Week #54 Mormon Messages

Haazit,
     This week was pretty sweet!  We taught a bunch of people, our grupo de ensino is huuuge.  We have 3 baptisms on Saturday!  Fabio, his son Luan, and Nicole.  Super proud of them and the desicion they're making. 
     The flash drive you sent is beast!  I have used this one video more then 5 times already.  The people that have newer tvs you can put the flash drive right in the TV - -  so that's what we've been doing. 
     We had a lot of cool experiences this week.  We have interviews with President this week too,  I think.  
     My companion's cool, from the Rio Grande do Sul, he's pretty chill, we work well together.   We have a lot of baptisms coming up so that's pretty exciting.
      Oh yeah,  I forgot to tell you guys I started the English class 2 weeks ago.  It's going super good, every Thursday at 19hs - -  it's super cool.  I meet a lot of people who are dying to get into the US.  The cool part is I use church material to teach, so like they form phrases about the Savior, about the scriptures etc . . . everyone is really liking it.
     I left my camera at home by accident this week, sorry, ill send pic next week.
     Love you all. Paz Elder Akina

Click here: Mormon Message of the week

Week #53 Transfers Elder Becker

Haaazit,
     This transfer has come to a close, my companion Elder Andrade is leaving :/  He's going to Botucatu, I'm staying here in Guanabara.  I have a new companion, Elder Becker - - I know he has an American name, but he's from Brasil.
     This past week was super sweet!  We had the baptism of Fernando, it was awesome.  The baptism was Saturday afternoon, it was amazing to see his progress!  He has stopped smoking - -  permanently!  He doesn't even feel the urge to pick up a cigarrete anymore.  Such a blessing to come a cross people that really want to make a change in their life for the better.  We have 2 baptisms marked for the 31 of October that's a Saturday, and if I'm not mistaken Halloween.  So we're gunna dye the baptism font water red like blood, you know for Halloween!   We have a possible baptism for this Sunday too, Anicole, she's been to church twice and has accepted baptism.  The trick is finding her at home, she's always at school or at her dada house, but well see.  We haven't drained the baptismal font for three weeks- - we left the water again this week and well leave it again next week, #dontdrainthefont!  Baptism is the best thing that there is on the mission - - there is no better feeling then sitting in that baptismal service and reflecting on that persons progress.  Realizing the way their life will change from that day forward - - one of the most craziest feelings ever! 
    This past week we had daylight savings time and our cell phone doesn't move like automatically.  So we showed up to church 45 minutes into the first meeting!  It funny, on the bus ride to church I told Andrade,  "Dude I feel like I got more sleep then usual - -  it feels nice"!  Lol!

     Everyone thinks that I'm not American cuz I'm not white.  So I have to tell them my family is from Hawaii and brown people exist in the United States, if not everyone thinks I'm from Brazil.

     Excited for this transfer. Love you guys  - - will keep working hard.  Elder Akina

Multi-Zona October 15, 2015

Elder Aceituno for Honduras - - he has an amazing conversion story. 
He was in the CTM with me - - very fitting we hit our one year mark together. 
I call him "Vato Loco"!

 

Hump Day tradition, we burned a white shirt!

Fernando's baptism - - he is amazing!

The gifts we made for Adriele and Bianca, photos with their families at their baptisms.  They loved them!

Week #52 Hump Day

Haaazit,

      This week was super sweet!  Yesterday was a holiday so we had to work, hope you weren't too worried!  Thank you for all the pictures!  I cracked up so hard when I saw Bishop with the Guarana bottle - - lol that is literally like water here!  We drink that eeeeveryday, every lunch, Bishop can testify to that.

    I got the letters from the youth in the youth conference packet, thank you for sending them!!  I received Aunty Debby's package - - the Teddy Grahams were soooo good!  I literally forgot how good those are -  shout out to Johnny and Aunty Debby.  I got the Hump Day box!!  Ha ha I loved it! the ties are sweet!  I have been using the Missionary post it notes you sent.  This one family loved them - - I put it on their fridge, and they got it after we left - - they loved it.  I got the card reader too and the flash drive with the Mormon Messages, which I will start to use.  Thank you for all the mail!!  I love getting mail from you guys.
     We had our Multi-Zona this past week and the Assistants did a training on the Atonement and how it relates to missionary work.  They were using the projector in the Sacrament meeting room.  They got to this slide that talked about our families and how we were super blessed by the gospel in our families.  Then this video started to play with like music in the background, it was pictures of all the baptisms of our missionaries!  It had like the picture of the baptism with like the persons name underneath and they passed one by one.  I had 3 pictures: 1 with Carlie and I in white - - Carlie had a lei on, I was smiling super big!  The other one was me and dad in the font and one more, I think it was our family all together.  It was super cool - - everyone was crying!   Then they said, "Everyone in this room has been baptized, everyone has felt the blessing of the gospel in their family, now it's your turn to give this (and he like pointed to all the pictures) to other families who are waiting for this."  Super spiritual. Elder Saunders found me after the meeting to tell me my mom was cool! 

     Oh - - we had a baptism this week - -  super good experience!  Her name is Adrielle, she's 21 and super funny - - she reminds me a lot of Carlie.  It was amazing to see how much progress she made.  We had a man in our ward baptize her that is close to her family.  We taught her in his house too - - so we felt it best to have him baptize her.  The baptism was Sunday morning, pretty early too, like 7:30 a.m., but way more people showed up then we were expecting so that was cool.  We will baptize again this week, a 36 year old man named $#%@*&, who has come a looong way too.  He has a smoking problem and has gotten down to 1 a day, this past week he went 4 days without smoking!  His baptism will be on Saturday.  We passed by his house last night, I gave him a blessing that he could stop, permanently.  Super excited for him.  Super good week.

     Thank you for all the mail, I love you all, Tchau.  Elder Akina

Elder Andrade, current companion

Elder Nunez, previous companion in Aracy - - one of Elder Akina's favorites!
 



Campinas Temple, took the wrong bus after Multi-Zona - - but got to see the temple!

Elder Akina, Adrielle, Ward member & Elder Andrade

Hump Day: A missionaries half way mark out in the mission field!  Elder Akina's is tomorrow! 

Love our Elder!

 



Carlie loves her Bub!



Mackenzie, Lauren and Aunty Morgan !

Aunty Loretta, Lauren and Kenzie

Papa, Aunty Val and Aunty Tiare



Duran Ohana, Love you Pilimai!

Aunty Sheri and Kenzie

She's crazy!

Elder Hatch and Caleb

Chloe and Charlotte

Da goggies

Uncle Dusten - - hysterical!



Faimalo Ohana
 

John and Aunty Debby

Hatch Ohana

Aunty Tiare and Uncle Jon

Mesa Ward Bishopric
Brother Hatch, Bishop Allen and Brother Chong (Pops)

Montgomery's

Packer's

Romney's

Stuart's

Taylor's

Uncle Travis

Rasmussen's TREK Ma & Pa

Tutu, Cameron and Chloe

Washburn's

Whetten's

Love you Elder Akina - - finish strong!

 

 

 

Week # 51 Oh the Fan!

 Hi Mom,
     This week was super cool, we baptized Bianca!  She's 14 and was a refferal from a member.  Teaching her was super cool as she accepted all of the commandments and has made a commitment to live them.  Bianca is a great example to the other youth in the ward and to me.  She is a very strong individual and a very sweet spirit.  She is the only member in her family.   We had 2 investigators at the baptism too. 
     We have a baptism lined up this week, with Adriele, she super chill.  We will teach her tonight in a family home evening and at a family's house.  Please pray that she can be baptized this week.

Bianca at her baptism October 1, 2015

     This week was good, it rained a ton, which we were needing.  We watched General Conference at the Bishop's house and he has a projector so it was cool.  We watch it via the internet, the chapel doesn't have satellite.  I really like Elder Durant's talk - - Ponderize and the challenge he put out with the one verse per week - -  which me and my companion have already started doing.   I also liked Elder Russell M. Nelson's talk on Women.   That story he shared about him and his wife  - - when he couldn't save the kids life and his wife helped him through it when he wanted to quit.  I love that one!  I don't know  if you saw, but Elder Costa spoke in  Sunday afternoon session.  Elder Costa visited our mission - - he is suuuper cool!  He spoke about the Sacrament.  Conference was good - -  nothing beats sitting down for 4 hours with a fan on you - - ha - -ha!
Love you all. Tchau.   Oh, I need a new alarm clock, mine broke - - one that uses electricity.  Mahalo Mama!

General Conference October 2015 at the Bishop's house.