that! Oh, and I got the slacks and I'm wearing them right now. They're great! We also got the pancakes...that's going to be fun. I think I'll try to make them tomorrow morning.
Do you remember that trick that they pulled on me when I first arrived? Well, we're pulling it again on Elder MckEwen. It's going to be funny! I'll let you know.
We have a few new things here in Campinas. First, the the Ammon Pattern of Excellance which includes two baptisms per week, ten investigators at church each Sunday, and fourteen new investigators each week. I am really excited to fulfill this new goal. We are far from it...as are most of the missionaries here, but it's very possible, and I have full confidence that somehow we'll pull it off. The other new thing is the Qualification System. The president put together a list of qualifications for senior missionaries according to Preach My Gospel. He wants us to improve in application and grow in knowledge about Preach My Gospel. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO EVERY PROSPECTIVE MISSIONARY TO QUALIFY HIMSELF ACCORDING TO THIS PATTERN BEFORE HE LEAVES!! This would be an excellent thing for a priest's quorum or mission prep. class. This is an excellent pattern and Elder McEwen and I are working to pass ourselves very soon.
Tchau Tchau Elder Christian
Do you remember that trick that they pulled on me when I first arrived? Well, we're pulling it again on Elder MckEwen. It's going to be funny! I'll let you know.
We have a few new things here in Campinas. First, the the Ammon Pattern of Excellance which includes two baptisms per week, ten investigators at church each Sunday, and fourteen new investigators each week. I am really excited to fulfill this new goal. We are far from it...as are most of the missionaries here, but it's very possible, and I have full confidence that somehow we'll pull it off. The other new thing is the Qualification System. The president put together a list of qualifications for senior missionaries according to Preach My Gospel. He wants us to improve in application and grow in knowledge about Preach My Gospel. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND TO EVERY PROSPECTIVE MISSIONARY TO QUALIFY HIMSELF ACCORDING TO THIS PATTERN BEFORE HE LEAVES!! This would be an excellent thing for a priest's quorum or mission prep. class. This is an excellent pattern and Elder McEwen and I are working to pass ourselves very soon.
Tchau Tchau Elder Christian
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