New Years Eve

"On New Year's Eve, Elder Staley and I sat around and we were listening to this tape of George Winston playing Christmas songs on piano and I don't know if anyone has ever heard the Kanon, but that is the prettiest song I have ever heard. It made our New Year's celebration better. The night was pretty rainy, but rain could never stop the firework-crazy people of Sao Paulo. The funny thing is that the fireworks down here aren't really sparks and pretty colors and lights and that kind of stuff, they are more like bombs. Just one loud explosion and a bunch of people cheering. I made a video on my camera from our 16th story window of all the "bombs" going off over SP. It is pretty cool. Elder Staley and I played Nerf basketball, listened to the Kanon at least 10 times, ate Mac and Cheese and brownies and just kind of passed the New Year staring out the window at the madness of SP New Year's celebrations. It was great. I also made "Elder Tonks' 7 Goals for 2007." They are pretty dope."

George Winston - December

December holds the distinction of single-handedly putting Windham Hill on the map and being the new age album most likely to find its way into music collections. In spite of being relentlessly played during the holidays, the solo piano recording has aged quite well. Winston shapes holiday classics and original compositions into a captivating contemporary statement. His spare, understated style captures the feel of the dark season, employing ample resonance to evoke a reflective spaciousness. The album's straightforward simplicity conveys both the celebration and quietude that characterize the best of the Yuletide spirit.

A quintessential example of George Winston's "folk piano" style, December speaks to the spirit of the season. Mixing traditional carols, a couple of classical works, and his own originals, Winston drops notes with icy clarity into a winter silence, rippling through "Carol of Bells" and coaxing dark, introspective moods from his own suite, "Night."

~ Amazon.com

Eternal Families

"Well, this is pretty awesome. On Saturday we got to go see a family get sealed in the Sao Paulo Temple. Their names are Januario and Selma, it was a family that Elder Staley baptized when he was in Aruja, his first area. It was the first temple sealing that I have ever seen and it was well worth the three hour wait that we had to go through. We got there at the time we were told it would start, but someone had said the wrong time so we were two hours early, so we went to McDonalds and chilled for a little while. When we got back to the Temple, we waited in a reception room and then decided to walk around in the Temple a little bit. The Baptismal Font was awesome. The Sealing room was awesome. It was so beautiful, I really can't wait to be able to go there all the time. The sealing was amazing, and the happy couple is now together for time and all eternity. Wouldn't you all like to have that blessing as well?"

January 17, 2007

"I know that families can be together forever. It is really strange that the Lord would give us families in the first place if He would just take them away when life ends. That doesn't make any sense and that's why it's not true. Families are forever."

Temple Ordinances Seal Families Together Forever

All temple ordinances are performed by the power of the priesthood. Through this power, ordinances performed on earth are sealed, or bound, in heaven. The Savior taught his Apostles, "Whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven" (Matthew 16:19; see also D&C 132:7).

Only in the temple can we be sealed together forever as families. Marriage in the temple joins a man and woman as husband and wife eternally if they honor their covenants. Baptism and all other ordinances prepare us for this sacred event.

When a man and woman are married in the temple, their children also become part of their eternal family. Couples who have been married civilly can receive these blessings by preparing themselves and their children to go to the temple and be sealed to each other.

Christmas 2006 Phone Call

We called Curtis on Christmas Day. He called us twice before the actual call to make sure of the time that we were calling him. When I tried to phone him there was no answer. He called us a third time and gave me the correct phone number. In the middle of the call we were cut off so I had to call again. We were lucky that we got to talk to him! He talked about what he's been up to lately, what he wants to accomplish in his remaining month in Brazil, and what he hopes to do when he gets home. Listen to the audio tape we made.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Merry Christmas

"At Christmas time, I want all of you to know that this really is the best time of the year. I miss everyone during this Holiday season but sooner or later we will be together caroling and roasting chesnuts on an open fire. I hope everyone enjoys their eggnog and new mp3 players that they are bound to get, but remember the true meaning of Christmas and why we are all here and where we are going and who made it all possible. I love you all and I hope you have a Merry Little Christmas. My Christmas present to you is this -- I will be home on Thursday, January 25th, 2007 and I hope to see all of you at the SLC Airport. Much love, have a great Christmas."

~ Rocking around the Xmas Tree, Elder Curtis S. Tonks

The Sistine Chapel

"Elder Jones and I were talking the other day about something that has been kind of bothering us the last few weeks. We think that a lot of the people we teach know we are telling them the truth but they have a little bit of pride, sadly, and won't accept it, even though they know it will make their lives so much happier."

"Elder Wright, the AP, told us it was a lot like the Sistine Chapel ceiling painting by Michelangelo. It was dark and gray and really sad and people spent their whole lives writing essays and earning PHDs and studying the mere fact that the painting was dreary and makes life look miserable."

"Then one day the workers at the Sistine Chapel decided to clean the ceiling of the gunk and wax that had built up over the hundreds of years and started to reveal the bright oranges and reds and yellows that the painting really consisted of. The people who spent their whole lives studying it were infuriated and sued for them to stop, saying they were ruining the painting and it's meaning, when in fact the painting showed that life is happy and lovely and beautiful but the people became prideful and wouldn't accept it. That's kind how it is here sometimes with some of the people we teach, sadly enough. I hope you all understood that."

My New Companion - Elder Staley

"Well, my new and last companion is from North Dakota. I have known him for a good while, ever since I was a secretary. When I was a secretary, I knew about 95% of the mission by name and a little more about them. But yeah, Elder Staley is cool. His dad is a military man and Elder Staley was born in California, moved to Idaho then to Colorado then to North Carolina then to Alaska then to Florida and back to North Carolina then to North Dakota then Utah for college at BYU and now his parents live in the south of Arizona. He converted his girlfriend to the church, which is awesome, and I am really going to enjoy my time with him. I'm just going to let him tell stories about all the sweet places he has lived. Surprisingly, he said the coolest was Alaska!"

"He was a district leader before he came here and has trained and speaks the language well but he is in for a ride here in Vila Mariana."

Aesop's Fables

"I bought a book of Aesop's Fables in Portuguese yesterday. It has the coolest art ever in it. And I may start using some of those fables in lessons. I especially like the fable called the Belling the Cat where the mice get together and formulate a plan to put a bell on the cat's neck and everyone thinks it is wonderful but then the big question becomes, who is going to put the bell on the cat's neck. I could use that in a training."

Belling the Cat

Long ago, the mice had a general council to consider what measures they could take to outwit their common enemy, the Cat. Some said this, and some said that; but at last a young mouse got up and said he had a proposal to make, which he thought would meet the case. "You will all agree," said he, "that our chief danger consists in the sly and treacherous manner in which the enemy approaches us. Now, if we could receive some signal of her approach, we could easily escape from her. I venture, therefore, to propose that a small bell be procured, and attached by a ribbon round the neck of the Cat. By this means we should always know when she was about, and could easily retire while she was in the neighbourhood."

This proposal met with general applause, until an old mouse got up and said: "That is all very well, but who is to bell the Cat?" The mice looked at one another and nobody spoke. Then the old mouse said:

"It is easy to propose impossible remedies."

"If We Go Down, We Go Down Together"

"Yesterday at transfers and all last week I was really somber about Elder Jones getting transferred. He was a great companion. He influenced me to be a better missionary and person but always remember that life is about having fun and being happy. He was transferred to Ilha Bela, the island right off the coast of our mission. I will get to see him next Tuesday at the Mission Christmas Conference and then that will be it until July of 2007, considering he doesn't go to the next, and my last, transfer meeting. So yeah, I will have to keep up on Elder Jones."

"True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island. To find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing."

~ Baltasar Gracian 1601-1658

Charity

"Today I was studying Charity and how if you could sum up Jesus Christ in one word, I think it would be charity. Then I cross-referenced a verse in Psalms and one in 1 Peter and then one in the Book of Ether, talking about how charity covers sins and how Christ covered ours. Well, he didn't just cover them, he took them completely away if we do our part."

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints refers to the word charity as the "pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever." The Book of Mormon prophet Mormon urges the followers of Christ to "pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ;" (Moroni 7:47,48) thus it is the most sought after of virtues. Joseph Smith taught, "Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men..." (Doctrine and Covenants 121:45) The three-fold meaning of charity encompasses the unconditional love Christ has for all men, the motivating love all men should have for Christ as the Savior, Redeemer, and Light of the world, and the compassionate love we should seek to have for all of our fellow men on earth presently and throughout time. The Book of Mormon prophet Nephi taught that such love is "the most joyous to the soul." (1 Nephi 11:23) It is evident from the scriptures and experience that serving others with this selfless feeling of caritas offers a renewing, invigorating, joyous taste to the soul that is lasting and memorable, and is a foundation for happiness.

Hope Of Israel

"We are going to sing Hope Of Israel in Stake Conference this weekend."

Hope of Israel, no. 259

1. Hope of Israel, Zion’s army,
Children of the promised day,
See, the Chieftain signals onward,
And the battle’s in array!

[Chorus]
Hope of Israel, rise in might
With the sword of truth and right;
Sound the war-cry, “Watch and pray!”
Vanquish ev’ry foe today.

2. See the foe in countless numbers,
Marshaled in the ranks of sin.
Hope of Israel, on to battle;
Now the vict’ry we must win!

3. Strike for Zion, down with error;
Flash the sword above the foe!
Ev’ry stroke disarms a foeman;
Ev’ry step we conq’ring go.

4. Soon the battle will be over;
Ev’ry foe of truth be down.
Onward, onward, youth of Zion;
Thy reward the victor’s crown.

Text: Joseph L. Townsend, 1849–1942
Music: William Clayson, 1840–1887

Hope Of Israel

The Mission Is Winding Down

Curtis sent me a tape recently. Towards the end of the tape he talks about his mission coming to an end. He talks about the things that he will and won't miss about being a missionary. Click on the link to listen to some of his end of mission thoughts.

Some End of Mission Thoughts

Missionary Work In The Ward

"So this week went a little better than last. We hung out with Luis Carlos Belo. His son ordered us milkshakes and we talked about football in their luxury hotel room while we waited for Luis to get home. His whole family speaks English and he is really cool. He's the best ward mission leader so far, and he has only been it for like two weeks."

In a letter dated February 28, 2002, the First Presidency announced that bishops and wards were being given increased responsibility for missionary work. The missionary manual "Preach My Gospel" also contains updated instructions on how full-time missionaries and ward and stake leaders coordinate their work.

Ward missionaries are called and released by the bishopric. They serve under the direction of the ward mission leader. The ward missionaries support missionary, retention, and activation efforts, including teaching with the full-time missionaries.

Ward missionaries may be priesthood holders, sisters, or married couples. They must meet the worthiness standards required for a temple recommend.

Missionary Work In The Ward

My Newsletter

"Hey Everyone,

This is your old buddy Elder Tonks down here in Sao Paulo, Brasil. I am pretty far into my mission but loving it nonetheless. I am with my 12th companion, Elder Jones, from Michigan, and we are in an area called Vila Mariana. It's going pretty sweet. Brasil is a great place, I have really enjoyed the last 22 months that I have been down here. I have learned so much, street-wise and gospel-wise, and as my time starts to run out I look to the future to see what is going to happen. A lot, that's for sure. I can't believe that we are spread out all over the world preachin' the Gospel or just hangin' in the Rocky Mountains lettin' life breeze by! I think these last two years have been some of the best of my life. I do miss the "good ol' times" but I look forward to the future with hope and anticipation. Thanks for everything you guys have ever done for me, I hope all is well wherever you are. Keep on having fun doing what your doing, whether it be teaching the truth or enjoying a white winter in Utah. I love you all. Keep on rockin'.

Elder Tonks"