It is great to be able to send you an email today. I was thinking this morning how awesome it is to be alive today when we are blessed with so much technology. Can you think how different my mission would be if we could only communicate by letters? Wow!! Snail mail!!! hah. I am grateful for this chance to be able to write you. AND write you every week. It´s a blessing.
Oh me oh my. I have some neat things I would like to share with you today. It´s been a wonderful week. You all know that I really love Guarapuava (as Eric would say, I have a man-crush on Guarapuava) I would like to start off by sharing some news that I have heard from Guarapuava. So yesterday the secretaries from the mission office called me. They were connecting me with a phone conference with Elder Gabriel (long story, but suffice it to say, he gave me things for me to give to the office and needed to make sure I remembered) but after we talking about that, he informed me that Rosimeri (Gustavo and Henrique´s mom) was baptized on Saturday night! I got so happy! But there is more. While they were getting ready to start the service, an investigator that we were teaching named João was looking at the water, then he looked up at the missionaries and said "Brothers" (everyone here calls the missionaries brothers because they don´t understand that we are ELDERS, even if you explain it like a million times, but it´s fine). He says "Brothers, what´s holding me back from being baptized?" YEA!!!!! They called the district leader over and Elder Rodrigues did the interview and João was baptized with Rosimeri! YES João!!!! That´s my boy! He´s the one that said as he was grabbing the Book of Mormon, "But Irmão, how can I go to war without my weapon!?" hahaha. He is amazing!!! So that was a nice little notícia!
This past week, here in 4 Barras, we´ve been finding new investigators, and finding old investigators. We´ve marked a ton of dates. We have been working our tails off. Poor little Elder Schmidt has blisters. But we´re walking them off. I just love my companion. Talk about a missionary of faith. Leaving Germany and coming to Brasil to teach the Gospel. He is amazing and he is trying so much. Thanks for the prayers family, we are feeling them and keep them coming!!!
So last Wednesday, after p-day, we went out to work. We planned to visit a few people but everything fell through, so we started doing contacts (I taught Elder Schmidt how to do contacts) and knocking doors. Well, like the 5th door we knocked we found a family. They invited us in but said, "Please be fast, we´re on our way out." So we taught the first lesson and invited them to be baptized on the 11. They accepted to prepare. Then we went back this week to leave a Book of Mormon with them (we couldn´t the first time because of time.) They had been praying and waiting for an answer. So we taught them about the Book of Mormon, and invited them to church. They accepted. I was really amazed by their faith. It was so wonderful. The Lord is being very wonderful to us.
Here´s a neat story... when I was in Timbú, like a year and a half ago, we recieved a reference from the mission office for a family. They lived in 4 barras (but we didn´t know) we went there and taught them a few lessons and when we realized their house was in the other area, we passed the family to the other missionaries. Now I am in the area where this family lives. I thought they had been baptized because when I was in Timbú, they were progressing a lot. Well, I looked for them on Sunday, but I did´t see them. Sunday afternoon we were walking down a street when I saw 2 women talking in front of a house. I got the strongest impression to speak with them. But I thought, "Elder Askins, don´t be annoying, they are practically walking inside and they are talking, don´t be rude." but then the urge to speak to them came again, I´ve learned a little on the mission to listen to the Spirit. So I went. I walked up to them and started talking. I looked at one of the women and said that we wanted to pass by. She said no that missionaires from our church have already passed by her house. I asked when. She said almost 2 years ago and then it hit me. I asked if she remembered who the missionaries were. She said "2 Americans, one who spoke really well, and one who didn´t speak at all." I said, "I know, because I am that missionary that couldn't speak." She looked at me and then at my name tag and then at me and smiled. She invited us to come by the next day. We stopped by on Monday and taught her and her family the first lesson (again) and invited them to read the Book of Mormon and to pray about it and then to go to church on Sunday. They didn´t completely commit, but we'll pass by again this week. As I was leaving her house I felt the Spirit really strong. I thought "God is wonderful, He knows all of His children. He knows who we are and our situations in our lives and He loves that family enough to send the same missionary almost 2 years later to her house." That´s amazing.
Church was wonderful. I saw a lot of people in 4 Barras that I already had known, and I saw everyone from Timbú. Everyone was coming up to talk to me. It was so nice. I told Elder Grigsby, "How do they remember who I am? I couldn´t say ANYTHING when I was first here." He laughed and said, "That´s exactly what they remember about you." hah. It is good to be back. We miraculously had 2 investigators at church, though at the beginning I thought they were members. It was great to get to know them, we are helping them prepare for baptism on the 18. We are even starting to prepare dates for Christmas.
We´ve gotten some offers already for Christmas and even offers to use their phones to talk to our families. We will plan it out this next week and hopefully next Wednesday I will have the number and the info.
I sure do love you my family.
I want you to know that I have a testimony of this work. I know that God lives and loves us. He knows us and cares about us and our lives. He directs this work and this mission. I know that this is God´s church on the earth, the only True and Living Church on the face of the planet and I know this because for many many different experiences on and off my mission, I have prayed to God and asked Him if this was His church and He has answered me everytime. I know any person who reads the Book of Mormon and prays to know if it is true will receive a witness like I have received it. Joseph Smith was a prophet of God and Thomas S. Monson is the prophet today. Jesus Christ lives and is the Savior of the World.
I love you all with all my heart. Today I hit my 20 month mark. As landon brough sings, "It´s a bitter sweet feeling." I love you all. até!
com amor
Elder Nathan Palmer Askins
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