Afonso Pena- Week Two and Final Week

Hello World,

Thank you so much everyone for the special birthday wishes. I am truly grateful. 

This past week, Elder Eidem and I have been working a lot and really seeing the miracles of the Lord in our work. We started teaching a lady on Tuesday that I meet in my old area that actually lives in the area I am in now. We taught her and I will say that she is super prepared by Heavenly Father for our message. She has gone through a lot of things in her life and is really just ready for the gospel in every way. We are going to baptize her this coming Saturday and I am simple grateful for having meet this amazing lady. 

Elder Eidem and I have been teaching an English Class in these past two weeks. I am super impressed that in this ward there are a lot of people that speak really good English. Elder Eidem and I have been fighting with the temptation to not speak English will little success.... However, at this point our conversations in English are not getting in the way of our teaching, so that is good. He and I have become really solid friends in these two weeks, which has really made fun.

Sunday, it rained a ton. At church, Elder Eidem and I ended up giving the class on Principles of the Gospel (something that I had not had to do for a couple months). We had really like the talks and classes on Sunday. I have found that in the mission going to church is just really great. It is so good to just stop and reevaluate how I am doing and feel the spirit. (It is also good to get to sit for three hours and not have to walk). 

Love and miss you all lots, 

Com amor,

Elder Pinkney

P.S. I was surprised when after church on Sunday a family that I know from my old area came and brought me cake, ice cream, and presents for my birthday. It was super special and grateful for that. 

Afonsa Pena- Week One

Hello World,

I have started a new adventure in my mission in my new area. My new companion, Elder Eidem, and I are seeing a lot of amazing miracles in our work. Here in Afonsa Pena, the people are pretty open and receiving of our message. We have several people we are teaching that are really changing in the gospel and it is incredible to see. I love being companions with Elder Eidem. 

This past week, I have been getting use to all the new streets and members and investigators. The biggest highlight of the  week was probably that I am now in the same district with my CTM companion, Elder Leptich, which is fun. Also, Conference was really really great. We watched it here in the chapel. 

I learned a lot about at Conference. I was really excited about the move to two hour church. I really felt a confirmation that this next schedule will help us be more focused in our homes. I felt an incredible Spirit during all of the sessions and I know that these men are truly apostles and prophets of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for all the dedication they give to the special callings and all that we learn from them every Conference session. I have a very strong witness of the gospel and the plan of salvation. I know that we experience trials to learn and make us stronger. Here on my mission, I have seen many people with very heavy loads. It's hard to see someone going through difficulty. Very difficult. However, it all has a purpose. We are here to do the will of Heavenly Father. As Christ always did His will, we also need to be obedient in all things.

Com amor,

Elder Pinkney

Transfer Day to Afonsa Pena

Hello World!

Big News: I was transferred ! However, this transfer is going to be really different. I am going to my new area Afonsa Pena in São Jose dos Pinhais. My new companion is Elder Eidem from Utah!!! Yes, my companion is American. (It is really cool because normal Americans don´t stay together as companions). However, I will only stay with Elder Eidem for two weeks, because I am going to switch in to be the new Executive Secretary of the mission. I will be companions with Elder Arscott (who is the current executive secretary of the mission). Then, after he shows me the ropes, I will be in trio with the other two secretaries, Elder Cappi and Elder Lira. ( Elder Lira who was my first companion and I will be companions with him again). I am super excited but also a little nervous for the responsibility. However, I know that Heavenly Father will be there to help me every step of the way. 

Back to our regularly scheduled program. This past was really incredible. It rained a ton. 

Highlights: 

• On Friday night, we made Fruit Cocktails (without the alcohol). It was a lot of fun. We took a pineapple, cut it open, and threw in some other fruits with Sprite and drank with a straw. 
• I went on splits with Elder Gordon again. We did a lot of really good work and it was fun to get to know him better. One of the family of recent converts that we have in our ward threw a mini going-away party for me because of transfers. 
• On Saturday, we had two baptisms of a couple. Jurismar and Ana Lucia are from the north of Brazil and have been in Curitiba for eight years. We started teaching them when we knocked on their door and they let us in. They have two sons and one daughter all below the age of eight. There is a lot of energy in that house. Jurismar and Ana Lucia said that the feel the Spirit when we teach and when they go to church. The firmly received an answer that the church is true when the read and prayed. They also said that the learned a lot with everyone message that we taught. It was truly an incredible moment in their lives. I will miss them greatly.
• We ate two huge pizzas on Saturday night after the baptism. 
• We went to church on Sunday.
• We visited another church with one of our investigators. They were putting on a theater piece at the church about families. He invited us and promised that will also come to our church next week. The theater piece was very impressive. 

All in all, it was a really amazing week. I am super sad that I will be leaving Bom Pastor and Elder Salgado, but I know that it all is a part of the Lord´s plan. 

Love and miss you all lots, 

Elder Pinkney

(Side note from Elder Pinkney's mom...I asked Elder Pinkney to share his thoughts on why he is a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for  #whythebadge.)

#whythebadge

One year ago, I left for Brazil to make a difference in the lives of others through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel and the church have made the biggest difference in my life, who I am as person, and who I am as a son of our Heavenly Father. There is nothing that brings me more joy and feeling of self worth than the truths we learn in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In this past year, I have seen how the gospel makes the difference in real life problems we have today. I have seen broken families come together. I have seen confusion turn to certainty. I have seen doubt become faith. I have seen sadness turn to joy and darkness turned to light. I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and that means something, a lot more than just going to church on Sunday or reading the Bible. It means we have to live what He taught and follow the pathway He left for us. I am a missionary because I can not deny the things that Heavenly Father has done in the lives of many, in the life of my family, and in my life.  "Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. Amen." D&C 4:7 

Bom Pastor- Week Eleven (Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches)

Hello world!

This week went by super fast. Things here in Bom Pastor have been heating up. Literally heating up also. You can definitely tell that summer is approaching. These past few days have been killer hot. My companion, who is from the North of Brazil where it is super hot also, was having a hard time actually going back to heat after the past month of freezing temperatures. 

For one of our lunches this past week, we decided to make typical American school lunch. Elder Gordon, one of my house companions, received a package with 2 kg of Peanut butter. We made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. They were pretty good. We should have bought a better quality of bread, but live and learn. 

 We had the baptism of Sueli this past week that was super special. She is a lady that we found knocking on doors, and it has been about a month that we have been teaching here. The baptism had a good amount of members and ended up being really special. 

On Sunday, we had a Family Home Evening with the ward. Everyone in the ward was invited to, basically, a family home evening. There was a spiritual thought, activity, and dessert. I and the other Elders were in charge of running the activity. We play Pictionary using stories of the scriptures. Everyone participated and it was a lot of fun. 

Next week is transfers. I am getting the feeling that I will probably leave Bom Pastor, but I never know. 

Love and miss you all lots. Until next week....

Com amor,

Elder Pinkney

Bom Pastor- Week Ten

Hello World,

This week went by super fast and wow did we work a ton. I think the highlights of the week were the following.

1. I went on splits with Elder Moreno who is from in São Marcos. It went super awesome.

2. I went on splits with Elder Santos who is from Bélem. I really liked getting to teach with him. 

3. Our ward had their primary program.  It was A+. I really felt the spirit and all the people we brought loved it a lot. The children invited a very powerful Spirit.  All of us felt something very special. 

Also, today on our P-Day, we decided to help a member who is re-tiling his house. We spent the whole morning tearing up old tile to throw away. It was a lot of fun to break the tiles, but it really knock us out.

Yeah, our week was super good. Not a lot happened out of the normal. The church is true.

Com amor,

Elder Pinkney

P.S. Sorry that there are not more photos. I will take more next week. 

Bom Pastor- Week Nine

Hello World,

This week went by incredible fast. We are at the half way point in the transfer and things are rocking out. 

This past week, we had zone conference. We had a lot of really great training from the zone leaders, assistants, and President. President share a lot of really inspiring  but one thing that stood out the most to me was a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt:  

"Great Minds Discuss Ideas; Average Minds Discuss Events; Small Minds Discuss People"

President made the comparison of the different types of minds and what missionaries normally talked about. He made a little bit of a burn to all the Elders who maybe could be marked as small minded. It made me thing about the things I say. It was good to really reflect on the way we use words and the power they have. We need to be careful about the things we say and about who or what we say. The Savior taught us to love God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength and they love our neighbor. Our words are a way that we can build others up and really show love. 

On Friday, I had to travel to São Marcos to do a baptism interview. What we did not remember was that September 7 (which was Friday) is the day of Brazil´s Independence. It was a holiday that everyone got off and the bus schedule was not running on the normal schedule. yikes... it ended up taking us a really really lone time to get the bus and make it in time for the interview. All in all, we should up super late, but the lady was super kind and waited for us. She passed the interview and was baptized on Saturday. It was super happy and made the super long bus ride worth it. 

On Saturday, we had the baptism of Amanda and Luciani. It was a combined Stake Baptism and it went super well. There was a good amount of members there (a good amount of support). I really felt the Spirit there and touched by the faith of these two amazing ladies.

A little shout out to the Sisters (who were teaching Luciani). They bought a cake and made cookies that was super sweet. 

On Sunday, we had fast and testimony meeting. There were so many who bore testimony.  The was coolest of all is that one of the ladies we are teaching got up and bore her testimony. She shared about the huge difference the Elders and the gospel is having in her life how her family is more together, they get along more, and she is happier in life. I was super touch and couldn't´t stop the tears swell up in my eyes. It was an amazing experience. 

Felt like I got smack but the Spirit so many times this week. I am so grateful to be a missionary. There is nothing that I want right now rather than to preach the gospel. It is incredible to see the hand of the Lord in the lives of so many people. 

Happy Birthday also to my amazing Mom and two of my amazing brothers. Next year we will really have to celebrate. 

Love and miss you all lots.

Elder Pinkney

Bom Pastor: Week Eight

Hello World,

This past week was a pretty standard missionary week. Good thing that being a missionary is awesome, so a standard week means a lot. 

On Monday night, we had a Family Home Evening with a family and friends that was super awesome. I gave the message about the Plan of Salvation and shared one of my camping experiences when we got lost in the woods without a map. I compared how the Plan of Salvation is like a map for our lives to find the way back to Heavenly Father. It went pretty well. 

On Thursday, I went on splits with my old friend, Elder B. Silva. For all of you to just know, I lived with B. Silva in my first area when I was not Portugusing really well. We talked about old times and I learned a lot from him, which was cool. 

We had BBQ for one of our lunches that was super good.

On Sunday, we had Stake Conference that was super super good. The was a Seventy that spoke about an experience that he had that I liked a lot. He told about a story about when he first got called to be Bishop in his ward, he felt a little prideful and that the he was called to be bishop because he was better than everyone else. At this same time, he received news that he needed to travel for work to Sâo Paulo were there is a temple. He arranged with his work for a little time that he could go work at the temple. Normally, the trip takes three days and was very expensive, so it was an amazing opportunity. When he arrived at the temple, he got there early to have some time to ponder and pray. He was there so early that the temple workers had not even arrived yet. As he was praying, a sister came up to him to ask for help with something. He accepted and the walked to the bottom floor of the temple were the have the kitchen. The Seventy was surprised to find a table full of potatoes. The Sister said, the temple workers have not arrived yet and we need someone to peel these potatoes for the lunch of the temple worked. The Seventy sat down and started peeling. One hour past and he realized that at the rate he was peeling he would miss his session. He started to be in panic and the number of potatoes. In this moment a voice came to him, "you may be Bishop but in my house, you peel potatoes." He was incredibly touch and recognized his mistake immediately.  What an amazing lesson of how we can never really think too much of ourselves. We always need to search to be humble in our words, thoughts, and actions. 

Love and miss you all lots. Have a great week.

Com amor,

Elder Pinkney