Week #50 Love New Area

Hi Mom,
     This week was super good!  We have a baptism this Thursday - - her name is Bianca and she is 14 years old.  We are super pumped.  We have 3 baptisms lined up - - General Conference is posing a scheduling challenge!   We've been working very hard - - super pumped in this area! 
     I am getting sick, I don't feel so great today.  Taking stuff for it.
     I heard Elder Scott passed away, that is a bummer.  People here in Brazil are hoping Elder Costa or Soares will be called - - excited to hear about the new Apostles.
     I have not received the Youth Conference letters or the thumb drive.  I will get any mail sent next week at our Multizona.  If Aunty Tiare is coming to visit please have her bring Li Hing Mui treats!  Oh and Kaki Mochi too! 
      It's been super  hot here and I need a haircut.  Trying to determine where a good place is here in my new area.   Oh yeah - - can you tell Imua to stay off my bed?  Ha ha - - I miss the dogs!
      Love you, excited for a big week with General Conference and our baptisms. 

 

Week #49 Bag Returned & Photos!

Hazzit,
     My new area is super cool, we just set a bunch of new goals! We came up with this "Thermometer of Faith".  We made this big themometer and when someone gives a passalong card out, we mark the themometer, and if when we get to 100 cards distributed there is a prize!  Something visual to get the members more excited - - more involved. 
     I start an english class October 1st.  We're going all out this time - -  announcing on the radio + flyers.  We want a bunch of people there - - should be good.
     We had 4 investigators in chuch this past sunday, so that was good!  We are marking a baptism with one of them today at Family Home Evening.  Please pray that everything can go well. 
      It has been ssuuuppeeerr hot here, the sun is killer.  We are trying to get in houses as fast as possible to spend as least time as possible off the street and out of the sun.  The sun just destroys us!
      During transfers I got to see a lot of Elders at the bus station.  It was nice to see Elder Nunes. 
     I got my bag back, and my yoga mat!  I did a division with the Assistants this past week, they brought it down from Piracicaba.  It is so nice to have my personal set of Scriptures back in my possession! 
     Elder Andrade is like a legend in this mission - - I am learning a lot from him.  I feel like I am being prepared for another opportunity to serve.  There are a bunch of people slacking hard in our mission and President is sick of it.  He challenged everyone today in his letter, said there are poucos fazendo muito e muito fazendo pouco, like a little bit of the missionaries are doing a lot, and a lot are doing a little. We are working hard, looking for ways to do more. Time to step it up! 
     I hope you like all the pics. love you guys - - Elder Akina

Photos from my last few days in Cidade Aracy.

Birthday celebration of a ward member!

Victor's birthday - - water fight to celebrate.

Elysses Baptism, this dude is amazing!

Saying goodbye to Neusa and her family. This was the lady who had us over on Mother's day to Skype.  She reminds me of Aunty Wena - - was super hard to say goodbye to them.

Cleuza and her family, super hard to say goodbye to them too!

Irma Vilma, one of the coolest members in Aracy  - -ha ha!

Keila, one of the Young Women from the ward.

 

Anderson, he's super chill - -  he served in Japan!

He was doing his Japanese tourist pose - - ha ha!

Transfers - - Buses, then more buses!

Waiting for the BUS!

 

Elder Nunes - - far left!  So good to see him!

View from our apartment window, new area.

Soccer Field



Bread Elder Rodriquez and I made!  Last days in Aracy.

Week #48 New Area - - Getting to work!

Oi,
     My new area is pretty sweet, the ward is super small - - maybe 25 or 30 people.  Yesterday I gave a talk, the counselor came up to me 5 minutes before Sacrament meeting asking me to speak.  I was the first slot, the 5 minute one - - so I wasn't stressing too hard.   I talked about the Priesthood.  After church  we attended a funeral, the wife was a less active member and the husband was not a member.  My companion dedicated the grave and I left the message.  I literally almost died of heat at the burial, it was so dang hot and the strongest sun I've felt in a while.  I am not up north anymore!   We got 2 new investigators at the funeral.  The funeral was a really spiritual experience.
     We helped paint a house like all day long Saturday, and since I'm always the tallest - -  ha - - ha, I do the ceilings, because I don't need a ladder!   My neck and shoulders are still sore from that day - -  it was a long project.  The family we did it for is super cool  - - so we were happy to help.   We have an intergration night Wednesday at the church, so we need to plan that.  
     Elder Andrade is from Natal,  Brasil.   He's short and I am tall - -  ha - - ha, but he has one of the most powerful testimonies I have seen on my mission.  He teaches really well and is very well organized.  In my new area the food here is pretty much the same rice,  beans, chicken and juice.  The area we work is much larger than my assignment in Aracy.  Excited to see it all and work!     This week we are about to destroy with contacts and finding new people to teach!  Please keep praying that we can find others in this area - - we are working hard.   I miss Elysse too, that dude was the man ;/  A bunch of my stuff is still in Piracicaba.  I miss my Bible and my livro de mormon ;/  It's not the same teaching people with someone elses books - -  like i got really used to mine - -  the texture of the pages, the size of the letters, the text, it's just not the same :/  I need my bag back!  I don't recommend packing in the dark for a transfer - -ha - -ha!  I am still not be able to send pictures this week, no one has a card reader!
     Thank you for everything.  I love you lots and miss everyone.  Elder Akina

Week #47 Transfered and Baked Clothes

Hazzit, 

     I got transfered to Guanabara Hortolândia.   I didn't want to leave Aracy, I could have stayed my whole mission there.  I loved the area, the people, I really am going to miss them.  I got to talk to my converts before I left, it was super hard saying goodbye to Maria Eduarda and Victor.  They both told us they were going to serve missions, super proud of them.   I left my suit in Aracy, I forgot it ;/  Its' still hanging up in the closet :/  I left one of my bags in the bus station and my yoga mat there too, I forgot a bunch of stuff.   Some other missionaries that are in my zone have them, I just don't know when I'm going to get them, or my suit.  

     The day I found out I was leaving I washed all my clothes but in the last load the power went out  - - so the wash was just sitting in the water and by the time the electricity turned  back on it was night time  - - so I new I was in deep Kim Chee because I was leaving the next morning - - at like 5 a.m.!   The clothes weren't going to be dry, so I ironed all of them when they came out of the dryer  - - but they were still super moist so - -  we fired up the oven and I baked my clothes!  Iit worked pretty good!  I got like 2 and a half hours of sleep. Then when I left I went up to Piracicaba, then to Hortolândia - - it was like 2 hours of bus time.  When I got here this huge storm hit, it was like a hurricane!  Like it blew over all of me and this other American's suit cases and it poured.  It was the strongest rain I have ever seen in my life!   The wind was super strong, the entire city's power went out.   When I finally made it to the house it was dark - - I couldn't see anything.   I  just fell on the bed and went to sleep from like 7:30 p.m. at night till 6:30 a.m. the next morning, most sleep I've gotten on the mission  - - ha ha.  

      My new companion is Elder Andrade, he is from Natal, Brasil.   He seems pretty cool, and our house is the nicest house I've been in here.  

     Yes I got your box!   The pants fit perfectly, thank you!   I use the jump rope everyday.  I gave one of the peanut butters away to a member, the other I still have.   Thank you I really like it.   I got the Pilimai letters from the reunion and the shirt from Dad.  I really liked them!  I loved Sedrick's letter,  I cracked up for 10 minutes straight!   I have A TON of pictures to send but my adapter is in the bag that I left in the bus station  - - soo I don't know how much time I have to wait to get it back.  I'll send as soon as I can.   I got all your letters and the one with the Snickers in the envelope - - loved them!  Please keep sending letters in the mail, I read them when I get home at night.

     Tell John that there are people in Alabama specifically for him - - he'll love it!  Braxton is so close to heading out!

     I am excited to learn my new area, yesterday was all one big wet blurrr - - will work hard this week.  Love you guys. Tchau  Your Elder

 

Elysses Baptism September 6, 2015 Cidade Aracy

Elysee é um dos refugiados do Haiti desde o desastre no ano de 2011. Encontramos ele no centro e ele disse que gostaria de conhecer a igreja. Durante o tempo que conversamos com ele,percebemos que ele era um eleito mas que teria dificuldade para entender a mensagem em Português,então demos um jeito para que ele pudesse aprender a mensagem principal em Francês. Elysse disse que por muitos anos procurou muitas igrejas mas nunca sentiu oque sentiu dentro da capela. Aceitou ser batizado desde o primeiro domingo que foi na igreja e cumpriu com todos os compromissos pois disse que sua vida precisava de uma restauração e que