Letter #15- He was a skater boy, she said see you later boy; he wasn´t good enough for her

Hello from Brazil!

This has been a fantastic week! I do not remember when I have ever been this happy! I am in my new area. Nome de la Cap da Imbuia (kapow da em-boo-yah) and it is just great! It has been freezing here! The coldest for me it has ever been! But it made for an interesting change up. and the rain. oh gosh!!! It has rained every day this week, well, except today. It is bright and sunny and actually getting kind of hot. But i cannot complain. 

So the area I am in is a suburb of Curitiba. It is just great! The ward is awesome and Elder Awerkamp is awesome. The people are awesome. It's all awesome! Everything is going great! The work is hard. Not as many people are as receptive as in Timbu. But no worries. I have constantly thought this. "If life gets hard, work harder." 

While I've been on my mission I've remembered many quotes I have heard. One that I love is by Coach Hornbeck from high school. "Just because you are moving, doesn't mean you are going somewhere." I have tried to apply this. Make our time affective! So this week, Elder Awerkamp had 2 different meetings in Portao with the President! Because he's the District Leader. So I went with some other elders in our district. I just have to tell you the story.

So we are in the other area with the other elders and we went to lunch yesterday. The three of us walked in. We shook everyones hands and the last person is this mentally challenged Brazilian. He shook my hand and glared at me. He came and sat down and just glared at me. He screamed (this is all in Portuguese, remember) "What's your name?" "Elder Askins" "Are you an American?" "Yes I am" "I don't like you!" (the other elders are just laughing hysterically) He got up and walked around screaming "Who took my meds? Who took my meds?" He came to me and screamed "You took my meds!" And raises his hand to hit me and another elder says "No he doesn't have it" And so he sat down. I asked to go to the bathroom and he says "Do you have to poop?" And just laughs. So I went to the bathroom, but I was so nervous I can't pee and when I came back I sat down and he started screaming again. But I looked over and I saw a camera with the light on. When he saw me notice it he shouted "YOU JUST GOT PUNKED!" in English!!! HAhahahahaha and then he started saying how he can speak English, how he doesn't have any problems or anything and how he served a mission. He gave me a big hug and we laughed how funny!

But on a more spiritual note. I had quite an experience. I was praying a few nights ago and I was asking Heavenly Father why I was transferred, why I left my area, my trainer, the whole shebang. Not complaining, but looking for understanding. I had a dream that night that I was at a baptism, and my mission pres was there. I asked him why he transfered me and he looked me deep in the eyes and said "Elder, we both know it wasn't me who transfered you, and the Lord did it because there is something that YOU can do there. Maybe no one else can. In the furnace of our afflictions, the Lord makes us strong.

I have noticed that since I have left my other area and been with a new companion, I am speaking more and better. I know the Lord transfered me because I can learn and grow more here and I can help the people. My last night I met with a family that I just love. I gave the dad a hug goodbye and he said "Askins, there are people there waiting for you." I find it interesting. In Portuguese, the word for wait and hope are the same. So I will find who is waiting.

Letter #14- I´ve Got A Feelin´,That Tonight´s Gonna Be A Good Night

Dear family.

It has been an eventful week. Today is the first day of a new transfer. For those of you who don´t know how the mission works, it´s broken up into transfers. Which is every 6 weeks. And every six weeks you or your companion have a chance of leaving the area you are in and you go to a new area and get a new companion or you stay in your area and get a new companion or you both stay. So Elder Savage was preparing me because he had a feeling that he was going to be leaving. In this mission (Brazil, Curitiba) if you are American, you usually stay with your trainer (First companion) for 2 transfers and then your trainer leaves and you stay in the area and get a new companion. Elder Savage and I had one transfer together, so it was rare that he would get transferred, but he had a chance to leave and become the Zone Leader. So he was preparing me for a maybe. 

 

So last Saturday we went on divisions. I went with the Brazilian in our district. His name was Elder Cordeiro. We stayed in my area and I loved it. I took him around all day to our investigators houses and I was the one leading the way, planning the day, and teaching the lessons. I felt like I could handle getting a new companion.

Well, Monday was the day we found out what was going on. That day a huge storm hit Timbu. We had to hide at Pimental´s house for about a half hour, it was so bad. After we finished our day we returned home and had no power. Luckily I had some candles I had bought. We finally got power around ten and the call for transfers came around 10:30. We were prepped. I was in my sweatshirt and sweat pants drinking some chá (Brazilian tea) and we were sitting on the couch. Elder Savage put it on speaker phone. Elder Lima (one of our Zone Leaders) said transfers were in- he said "Elder Savage, Você vai ficar (You are going to stay)" I was so happy! I was about to start dancing! "Elder Askins, Você vai sair (You are going to leave)" I threw my head against the wall and literally almost started crying. I didn´t want to leave! I have friends here! I knew the area, we had baptisms. I only had six weeks on my entire mission! But I knew that this was part of the Lord´s plan for me here. 

 

So that next day we went around to all the houses of our friends. They all thought Elder Savage would leave. No one thought I would. So we told them, "Elder Savage is staying, I´m leaving." We told our 2 important investigators, Celí and Rosilene. They started crying! We went and told Isabella. We told Pimental and his family. We told our other good friends, Marcos Duarte and his family. They bought me a Brazil Nation jersey and a kit with a light and a pen and a notebook. We told our friend Analia, a recent convert. She started crying.  She loved me. She called me "Meu pequeno-grande homen" (My little big man) She gave me some Avon soap. We told Tuté. We had a nice pizza with him. 

 

This morning I was packed and we went, again, to Portão. We went to the chapel for transfers. I am now in this new area, I forget the name of it. hahahaha. But it is actually in Curitiba. and my new companion, his name is Elder Awerkamp and he is Parker Awerkamp´s second cousin.

 

So that is my week. Pretty eventful. Pretty happy, pretty sad. I love you all and I hope you are doing amazing. "Don´t stop believing!"

love,

elder askins

Letter #13- "There Ain´t No Rest For The Wicked. Money Don´t Grow On Trees

"I Got Bills To Pay, I Got Mouths to Feed, There Ain´t Nothin´In this World For Free. Oh I Can´t Slow Down, I Can´t Go Back, Oh You Know, I Wish I Could. Well, There Ain´t No Rest For The Wicked...Until We Close Our Eyes For Good."

 

Well this week has been great! I have a lot to say and so little time. Today we played soccer with the boys in our ward. They love us so much and it was so good. It was 5 on 5. Elder Savage and I were on the same team. I was goalie for most of it (And not too bad if i do say so myself). Elder Savage called me Howard (The USA team´s goalie) and I called him Donavan (The best player on the USA team) but we lost 20-18. It was a great game! hahaha.

 

Last week I had my final meeting in Portão on Friday. I was super excited, because it was the final one and because our new mission president came in on Thursday and I thought I might be able to meet him. You know how I get. He is pretty much famous as far as the mission is concerned. He´s like the Paul McCartney to all other musicians. Well the assistants said he was coming and about half way through he showed up. I got pretty nervous (You know how I get) and then we were practicing teaching the first lesson in Portuguese. He would walk around and listen but Elder Savage has been making me practice with him a lot (teaching it completely the whole way by myself) so it wasn´t too hard. Then finally at the end, our new president, President Cordon, and the assistants were standing right by me and watched me extend a baptism invite and I did pretty dang good! And they all said I did good and I was happy it was great! Then President Cordon got up in front of everyone and gave some concluding remarks. He served his mission in Argentina. So he speaks Spanish. But he said "I´m learning Portuguese too." He spoke to us in Portuguese but it sounded very much like Spanish. It sounds really different but he spoke pretty well. He said "Last Sunday, I was at a sacrament meeting with all the new mission presidents, 10 of the 12 Apostles, and the prophet." (Can you imagine that!!!!) And he said the Prophet stood up and said if you are learning a new language, the Lord will help you. Whoa! How powerful!

 

A few nights ago (this is more scarier) we were walking home. Around 9:30. We were running late. It was very foggy out like the old wolfman movie. Where I live, all the stores close at 8:30 because after that... bad things happen to people who aren´t missionaries. We were walking to our house. Our jackets were covering our name tags and our white shirts and ties and we walked and walked and walked. And we saw one person emerge from the fog at the end of the street. As she got closer (And you don´t talk to people on the streets at night) when she got closer about parallel to us she look at us, turned her head and said "Boa Noite Missionaries." Instantly I had this feeling that hit my heart and spread throughout my whole body it said, "Leave now. Don´t stop, don´t talk." We booked it home. I don´t know what that lady was doing or what it was, but she said missionaries in English which is a hard word for them to say. And that feeling... it was weird and really cool at the same time. Like someone was watching out for us. Just a cool story. Nothing really scary.

 

Yesterday, we visited Jezley. He smoked a little less than a week ago and was sad about it. We talked to him and comforted him. They Elder Savage had me teach the entire first lesson. It was cool because I could actually do it.

 

Now for my last story. Monday night, we had Noite Familiar over at this man named Marcos´ house. They love us. Elder Savage helped activate them last transfer. Their kids love us. They have 2 sons, one 15 and one like 13. We watched a video of two Jewish men walking and one was telling the other of Jesus. Along the way, they would stop and help people that needed help. The man who was talking about Jesus dropped his walking stick. A man picked it up and asked them for some food. they went back to the man´s house and were eating bread. The stranger that these two men on the street met broke the bread with them and handed it to them. They looked at his hands and noticed they had scars on them. Each hand had a scar on the palm and each wrist had a scar. They knew it was Christ. After the movie, Marcos asked me if I had any thoughts I wanted to share and I told them "It´s not easy to serve a mission. I can´t speak very well. I have spent a lot of money to be here. I have left my family and my friends to be here. I miss my family so much. Learning Portuguese is hard. I would not be here, if i didn´t know this was true." I bore them my simple testimony of the Book of Mormon and the truthfulness of it. I bore my simple testimony about the prophet Joseph Smith. 

 

I love you all so much.

"Don´t Stop Believing!"

Com Amor,

Elder Askins

Letter #12- Hello, Again. Hello. Just called to say... Hello.

dear family!

It´s been another wonderful week here in Brazil! Here are some updates: USA is out of the World Cup. I am very sad because I would have loved to win the cup. When we went to church on Sunday, we walked into priesthood, they literally stopped the meeting and started clapping and laughing and saying Guanna!!! (They are who beat us). They live for soccer here. LIVE for it. A few days ago, Brazil played Chile (here we say Shil-lee) and the stores were almost ALL closed! Literally everything, except for a few stores, and they had the game playing. It was hard to teach lessons that day because NO one wanted to leave their tv. But when the game was over, they all came out and partied in the streets and it was pretty funny. 

 

The work is going so great here! The Lord is blessing the people in Timbu. We have quite a few investigators. First, this week, Elder Savage taught me how to (in Portuguese) invite someone to be baptized. So after I learned how he told me I was going to invite Jezley (I don´t know how to spell it, so that´s how you say it and how it would be spelled in English) He is a great guy, he had been having many problems with drinking and drugs and he did kill a guy like a year ago. He served time in prison, but he really is a great guy. He loves us so much and he loves it when we come over. 

 

The best was last Wednesday, we stopped by his house at like 8 and he had a huge grin on his face. We asked him how he had been and he proudly declared, "I have been sober for a week!" Wow! That was cool. We talked with him, shared a message and left. We went back Monday night. 2 weeks of being clean! Then Elder Savage had me commit him to baptism. He was so nervous. He didn´t think he was ready. We talked with him and said we would help him. We set his baptismal date for July 31. That´s close to dad´s birthday! He is so excited and he will be great! I love him.

 

Next, we have these two ladies. a mother who is in her 50s and her daughter who is in her late 20s. They LOVE us. We have taught them some lessons. They always give us food and the first time we went to their house, they kissd us on the cheek! (That´s what all Brazilians do, it´s their custom here) but we had to explain to them that we can´t do it. We all had a good laugh. But yesterday, we were meeting with them. We taught them the 10th commandment and then the daughter said she had a question, but not about the commandment. We asked about what. and she said... I´ve been reading O Livro De Mórmon, and I don´t understand about the tree of life. We were so happy! She had been reading! We explained to her about it and then we told her to keep reading. She said she had prayed about it! And that she had a dream the church was true! and she knew God had answered her prayers! and then she said she wanted to go to church. They are coming this sunday! It is great!

 

Next we are also teaching a family. The dad´s name is Caudio! (Claw-gee-oh) They are great! They are friends of the bishop. (here he is the Bispo) They love us so mucha and they are really getting involved, they haven´t been to church yet, but they will this weekend and they are loving the lessons. The first night was a family home evening with their family and the bishop´s family and we watched Junto Parasempre (together forever) and then the next time we taught them the message of the restoration. They committed to baptism. then the next time we taught about the plan of salvation. I love teaching that lesson because I love the look that the family gives each other when we tell them that families are ordained of God and we can be together forever in heaven with our families, Heavenly father, and Christ, as families forever. I wouldn´t trade it for the world.

 

This has been a great week! I am all out of time! I love you all and pray for you constantly. I am hitting my 3 month mark! See you all in almost 21 months!

Com amor,

Elder Askins

Letter #11- I´m Still Learning How To Bend.

Hello my family! I hope everything is going just fantastic! I don´t know if when you do the blog thingy, if you add my email titles, but they are there for a special reason. They have to do with my week and I think about during the week what will be a good title for the next week. They usually come on Friday. 

 

This last Friday, as with every morning, the alarm went off at 6:30. I hit my knees and prayed. I thank the Lord for letting me still be alive, I thank Him for tons of things. I let Him know that everything I plan on doing that day, I´m doing it in His name. Then of course I talk to Him about my family, a few friends that I´ve been thinking of lately, and some members of the Timbu ward, and our investigators. After, I wrapped myself up in my blanket (because it is COLD) and I sat on the couch and probably look hilarious. Elder Savage got out of the shower and smiled at me and, without a grin on my face I said loudly and emotionless "It´s COLD!" Then we start laughing. It happens every day. And then I get in the shower and I sing songs. 

 

Last Friday, I´m Still Learning How to Bend by Gary Allen popped in my head and I thought this is my song. I grew up my whole life learning things. Getting set in my ways. Some good things and some things like the natural man. Then I get here on my mission and I am this boy set in my ways. And the Lord says No no no, you may be this good boy right now, let me teach you how to be a man of God. and every day I am still learning how to be the way the Lord has intended me to be. 

 

The mission is the greatest! Yesterday we were walking to a section of our area and we were with a member who is a good friend. His name is Tuté (Too-Tay). He was talking to me and he says "you don´t speak enough Elder Askins," And goes on to try and talk with me. We talk, I do alright, I was proud of myself, but he looked disappointed. And Elder Savage says, "Tuté, he´s doing great for his first area" And he says "First area! I thought this was your second or third area!" That made me feel good that I don´t scream newbie.

 

Last week on like Friday or Tuesday even, Brazil played (soccer).We knew it would be hard to teach, but we were not having any excuses. We had made a goal to have 12 baptismal dates set up by the end of the week. so we worked our BUTTS off! We worked so so so hard. That day we were walking. We got a can of guarana and drank some, it was hot out. Then Elder Savage says, "Where do you feel like we should go?" Where do I feel?  I looked out across the area we were in. I felt like we should go to a certain place. I said, "That way, Pointing down the hill." He said, "me too." We walked a way and listened for people not watching the game. We went to this shadey-looking house and clapped. This old lady, maybe Nanie´s age came out. She said enter enter. We talked a little. We asked how she had been. She said really bad. She told us about how a lot of her family had died. She cried. We taught her about the plan of salvation and she said she wanted to be baptized. As we were leaving she said God be thanked for you coming to my home.

I love you all. This work is true! I know it!

"Don´t Stop Believing!" 

Love you with all my heart,

-Elder Askins 

Elder Askins' First Baptism

Elder Askins, Isabella, Elder Savage

Letter #11: I Hear Jerusalem Bells Ringing, Roman Cavalry Choirs Are Singing. Be My Mirror, my Sword, And Sheild, My Missionaries in a Foreign Field

This has been an amazing week! I hope you all got my picture! There is so much to say and it always seems like there is not enough time. 

 

I´ll start with last Friday. I have found that as I read and reread the Book of Mormon in Portuguese, if i do it during personal study in the morning, I can understand better that day. So I have really tried to work hard.  I study stories I love and scriptures I know. Like Nephi, and Enos. I LOVE the story of Enos. And Alma and Captian Moroni. Great stuff. So last Friday I started reading. That day, we were having the Zone Leaders come to our area to interview Isabella for her baptism on Saturday. But we found out that we would have to go on divisions because they had 2 interviews at the same time at different places. So we met them in Boa Vista and I went with Elder Young to an interview in another area, while Elder Lima went with Elder Savage back to our area in timbu. Elder Young (No relation to Sam Young, I asked), was only speaking Portuguese with me. He told me that I was conjugating really well for how long I've been out and that I was understanding really well too. He told me he knew I would continue to pick up the language. 

 

SO we were STARVING! That happens a lot to me now. And he led the way to this resort. We had a wonderful buffet at this resort. We talked about our families and life before the mission and what we had planned to do after the mission. It was great! Afterward, we rode the famous red buses of Curitiba (Google them! They're crazy!) They look like giant caterpillers. We rode for like an hour. Then got off and met up with other elders. We walked what seemed like forever and then I went with Elder Barbosa (A Brazilian missionary) while Elder Young went with Elder Brown to the other interview. While I was with Elder Barbosa, we taught a first lesson and talked A LOT of Portuguese. It gave me comfort that I can actually communicate with Brazilians better than I thought. Then Elder Barbosa and I rode the buses back to Boa Vista where I met up with Elder Savage. 

 

We jumped on the buses to run back to Timbu because we had an activity with the ward and we were teaching a small lesson. We made it on time. Rule number one with Brazilians: If something starts at 7 it won´t really start until 8. It´s crazy. But we made it. We helped set up and I was feeling great! I was talking with investigators (there was at least 20 there) and with the ward members. After the lesson we taught, we served dinner to the ward and they danced and played music. We started talking with the ward members and investigators. They were so excited because this was the first time I was being really open with them becuase I could talk and understand. I felt the power of the Lord help me and bless me.  We chatted until we had to go home. 

 

Saturday was Isabella´s baptism. Elder Savage told me that she wanted ME to baptize her. So I spent the day with Elder Savage setting up the church, teaching a few lessons, and memorizing how the baptismal words go in Portuguese. But the time came, we were both in white, I helped her into the font. She looked nervous. I whispered, "Isabella, Are you nervous?" She nodded. I got a big grin on my face and said "Me too." Hahahaha. She smiled and giggled. I told her not to worry. I said it word perfect and the baptism as great! 

 

I love baptisms. I love the song that talks about looking for rainbows after it rains. "And ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again. I want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain. I want to be the best I can. and live with God again." How true that is! After the baptism, Elder Savage wasn´t feeling well so we went home and made some herbal tea and went to bed. 

 

Sunday was a great day. We did some contacts and went to lunch and then church. We had one investigator there.  His name is Jeslee (or spelled some other way) The thing is, he´s been taught all the lessons, but has trouble with the word of wisdom. He is a great guy though. Not to scare you, but he just got out of prison.  He killed someone. But he LOVES us so much. And he is nothing to be scared of.

 

Monday, we found out that the elders who lived in our condo before us in November didn´t pay a power bill, so we had our power shut off all day Monday and half of Tuesday. Have you ever taken a freezing cold shower that brings you to tears... when it is freezing outside already. Heaters... something I took for granted. We are truly blessed in the good old USA. 

 

Speaking of... Did you hear that USA tied with England in the first round of the world cup. We were leaving an area yesterday when Brazil won their first game again North Korea. I was a little scared. It was like a war zone! Everyone was driving arund honking and shouting and cheering. And they were lighting off fireworks. It was crazy. 

 

We met this lady yesterday, about Nanie´s age. A lot of her family has died. And we taught her about the plan of salvation. She started crying. She has a baptismal date for |July 3rd. It´s been fun. We are teching a family of 4. They are friends of the Bispo (Bishop). So I think it will go great! There is nothing but goodness in the future of Timbu. I can tell. I am so blessed. 

 

Today, we had to go to Downtown Curitiba, where the Mission office is, for police stuff with my visa. It´s all protocal. But I got to see people from my old district. It was funny because we were so joyfuyl in seeing each other again. I felt like Alma when we read about the sons of Mosiah in the mission. They were so happy. We were talking and I guess most of their companions don´t let them teach and talk. They say do you teach Elder Askins? My companion leans over and says, He taught a lesson alone last night and baptized someone on Saturday! He was so proud. 

 

Last night we visited Isabella. And as we are sitting there, Elder Savage says, Isabella, I think Elder Askins has something that would really be good for you to hear, he will give the message tonight. He likes to keep me on my toes. I shared Nephi 3:7. I told her the story. Great story. And then I said in probably terrible, broken Portuguese, "Sometimes the Lord asks us to do hard things, but He will always provide a way to make it through. Isabella, as you know, I don´t know Portuguese, it´s very hard. But the Lord called me here to serve you and your family. He called me here to serve the people here. And I have a strong testimony that He will help me learn this language because he has commanded me to serve here, and I know He wouldn´t command me to do soemthing unless he was going to help me do it." As we left Elder Savage said, "Elder Askins, that was a great message. Maybe you should start giving the lunch message too." Uh oh. hahaha so who knows. 

 

Well, my time is up, pday is just about over. But my love and my prayers go out to all of you. I love you all so much and I know that this church is true. The Book of Mormon is true. This work is true. God lives and Christ lives. He is our Savior! I love you all!

-Elder Nathan Askins!