Testimony Builder

I am so excited to be an Uncle for the 9th time. Now I can finally say that I am the only one out of the kids without a kid and that is single. haha. Good for me. However I am where I need to be and the other things will come later. I am excited as well about her name choice. Also I am surprised that she actually could choose. That is a miracle on its own.
The mission is going great. The story I wanted to talk about happened two Sundays ago. One of our investigators was not at church because he was really sick. He had planned to be baptized this next Sunday(which he was baptized). We went to his house and talked about the power of the priesthood and the chance that he has to help his whole family and bless his family with his priesthood. We than asked him if he would like a blessing. He agreed to it and so we gave him a blessing. Within about 3 minutes after we gave the blessing he turned and said to us. I don't feel sick anymore. My headache and my fever are gone. I know that it was not anything that me or my companion did but it was the Lord helping to build his testimony and ours. I am grateful that the Lord worked through me that day. I am not perfect at any means and I feel tremendously grateful that he still blesses me in my weaknesses. SO many great things have happened this last little while. I love my new area and my new companion. I have learned so much from him. He used to be the Assistant to the president and so he is teaching me many things. We have talked a lot lately about many different subjects. It is great. I love to study. I love reading the words of our Prophets and apostles. They really are men called of God. We all need to see things how they really are. Satan is trying to win this battle. We need to focus more on spiritual things and not on the worldly things. American idol can wait, house can wait and our friends on facebook can wait as well. If we do not do our daily prayers and a good scripture study we really need to start to do that. Before we watch any show we should ask ourselves. Did I read today and study the scriptures or do I need more spiritual strength. We all need God in our lives. Let us all win this battle against Satan as a family and as Friends and brothers in a good cause. This last week me and my companion were also blessed with Three baptisms. Oh what a great sight to see someone accept God into their life. I know that this is the true Church and that God loves us. I am so grateful for everything I have in my life. Especially for the Great mother and family that I have and for the chance that I have to have God in my life. I love this Gospel and I know it to be true. Every morning we recite a scripture from the book of Mormon when we put on our name tag. I don't know how it is in English just Portuguese. It is 3 Nephi 5: 13.
"Eis que sou um discípulo de Jesus Cristo, Foi por Ele chamado para anuciar sua palavra ao povo, a fim de que tenha vida eterna.
I think it is something like this "Behold I am a disciple of Jesus Christ, I was called by him to announce his word to the people, so that they could have eternal life."
I know this statement to be true. I was called by God to help the people here in Brazil and that is what I will do. Please pray for the work here in Brazil. There are so many people who need to hear what God has in store for them. You all as well can help the work of the Lord Progress. I love you all so much.
Elder Daniel James Parkinson.

Investigators/Transfer

I really loved this week so much. We really seemed to get a lot done thanks to the help of the Lord.

Well lots of things are going on the mission. In the last three weeks I was on division about 8 times with other missionaries. That is all because our Zone had a few problems. So me and my companion were the solution to those problems. This last week was amazing. I had a division with somebody that was in the CTM with me. That was really fun and it was great to see the progress that we both have made. We are really good friends so that made it really easy as well. This week was also full of great lessons and many miracles. I still don’t know how everything happened. I just thank God every single day. I will start off by saying as well that I was transferred again. Yes I know again. I don’t really know why but at times I really get sick of being transferred, but i will go where the Lord sends me. This time I almost returned to my first area on the mission. Almost. I am still Zone Leader just of a bigger Zone now. Yea for me! haha. My new companion is really good. I love this guy. I already knew him pretty well before. He used to be the Assistant to the President. He stayed with that calling for about 9 months. He is really good and I hope that I can be taught many great things. His name is Elder Arêas. Everyone thinks that he is American and so we will go along with it. We decided that he is from Arizona.

Back to my last area real quick. This last week was amazing. I think sacrament meeting this last Sunday was the best sacrament meeting of my life. The spirit was so strong and answers to my prays and many other prayers were answered. Including a prayer from one of our investigators. He prayed for God to show him that this is the true Church. He asked God to make him cry so that he would know. He said that he never cries. During sacrament meeting he just started to cry like no other. He started to ball. I was so touched by that I know I have a even stronger testimony that God Answers prayers. Also we had one of our investigators go up and bear his testimony on how he knows that this is the true church and that he wants his whole family to be baptized and that he too will be baptized here pretty soon. I was so touch and I felt so blessed for that. That area that I left with have one baptism this week and about 5 in the next two weeks to come. In church we had about 8 investigators. I feel really blessed. I love this gospel and know it is true. I am nothing but with the Lords help I can perform miracles for him. I know this is the true Church.

Elder Daniel J. Parkinson

Area 70 Visit/Transferred

Well to fill you in on a very busy week. We had an amazing meeting with Elder Godoy(Area 70). He really is a man called by God. He helped so much. He first had a meeting just with the Zone leaders and with the District leaders. He talked to us about many things. We actually had a conversation. He is really smart and a great man. Then we had our meeting with everyone. That was such a powerful meeting. First Sister Richardson talked about whose team are we on? If we are not on Gods team we are against him. Than President Richardson gave a short talk and then it was Elder Godoy the rest of the time. He talked about 4 traps that sometimes missionaries fall into. He was so right. He helped me so much. He really helped me to change my mission even more. One thing he talked about is how to invite people for baptism. I am so grateful that he did that. It helped so much. He taught old things that we all knew but just forgot. I tried his way, or should I say the way of the Lord, to invite people for baptism. It worked like gold. We invited 10 people to be baptized and all 10 accepted. I was very very excited. With the help of the Lord and his servants everything is possible. Than two days ago we got our transfers again. I really don’t think I will stay in one area for longer than 3 months. Once again I was transferred. This is my 6th area in 1 year and one month on the mission. I also have now 8 companions out of 9 Transfers. haha. Well whatever the Lord calls me to do I will complete. I was moved to Diadema. I am now with Elder Rebouças. He is a pretty cool missionary. He actually was my Zone leader when I was in Itanhaém. He is way cool. We are going to have a lot of fun together. We joke around a lot but also we will work really hard together. I did a few splits with him a few times. He is a great missionary. He is from Rio De Janeiro. Our key to our house broke today so we had to have someone come and rescue us. Also we are opening an area together. So we are starting fresh. haha. I am still a Zone leader but now opening an area. This area is so much different than my last area. But I think I will love it as well. Just depends on your attitude on things. Well that is all for this week. I will miss Elder Guthrie in my last area. We learned a lot together and plus I think we started a great friendship. He is pretty cool and will be missed. His mommy did a good job.

Elder Parkinson

Being Humbled

I was humbled the other day. We passed by this one person in the street. He was very much drugged out of his mind. We decided to try to talk with him and his family. The whole time we were talking I had in my mind. He will never change this is a waste of time. That is when the Lord showed me not to judge and brought me back to humility. In 3 days we passed by again and all the goals we left with him he was completing a lot of them. We set a goal for him to stop the drugs in a month. The drugs he was using are very Strong. It was weird that his personality completely changed in those three days. Plus he wants the Book of Mormon. I think he to can tell the power that the Book of Mormon has. If you could all put his name into your prayers that would be great. Also pray for the success of my mission (Mission São Paulo South). His name is Marcelo. Thank you so much.

I know that God can work miracles if we show our faith. If we stop using our faith and don't have faith in God nothing will happen. I love this Church and I love my savior and redeemer. I know that he saved me from an ever lasting suffering. His sacrifice saved me. For this I am grateful.

Elder Daniel Parkinson