Week #28 Peanut Butter Jelly's

Hazzit my people,

 

     This week went by super fast, it is the last week before transfers. It is super hot!  I had to break our door down on Tuesday because I  thought I had lost the keys.  Then like an hour later our land lady came down and was like, "how did you guys get in?"  I was like uughhhh,  and she said, "Oh - - you guys have 2 sets of keys don't you!" I was like, "mmmhhh yah".  It turns out I left the key in the keyhole from the outside - - what a dummy!  So our land lady took them - - ha - - ha!  Missionary problems! I fixed the door - - lol!

 

Brazilian sunset from our bedroom

      We have a possible baptism for this week.  Martin, he's one of the Haitian dudes we teach.  We're going to set a date with him for tomorrow and hopefully baptize him this Sunday.  He's already been to church with us twice. 

 

     Dang can't believe Thomas Cochrane comes home already.  I burnt one of my ties the other week when I made 6 months, it's like a thing here.  Fernandez makes one year aqui en tres dias. So that's pretty cool. 

 

Stop Suffering!

      The one sunset pic is outside our bedroom window.   The other is a church and a sign that says,  "Stop suffering!"  Ha - - ha, the churches have some of the weirdest stuff in the front!  There's this one church that has a picture of their Pastor kissing someone's feet! I'll send a pic of it.

     My birthday request is Peanut Butter and Jelly!  I have already eaten all the peanut butter you sent!  Lol - -  Fernandez had his first peanut butter and jelly sandwich with my supplies!  Never had one before!  Ha - - ha after he took his first bite, I was like, "What do you think?". He said, "It was like it filled a big gap in his childhood and he finally was complete!" Lol!

I love you, pushing through this week with transfers pending. 

Love you Mama.  Elder Akina

 

Week #27 Pray in Portuguese & 2 Boxes!

Hey Mom, 

 

     I already got both boxes!  The Nike jacket is sweet!!!  Thank you.  We had multi-zona this past week, which is zone conference in English. I gave Fernandez his birthday shirt, he loved it!  I got the speaker too, it works great. The peanut butter was also super good. 

Multi-Zonas: I am in the front row with Maka ani ani on. 

     This past week we have had 2 baptisms cancel, it was pretty rough.   Felipe doesn't want to be taught anymore,  he was so close.  We also had Irmao &*%$#@ cancel his date for this Saturday, he feels he is not ready.  He smokes 4 packs a day and cannot quit.  We will continue to work with him, I know he can do it.  

     Vitor continues to come to church.  We get to watch him prepare the sacrament and pass it every Sunday, he's a good kid.  I do get to go into other areas to work, Sumarae and Villa Flora, super cool areas!  When we do divisions.   So this week we will be finding a lot of novos - -  doing a lot of contacts and following up with some people in our area book. 

 

     My prayers have changed - - I don't say them in English anymore ha - - ha!  Even the ones in my head - - it's all Portuguese!  One time last week one of the members asked me to bless the food, but she wanted me to say the prayer in English.  So I did, but it was so hard, like it was super choppy!  What is going on! It's pretty funny how this all happens!  

 

    Oh yeah - - I will be able to Skype Mother's Day.  I will probably be in a different area, so I don't know where, but I know I will be able to.  This transfer is only 5 weeks long so May 5 is transfers, Cinco de mayo, lol.

     Love you! Oh yeah I need a yoga mat . . . my tail bone like hurts super bad from doing sit ups and crunches on our floor!  Send a jump rope please.  Thank you!!

 

     Mom this lady in my ward needs your help.  Her name is Sister Vanessa, she's been super good to us, always feeding us even the days when she didn't have to.  I told her you would try to help her, if you cant it's okay.  She is doing some workshop with the youth, and she needs those little scripture stickers that you mark your scriptures with.  They are like transparent,  you put them over the scripture verse.  They come in sets to mark like all your scriptures, she needs 12 sets.   She said if you could do it to send her the receipt so she can reimburse you. 

 

Elder Fernandez knocked out after a long day, didn't even take off his tie or anything!  Lol!

Our Christmas tree with the lights you sent!

The Mesa Primary package arrived!  Please tell them  thank you, I loved all their drawings! 

Awe - - good for Tommy Taylor!  (Friend who has moved to Utah, received mission call to serve in Virginia, Chesapeake mission)

Love you, I will work hard this week.  Your Favorite Elder

 

Week #26 Prompting to Stop

Hazzit Mama,

 

     This week was alright.  We finally got Felipe's Mom to sign the baptismal form!!   Ha - - ha the crazy part is I was doing a division with one of the other Elders in our zone for the day.  Fernandez was in another area, Anyway we were heading home for the night.  I had this feeling that we neede to pass by Felipe's house, which wasn't in the plans for the day.  I told Elder Maxwell, "Hey man, lets pass by this house real quick!"  So we went by and the Mom came out to the front.  I had this prompting to just ask her if she could sign the paper.  I was thinking, "No I can't do that, she's going to say no, of course!"  Then I thought again - - we have literally tried everything to get this lady to sign this paper, just go for it dude!"  So she came up to the front and I asked her, "Irma, we came by real quick to see if you had a couple seconds to sign the paper for Felipe's baptism."  Ha - -ha,  she said, "I have 30 seconds, if this takes any longer than that I'm leaving!"  She finally signed the dang thing!!  It was sweet.  We marked Felipe's baptism for this past Saturday and this is where the bad news comes, it got canceled!   We are going to mark it for this coming Saturday--again.  His mom grounded him so he couldn't come with us for his baptism!  It's actually a good thing his baptism was cancelled, because it would've just been us 3 at the baptism! We're going to try to get his family to come.  Saturday baptisms are hard because the members have a hard time coming to church on a Saturday.   We shall not give up - - this is going to happen before I am transferred!

 

Working hard!

      Tell B-Payne (Brandon Payne)  I said what's up!  Dang - - he really  said he stayed in the same area for 9 months - - that's crazy!  What mission was he in? Oh, tell him the p-day de zonas got cancelled in all of Brazil cuz all of the fubecas.   In all of Brazil we can no longer get together for p day.  Like you know how in the states all the Elders get together to play basketball during the week - - we can't do that anymore.  Too much "mingling"!

 

Add caption

     The contents of Carlie's box and the goodies the Stuarts sent lasted 2 days!  Gone - - gone - - gone!  Yes, I am brushing my teeth!

 

Love you Mama - - sending pics right now.  Elder Akina 
 

It is beautiful here

 

Free to roam!

Look carefully, there is a pig in the water by the shoreline!

 

 

 

Week #25 NOT Transfered!

Hazzit,

 

     Ha - - ha I stayed in Portal Bordon - -  with the same companion . . . everybody was super surprised!  Staying with the same companion in the same area for 4 is A LOT, ha - - ha! We're just going to continue to work.

 

The Dynamic Duo

     Yes, I got to watch conference - - we watched the first session Saturday in the house of one of our investigators, but his internet was suuuper slow so it like froze a lot.  It was kinda hard to understand, I didn't get to watch the second session.  I did watch the Priesthood session, which was sweet!  I did watch all of Sunday's sessions.

 

     I got Carlie's box and the Stuart's box, thank you so much!  They were sweet - - literally!  No Primary box, but thank you so much. I got all of your letters in Portuguese, ha - - ha I could understand them fine, because if you translate the Portuguese to English it makes sense, but my companion didn't understand some parts.  For example, there was this part you said, "this time has flown".  In Portuguese that doesn't make sense.  But - - translating it for me does because I know what your talking about!  Yeah, I loved everything - - thank you so much Mama!

 

     We took our Haitian investigators to conference and they got so stoked when they heard about the new temple in Haiti!  When that guy gave the talk and talked about Haiti, it was cool!

 

     Oh yeah, my companion got  this huge bump on his head this week!  We were on the bus and buses here aren't like ones back home - -  where there are a couple people sitting down.   These buses are packed and when you stand up you hold on to these bars or straps on the ceiling.  But - - like there were too many people in the bus and there wasn't any room for him to hold on!  So the bus was going and it slammed on it's brakes all of a sudden!  My companion and like 2 other people fell into the side of the bus and he hit his head!   We went to the Medico and he's fine!   He just has this huge bump!  

 

     Love you so much!  Sending pictures now.  Your Elder

(Last week was Elder Akina's 6 month mark - - where has the time gone?!)



Last weeks meal - - it was an experience! Nothing like fish and poi!

The nails off the chicken feet!

He Lives - Celebrate Easter Because Jesus Christ Lives

Week #24 "Chicken Feet + Transfers"

Hey Mom!!

 

     Sorry I'm e-mailing kind of late, lunch ran a bit late today.  Transfers are tomorrow, I find out where I'm going tonight at 9p.m.  We receive this conference call with everyone in our zone - - it's pretty cool.  I am really hoping to train this transfer.  I'm really going to miss Elder Fernandez though - - I have learned so much from him!  That guy taught me how to teach, how to interact with members, knock doors, make contacts on the street, everything - - he was the man!  But yeah, I find out tonight where I'm going, who I'll be with or if I'm staying - - who knows, it's a mystery!  If I am transferred I will not be able to say good bye to anyone in this area.  They used to give transfers out to us Sunday night, so Monday we could say goodbye to members and investigators.  However, there were a bunch of missionaries that didn't work, they just chilled with the members all day, so now they give us the transfers Monday at night, so we will work all day Monday.

 

Zone 3

(TRANSFERS are when missionaries are moved within their mission boundaries.  They will have a new companion and do the same work they did in their last area with new people - - Elder Akina has been in the same place for 5 months)

    

     Yes I have a new umbrella :)  It has been raining like crazy here!

     I have no idea how General Conference works here.  I guess I'll find out this weekend. It's different in every area and since we opened this area  - - we don't know how it goes down.

     Felipe couldn't get baptized this week, again. He is ready and I am disappointed I may miss it with transfers pending.  The important thing is that it happens - - he is ready.

      We ate at a members house this week and we had chicken feet!  By far it was the hardest thing I've had to eat here.  The foot is cartalige so it's like eating an ear - - you have to suck the meat off so you can feel the nails of the foot in your mouth!  It was an experience.

    Oh, in Spanish do they call Relief Society - - Soc Soc? Cuz that's what they call it here! It's Sociadade de Socorro in Portuguese.  This lady came up to me and Said, "Where's Soc Soc?"  She repeated Soc Soc like 6 times and I had no idea what she was talking about.  Then I realized, Oh - - Relief Society - - ha ha!

     I get mail in 2 days - - so I'm pretty excited!   I hope Carlie's Valentines box is here!  I will let you know if the Primary's package arrives too. 

     Sorry I forgot to send pics last week and it's raining super hard right now - -  so i couldn't bring my camera.  I have some sweet pics from the last two weeks and of the chicken feet :) Sorry, I'll be sure to send pics next week.

 

Love you - - Your Elder

Week #23 Working Hard

Hey Mom - - how are you guys?!

 

     Sounds like ABQ was awesome.  Sorry to hear about Uncle Bobby - - he use to come watch me play hoop!  It's sad when we lose someone close to us.  The knowledge and comfort of the gospel makes it easier.  That's why we have MISSIONARIES - - to spread the word :) he he.

 

     As far as scripture reading - - I have not been reading a specific book.  I study out of PMG (Preach my Gospel) and I study the lessons - - like finding scriptures for them and stuff like that.  If you want, give me what you want to read and we could study that this week.

 

     I have bad news ... again... the baptism was canceled, we went to his house to go get him Saturday and he wasn't at his house he didn't answer his phone.  We went to get him Sunday morning and his mom came to the front to tell us he was sleeping.   I was like we just need to talk to him real quick. No joy!  Kind of depressing, we are super close with this kid!  We are going to try and close this transfer out with a baptism!  So please keep Felipe in your prayers - - that he can remember the confirmation he has already received and realize the importance of his baptism. 

 

     This week was good, it's still raining it hasn't stopped in like 2 weeks!  Plus I don't have my umbrella anymore :(  I had to give my good one away:/ I'll probably buy one today.  This lady was on the street, it was pouring and she had her 3 year old daughter with her.  I went up to her to give her the umbrella, she was like, "No I can't".  I told her, "You'll see us on the street another day, you can give it back to me."  idk if I'll see her again, so I will just get another one.

 

Love you so much Momma.  Your Elder