Week #75 Short and Sweet

Got a long letter this week . . . here is the stuff we can post.       

So - -  this week I finally got done with all the CPF's. Today, we are going to the Quinze stadium (the soccer team of Piracicaba), so that's going to be cool. We have a baptism next week! Woo hoo!
     Mmm but yeah thats pretty much it for this week. Super pumped the Rainbows won their first playoff game! Love you!
     Oh - - Mom,  I need a huge favor.  We are making the mission video, and we are putting video clips of missionaries in our mission got their calls, can you send mine? You guys recorded it, right?  If you could send that like ASAP that would be good. Oh even better, upload it to the drop box!! That makes it way easier to see - -  thank you!  Love you!  

We've cracked into the 20's!  Pretty darn exciting!

Elder Akina

Week #74 Zones in the City + New Investigator

Heeyy,
     This week was cool, I gotta lot done!  I took 5 zones of missionaries this past week to get their CPF done, - - I will do 5 zones more this week. So what happens is, I take them to the post office (correios) and have them present their passport and protocol.  The lady at the correios then fills out this form and prints out a receipt, after they get the receipt we then go to the receita federal, where they get that receipt and turn it into a CPF.   Then I have to get their CPF and send it to São Paulo. 
     I'm pretty pumped for church tomorrow, we have an invsestigator that's going to come to church.  Her name is Ana Claudia - - she is a professional Taekwondo fighter and she moved from Minas Gerais (state in Brazil) to train here in Piracicaba.  We found her by doing a contact on the street.  So she will be with us at church tomorrow, I'm hoping we can baptize her by the end of this month. 
     I designed our zone shirts this past week - - they came out pretty sick!  I'm going take the design to a guy in the center of Piracicaba to have them done (it's way cheaper then ordering them online) I'll send you a pic of how it turned out. 
     We had Stake Conference this past Sunday.  Elder Pinto of the Seventy was there, he gave a really good talk.  President Canuto also gave a beast talk - -  the church was packed.     
     I have been playing basketball on P-days with some guys that live on my street at a court that's right by my house.  Lol it's cool.  I'll try to record a video this coming week and send it.     
     That's it.  I love you all. Love you Mom!  Have a great week!!  Tell Dad I love him!!  And Carlie and the dogs. Tchau.  Elder Akina

Camisa da Zona

 

Sushi Dinner - - Thank you Junior!

Week #73 Paper Work!

Oi, How is everybody? 
     This week was super busy, but got a lot done.  All of the missionaries have a new document that they have to start getting now because our insurance policy got updated.  It's called a CPF - - I took mine out yesterday just to see how the process was.  It's easy - - the challenge will be getting everyone here to Piracicaba because here is where the Receita Federal is.   So instead of us traveling this time out to the Zones, they're all having to come here zone by zone to do this.
      I renewed  Visas this week.  We paid a 15,000 real water bill for one of the houses in our mission (President was not happy) and put in all the baptism records.  I have a report that is due Monday of all the missionaries in this mission doing the churches English course. I have like 10 million other things to do this week, no down time! 

Gabriel's Baptism February 28, 2016.

     Gabriel's baptism was good, there were some ward members there and it was very spiritual.  Member involvement is key in our success.  This is definitely the hardest area I've been in, no one lets you in here.  It is interesting, creature comforts are high here and I don't walk as much, but the work is hard.  We'll find someone that is ready for us - - I'm sure of it. I got all of the boxes!!  Thank you so much.  Love you all. Falou Elder Akina

Missionary Creativity - - clean that mirror!  

  

Week #72 Gabriel's Baptism

E aí!!  
     So this week we have a baptism (finally) it's today at 5, I really hope members come to support Gabriel. It's been a little challenge teaching him, but he has a really good spirit.  I could really see the change in him and his progress as we were working with him.  He chose me to baptize him, so I'm super pumped for that.  I will try to send pics of the baptism.     Oh yeah I got the boxes!! Thank you so much.   We used the Nerf guns like crazy this morning with the Assistants - - we had a sick war.  I got the other shoe too!  I love the t-shirts you got in Hawaii for President Canuto and his family.  He hasn't seen them yet.  Love all the food.  Thank you guys!

     Elder Bandeira!! This is when we took them to their van at 2 in the morning, I am really going to miss that guy. He's so cool, he's from Fortaleza Ceará.  He's literally one of the coolest guys I've ever met.  It is hard, as I work here in the office I am processing missionaries to go home that I have served with.  Elder Fernandez goes home in a month! The time is going by really fast! 

     Transfers went really well,  there were a bunch of foreigners that came on this one.  2 of them were Americans.  The training I prepared went good.  During the transfer process, I do A LOT of translating. I translate for the Americans when President and the Assistants give their training. It's really tiring, but I like it. 

     Oh yeah - - super cool about Analise being called to the Missão Porto Alegre Norte! That's like the Texas of Brasil, Só Gaúcho, Gaúcho is like a cowboy.  I had a companion that's from there, Elder Becker.  They speak with a really different accent then they do here. 

     I'm putting pics up right now, Love you guys.  Elder Akina

Week #71 Sorry - - Super Busy!

Hey!, 
     I got your box mom, so I'm waiting on the other shoe right now  - - lol. (Our Elder needed new P-Day shoes, have to mail them in separate boxes, one has been delivered!) Sorry I didn't write last week we were super busy!  We had to reorganize the transfer board at President's house and we helped one of our investigators move. 
     Speaking of investigators - - we have a baptism!!!!!!!!!!  He he  - - this coming Saturday, his name is Gabriel.  He is 20 years old and super chill - - he's actually a boxer!  He was found knocking doors by some Elders like a couple months ago. Then he just stopped taking the lessons and stop going to church  - - so they dropped him.  They kept him in the area book, so a week an half ago we decided to pass by and see if we could reignite this dude.  We taught him now he has a date marked and has gone to church with us twice!  He will be going again tomorrow.  The lessons that we have had with him have been super cool, he really opened up and is really progressing.  
     We have transfers this Tuesday so it's been really busy around here, all the plane tickets are bought and ready to go for the people that are going home.  I think that's the worst part about being Secretary - -  all the people that are going home stay at the staff house (where we live) their last weekend on the mission.  IDK just everyone's all crazy and ready to go home.  We wake up  at 2 in the morning Sunday night to help them get the shuttle to the airport and you see everyone leaving and crying. It just stinks because after all that we have to go back to work - - Lol.  This transfer we have 11 missionaries coming: 6 Sisters and 5 Elders, 2  American Sisters 2 Hispanics. 
     Sorry I don't have pics this week, I left my memory card at the house :/  but  I love you guyz!!  tchau.  Elder Akina

Week #70 No Letter - - Christmas Box

No letter this week - - sad Mama. Once tender mercy was receiving Elder Akina's Christmas box. A final notice was placed in our mail box - - his package has been here since January 9th! Love it!

Black apron for craft night, stocking, His annual ornament and a dish towel for my kitchen. 

Thoughtful Elder!

Week #69 Paperwork!

Hazzit Everyone,
     No mom I did not get your box.  I'm so pumped that Alema signed to BYU!!!!! #proudcouzin!


Elder Welch my CTM companion and I at the bus station.

     This week was rough, a lot of work, a lot of baptism forms. I just found out yesterday, that all foreigners will have to get a CPF to use our health insurance for the mission.  They updated their policy so now we are going to have to take all the missionaries that aren't from Brazil to take out their CPF - - a lot of paperwork for me.
     Oh yeah - - we have a new companion - - his name is Elder Gordillo, he's from Campinas. So like the thing about being in the office is somtimes you get like random companions in the middle of the transfer, so he's not a Secretary he's just waiting with us until the transfer.   
     It's super hot here - - so I'm thankful that I'm in the AC for most of the day.  I am doing a typing course, to get my typing skills on point.  I need a haircut.  I will take 2 more missionaries to renew their Visas this week.  Pure crazy that the Pope is going to be there, Juarez must be going  crazy. That's pretty much it. I love you guys and miss you. Falou.  Elder Akina

Alema Pilimai is a Cougar!  #Proud Cousin!