Osvaldo Cruz Merry Christmas

Note: From Elder Pinkney's Mother

No blog today because we got to skype with Elder Pinkney. He has been in his new area for only one week. We were thrilled to get to see him and talk to him for an hour and are very grateful for the member of his new ward for hosting him in their home for the skype call. He is doing well, his Portuguese is doing well. He said that every new word he learns in Portuguese, he forgets one in English. He is speaking, thinking, and now dreaming in Portuguese!

Christmas Eve, we received this photo from a family in Elder Pinkney's new ward. This is the same family who hosted him for the call. He was able to enjoy Christmas Eve dinner with them.

Osvaldo Cruz- First Transfer

Today, I was happily surprised to find out that I was being transferred to a new area.  I will no longer work in the same community that I was in before. I´m in a part of Curitiba closer to the center of the city. Instead of walking on dirt roads, I am hitting up city blocks now. I am with my new companion Elder J, who is from Guatemala. He has almost a year in the mission now and he is a really nice guy. We should have a really great transfer together. But now, I want to recap the past week.

We were really busy this past week. We had a Zone Christmas Party, which was a lot of fun. There was a talent show, a gift exchange, and lots of fun. It was the most Christmasy thing I have done here in the traditional sense. I got to have a really great picture with President. 

We had lunch on Friday in the house of an investigator who cooked the coolest BBQ I have every had. He cooked the meet on gigantic swords over an open fire. It was really sweet. 

We had an activity with the young men to fly kites. Flying kites is not really a childish thing here. Flying kites is serious business. 

On Sunday, we did a family home evening in the house of an investigator that was super fun and they really like it a lot. We did a bunch of silly activities that went really well and we popped popcorn for everyone. 

We played a practical joke on the other Elders in our house. One night before they had arrived in the house, we pretended like the house got robbed. We turned off all the lights, knock over our table and chairs, threw clothes all over the place, and hide all our really valuable stuff so it looked like we got robbed. Elder L and I hide in the backyard and waited for them to arrive. It was really funny and they were really scared. I laughed really hard. I took a video to show how it went. (I will see if my mom can post it on the blog.)

We have been talking lots about Christmas and I am really exciting. I am definitely missing the snow a lot. It has been good however because of how much I have been able to share my testimony of Jesus Christ. This past Sunday, I also spoke in church and I shared about Jesus Christ and about our purpose to learn all we can about Him. To have true eternal happiness in life is to know our Savior Jesus Christ. We celebrate Christmas to remember the birth of our Savior, who suffered all that we might have a chance to be saved. Heavenly Father gave His only begotten in the flesh that all of us might return to live with Him and He did this because He loves us.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a happy new year. 

Com amor,

Elder Pinkney

Rio Iguacu- Week Eleven

Hello all!!

I have been seriously missing the snowy and cold weather of Virginia this past week. It has been 30 degress celesius. Not the best weather for our work and not what I have been use to here. 

Elder A, Elder S, Elder L, and I had a lot of fun this past week.  We are really excitied for Christmas.

The highlight of the week was that we got to take the family of S  and R  to the Curitiba Temple for a visit. They both are preparing to be baptized and in one year sealed in the temple. They are simply an incredible and miraculous family. They have three children, two daughters and a son. The youngest daughter was already baptized and the other daughter will be baptized the Saturday before Christmas. Elder L and I are so excited and simply in awe of this family. I can´t wait for their baptism.

This past Saturday was the ward Christmas party, which was a blast. The missionaries were glad we were invited. It literally lasted almost all day. They had a trampoline, ball pit, music, soccer, and LOTS OF FOOD. It was a good time.

The message we have been sharing a lot has been about Being the Light of the World during this Christmas season. When Christ asked Peter three times "lovest thou me?", Christ was teaching a profound doctrine here. If we truly love our Savior we will have a desire to do the things that He did. We will "feed {His} sheep". There are many that stand in need of the help and service we can give: both temporaly and spiritually. During the time of Christmas is a opportunity for us to Be the Light of the World, The Light of Christ, to really do the things that he would do if he was here on the earth. I am grateful to be one that has the privledge to were His name over my heart every day. Jesus is the Christ. I know He lives. 

Zone Conference- LIGHT THE WORLD

Love and miss you,

Com amor,

Elder Pinkney

Rio Iguacu- Week Ten

This past Monday, the Brazil Curitiba South Mission had the opportunity to perform in the " Ele é o Presente" Christmas show. It was a show that the church with members of the community coordinated to start the Christmas season. There was lighting, dancing, singing, acting, and missionarying. We spent our whole Monday at a huge college theater where the show took place. Thew show was about how Jesus Christ is the focus and the true Christmas purpose.  Our part of the show was to come in at the end and sing "Um por Um" by President Bednar. It was an incredible experience and a great opportunity for non-members to have exposure to the Church. 

This past week was really hot. I have been missing the Virginia Fall weather. I have had to be more mindful to drink water, wearing sun scream, (and eat ice cream.) 

We have a fantastic week for the work. It is truly incredible to see the changes that the Gospel can have in the lives of the people. The Gospel is a gospel of changes. Every day of our whole life is an opportunity to improve and be more like Jesus Christ. The change does not have to been fast or big but is slow and small. Often times, we rarely see the change in ourselves, but Heavenly Father knows and those around us know. This week was a week for me not to be discouraged that I am not improving as fast as I want to be. I had to remember to have faith a continue to be steadfast. 

This past Saturday, Mighty M was baptized. He is 9 years old and his older sister was baptized the week before. He is a funny and energetic young man. He loves neck ties and when we brought him to church. He asked every Brother(gentlemen) for a tie. The members were so kind and he left with a hand full of ties.

We did not forget to have a little bit of fun this week. Pictures include the birthday party of J, who was baptized this past month and a photo shot we had with a panda graffiti. It was a great time.    

Q & A...

1. Have you had a chance to use your piano skills since you have been on your mission?

My first day in the field, one of the assistants asked around who plays piano. I said I did so every zone conference I have been to I play for the missionaries. We have a great pianist in our ward so I do not play for sacrement meeting. 

Sometimes I play for family home evenings in the houses of members that have keyboards. Pianos are not as wide spread as they are in the United States. 

2. How is your Portuguese coming along?  Do you feel amazed that you’re speaking another language?

Everyone says my Portuguese is pretty good. I have fewer and fewer "what the heck are they saying" moments now. I can talk and say bascially everything I want to say. I have developed my style of talking. It is way amazing that I am speaking another language. I never thought I really would, but here I am. It is starting to feel really normal and natural now after three months.

3. What is the weather like for you?

Summer is starting here. I miss the cool fall days. It is hot and rainy.

4. How is your ward?  Are you working well with the ward mission leader?

The ward is really great. It is small, but mighty. We get along really well with the ward mission leader. We often visit his family on P-day and eat snacks there. 

5. How was your Zone Conference on Nov 22?

Zone conference was short and sweet. There was not much that needed to be address and we will be having another conference on the 14 for Christmas. President Cuvelier is a really great president. 

6.  Did you participate in the Mission Singing thing I heard about from some of the other moms on Facebook? What was the occasion?

I did participate. It was a Christmas Spectacular. It was a way big event that the missionarios of the Curitiba and Curitiba South Mission particpated in. It was a Christmas show to start the Christmas session. It was at a huge college sized theater and thousands of people were there to see it. Way cool. 

Rio Iguacu- Week Nine

Thanksgiving in Brazil

I am a little ashamed to say that I almost completely forgot about Thanksgiving this past week. It is another one of those cherished American holidays that they do not celebrate in Brazil. I would have completely forget if it wasn't for Elder A (the other American that lives in my house) reminding me that night. We decided to order a pizza to celebrate and as the four of us sat around the table and ate pizza, we said one thing that we are grateful for. This was the complete extend of Thanksgiving in Brazil. 

We had a really awesome week. Elder L and I are continuing to have a lot of success. This past week, I had an amazing experience. Normally before each lesson, we plan what we are going to teach and what we are going to invite the investigator to do. So, we were sitting in a lesson with a young women and her  family, teaching them about the gospel of Jesus Christ, baptism, repentance, Gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. This young women, T , previously had not been open to being baptized. I was teaching and I was about to go into the invitation when I got the impression to go straight for the baptism invitation. Before hand, I thought about doing this very thing, but it was not what Elder L and I had planned. But, I gave the invitation. She was silent as she thought for a moment. I held my breath waiting for her reaction but I knew in my heart she would say yes. And, she nodded her head, yes. I relaxed and look at Elder L, who was pretty surprised. It had not been in our plan, but the Holy Ghost told us that this invitation was right for this lesson.

This past week was also the birthday of one of our investigator's daughter. They had a trampoline and lots of food. The daughter, I, kept asking me if I would jump on the trampoline with her. I was a little hesitant because the White Bible (our book of mission rules) did not really say anything about trampolines, but Elder L said it would be alright. We had a great time. We ate a lot of cake also. We are the only pastors in Curitiba that jump on trampolines. (Don´t know if I ever mentioned this but we rarely get called missionaries. People in the street called us pastors.) 

We had a baptism this past Saturday of a young women. C is 14 years old and lives with her mother and younger brother (who both we will be baptized also). It was a great service and I was touch after the service to see all the young women in the ward come up to her and give her a big hug. It warmed my heart because as missionary, we want nothing more than for the ward to really embrace and welcome the people we baptize. Every new convert needs a friend and I think that is really happening here. 

All is well in Brazil. Love and miss you all.

Can´t wait till Christmas. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aymdiVwh37U 

Com amor,

Elder Pinkney 

Rio Iguacu- Week Eight

Elder S had his birthday on Monday. We threw a surprise party for him that went really really well. We had cake, ice cream, pizza, and balloons. It was a lot of fun. 

We did a lot of work this week and we were blessed with the baptism of M this past Saturday. M is the younger brother of J who was baptized the week before. This family is so kind and giving to us.  J and M have been a pleasure to teach. We usually have a snack with them after our lessons: bread and cake. Their Mother, Sister D, makes sure to have something sweet to eat. I, as an American, have a reputation for having a sweet tooth. They like to tease me about it. 

Mais (but in Portuguese), J and M are awesome to teach. They always have questions and the are never afraid to stop us when they don´t understand. Elder L did the baptizing this week for M  and I confirmed the Gift of the Holy Ghost. They also both received the Aaronic Priesthood yesterday. I confirmed it for J . I was pretty nervous because I had never done it before in English or Portuguese. All was well however. 

This past week, also I am pretty sure I saw a crashed alien ship. We were walking by a field and there were these big strange lights and the barn was glowing blue. Believe what you my. 

Today, it also half snowed. Half snow, half rain. It was a exciting and only made me a little home sick. 

This past week, I found a this quote that I would like to share with all of you. I don´t remember who said it but it is safe to say that it was a General Authority.  "In contrast to the institutions of the world, which teaches us to know something, the gospel of Jesus Christ challenges us to become something. Remember God has a plan for each of us and each day is an opportunity for us to become something through the Gospel of Jesus Christ. To become more loving and kind. More patient and humble. More like our Savior Jesus Christ. I know this gospel is a gospel of changes. It changes our lives and it changes us. 

All and all I am loving the work here. We are really being blessed and there really are people here prepared. Elder L and I are destroying this area. (in mission lingo). Thank you to all for your messages. I hope you all have great week. Love you all. 

HAVE COURAGE!

Com amor,

Elder Pinkney

Rio Iguacu- Week Seven

The beginning of the week, I had to say goodbye to Elder G who was transferred to another zone. However, it was very exciting to receive Elder A from Utah. He has 6 months in the mission and he is really fun. He has really change the atmosphere of our house. It has been a good change.

We worked a lot this week preparing our J and G for baptism that took place this past Saturday. J is 14 and has was taking the lessons for a couple months. G is 12 and also has been taking the lessons for several weeks. They are not related. We had lessons with them and their families respectively every day this week. I got a lot of practice as Elder L now is letting me do a lot more teaching. I am really excited and grateful for how comfortable I feel with the language. (Having Elder A in the same house as really more than anything help me feel more comfortable and confident to speak fluently.) 

Saturday was the day of the baptism and the day of the ward activity "The Voice". Elder A and Elder L prepared a musically number to perform and at the time I was still planning on singing The Scientist by Coldplay with one of our investigators. Not everything went exactly according to plan.

Firstly, the baptized was scheduled for 6 in the afternoon. J´s sister is a member, so we were not worried he would not show up for the baptism. However, G shared with us that she was planning to attend a birthday party the morning of the baptism and assured us that she would be back for when we needed to leave for the chapel. We arrived at her house around 4:00, two hours before the baptism. She was not there. Gulp. We called and she was still at the party with her mother and sister. The party was far away in some other bio in Fazando. Her house is in a group of house where all the rest of her family lives. Grandpa, aunt, sister, cousin's family. One big family and they all share one car of the Grandpa´s. She was not there, so we called her. G  had gotten a ride with a friend to the party but had no way to get back. Naturally, Elder L and I along with G's cousin and grandpa took off in their families´ car to get G. Long story short. We were late to the baptism. The car broke done on the side of the highway and a member had to come pick us up. We were relieved to finally get to the chapel and the baptism started. All was well. 

And then, after the baptism, we had the "The Voice". I was really excited to sing The Scientist with our other investigator M. We had practiced a bunch as well but the activity started and he was not there. Gulp (Number two). Is it really ok for a missionary to sing The Scientist alone? With an investigator maybe but I decided to not find out the answer to this question. So naturally, I joined Elder L and Elder A in singing The Sons of Helaman for the church primary hymn book. Naturally, with two Americans now, we had to sing a verse in English also. In all sincerity, it was awesome. We tied our ties around our heads like Nephites, face paint, shared a scripture before the song. It was awesome. The ward was really energized and we won second place.

All and all it was an incredible day. Busy. But busy is good. We are having great success. Heavenly Father is really helping us in every aspect of our lives. 

Photos include:

Elder G, Elder S, and I

The Elder winning second place at the voice 

Awesome flavor of Mentos I have never seen in the U.S.

Baptism of J and G

All the Missionaries in Fazando

The future Elder Pinkney (This young man loves ties. I had the honor of bestowing one upon him. He is doing good missionary work. His friend which he brought to church is being baptized this Saturday.)

Com amor from Brazil,

Elder Pinkney