Update on Mission/Coming Home

Well the time is just flying by but just like you said I have not decided whether that is a good thing or a bad thing. ha. I really do love the mission and yesterday it finally hit me that I will not always be on the mission. I think yesterday was the first time that I really felt like someday my mission would come to an end. It is part of life and so I will deal with it. ha. There is only so much that I can grow on the mission the rest has to come through other things after the mission, and so I am at peace (At least for now). Well this week was a very strange week. It was just full of so many things. Also it was a week that I really learned a lot. Some of the things that I learned I do not know why it has to be this certain way but I know that it does have to be.
1. Well this last week I was able to go on a division with someone from Idaho. He is from Coeur´de´lene. He is really a good missionary. He is our district leader and kind of new on the mission but it was still great to go on a division with him. I was able to learn a lot with him. I just hope that he to was able to learn a few things.
2. On Friday we had the chance to go around with President and Sister Richardson for the whole day. We had to go to every single house in our zone to inspect their apartments and to let President interview them. It was great. I really do love President and Sister Richardson. They are really great. It is always good to do these kind of Interviews every once and a while because it helps you to get to know them a little better. Also they inspected our apartment and I was interviewed. It was really great they thought that our house was really clean and they liked it. Also the interview went great. The funny part is where we had the interview. President likes to do the interviews somewhere where he is able to shut the door and really be one on one with the person and the only place where that is possible in our house is the bathroom. Just to let you know our bathroom is very very tiny. Our bathroom is about the same size as the bathroom upstairs in the old house. Not the whole bathroom but if you take out the sinks and just talk about the shower and toilet area it is about the same size if not smaller. ha. So President sat on the toilet while I sat on a chair right in front of him. Both of our legs just jammed up against us because it was so tiny. ha. It was an interesting place to be interviewed that is for sure. Let me just tell you that the interview was great. Ever since I got on my mission I really wanted to be able to feel like Ammon and his brothers (Alma 26) when I finish my mission. I talked to him about it and he started to talk to me. He told me that if I continue to work like I am now he promised me those same feelings. He said that he cannot talk for God but he said that he knew that my President really is grateful and pleased with my work. That made me feel so good. As you all know I am kind of a perfectionist. I always feel as though I could do better. He talked me to about that and told me that when I get home and tell my stake President or my family that I tried my hardest on my mission he said that is when I will really know if that is true or not. He said that if I really tried my hardest he said that as I say these words to a family member it would turn into a spiritual experience. That is what I strive for. I really want to know from God if my mission has been acceptable in his eyes. It was such a great conversation that we had. He really helped me so much to know a few very important things. All I know is that I will keep trying my hardest and wait till after my mission to know whether God was pleased or not. I know however that I am really trying my hardest!! We will just have to see whether or not God thinks that I tried my hardest. I love my mission so much. It has been able to help me so much in almost everything. Well enough about that. Now it is time for other things that are more important.
3. This week I really learned a few things. We really tried our hardest and everything that we could do to have a baptism this past week. Unfortunately it did not happen. We really thought it would but I think God really wanted us to learn something from this experience. It was a great experience that is hard to explain. The lady will still be baptized but this week and not last week. It is actually a miracle that she will be baptized at all! For this I am so grateful to my Heavenly Father. We are trying our hardest and really hoping to be able to have 5 baptisms this week. We think it is really possible and hope that it will happen! We will try our hardest and put the rest into the Lord´s hands. I have 4 more weeks and 7 more baptisms to complete my goal that I made with my Heavenly Father. I will try my hardest until the very end so that I can complete the goal that I made with my Father in Heaven. I know that it is possible but it will not be easy, and I am fine with that. ha.
Well other than all these things I really do not have that much to say. I love my mission and I love my Father in Heaven. I know that he loves me. I know that Christ really did pay for my sins and that I can live with my Father in Heaven again if I do what is right. Thank you all so much for all of your support. I know that miracles are true and they happen almost every single day. God is a God of Miracles I know this is true. I feel so grateful that God has made so many miracles happen on my mission even though I am probably not even close to really deserve these miracles. I love you all. The key to staying on the path that leads us to eternal life are three or four very important things... Prayer, Scripture study, church attendance, and temple attendance. Please if someone who reads this is not doing these 4 things please start to do them. I love you all and until next week.
Elder Daniel J. Parkinson

Focusing on Mission

Points I would like to make this week about my Mission:
1. We were blessed with one more baptism this last week. That is just great. I do not have any idea why the Lord has been deciding to bless my companion and I. We are really trying our hardest to do our best and because of that sometimes we find ourselves stressed out but the stress all pays off in the end. We are really trying our hardest to have one more baptism this week as well. I really hope that this lady accepts to be baptized. She is really great and really needs to show her faith in God.
2. I am really starting to get more tired every single day. ha. I think that that just comes with time on the mission. I am actually starting to feel a little bit older and it is hard not to remember how much time I have on the mission with everyone constantly reminding me, but I have been able to stay pretty focused on the work. I still am nervous for the events that will come here in a few weeks. I try not to really think about it.
3. I was able to have an interview with the President to be able to renew my recommend. It was great. He is really such a great guy. Ha. I will be having one more interview with him this coming Friday as part of a normal interview schedule. Lots of interviews with the President! That is OK though I really do not mind.
4. We went to the temple today. I will just have to say that I had a great experience at the temple. I know that God´s presence really presides inside the temple. Today was one of the first times in the temple that I felt his presence so strong in my life. I will not really say everything that happened because it is kind of personal but it was great. I know that God loves me and is proud of me. I know that God will guide my path. The experience had a lot to do with what I was talking about earlier. While at the temple I really wanted to know what was expected of me after the mission and what I should be doing. I was told a few things that I should be doing but at the same time I really felt strongly... just focus on the work and have faith and after the mission I will guide thee. That is really how I felt the whole time. I wanted to know what to do exactly but every single time that I pushed harder to know exactly what to do I received the little advice and than just received over and over again just have faith and everything will work out after you finish the mission. I know that If I trust in God than I will be fine and so that is what I intend to do. I really will need his help after the mission because I have so many questions but I know that he will let me know what to do. As of right now I feel as though he told me to not try to play any college sports and to attend BYU-I for a little. To do what there or when I do not know but that will all come in the right time. For now I will finish my work here in Brazil and trust that the Lord will do the rest when I get home. I know that he will!! For he is my Father!
Well I got to get going. Just know that I love you all so very much. I know that this is the true church. I know that God loves me and I know that Christ suffered for everything that I have done and will do. I know that we all have great potential because we are sons and daughters of God. I love you all and until next week.
Elder Daniel J. Parkinson
P.s. I would just like to know who will all be at the airport. Also what did you think about the temple idea that I gave you last week?

God's Miracle this week

A Minha Querida Mãe!!
Well this letter will have to be short. I really feel as though every single week that passes gets shorter and shorter. I feel as though I do not have time to do anything. It is really just nuts. I am glad to hear that Grandma is getting taken care of. I really hope that she is doing great. I am very excited to see her here in a few weeks. I really do not like to think about home but I would just like to know who will all be there when I get home? So I will just give my homecoming talk the first week of May? I will have to advise Elder Guthrie who already went home. He is planning on visiting me and being at my homecoming the 19 - 24. I think that you should talk with Bishop Gregory if he would let me I would love to give a talk there as well. It would really be great. I really like giving talks remember?
I really do not have an opinion. If you would like to make the move before I get back because that is
I am excited to hear that Grandma is not drinking coffee. Now we just have to get her to not ever drink coffee again. How long has it been since she has not drunken coffee? I promise her blessings if she stops drinking coffee. Actually God promises her blessings if she stops. Not just blessings of health but blessings of an Eternal Family!!!
Well I got to get going. Just know that I know that God loves us so much and will always guide us if we let him. I love this gospel so much and I know that Christ is at the head of the Church. I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I love the scriptures. I am reading right now the New Testament and it has really been enlightening my mind so much. It is so great!!! I really love it. I also read Joseph Smith history one more time and it was so great. I love to hear about the Prophets because it testifies to me even more that God loves us. God really does hear our prayers.
Well I got to get going but I would like to let you know that God worked a great miracle this last week. Before I tell you about the miracle I would like to say that I will be staying in my area with my same companion. I will end my mission as a zone leader. I am pretty excited but also tired. haha. But the work must go on!!! I still have lots of time to do great things and for this I am excited. Just 6 more weeks of missionary work in the field and I really have to make the best of it, and I will!!!
The miracle really quick was like this. We were preparing a man named João Batista to be baptized this last Sunday. He was doing really good and was solid for baptism and then on Saturday morning when we passed by he said that he did not want to be baptized anymore. He said he would like to wait for like a few months. I felt that if was not baptized this last week he would never be baptized. We talked to him forever and nothing than a member talked to him for ever and nothing. We prayed that whole night for a miracle. We woke up and got ready for church and brought all of our stuff for a baptism. haha. We knew that God would make a miracle happen and so we were prepared for the baptism. We got to church and João batista did not have his extra clothes for the baptism a member went up and talked to him and he said I will be baptized and went home and grabbed his clothes and was baptized that day. It was such a miracle. I know that God made that Miracle happen. It was nothing that we did and that is the best part!!! I know that God is a God of Miracles. I am grateful for that. I love you all and I have to go. Until next week. Elder Daniel J. Parkinson

11 Baptisms this month

Well another short e-mail. ha. I really love you all so much. That kind of sucks that you got food poisoning. I really hope that you are both a lot better now. This last week was just full of surprises and full of ups and downs. Well I will have to just review my week really quick for you all. Sorry about that...
1. Well I and my companion were really blessed this last week and month. We finished the week will 4 baptisms, and the month with 11 baptisms. It was a great month and a great week. I really do not understand why the Lord decided to bless us so much. I know that it was nothing that I really deserved.
2. God really does work miracles!!!!! I know that this is true. I am so glad that he is a God of miracles. It also seems like the miracles never really come easy but they really do come. I think at times we start to think that things happen because of luck and forget that the hand of the Lord is in all things. I think that luck does not really exist in a lot of things but I believe that blessings and miracles happen and that the Lord just decides to bless us every once and a while and sometimes we mistake his hand in all things for luck.
3. Satan is real and if we do not prepare ourselves he will tear us down. We really need to be spiritually strong at all times. He works a lot with doubts. Lots of times when we are about to do something that is really great Satan then starts to work on us. That is what he did this week. 4 more sons and daughters of God were going to be baptized and man did he work to try to make these baptisms not happen, but when we work our hardest and trust in God we will always be stronger than the enemy. We have a Body and we have God on our side or in other words he has the winning combination!!! We will always come out on top if we try our hardest and trust in God, but if we start to doubt ourselves and God that is when the enemy will take control.
4. Well I really cannot believe it but next week I will be starting my last transfer on the mission. I will be able to tell you next week where it is that the Lord would have me be for my last 6 weeks of my mission. I really cannot believe that the mission is coming to an end. I have so many mixed feelings but the feeling that I have more than the rest is that I have to continue to work hard. I feel as though if I work my hardest these last few weeks I will be able to learn so many things that will be able to help me for after my mission. I need to work hard and I will work hard with the help of the Lord. I just hope and pray that you will all pray for me because I will have to admit that I am tired but I will not give in. I love my mission so much and my savior for this very reason I will try my hardest until the very end o my mission. After I finish my mission I will start to think about the things that I will do after the mission. One thing at a time! It will be hard for me to end my mission but at the same time I will be excited to see you all. I love you all so much.
I hope that all is well. I know that this is the true church here on the earth. None of us are perfect but with Christ all is possible and we can be made better. I love my savior Jesus Christ. I know that he died for me and loves me. I really hope and pray to become better. It is really hard but I know that I can become better. I need to become better and through Christ´s sacrifice I can. I love my Father in Heaven and I know he loves me and knows me. This is what God would have me do at this time in my life. I Love this church and gospel and know it is true. I love you all so much and know that we can all go back into the presence of God one day but to be able to do this we have to work as a team. This last week was filled with so many things but just let me see a few phrases to end. God sends angels to help us in our times of need (they can be visible or not visible angels), God loves us, the good will always beat the evil, and miracles can happen if we do our best!! I love you all and until next week..
Elder Daniel J. Parkinson