Visitation

Well this will be I think by far the shortest e-mail that I have written you ever. I will really make it short because I am running really late. I was not able to use the Internet yesterday because it was a holiday here in São Paulo. Also I really do not have that much time today because of the fact that I need to go to church to help out on the visitation that is happening today. The visitation has really been such a great thing. We have found some really great people while doing it. All and all it has been a great experience that I think I will never forget. This last week was really great. We were blessed by a baptism of a person named Claudiane. She is really such a great person. It was really such a blessing and I don't know if I have ever been so happy to see someone is baptized. I really was so pumped. She really needed this in her life and you can already see the difference that it has made in her life and the life of her friend (Marla), who is a member. It really helped Marla become even stronger in the church and will help Claudiane have the chance to live with our father in heaven again. I am very so excited for her baptism. We were going to have one more baptism this week but it seems like it will not happen. We moved his baptism for the next week so that he could prepare a little more and feel a little better about not drinking coffee anymore. He is, however, very excited and willing to stop drinking coffee. this last week I went on one more division. It was really great. I actually did a division with someone from Idaho. He is from northern Idaho but he loves Idaho just as much as I do. It was really great. The Lord really blessed us so much on the days that we were on division. We found so many great people while on the division. To tell the truth all of last week was great. We were able to find and to teach so many great new people. At times I really feel as though I am not worthy of all the blessings that the Lord is giving me.
I cannot even explain to you how excited I am with this visitation that is going on. The new chapel is so gorgeous and we are finding so many great new investigators that I am just out of my mind excited. The Lord is great!!!! This is my companion´s last week on the mission. This next Tuesday I will find out whether or not I will stay in this area and as Zone Leader or not. We will just have to find out. It is really weird to see someone who is my companion go home. I really cannot believe it. Well I really have to get going.
Also I really do think that the Pitts. Steelers will win but I really do not want that to happen so I will pick the Green Bay Packers to win the whole thing. I don't like the packers either but what do you do? Lets Go Packers!!!!!!! Well before I go I would just like you all to know that I am doing great. I love my mission so much. Everything single day it seems to get better. I know that this is the true church of God here on the earth today. I am so grateful that I am a member of Christ´s true church. I am grateful to have such a great family and I am grateful to have a prophet of the Lord here on the Earth today. I love this gospel with all my heart. I really hope to become better. I have so many things that I need to get better at. I hope that pray that I can become better and better each and every single day. I love you all . This is my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ amen. I love you all. Until next week.
Elder Daniel J. Parkinson

Great week but hard/Email me Sunday next week

Well I will have to be really fast this week. I am in the middle of a nice rain storm. haha. It is really great. The whole floods and mudslides however have been more in Rio DE Janeiro and not in my part of the mission. There have been however a few parts of my mission that have had a few floods but there is nothing really bad in my mission and not in my area. The only thing that is happening my area is that we have had a ton of rain and I have been very wet almost every single day. haha. That is normal though. They say that the more rain that falls on you during the mission the better looking your wife will be. I really hope that is true because I think I have had enough rain to receive one of the best looking girls in the world. haha. I do not think my wife will be able to get any better looking I have received so much rain. ha. Also the other reason why I will have to be fast is that the power has been out the whole day on the street that has the computers and so I have not been able to use the computer until right now.
Before I forget I will not be able to use the computer next Tuesday but instead will use the computer on Monday and so if you could write your e-mail a little earlier that would be great. Also advise who- ever else might write me to write me a little earlier.
Well I will for sure be praying for Grandma and the surgery. I believe that everything will go just right. The surgery that she is having done is supposed to be a very easy surgery. Yes I am very excited for the Super bowl and this time I will win and the coffee will go. At least that is what I hope. I really do want Grandma to stop drinking coffee so much.
Well this last week was a great week. It was not easy but it was great. I was able to do a division this week. It was a great division and while on the division I was able to stay in the same house as one of my old companions again ( Elder Arêas). That was really great. I love that man so much. We had lots of fun remembering the good times. He said that some day he will for sure be coming to the USA to visit me and his sister and you mother. He is a great young man. I really can say that I love him as my brother. We had a good time together in São Bernardo. Also we had a lot of doors slammed in our face this last week but it helped me to learn patience and to learn how to accept the Lords will. The week was a little hard in the beginning because of that but that it started to get a lot better because in the end of the week we really found some miracles. Also on Sunday not as many people as we would like went to church but then out of nowhere one lady went to Church. One lady that we never taught but had the desire to know how our church worked, etc.. We than taught her on Sunday and it was such a great experience. It was a lesson that I will never forget. She said after we got done teaching that she knows that this is the true church. I was so grateful that the Lord gave us his spirit during that lesson and that he helped us to teach according to his will and not our will. A few things that we taught and the way we taught I had never done before but that is what the Lord wanted us to do and it all worked out for the best. The Lord is amazing and really will help us be affective servants in his hands if we let ourselves do so. I love this work so much and I know that God loves us so much. We are his children and he cares about us. I know that this is the true church. What a great blessing it is for the people to come to know these truths for themselves. We do have a prophet of God. I love you all so much. Thank you so much for everything that you are all doing for me. Sorry that this e-mail had to be so short. Just know that I love you a lot, and that all is well. We are hoping to be able to have a baptism this weekend. I hope that all goes well. She is a great lady that really needs this gospel. I love you.
Elder Daniel J. Parkinson
P.s. I played soccer today and it was great. I love playing soccer with Brazilians. ha.

Love/Prayer

Well I am sad to say that I have even less time than normal today and will have a little less time until the end of my mission. Today I have a lot less time because I had a meeting today that just got over about like 40 minutes ago or so and so I had to run to an Internet place to be able to write you an e-mail. Even though this e-mail will be short I want you to know that I love you and I love the family and pray about you and the family always. I have been thinking a lot lately about prayer. I decided that prayer (real sincere prayer) is the key to having the spirit and Christ´s love with me even more. I have really been trying to pray even more lately. I have made a goal to pray for at least 10 minutes every single night. It has really been hard because it seems that at night I am very very tired, but I have realized that in so doing I have really been able to feel the spirit even better in my prayers. I have been really trying to talk with my father in heaven and not just talk at him. It has been great!!!!
The mission has really been talking a lot about love lately. We have noticed that the only real way for the spirit to be with us is if we really love our investigators. If we love them (our investigators) they will really feel our love and the love of the Savior. It is so true. I have been working really hard lately in trying to listen to the investigator more than just talking. It helps so much. Most of the time the investigators tells you exactly what they are needing or what you need to say and they do not even realize it. I think by really listening to them I have been able to really feel a greater love for those that I am teaching. Love really is the key to success!!!! (Success in this life and in the mission). We all need to love God, Christ, and others. If we really love God we will do what he asks and if we do what he asks we will have his Spirit. What a simple but difficult theory.
Well I would just like to end letting you know that I love my mission and I love this Gospel. I want you all to know that I am doing great. I get more tired every single day but the Lord helps me to keep going. I know without any doubts that this is the true church here on the Earth. I am so grateful to all of you that have helped me be the person that I am now. I love you all so much. I KNOW THAT THIS IS THE TRUE CHURCH AND THAT GOD LOVES US ALL!!!! THE BOOK OF MORMON IS TRUE AND THE LITTLE THINGS REALLY DO BRING HAPPINESS ON THIS EARTH AND SALVATION. WE ALL NEED TO DO THE LITTLE THINGS. I would just like to finish with a quote that I made. I really believe a lot in this phrase.
"Everything that happens in your life could be for your spiritual growth or destruction... YOU MAKE THE CHOICE!!!!! "
It is really so true. So many things happen during our life and we have to choose whether it will be for our spiritual growth or for our eternal destruction. I know that if we could all forgive a little more, love a little more, and really do the things that God would have us do we will all have success and one day we will be able to live with God again as a family. I love you all so very much. Thank you for everything that you are doing for me. Mother I really love you and thank you again for your great example. Until next week and sorry that this letter is kinda different and short.
Elder Daniel J. Parkinson
P.s. God really does work miracles but in his time and in his way!!!!!!

New Year/Working Hard

Well mother I really cannot believe that 2011 arrived. I remember that when I first got on my mission everyone joked around with me saying you will not go home this year nor the next year just the year after that. That was always so fun to hear. haha. Now the year finally arrived and I do not know how to feel about it. I really love the mission so much and really do not have a great desire to go home but at the same time I really would love to go home to see family. The end of the mission is just full of so many mixed feelings. One feeling that is a constant is the feeling of being tired. ha. I think the 10 flight from Brazil to Texas will be spent sleeping. ha. Maybe after that I will feel all rested up. I just want you to know that you do not have to worry. Even though I am tired I will not stop giving it my all. I think by now you all know me pretty well and know that I am pretty competitive. Because of that I really cannot let myself just stop working and so the work goes on with the same pace that it started or maybe a harder pace. The scriptures say that we do not have to run faster than we can. I do like that scripture but I find that maybe people use that as an excuse to stop working. I think that this scripture is true but I feel as though many people can go a lot harder than they think they can. As for us being alone it would be impossible but with God on our side I feel as though we can run forever.
Good to hear that you were able to spend the new year with family. I bet that was great. You should send everyone my new year’s wishes and love. I am very excited to see you all again. It will be great to see my buddy Uncle Ron and sit down and watch a game with him. I hope that he is doing well. I bet the trip to Grandmas this weekend will be great. Send her my love and keep telling her how much it would mean to me if she stopped drinking coffee. ha
As for the package I did receive it. I think everything was inside of it. The only reason why they seized it was that its value was so much. Inside it had two shirts, two pairs of garments, two jars of peanut butter (thank you/ I had a peanut butter sand wish this morning), and two packages of recess peanut butter cups. Oh yea! I cannot forget the ties. Thank you for everything. It will really help. I will be fine now until the end of the mission.
Now here are a few updates:
1. Thank you for the money. I will get Justin a Jersey for sure. I will have to get him matching jerseys. haha. I mean it really is not that expensive here in Brazil. If anyone else would like something just let me know. Mother I also think that I will be trying to send you a package here pretty soon. I really need to get rid of a few things to have more space.
2. This week was interesting because of new years. Everyone here in Brazil sure does like to party. The great thing is the New Year passed by a lot better this year than the last year. Last year I was on the beach and it was nuts but this year I was far away from the beach and so there was no one in my area because everyone was at the beach. My bishop however ,who lives in front of us or should I say we live behind him in part of his house, came and woke us up to give us food and cake at midnight. haha. They really do enjoy eating big meals at midnight. It was so good!!!! What a good bishop! The New Year made Sacrament meeting pretty neat. I think that was the all time low that I have seen in this ward and many other wards that I have been in. Also it was hard to bring our investigators to church because they were all on the beach. ha. Still the Lord blessed us with two investigators at church. That was so great.
3. The zone is doing very well. My companion are doing our best to help the zone and are still arriving really short from the bar we need but then the Lord has decided to bless us and the Zone. I am very excited about this. I really love the Lord so much. My zone is way good. I have so many good missionaries and it always helps to have 6 sister missionaries. They really do help quite a bit.
4. This week I do not think we will be having a baptism but the next week it is very possible for us to have a few baptisms. I will just keep trying my hardest and see whether the Lord thinks that I deserve these blessings.
5. I have been trying to study a little more lately. It is really hard with everything I need to do for the Zone but I realize that as I study the day really just goes by so much better. I love the scriptures and am excited to study them even better after the mission.
6. It has been very awkward. This last week I received many compliments of being very gorgeous. haha. Thank you mother for those genes. ha. I just told them that it runs in the family. ha. It is so awkward when someone says that to you. Especially in front of a lot of people that afterward agree. ha. Well life goes on.
7. I was able to do a division with an Elder this past week. It was really such a great experience. I really love divisions and the chance that I have to help other elders.
8. We had interviews this last week. Those were also great. I love talking with President. He help me with a few things and we were able to just talk with each other for a little bit. He really is a great guy and a man called of God. We talked and joked around and all and all it was a great conversation.
Well that is about all for this week. Just know that I love you all. I know that this is the true church. I am so excited for the chance that I am having and have had to be a missionary. It is amazing. I just hope that I am being the servant that God would have me be. I love you all so much. Keep strong and always do the little things. Love you.
Oh really quick I am so grateful for the Lord. It is true and prayer and fasting makes miracles happen. We have really been trying to find some great new investigators lately and as we have been praying and fasting finally some great new investigators appeared out of nowhere. I know that God really does hear our prayers and responds to them but in his time.
Love you.
Elder Daniel J. Parkinson