Week #38 Happy Birthday Elder Akina

This week was Sa - - Weet,

      This past Sunday I said a prayer, that for my birthday on my mission all I wanted to do was play basketball, at least once this week.  I have not played on my mission in the field because no one plays hoop, everyone plays soccer.  Well, this past Wednesday we were in the city for a stake meeting,and we were walking back to catch the bus.   We passed these courts and there were a bunch of dudes playing!   I was like this is my chance.... ha - - ha, then my companion was like do you wanna play?  I was like, "yeah!"  So my companion walks on to the court and stops the game, which I didn't think he would do;  and goes "WHO WANTS TO PLAY WITH THE AMERICAN" and everybody got super excited and so I got in the game.  Everyone tried to speak English with me and they got all surprised when they heard me respond in Portuguese!  Anyway - -  I shut down the court, i dropped like 60 points in like 15 minutes!  I had a mini dunk contest with these other two guys that could dunk - -  it was super sick!  
    
     The day of my birthday I woke up and the three Elders that I live with are tell me, "dude we have a service project to got to!"  So I get ready to go do service.  Then they call me out to the back and they were like, "Elder Akina did you see this dead rat that was back here?"  So, I go around the house to the back area and they were there waiting - -  with like 2 dozen eggs and my companion held me down!  They destroyed me with the eggs, then they got cake mix, poured it all over me, flour and milk next, and a bunch of stuff!   I guess in Brazil thats what they do here - - ha - -ha.  

Elder Akina and Elder Rodriguez

Happy Birthday Elder Akina

Adding a little Milk to the CAKE!

     Saturday, we were walking to one of our pesquisadores house, and there's like this huge graffiti skate park and that day there was an event going on - -  in the park.  There was  some local rapper there, and they had a bunch of kids skating and stuff.   They had a basketball court set up, and they were having a one on one tournament!   My companion saw, and was like, "you're going to play"!  I was like, "No I'm not - -  I can't play, they're having like an event thing."  Rodriguez started walking down to the event and talks to some guy behind the stage, turns our this was the guy that was running the show.  So the guy after talking with my companion, gets on the microphone and says, "Ooohh - -  ohhh we have an American in the house!!!!  He came down here to play some ball!"  I looked at my companion in shock.  The first guy on the court said, "I playing basketball with an American!!!"  My companion did about 55 contacts and we got about 20 addresses!  Let the follow up work begin!

    Elder Akina's thoughts on if Carlie should serve a mission:  Ha - - ha, part of me doesn't want her to go,  because I want her to be home when I get back.  However - -  if the mission affects her even half as much as it has affected me - - I think she needs to serve one!  There are things you learn and feel in the mission field that cannot be experienced anywhere else, and I think it would help her a ton.



Elder Bandeira and Elder Akina off to help a family move.

     This week was good, we are super close to a baptism with Tayna, she is this girl we've been teaching.  We are going to try and baptize her this week.  Working hard making contacts and following up on our lessons. This week did include a lot of hard work, not just birthday fun!  Will send pictures. 


Love you guys, Elder Akina

Happy Birthday Elder Akina & Carlie - - we love you the most! 
Twins 19th Birthday - - first one spent apart!