I gave him a giraffe to commemorate the day. I couldn't find a camel, so the giraffe had to do.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Don't Be A "Fubeca"!
"Oi!
Alright, this is my typical day:
I wake up at 6:30 and do 30 minutes of exercises, stretches, and get ready until 7:30 when we can eat breakfast. At 8:00 we have to be completely ready (as if to leave for work) and at our study tables studying Preach My Gospel. We start with prayer. At 9:00 we have companion study where we start with a hymn and a prayer. We practice teaching during this time. At 10:00 we have 30 minutes of language study, read the B of M for 10 minutes, read PMG for 5 minutes with a pencil in our mouths to help develop the accent, and 5 minutes of grammar study (5 minutes of grammar study is almost worthless). 10:30 on the dot we are out the door!
We pass the day visiting those we've marked, those we've planned, and talking with everybody in the road. We don't generally knock on doors unless we sense an opportunity. We eat lunch at 12:00 until 1:00 with the members and then we're out the door again. We can eat dinner from 5:00 until 6:00, but we never do...we're too busy. We get back at 9:00 or 9:30 at the max if we're teaching a lesson. We plan every half hour period of time of the next day from 9:30 until 10:00. 10:30 Lights out and in bed.
Tell the laurels and priests during missionary week that they had best learn to keep this schedule otherwise they'll be what we call "fubecas" or lazy disobedient missionaries. The best thing they can do is learn the discipline necessary to keep this schedule and be 100% obedient.
Wednesday we met an elect woman, Vania. We had a family night with her and a member family and she started to cry and tell us how she was lost in her life and how she wanted to change. We returned the next day and she accepted baptism for the 28th of March. We returned the day after to teach her about the Atonement and the Word of Wisdom and she stopped smoking and drinking coffee that day. She went to Stake Conference and loved it. Monday we were on our way to her house when the member family called us and told us that she had found a great new job and that she would be moving the next day...to a city on the other side of the state! The member was like..."Was it too good to be true!' I just laughed because I couldn't believe it! I learned from this that because we had nothing to do with her moving, this is a trial of our faith and if we do our part we'll baptize a lot at the end of this month. It just had to be!
Sunday was stake conference and E. Claudio M. Costa came to reorganize the stake presidency. He is my guess to be the next apostle It was a great conference. We had five investigators there. Our numbers are usually higher than that. The stake president was someone that nobody knew, which is good because that means there will be a lot of changes in this stake that needs change. Another interesting note is that the ward mission leader of Elder Carvalhal and Elder Barreto was the only person to vote contrary to the sustaining. I've never seen anyone vote contrary before. He was interviewed by the area seventy that was with Elder Costa and he left the interview crying.
Last night I was in a division with Elder George in his area and we taught a man the first lesson. I taught the part about Joseph Smith and the first vision and after I read James 1:5, he said that the night before he had prayed to God for help to be put on the right path and that an angel appeared to him. He was scared, but the angel asked, 'Why are you scared, didn't you ask for me to come and guide you?' I believed completely what he said and quoted the Book of Mormon, that angels are sent to prepare the hearts of men for our message, and then I could prefectly transition into the first vision. He accepted baptism and now Elder George will baptize him.
I love you and am happy. Ate mais! Elder Christian
Alright, this is my typical day:
I wake up at 6:30 and do 30 minutes of exercises, stretches, and get ready until 7:30 when we can eat breakfast. At 8:00 we have to be completely ready (as if to leave for work) and at our study tables studying Preach My Gospel. We start with prayer. At 9:00 we have companion study where we start with a hymn and a prayer. We practice teaching during this time. At 10:00 we have 30 minutes of language study, read the B of M for 10 minutes, read PMG for 5 minutes with a pencil in our mouths to help develop the accent, and 5 minutes of grammar study (5 minutes of grammar study is almost worthless). 10:30 on the dot we are out the door!
We pass the day visiting those we've marked, those we've planned, and talking with everybody in the road. We don't generally knock on doors unless we sense an opportunity. We eat lunch at 12:00 until 1:00 with the members and then we're out the door again. We can eat dinner from 5:00 until 6:00, but we never do...we're too busy. We get back at 9:00 or 9:30 at the max if we're teaching a lesson. We plan every half hour period of time of the next day from 9:30 until 10:00. 10:30 Lights out and in bed.
Tell the laurels and priests during missionary week that they had best learn to keep this schedule otherwise they'll be what we call "fubecas" or lazy disobedient missionaries. The best thing they can do is learn the discipline necessary to keep this schedule and be 100% obedient.
Wednesday we met an elect woman, Vania. We had a family night with her and a member family and she started to cry and tell us how she was lost in her life and how she wanted to change. We returned the next day and she accepted baptism for the 28th of March. We returned the day after to teach her about the Atonement and the Word of Wisdom and she stopped smoking and drinking coffee that day. She went to Stake Conference and loved it. Monday we were on our way to her house when the member family called us and told us that she had found a great new job and that she would be moving the next day...to a city on the other side of the state! The member was like..."Was it too good to be true!' I just laughed because I couldn't believe it! I learned from this that because we had nothing to do with her moving, this is a trial of our faith and if we do our part we'll baptize a lot at the end of this month. It just had to be!
Sunday was stake conference and E. Claudio M. Costa came to reorganize the stake presidency. He is my guess to be the next apostle It was a great conference. We had five investigators there. Our numbers are usually higher than that. The stake president was someone that nobody knew, which is good because that means there will be a lot of changes in this stake that needs change. Another interesting note is that the ward mission leader of Elder Carvalhal and Elder Barreto was the only person to vote contrary to the sustaining. I've never seen anyone vote contrary before. He was interviewed by the area seventy that was with Elder Costa and he left the interview crying.
Last night I was in a division with Elder George in his area and we taught a man the first lesson. I taught the part about Joseph Smith and the first vision and after I read James 1:5, he said that the night before he had prayed to God for help to be put on the right path and that an angel appeared to him. He was scared, but the angel asked, 'Why are you scared, didn't you ask for me to come and guide you?' I believed completely what he said and quoted the Book of Mormon, that angels are sent to prepare the hearts of men for our message, and then I could prefectly transition into the first vision. He accepted baptism and now Elder George will baptize him.
I love you and am happy. Ate mais! Elder Christian
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Rio Claro Conference This Week
"Oi!
This week was a tough one for the whole mission...it seemed like Satan threw everything he had at us, because in the first week the mission baptized 52 people, and this week, even though we had 30 marked, only 14 were baptised. We especially need your prayers this week, so that we can find families to teach and bring into the church.
This Sunday will be really special. Claudion R. M. Costa of the presidency of the Seventy will be here at the Rio Claro Stake Conference. Pres. Castro Deus will be there as well. We are going to try and take everyone we can find to the conference.
Elder Diniz is a wonderful companion. He is excited and easy to get along with. I haven't had a companion like him since Elder McEwen. But poor Elder Dunn. I've heard horror stories about his new companion for the past week.
I got the contacts and the shoes. Thanks, I really needed them, especially the shoes.
I love you and am happy. Ate logo!
Elder Christian
This week was a tough one for the whole mission...it seemed like Satan threw everything he had at us, because in the first week the mission baptized 52 people, and this week, even though we had 30 marked, only 14 were baptised. We especially need your prayers this week, so that we can find families to teach and bring into the church.
This Sunday will be really special. Claudion R. M. Costa of the presidency of the Seventy will be here at the Rio Claro Stake Conference. Pres. Castro Deus will be there as well. We are going to try and take everyone we can find to the conference.
Elder Diniz is a wonderful companion. He is excited and easy to get along with. I haven't had a companion like him since Elder McEwen. But poor Elder Dunn. I've heard horror stories about his new companion for the past week.
I got the contacts and the shoes. Thanks, I really needed them, especially the shoes.
I love you and am happy. Ate logo!
Elder Christian
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Mission Goal for March--300 Baptisms
"Oi!
Well, it was transfer week and Elder Dunn was transferred. I went to Campinas on Monday with Elders Carvalhal and Baretto for the leadership meeting and found out there that he would be transferred. He was really sad. I was kinda disappointed, but it was normal, lol. My new companion is Elder Diniz, a Brazilian. I am so excited to be working with him. He is excited and always happy.
Monday night I got to stay the night in Campinas at Elder Clark's house! Oh! It was just like old times! He is the ZL in my very first zone, so on the bus ride to his house I passed through my first area! We went with him from the meeting to a family home evening where they invited the investigator family to visit the temple with them today....and they will! I was with Elder Batista, my old ZL in Piracicaba and my fellow DL here in Rio Claro. Elder Lima (my ZL from Zona Itatiba) and Elder Brown (my trainer's comp after me) and Elder J. Miranda (I don't know him) were also there. We ate a lots of pizza!
Yesterday was the mission conference and it was by far the best, most motivating conference we've had yet. The mission is going to baptize 300 this month. That's our goal and I completely believe that we'll reach it. I've never seen the mission more united. All the leaders have to baptize 10 people....FAMILIES! COMPLETE FAMILIES! Everyone else has to baptize 4 people. I feel like I've got a lot of faith right now...like we could baptize everybody! So pray that I'll continue to have this kind of faith!
Today, we went to the temple. I saw Zilda, the bishop's wife from Campo Grande. She says that she is excited to meet you guys and that when we come back down here after my mission, the barbeque is still on! At the conference, the elders from Campo Grande told me that she asks about me often. I thought that was cool...one year later that ward still remembers me.
Oh, here's another interesting fact. Because Elder Carvalhal and I are both staying in Rio Claro, I'll have lived with him for more time than any other missionary. I told him that he is more blessed that any other missionary in the mission. LOL.
Our stake president here in Rio Claro, President Pavan, was just called to be mission president in Porto Alegre North, so we'll get a new stake president. Elder Caludio R. M. Costa of the Presidency of the Seventy ( and my guess for the next apostle) will be here for our conference! YAY!
Our mission president told us that the true "warriors" of the Brazil Campinas Mission would be born in this transfer, that those who really believed in what he said and what he taught us would see the hand of God in their area. I want to be one of them. I want so badly to rise to this challenge to baptize 10 people...to baptize complete families....to baptize 300 missionwide! Pray for this. I will.
I love you all and am super happy! I know God lives and loves us and that this is Christ's church and Christ's work! Miracles are going to happen!"
Tchau! Elder Christian
Well, it was transfer week and Elder Dunn was transferred. I went to Campinas on Monday with Elders Carvalhal and Baretto for the leadership meeting and found out there that he would be transferred. He was really sad. I was kinda disappointed, but it was normal, lol. My new companion is Elder Diniz, a Brazilian. I am so excited to be working with him. He is excited and always happy.
Monday night I got to stay the night in Campinas at Elder Clark's house! Oh! It was just like old times! He is the ZL in my very first zone, so on the bus ride to his house I passed through my first area! We went with him from the meeting to a family home evening where they invited the investigator family to visit the temple with them today....and they will! I was with Elder Batista, my old ZL in Piracicaba and my fellow DL here in Rio Claro. Elder Lima (my ZL from Zona Itatiba) and Elder Brown (my trainer's comp after me) and Elder J. Miranda (I don't know him) were also there. We ate a lots of pizza!
Yesterday was the mission conference and it was by far the best, most motivating conference we've had yet. The mission is going to baptize 300 this month. That's our goal and I completely believe that we'll reach it. I've never seen the mission more united. All the leaders have to baptize 10 people....FAMILIES! COMPLETE FAMILIES! Everyone else has to baptize 4 people. I feel like I've got a lot of faith right now...like we could baptize everybody! So pray that I'll continue to have this kind of faith!
Today, we went to the temple. I saw Zilda, the bishop's wife from Campo Grande. She says that she is excited to meet you guys and that when we come back down here after my mission, the barbeque is still on! At the conference, the elders from Campo Grande told me that she asks about me often. I thought that was cool...one year later that ward still remembers me.
Oh, here's another interesting fact. Because Elder Carvalhal and I are both staying in Rio Claro, I'll have lived with him for more time than any other missionary. I told him that he is more blessed that any other missionary in the mission. LOL.
Our stake president here in Rio Claro, President Pavan, was just called to be mission president in Porto Alegre North, so we'll get a new stake president. Elder Caludio R. M. Costa of the Presidency of the Seventy ( and my guess for the next apostle) will be here for our conference! YAY!
Our mission president told us that the true "warriors" of the Brazil Campinas Mission would be born in this transfer, that those who really believed in what he said and what he taught us would see the hand of God in their area. I want to be one of them. I want so badly to rise to this challenge to baptize 10 people...to baptize complete families....to baptize 300 missionwide! Pray for this. I will.
I love you all and am super happy! I know God lives and loves us and that this is Christ's church and Christ's work! Miracles are going to happen!"
Tchau! Elder Christian
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
This Week....A Twofer
"Oi,
Wow...I am shocked. I honestly didn't know Shilo very well and didn't know Micah (the Edwards girls) at all, but I grew to love the Edwards' on our trip and obviously she grew to love us too. She shared a very personal experience with you. If I were there, I'd visit them and give them a hug myself. So, send a hug, as the Brazilians say, to Lee Anne and Dale.
Oh, ya and I'm shocked that Megan (Fisher) is getting married! Oh, my heck!
This past week was difficult...our results turned out low and it seems like everyone was discouraged, but this week has started out great! I gave a training on the B of M yesterday and challenged everyone to use it much more in their teaching, even in the first lesson before they've explained about it. Everyone was weirded out and thought the practices were difficult, but I put it in practice yesterday and nobody denied our invitations. One man accepted the baptismal invitation firmly and three others were like that one king in Acts who said to Paul, 'thou almost persuadeth me to be a Christian.' But no one denied our invitations. I felt like we were teaching with much more power and authority. We'll perfect this technique and it will make a difference in our missions!
Elder Dunn is alright. I have to say, it has been a battle to keep his spirits up and it surely isn't only because he's a greenie. But this will be an important step in his personal progress. His first baptism is this Friday. Wanderson's little brother, Wellington will be baptised by Elder Dunn.
I've received one package this whole transfer, and that was at the very beginning. I got a letter from the postman that said one package was not admitted into the country and I assume that it was the one with the DVDs and garments. I think it should be on it's way back to you.
(Note: Last week's letter above came attached to this week's below)
Sorry about the email, I don't know what happened, but what I wrote last week is posted above this one.
I got two packages last week because the president came and did interviews. I'm starting to think that they don't give the packages every week, just the letters. I also got a package from Chaz. Go and thank him for that please and tell him I'll write him today. I did not get the package with the DVD's. I believe that was sent back to you, as I mentioned above. A few things that I really appreciated and hope you might send again were the Mrs. Cavanaugh's turtles and the assorted Jelly Bellies that Chaz sent. I hope you'll send more turtles, because the Brazilians with whom I live filched two, or three or six and now they're all gone.
Yesterday something really cool happened. A woman called Elder Carvalhal's chapel and he happened to be there. He answered and she started crying and telling him about her marriage problems and that she wanted the missionaries to come by. She found the church on the internet and then looked up the chapel's number in the phonebook. These are not coincidences! They must be elect!! They live in our area so we went there last night and taught them about family prayer, family scripture study, and gave them a B of M. They'll read and pray together and will go to church on Sunday. They are a really good family. I pray that we'll do everything right so that here in March they'll have a strong marriage and be baptized. Their names are Viraldo and Jilvana. They have two little sons Guilherme and Vinicius. Pray for them and put their names in the temple.
We've also met a few other families...none of whom are married and will have to get married, but all of whom accepted baptism. Please pray for them as well. One is Suele and Leandro. They have three small children Nayaara, Leadro, and Lucas, all under eight. They go hungry often and their parents are looking for work. Please pray that they'll find good work and won't have to work on Sunday, and that they can get married. Another family is a reference from our mission president. I don't know how he got this but he gave it to me and we went and taught them. It's Carlos and Nara, with Mateus (10), Pablo (9), Amanda (6) and Joao (5). Their biggest problem will be marriage. Yet another is an inactive woman who will now return to church. Her son-in-law and daughter accepted baptism, but must be married and that will be difficult as he lost all of his documents. Pray for Jose, Wilma, and Zenilda (the less active).
The Lord is blessing us so so much! The mission will try to baptize 300 people in March. We need to baptize at least four to reach that goal. I want to reach the new mission standard and baptize 10. That's our goal and if we are able to help these families and meet yet others, then we'll reach it.
I love you and am happy! Tschau Elder Christian
Wow...I am shocked. I honestly didn't know Shilo very well and didn't know Micah (the Edwards girls) at all, but I grew to love the Edwards' on our trip and obviously she grew to love us too. She shared a very personal experience with you. If I were there, I'd visit them and give them a hug myself. So, send a hug, as the Brazilians say, to Lee Anne and Dale.
Oh, ya and I'm shocked that Megan (Fisher) is getting married! Oh, my heck!
This past week was difficult...our results turned out low and it seems like everyone was discouraged, but this week has started out great! I gave a training on the B of M yesterday and challenged everyone to use it much more in their teaching, even in the first lesson before they've explained about it. Everyone was weirded out and thought the practices were difficult, but I put it in practice yesterday and nobody denied our invitations. One man accepted the baptismal invitation firmly and three others were like that one king in Acts who said to Paul, 'thou almost persuadeth me to be a Christian.' But no one denied our invitations. I felt like we were teaching with much more power and authority. We'll perfect this technique and it will make a difference in our missions!
Elder Dunn is alright. I have to say, it has been a battle to keep his spirits up and it surely isn't only because he's a greenie. But this will be an important step in his personal progress. His first baptism is this Friday. Wanderson's little brother, Wellington will be baptised by Elder Dunn.
I've received one package this whole transfer, and that was at the very beginning. I got a letter from the postman that said one package was not admitted into the country and I assume that it was the one with the DVDs and garments. I think it should be on it's way back to you.
(Note: Last week's letter above came attached to this week's below)
Sorry about the email, I don't know what happened, but what I wrote last week is posted above this one.
I got two packages last week because the president came and did interviews. I'm starting to think that they don't give the packages every week, just the letters. I also got a package from Chaz. Go and thank him for that please and tell him I'll write him today. I did not get the package with the DVD's. I believe that was sent back to you, as I mentioned above. A few things that I really appreciated and hope you might send again were the Mrs. Cavanaugh's turtles and the assorted Jelly Bellies that Chaz sent. I hope you'll send more turtles, because the Brazilians with whom I live filched two, or three or six and now they're all gone.
Yesterday something really cool happened. A woman called Elder Carvalhal's chapel and he happened to be there. He answered and she started crying and telling him about her marriage problems and that she wanted the missionaries to come by. She found the church on the internet and then looked up the chapel's number in the phonebook. These are not coincidences! They must be elect!! They live in our area so we went there last night and taught them about family prayer, family scripture study, and gave them a B of M. They'll read and pray together and will go to church on Sunday. They are a really good family. I pray that we'll do everything right so that here in March they'll have a strong marriage and be baptized. Their names are Viraldo and Jilvana. They have two little sons Guilherme and Vinicius. Pray for them and put their names in the temple.
We've also met a few other families...none of whom are married and will have to get married, but all of whom accepted baptism. Please pray for them as well. One is Suele and Leandro. They have three small children Nayaara, Leadro, and Lucas, all under eight. They go hungry often and their parents are looking for work. Please pray that they'll find good work and won't have to work on Sunday, and that they can get married. Another family is a reference from our mission president. I don't know how he got this but he gave it to me and we went and taught them. It's Carlos and Nara, with Mateus (10), Pablo (9), Amanda (6) and Joao (5). Their biggest problem will be marriage. Yet another is an inactive woman who will now return to church. Her son-in-law and daughter accepted baptism, but must be married and that will be difficult as he lost all of his documents. Pray for Jose, Wilma, and Zenilda (the less active).
The Lord is blessing us so so much! The mission will try to baptize 300 people in March. We need to baptize at least four to reach that goal. I want to reach the new mission standard and baptize 10. That's our goal and if we are able to help these families and meet yet others, then we'll reach it.
I love you and am happy! Tschau Elder Christian
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
We're assuming that's what was meant when this picture showed up this week and nothing else. Christian and his present companion Elder Dunn from Colorado.
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