T3 - Team Tonks and Turner

"T3. In other words, Team Tonks and Turner. This is him and I in front of the Banespa, the tallest building in Sao Paulo. Although he was never my companion, we sure had a great time down here. I will miss him when he goes home at the end of September. He has tried so hard to talk me into going to BYU, but I told him only if we go to BYU Jerusalem. Or BYU Hawaii. Wherever the party's at. He is from SoCal and we plan on making the T3 t-shirt company when we get home. Just to make some spare money to rent Chuck Norris films and eat at Del Taco."

The Meaning Of "Grace"

"I was studying a favorite talk of mine and I learned a lot about "grace". The name of the talk is "In the Strength of the Lord" by David A. Bednar in his pre-Apostle days. I really enjoyed it, and while I was reading Alma 2 I just applied the meaning of "grace" (the enabling and reedeming power of the Atonement) and I really learned a lot. I sure do love to study. I get something good out of it every day."

Grace is a word that occurs frequently in the New Testament, especially in the writings of Paul. The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ.

It is through the grace of the Lord Jesus, made possible by his atoning sacrifice, that mankind will be raised in immortality, every person receiving his body from the grave in a condition of everlasting life. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts.

Divine grace is needed by every soul in consequence of the fall of Adam and also because of man’s weaknesses and shortcomings. However, grace cannot suffice without total effort on the part of the recipient. Hence the explanation, “It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do” (2 Ne. 25: 23). It is truly the grace of Jesus Christ that makes salvation possible. This principle is expressed in Jesus’ parable of the vine and the branches (John 15: 1-11). See also John 1: 12-17; Eph. 2: 8-9; Philip. 4: 13; D&C 93: 11-14.

In the Strength of the Lord by David A. Bednar

Wheelchair Distribution

"We had a great service project this morning. The Church donated 500 wheelchairs to the community where we and about 20 other missionaries live so we all met up at this school and gave wheelchairs to people who had been invited to recieve them. It was great to help someone out of their old beat up wheelchair and into a shiny new blue one, complete with the church logo on the back. Service projects make you feel so good, like when we used to make Chicken Feet Soup in Cruzeiro. We are going back to help with the wheelchairs again tomorrow."

Humanitarian Services

What It Is
Humanitarian Services, working in partnership with local organizations that serve the disabled, distributes about 40,000 wheelchairs each year in 70 countries. Those who have witnessed a disabled person receiving a wheelchair for the first time report that the joy and tears of gratitude shown by the recipient are often overwhelming.

Why It Is a Priority
Only about one percent of the roughly 100 million disabled people worldwide own or have access to a wheelchair.* Many have lost the use of one or both legs due to war, birth defects, or disease. In most developing countries, there are few social supports to help the disabled. They are highly dependent on family members for support and 24-hour care. For the adults, being without mobility often means being without work. In addition, UNESCO estimates that 98 percent of children with disabilities in developing countries are unable to attend school.

What It Does and How It Helps
For the disabled, mobility is the key to independence, education, and self-reliance. A person given the gift of mobility is freer to travel, work, and go to school. Additionally, their caretakers are also more free to spend time on other productive activities.

Fernando de Noronha

"I was talking to Elder Silveira and he was telling me about the most exotic place in all of Brasil. It is an island in the north called Fernando de Noronha. It's supposed to be pretty beautiful and way cooler than Utah, if that's possible. I don't want to hate on Brasil, but being down here for so long has made me consider Utah, hands down, is the celestial kingdom on earth. I do love Brasil still."

LOCATION: Located 332 miles off the Brasilian coastal city of Recife, Fernando de Noronha is the largest and only inhabited island in an archipelago of 21 islands and islets. The entire archipelago was declared a Marine National Park in 1988 and today is administered by the Brasilian state of Pernambuco. All together 70% of the archipelago is considered National Park.

HISTORY: Fernando has a colorful history. Discovered in 1503 by Amerigo Cespucci, they were for a time a popular pirate's lair. It was invaded many times, passing through Dutch, English and French hands until in 1737 the French were driven out by the Pernambuco captaincy. Ten forts were built around the island to protect Pernambuco's ownership. The main fort, Forte dos Remedios, was completed in 1738 and sits atop a hill overlooking the traditional town center. Through the years the fort has been used as a penitentiary for common and political prisioners.

The island, besides serving as a political and common criminal prison, has also been home to military installations, including an American base during World War II.

TODAY: Today the island population is around 3000 inhabitants, dedicated to civil service, fishing, agriculture and the growing tourism and hospitality sector. Vila dos Remedios is where most people live and socialize. Here you will find a cluster of homes and "pousadas", a few stores, the post office, administration center, church and museum. The island has over 100 small "pousadas" spread out over the island, and none located directly on the beach.

Fernando de Noronha Official Site

My New Companion - Elder Carvalho

"My companions name is Elder Carvalho, he is from the south of Brazil in a touristic state called Santa Catarina. He is pretty cool and I am gonna teach him to really throw down on the Spirit in our lessons and contacts. His family (except his dad) are all members of the church. He is 24 years old, and is gonna be molded into an exact replica of his trainer...but better!!! I've only known him for about 21 hours so I can't tell you too much about him at the moment. So yeah, we have got a long ways to go.

Being at home with my new guy was really weird, I felt so incapable and sad and stuff but a good nights sleep always helps. We had an excellent companionship study and my companion is really timid and shy but I am gonna kick him into tip top shape. Just give me a few weeks, you'll see.

Keep Elder Carvalho and I in your prayers."

Brazilian Feijoada

"The members sometimes make us a "lite" feijoada, because anything more than lite could kill us."

Feijoada -- a bean potpourri type dish -- is roughly the Brazilian equivalent of our American "soul food". It is without a doubt the country's national dish. It is in fact so popular throughout Brazil that most restaurants, from the humblest inner-city " lanchonete" to the sophisticated hotels lining the Bahia and Rio shores, designate specific days in which "feijoada" is served at lunch time as "o prato do dia" -- the day's special. Other eateries pride themselves in the fact that they serve it every day and advertise it in the yellow pages and/or in conspicuous blackboards outside their premises. Since "feijoada" is in general a particularly "heavy" dish, it is only served at noon. The recommended post-feijoada activity is a nap.

In a real feijoada, or as the Brazilians say, "uma feijoada leg¡tima," every part of the pig is thrown into the pan. It is also a known fact that the sight of the pig's ear, tail or snout floating in the feijoada will upset the gringos. So feijoada is often made -- to the dismay of the traditionalists -- with only the noble parts of the pig. This reduces the fat content and makes it visually less offensive to gringos.

The traditional history of Brazilian feijoada is that it was a "luxury" dish of African slaves in Brazilian farms, as it was prepared with relatively cheap ingredients (beans, rice, collard greens, farofa) and leftovers from salted pork and meat production. Over time, it first became a popular dish among lower classes, and finally the "national dish" of Brazil, offered even by the finest restaurants.

However, this history is disputed. Some claim that it was inspired on the French cassoulet, while others conjecture that it evolved from the bean-and-pork dishes from the regions of Estremadura and Trás-os-Montes in Portugal.

An easy-to-do "lite" version of Feijoada

The When And Where Of My Mission

"My dad asked me about all my companions, areas, and people I have lived with. Here is the rundown:"

CTM

I got here in Brazil and had Elder Hirschi as my companion at the CTM, living in the same room as Elder Shaw and Elder Ferguson and also two Brazilians whose names I've long forgotten.

Cruzeiro

Then I was trained and lived in Cruzeiro with Elder Pieper, taking the place of my good buddy Elder Turner, who is a great friend of mine to this day.

Bom Clima

Then I moved to Bom Clima in Guarulhos, lived with Elders Hudson, W. Silva, Eddington and Borland and my companion was Elder Walker. Elder Hudson then found a house and him and W. Silva moved out, and it was the 4 of us for one week until Elder Eddington went home (with Elder Pieper) and Elder Domaredzky moved in. One transfer later I was training Elder Costa, and Elder Borland and I became the best of friends.

Taubate

I then got transfered out to Taubate to be with Elder Dias.

Belem

Then back to Belem to be with Elder Biggs for two weeks, then Elder Martins, then Elder Dias, then Elder Stoddard, then Elder Hicks, then Elder Dias again.

Jardim Camargo Novo

And now I am in Jardim Camargo Novo with Elder Silveira and this transfer is about to end and I will probably train an American. That would be sweet. In Jardim Camargo Novo I am the district leader, and I may be a trainer here soon.

That's kind of the rundown on when and where of my mission.

Jardim Camargo Novo District Missionaries

(click image to enlarge)

"Elders Freire, Salles, Brown, Tonks (District Leader), and Willamsen (Zone Leader) on the top row and in the front Faria (Zone Leader), Martins and Silviera...what a group..."

Literacy In Brazil

"My training last week was on how to use the scriptures better in our teaching. Me and my companion are really trying to apply it but its tough. Here is why: I am more educated than 85% of SP, for the mere fact that I have graduated from high school. Only two of my four Brazillian comps graduated from high school, Elder Martins and Elder Silveira. So sometimes, when we use a scripture it confuses people because the scriptures are in a very formal languange and I sometimes feel that it makes a lesson worse than better. So what I tried to show my district is how to take one scripture, write it out on a piece of paper, in big letters, for the investigator to see, then explain the whole lesson off of that one passage. Don't ever leave that passage. Then the person could understand and maybe apply it a little better than normal. It's sad, the illiteracy rate here is way high and I feel bad for kids who have to quit school when they are like 15 so they can go find a job to help support their family. Ah, it's a way sad situation but hopefully us bringing the Gospel to them can make them feel a little better."

In 1990 it was estimated that 81 percent of the total population above age fifteen was literate, or 19 percent illiterate (based on the inability to sign one's own name). The level of functional illiteracy--that is, the inability to read newspapers and write letters--was not measured but was certainly much higher (an estimated 60 percent). As with most social indicators, illiteracy is highest in rural areas of the Northeast and North, where the figures are comparable to those in Africa, and lowest in urban areas of the Southeast and South, where the figures are comparable with those in the developed world. For example, southern towns had an adult illiteracy rate of only 10 percent in 1991, while the rate for children between the ages of eleven and fourteen was only 3 percent.

Literacy is strongly associated with income. When the population is divided into five income strata, illiteracy is ten times greater in the stratum with the lowest income. The illiteracy rate rises by age- group. The 1991 census also showed a strong racial gradient, with illiteracy levels of 11.6 percent among whites, 27.4 percent among mulattoes, and 29.9 percent among blacks. Differences by gender were not strong. Because of disappointing results when the federal government undertook a nationwide adult literacy campaign, the Brazilian Literacy Movement (Movimento Brasileiro de Alfabetização--Mobral), the emphasis shifted in the 1960s and 1970s to reaching children through the school system.

Son Of Righteousness

"I was doing a little scripture hunt about healing power the other day and I came across one that I liked in Malachi 4:2. "the Sun of righteousness with healing in his wings". Isn't that a cool phrase? Yeah, then I cross-referenced it with 2 Nephi 26:9 and taught it to some less active members saying that pretty much one of the main reasons that Jesus was resurected was so that he could heal us. And then I invited them to come back to Church. They will try."

Malachi 4:2
But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

2 Nephi 26:9
But the Son of righteousness shall appear unto them; and he
shall heal them, and they shall have peace with him, until three
generations shall have passed away, and many of the fourth
generation shall have passed away in righteousness.

Gospel Of Jesus Christ Study Rainbow

"I have started what I call, the Gospel of Jesus Christ Study Rainbow. Now hear me out on this one. I have my scripture markers, that are of all different colors and it seems like the only things I use are my red pencil to highlight and my pencil to write notes inside of my scriptures. I needed to get some use out of the colored scripture markers I had. So using the topical guide, the Bible dictionary and the index I have been outlining verses that have to do with the first 4 principles of the Gospel. They are:

Faith (in green)
Repentance (in orange)
Baptism (in blue, like the water)
The Gift of the Holy Ghost (in yellow)

So my scriptures are turning into a MAG IC RAINBOW DELIGHT!"

3/4 of the Way Home

This is part of a letter I wrote Curtis today.

Today marks a milestone for you as I’m sure you’re know. You have only six months left on your mission. It’s hard to believe that you’ve been gone for a year and a half. Things haven’t changed much for us back here in Utah but you’ve seen many changes in this time.

I remember taking you to the airport and watching you walk away, realizing that you were now grown up now and not needing me to take care of you.

I remember your first letter from the CTM telling me about district 5B, Elder’s Hirschi, Shaw, and Ferguson. You had to walk up six flights of stairs and your feet were killing you but you got to walk up the street and get a paste’l. Do you remember your first p-day and the bus ride to the Campinas temple? On your first cassette tape that you sent home to us you bore your testimony in Portuguese. It was fun to hear you speaking another language.

Your first area was Cruzeiro and you met a man named Benedito who had a “sweet” record collection. You sent home the best picture you have ever taken of the Rio Paraiba and told us about making chicken feet soup. You and Elder Pieper were the first missionaries in Batedor – it’s what you pictured Brazil to look like. You met a man named Wilson – the coolest person in Brazil – and baptized him.

One year ago you were transferred from Cruzeiro to Bom Clima. This is where you met Elder Hudson and recorded an English CD for Smart! You celebrated your 20th birthday with Elder’s Walker, Borland, and Domeredzky and decided that you loved mashed potatoes and gravy but needed me to send you gravy packets. Two weeks later you were hit by the white Fiat. The bishopric came to our house to tell me the news. I was worried but knew that you were in good hands. You were assigned a new companion named Elder Costa and became a trainer. You were excited about this and said that you would “give it my all”. I received a tape that you made the night before you turned 20. You reminisced about being a teenager and all the fun things that you have done. You and Elder Costa baptized Michelle and made French toast for Family Home Evening. I was sent to Iraq over Christmas so we had an early telephone call. You started your new “Wall of Fame” with Ben Rothlesberger and Hideki Matsui and Eugene, the rockin’ wrestler. I made you a map late one night in Iraq showing how you and your friends were scattered all over the world. You opened your big Christmas package and enjoyed the basketball hoop with your friends. We were both so far from our family this Christmas. By the end of the year you had finished reading the Book of Mormon. You celebrated the New Year by watching fireworks in the city from your apartment.

At the end of January you were transferred to Taubate and your new companion was Elder Dias. It was here that you celebrated your “hump day” – the mission was half over. Lifting roofing tiles sent you to the hospital again, this time with a hernia. Once again I talked to President Urry and he assured me everything would be fine. You recuperated at the mission office and was assigned there as the referral secretary.

Now you were in Belem working in the office during the day and looking for investigators in the evening. You went back to the CTM and taught the new missionaries there about the first vision. You did a lot of traveling with Elder Martins for his duties as housing secretary. By now you have filled up your journal and I sent you another one. You were making a Powerpoint presentation about the Creation and I sent lots of pictures and info about space. How did it turn out? You were excited to be back in the USA on the day you had to visit the US Consulate. A fellow missionary went home early and you wrote him a wonderful letter. You discovered a new drink that you can’t get enough of – Acai. You now had a new companion – Elder Stoddard. I think he was one of your favorite companions. You met some families from Bolivia, started teaching them the gospel, and eventually baptized them. Paulo at the Association told you that you were the best mission in Brazil in terms of referrals. The World Cup was starting and President Urry was worried about the missionaries. You avoided it pretty well. You had the best division ever with Elder Stoddard and had dinner at the Radial Grill during his last days in Brazil.

Transfers came again and now you find yourself in Jardim Camargo Novo and you are the District Leader! Your camera is broken so I haven’t seen any pictures but I’m hoping for some soon. Elder Silveira is now your companion and enjoys Calypso music. Your best friend Christian left last week for his mission in Jamaica. You two will have been apart for three and a half years by the time he returns. Detrick and Brody are home from their missions and are anxious for you to return home.

These are but a few memories that I recall. What a wonderful and memorable time you have had in Brazil! This is a quote I put on your website several months ago:

"Why have these great missionaries and others like them been willing to sacrifice the comforts of home, family, loved ones and sweethearts to answer the call to serve? It's because they have a testimony of Jesus Christ. And when they know Him there is no bed too hard or too short. No sacrifice is too great to serve the Master who sacrificed His all to provide the way for His brothers and sisters to return home to their Heavenly Father. And because they are faithful to their callings, thousands will revere their names throughout eternity."

--Harold G. Hillam, LDS Church News, October 7, 1995, p.16

"Behold his mission is given unto him, and it shall not be given again.”

- D&C 58:16