Still Here For Awhile

I will try to make this letter short and sweet but we will see. Transfers came and I am staying in the same area same house and with same companion. So you can send me some letters straight to my house. My dad and mom have the address. But you have to send quicker than later because if you wait too long I could be gone from here. Also I could really use some letters that would be great. I am pretty excited to stay here because I know that it is help me out learn patience and other things. My companion is great so that is good as well.

Feel free to fill me in on any sports! That would always be appreciated. I would also like some updated pictures of the family. Also Justin and Crystal, do you have pictures of the time we went to the temple grounds with Tashi and everyone I have some people that would like some of those pictures of the temple ground etc.

Also to start this great week I had diarrhea -- that was great fun. I had it for like 3 days. But I kept working through it that was great. My companion also got pink eye so we were both sick for a bit but that just made it more fun to teach. Good news is I did not get pink eye. We also had a presentation in our chapel this past Saturday that was really good. We had a choir sing and people talk about the Book of Mormon. We got new investigators because of it and helped bring less active back to church so it was a success. Also I got to participate with my companion. That was fun to talk Portuguese in the front of like 300 people. The cool thing is they will be making CDs of the music and I should get one for free sometime so that will be sweet to show you all. The language is coming along a lot better and better every day. The hardest thing is I just need more words and a little better with all the conjugations but I am talking without translating now and I am told that my Portuguese sounds more Brazilian than an American talking so that is good. We have a lot of good families that we are teaching a lot of good new investigators that we found. We have also settled into the area so I expect great things this next transfer we will change this area. Missionaries in this area have struggled with baptisms for a while but we will change that.

The only bad thing is that we have had clouds and fog and rain everyday for the past 2 weeks or more -- that sucks. Fog here is an everyday thing. So if you didn’t like fog you would hate it here. That is about all for this message. I just hope that you are all getting ready to send me some great packages and letters. Oh one thing don’t send packages to my house just letters. I love you all. I know this is the true church with all my heart. I love this gospel. I love the opportunity that I have to be here. It is changing my life and I just hope I am helping the people around me. I know that God loves us and will help us in all things we just have to talk with him and he will respond. I know that the Book of Mormon has power -- we just have to open it and read. I love you all so much! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Read the Book of Mormon

So this week has been interesting. We had a ton of appointments this week that fell through. So that was not good but because of the fallen appointments we had great opportunities with new investigators. So we have a lot of great new investigators and I'm really excited to start to teach them. Also it rained a lot this week and was really foggy every night. You could not really see your feet so that was cool. Really difficult to talk to people when you can’t even see them. I got really down on myself this week I just didn’t thing that I was good enough or worthy enough for things and that is why we had so many appointments fall through. But my companion helped with that. He said that one of the best ways for Satan to get at us is telling us that we are not good enough or need to do more. I really agree now I feel Satan trying to bring me down every day. But how great of a blessing it is to have angels of the Lord and Megan with me every day of every hour to fight against the angels of Satan. All I have to do is be worthy of the angels and try my hardest and I will always win. Also I have really gained a testimony and invite you all to bless your houses to the Lord if you have not done so already. It is pretty simple. But I think that all our homes really need it so if you haven’t done so please do so. Also for all my members of the family. My companion wants to train his English and wants to talk to my family so I think he wants to send you all a letter. So be expecting one. It won't be long but it will come. He also said it would be great if you actually replied. He wants to thank my brothers for great example and mom for the recipe for pasta with the works (I made it this week and he loved it, thanks mom). And for the love of my mom and just everyone. He really says my family must be great and I one hundred percent agree. So one person we are teaching is infested with bugs. When we left her house I had bug bites everywhere they are not good bug bites so hopefully I don’t pick up some kind of disease. But there is a promise in Doctrine and Covenants and Book of Mormon that I will be protected and I believe that I just have to stay close to the spirit. So I beat my companion in soccer the other day. And they say Americans don’t play soccer. That is what I am talking about -- one point to America. . The person we baptized the other day really is like my grandma here. She really loves me and thinks I have so much courage and other things. She would get along with Grandma Parkinson very well always telling stories. At times stories I really don’t want to hear. So we went to the temple today. We have the opportunity every three transfers if we are close enough. It was only two hours by train to get there and two hours to return but it was worth it. I love going to the temple. I figured out something amazing. The temple is the same in every country and every language. The spirit was really strong there and I really just loved every minute of being there. I really did not want to leave but I guess I have to continue with the mission. I really would love to go there tomorrow but there are people in the world that need to hear the gospel so that they for themselves can enjoy the great blessing that I have to go to the temple. That is the ultimate goal a mission has for his investigators. I want you all to know that dad does a great job with the blog. I really write pretty sloppy for him in the emails because I don’t have that much time. So I want everyone to tell him thank you. Like I said the week I had some ups and downs but I am still going and excited for what lies ahead. My companion and I are going to have a race to ten. All the ten books that missionaries can read we are going to see who can finish them first. I will win just you wait. I also finished the Book of Mormon last week and oh what a blessing that was in my life. I love this book with all my heart because it brings me closer to my Savior and redeemer and my Heavenly Father. I know that this Book the Book of Mormon is the word of God and when we read it, we can gain a testimony and strength for the days if we go about reading it with faith and an open mind. I have to get going sorry. But letters would be appreciated from all. I love you all so very much. I want you all to try to find a person to share the gospel with. pray for an experience to help a child of God come back to him. I know if you pray for a person to enter your life you will find. I love this gospel so very much. I know that it is true. I know that God loves us and that Jesus Christ died so that we could live. I know that he is the only one that really knows all that we feel in our lives. HE KNOWS US and what we go through. I know that he is waiting with his arms wide open to comfort us and say it is ok. I am here to help. I know that if you pray to God he listens and really want to talk to you. I have such a strong testimony of the fact that families are forever so love your family prays for them and if you teach the things you need to teach. You can be with them forever. I know all these things are true and I leave my testimony with you in the name of our brother and redeemer Jesus Christ Amen. I love you and miss you all.

Elder Superman

This week was great! We had a ton of people cancel on us but that is ok. I was happy the whole week. It helps when your companion is great. We get along really well and joke around quite a bit. We have the same personality but the only difference is he is Brazilian. Even though we had a ton of people cancel on us this week (which was really hard), we worked through it and had a baptism too. It was great! A lady named Sueli. She is Japanese and knew nothing about Jesus Christ before we taught her. She absolutely loves Him as do I and I bet a lot of you as well.

We have a train station that looks exactly like the train station in the movie The Best Two Years. I love that! Every time I see our train station, I laugh because of what happens in the train station in the movie.

I fixed my pants last week. That was cool because I sewed them myself. They are not perfect but they work. The rain has been incredible! It doesn’t ever really stop but I kind of love it. I have gone through three umbrellas. I have really bad luck with them. The second one I bought, I opened it too fast. I guess I am still too strong.

I have really started to love the scriptures so much. I just never want to stop reading them. I will finish the Book of Mormon in 6 days - maybe sooner. So I read it in only 5 weeks that is how much I love them. There are so many sweet stories that if you apply them to your life, they help so much.

My nickname in this area in my ward is Superman or Clark. That’s because a lot of people think I look like Superman or Clark from Smallville. It’s cool that that followed me here. I am ok with looking like Superman. What a great name -- Elder Superman. I am kind of famous here -- I might not want to go back to the United States. I am like the only one that has blue eyes, so everyone stares at me. The eyes and the name plaque are the key. Only bad thing is there are a lot of girls that try to get close to you and flirt and things. Girls here are a lot more open which is not a good thing. But I will push through.

The work is progressing a ton. We have a lot of new investigators who really love our message. We gave a first lesson the other day, and they asked about baptism! The guy said to us, “So how do I become baptized in your church?” How great! I love this work! I love my companion, and I love the Lord. I love you all. I am just so full with love and gratitude lately. I have been blessed so much in my life, and I am so glad I can try to bless the lives of others. I know this is the true church with all my heart. I know I am here for a reason. Reading the scriptures is a key to success in your life. I know that Jesus suffered for us and really does know what we feel and has his arms ready to help. I know that with all my heart. The Church is true!. I testify to this in the name of Jesus Christ., Amen.

Elder Daniel J Parkinson

The Snakes

This week has been great actually. I have been blessed a ton but also had some tough times but who doesn’t?

We have a lot of tea here. They always want to give us coffee but that is a “no go”. So they give us a fruit tea. Don’t worry – it’s straight fruit tea. I am allowed! I have grown to like the tea. I didn’t before my mission - well to be honest, I don’t really remember having it a lot before my mission. But here I get the opportunity to have it. It is not amazing, but I do seem to enjoy it.

They do not know what hot chocolate is. I realized I could make bank here in Brazil! I would sell cookies and hot chocolate and tons of other things.

We had a service project the other day that was great. We did a landscape sort of thing. It was great to be doing that again. I love service projects. The only bad thing is it cuts into my study time. But that is ok - it is always good to serve God’s children. For as it says in Mosiah 2;17, when we serve his children, we serve God. (Yes, Justin I know that was your plaque scripture.) I have come to love that scripture.

This ward is great but they are kind of not helping us like the last ward. They just don’t feel like they have time, but that is ok. I will keep doing my work and hopefully some day this will change. We will have a baptism this week-- the first one in five months in this area. I am very excited! She is so great! Her name is Sueli. She is Japanese and hilarious. To teach her the law of chastity was so funny because she wanted to tell us stories (which is never a good thing). When we taught the word of wisdom, my companion finished and said so all these things don’t help you at all, right? She said, “Yeah, but I guess but alcohol helps me when I am cold.” But that is ok she has stopped all that. She never knew who Jesus Christ was before, so that was fun to teach her about Him. She really loves him so much. We just taught her about fasting and in her prayer to end she said thank you for fasting and help me to fast so I can receive blessings. She needs them! Her neighbors are sometimes ridiculous, but I love them. Satan is working hard to not have this baptism go right. I realized this week I was blessed and our family was blessed so much. I had a car that actually worked unlike a lot of people here but they are so happy to get there car that dies every mile. I was so blessed with a whole family who loves the Gospel. There are about 40 different churches or here in Rio Grande da Serra alone. That is a lot!

I have grown to love the music here and cannot wait to listen to it when I get back. It is funny that everyone here loves to sing their hearts out, but let’s just say there are a lot that aren’t so great. I hope I can still sing a little when I return.

So there are a ton of snakes here. No, not the animal but what we call a girl who just wants the Gospel because she wants the missionary. We had to drop one family because of this. Let’s just say they tried to get a little too friendly with us missionaries. So, we thought it was best to let that family be for a while. Also, a lot of girls notice my blue eyes and seem to really like me. I dont know why -- maybe because I’m American or who knows. There was a group of girls that we passed the other day. When we passed they starting yelling “nossa, nossa, olha seus olhos! nossa nossa vende para me” along with some other things. They were saying something like Holy crap, holy crap, look at his eyes. But a little different than that. Some things I had to change in translation to make more sense. So, yeah there are a lot of snakes here.

I miss you all so much and love you so much. I am so grateful to be here. I am so glad I am on my mission! At times I wish I was with you, but I know this is where I need to be. So I will finish with my testimony and a story and an invitation for you.

It is has been really hot here at least for me. Everyone else is still in jackets, but I have been sweating so much every single day -- I do not like that. The other day I was really having a hard time in the morning. We planned for the day and studied and that day I had to give the lesson I don’t like because it is the hardest in Portuguese. I love the lesson -- it is the second lesson, but it has a ton of weird words in Portuguese. And you have to teach it very well or they really don’t understand. So I was frustrated for not knowing the language and started to think and think and got sad. We got ready to leave for the day. I was frustrated and it was my turn to pray. I told my companion I didn’t want to so he started. When he started to pray, I had the strongest feeling come over me. It told me get in the room get on your knees and pray. So his prayer ended. I went into the room to pray. All I said was “Father” and the best feeling came over me. I felt love. I felt comfort. I felt better - the greatest feeling ever. I continued the prayer but he weird thing is I think I talked about things I was grateful for more than asking for help, and that was not my intent when I went to pray. After the prayer I got up and all my sadness, all my frustration, and all my nerves were gone. I know that through prayer we talk to our Father who listens. At times all we need to say is “Father” and He knows what we need. I know that through prayer we can find peace, love, and comfort beyond belief, and also through prayer we can receive answers to everything we need. I know this because I have seen so many people try it and afterwards receive. I have done it myself and it is real. I love this gospel! I know it is true. I know that we can repent and be forgiven through Jesus Christ. In Alma 5:33 it says something like come unto to me and repent because my arms are open to receive you after repentance. I know that is true He is there waiting. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. Oh how great it is to have it in our lives. I love this mission I am on. I only hope that I can help to bring one soul unto God and hopefully change the lives of many including mine. I challenge you all to pray and ask again with a sincere heart if this Church is true, if the Book of Mormon is true, and if Joseph Smith restored the gospel. I know they are all true but you need to know for yourself. So pray and ask. I challenge you to pray always and never cease because when you do you are lead to temptation when you stop talking with God. I love this Gospel will all my heart. I know the Lord will protect us as he did Alma when he was teaching the Lamanites. I hope and prayer you stay close to God always. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Dont forget your Elder out her! Letters and pictures are always appreciated. Love you all lots.

Elder Parkinson

P.S. Miracles do happen! I know we just need faith. Just look at Hebrews 11 if you have a doubt about faith.