Wednesday September 10, 2008 Curitiba, Brazil

Oi,
Como que esta coisas?...Hi, how are things? Here things are going good. I
still have struggles but life wouldn´t be life if it didn´t have struggles. On
the good side of things, I´m starting to slowly understand what people are
saying. Atleast I could understand a joke that a brazilian in my district told.
It was so funny, I´ll share it with you. So while adam was in the garden of
Eden by himself he wanted to know more things and feelings. He went to the
Father and asked, "what is a headach?" to which the Father replied "O, just give
me one of your ribs and I will show you."...ha hah ha oh sorry I thought that it
was so funny though.
 This place is so different from home. The world is really getting more and
more corrupted each day. Here it´s normal to see a teenager maybe the age of 14
smoking or to go to a house and see a parent giving an infant alcohol. It´s
really sad to see how bad this world is becoming. The other thing that is
different is that there are alot of Bars. Theres litterally a bar on atleast every block and in some places two right across the street
from each other.
  The churchs here are really weird. I don´t know what is being said but
when we pass they usually have some lady speaking really fast more like mumbling
and the people inside have their hands raised like they are trying to call some
sort of spirits. the thing about that though is that they are calling the wrong
kind of spirit into their lives.
   This last week we had a division, where my companion switched places with
another missionary for a day and a night. It was really intersting and alot of
fun. The companin that I got is Brazilian and spoke slower and alot more clear.
I could understand most of what he said. It was a nice change. We also last
p-day went to 4 or 5 of the national parks here in Curitiba. It was alot of fun
and a cool experience to see all the sites.
    Here we have alot of funny moments, like a couple of days ago we went to
a members house for lunch. Well they had this little dog that liked to fetch rocks. Well we were inside and the dog kept bringing us a
rock. So we threw it out the window. The dog would run though the house, out the
door, around the house and come back a few minutes later with another rock. So
we put an X on it and threw it back out the window into a driveway full of
rocks. But a few minutes later in came the dog with the same rock. It was pretty
amazing.
   We haven´t had alot of lessons taught mostly because the people here are
so closed and don´t want to have anything to do with religion or they already
have religion and dont want to be bothered. But we have two baptims set for
September 20. One is an older man named Ivo. He lives by himself in a really
shanty part of town and he has very little. But more important what he does have
is a testimony. The other person we have set for a baptism is a 14 year old girl
named Mariza. She´s partly deaf and can´t really communicate, because as she
was growing up her family never spoke in the home or explained anything to their kids so they never learned to speak. She can read lips pretty
good though. Well as we teach we speak slowly and very clear so she can read our
lips. They say its hard to get her to understand things but when we teach the
gospel to her she understands everything and it´s just amazing to see the power
of the spirit working through us.
  Well before I finish this up I just wanted to share a few scriptures. First
in Alma 34:32 I like this scripture because it shows how important this life is
and how we need to use our time wisely to prepare to return to the presence of
our Father. The next is in D&C 6:22-23, If any of you have questions in your
life if this is the true church just pray. and when you recieve an answer
remember this scripture. It has helped me so much and is how I know this church
to be true. I love you all and am greatful for your support and emails. I need
to go now, have a good week.
Tchau,
Elder Levingston

September 2, 2008 Curitiba, Brazil

Opa, Tudo bom? Eu estou mutio bom. Eu teve uma ótima
semana...translation...Hello, everything good? I am very good. I had an awesome
week.
So I´ve got all your emails but not enough time to read them all. I didn´t
get to email last week because I was meeting with the mission presdent to go
home. I was done with being here and ready to go home. I had my mind all set
that I would be home a week ago. But My mission president is awesome and gave me
some wonderful advise. He shared a few scriptures with me and it helped me out
so much. I also read in the ensign about president Hinkley when he was a
missionary. He wrote a letter to his father saying that he was done with being
there and he was wasting his time and his fathers money. Well his father wrote
back only saying, "...Forget yourself and go to work..." When I read this it hit
me with alot of power. I thought wow even a prophet of the Lord had a hard time
at first on his mission. I just need to be more patient and rely more on the
Lord for help.
Então, since I didn´t write last week I get to explaine the last two weeks.
last week was really fun, We taught alot of people and there were three houses
that I remember feeling the spirit so strong. The lessons were awesome and I
could see the people and the belief in their eyes. The sad thing is that when we
return the people either didn´t read a chapter in the book of mormon or that
they didn´t pray about our message. Well the people are so closed that we
rarely get to come back to teach them a second lesson. Its so hard to see people
believe and know its true but don´t want to hear any more of the message.
 Then we have a few people we teach and they do everything we ask them
except come to church on sunday. Well one of the things people have to do
inorder to be baptised is attend church. I don´t know what to do or how to
better help this people other than pray.
  This week has had its deffinate excitements. Theres one thng that I look
forward to everyday and that is lunch. Lunch here is the main time to eat. Many people don´t have dinner but eat alot for lunch.
So I have found my limit to eating. Everyday, except P-day, we have members that
will cook for us. We live off of rice, beans, some patsa, and alot of meat. I
have come to really like rice and beans. Well we have this member that cooks
alot, probably enough for 5-6 peopple. She kept saying "come mais Elder, Come
mais." Which means "Eat more" Well I ate and ate till I was full. Little did I
know she also had desert for us. Well I was already stuffed but it is rude to
leave food so I ate it. We shared our message and I felt so sick the whole time.
We got up to leave and I wlaked outside and immidiatly threw it all up. It was
gross. The sister felt bad and thought it was her cooking because apparently
this wasn´t the first time it had happened.
 I haven´t had anything too weird to eat yet other than chicken liver.
Which I decided wasn´t good at all. The other thing I Like alot are the pizzas
here. They have dessert pizzas that are chocolate com banana, or morango (strawberry). It sounds weird but
tastes really good.
 The thing that the kids love to do here more than play soccer is to fly
kits. There are a few kids maybe only 6 or 7 that have kits out so far and so
high that it looks like a little speck in the sky.
  I think the coolest thing about brasil is the bus system. They have some
busses that are attached and are as long as three busses. And so many people get
on them. They cram in 100 or so people and its so tight that you can´t even
move. Its exciting to be in a new place. ]
 Well it is time to go I will write more next week and have some more
exciting stories. I still can´t understand my companion or what he is trying to
tell me. Even when he speaks in english because he speaks so fast. But I keep
looking at the possaitves and keep a better out look. I love you all and thank
you all for your support.
Tchau,
Elder Levingston