T.P. @ Brazil MTC

Dear Parents,
We are happy to send the good news that your missionary has arrived safely at the Brazil MTC.  What a great joy and privilege it is to greet each missionary as they come through the front door of the MTC for the first time. We promise to    take good care of your missionary.
They now have companions and are settled into their rooms.  They are assigned to a district with capable and caring instructors for language and lesson study.  The branch presidents and their wives, will soon give them a second greeting.  These couples are rewarded in their callings through the love they always develop as they embrace and watch over the missionaries.
The MTC has a full time live-in physician to care for their health needs.  He is assisted by his able wife. We are also happy to report that the Cafeteria food is abundant and very good.
Your missionary will be able to e-mail home on Preparation Day after a morning at the Temple.  This will be either Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on individual assignments.
Your very important young person is about to make an eternal difference in the lives of others.  We hope you will be encouraged and comforted by this quote by President Lorenzo Snow: “There is no mortal man that is so much interested in the success of an elder [sister] when he is preaching the gospel as the Lord that sent him to preach to the people who are the Lord’s children.”
Please accept our love,
President Donald L Clark and Sister Zaza Clark
 

ADDITIONAL  information . . .  

DO not send packages to the Brazil Missionary Training Center. All packages must be sent directly to the mission where your missionary will be serving not the MTC. If you have already mailed a package to the Brazil MTC and it arrives after your missionary has left for the field, please understand that the package can not be forwarded to his or her mission and will be returned to you. The only other option is for us to open the package and forward the letters and photographs, giving the rest of the content of the package to the missionaries that are here.
WE Strongly eNCOURAGE sENDING HAND WRITTEN LETTERS. Please write your missionary´s first and last name. Your missionary will provide you with his district and box number. Also, please DO NOT SEND ANYTHING BY FEDEX, DHL, UPS, or other private carriers.  The cost to get this type of correspondence is exorbitant.

E-mail from March 25, 2011

I JUST GOT MY VISA! I leave on tuesday! I get to call home later today if I want, so be Ready!I have seen Noah quite a bit, and he got his Visa. Andy got his Visa, And now a total of 7 of our district got there visa's. Andy was originally reassigned, so its way cool. Its so dang awesome. I think im flying down with Elder Crandall and maybe Elder Howell. At least some from my district. I forgot, the scripture that I sent last week was wrong, ha. I meant to send Mosiah 28:3. I randomly met another Elder Paxman that is also going portuguese speaking. Someone said that they were good friends with Brenton Paxman, an Elder Fenn or something. I noticed a spot on one of the ties that I brought from before, ha. Dang. We had a fast on tuesday and two sisters got their electronic visas, and two elders got their real ones. Then we fasted again, and Andy and his companions got there visas. Then finaly I got mine this morning. Along with one of my companions and a sister from my district. We are dropping like flies. Elder Costa gave a talk here with his wife, and it was really good. I got a letter from S2 youth and I'm so thankful. I love all the youth, and am muito obrigado. Im so excited! Thank you guys for the package, I really enjoyed it. Im thankful for my Keys and especially the yellow card. District leader has beem so great, I really enjoy it, and am trying to do my best. My Pday is friday, but that might change at the Sao Paulo CTM. The language is hard, but great. I love learning it. Rosetta stone definitally helped, it built a basis and got me started. My current companion is from Grants Pass, Oregon. I dont know if we'll stay companions. My other compainion is staying here, but he, Elder Malloy, was from Puyallup, WA. The food here is great! I really enjoy it. Holy cow, the days are flying by now. Its been great here. We went to the Provo Temple, and I love the temple. We went in and it was just normal and "sunny", and came out to quite a bit of snow. I am so excited to leave, though I will miss our district. I was gonna see if you wanted to send work gloves for service if you can in time, but dont worry to much about it. Also, the scripture this week is Mosiah 4:27 about not having to run more than we are able. (Hopefully the right reference this time). My time is running short so I have to go, but thank you all so much. I love you all.

-Elder Paxman

E-mail from March 19, 2011

Okay people... I am sorry.  Tanner told me his password for the blog and I of course forgot. So if I ever need to know a password don't hesitate to give it to me because it goes in one ear and out the other. I waited for Tanner to re-give me the password, which is why these e-mails are being posted late.

Wow! This week so far has been amazing. I absolutely love it here! Its weird to think that I cant just tell you cool things that happened right away. Its so weird, ha. I asked my teacher if she knew Elder Muns, and she said she adored him, as they served in the same mission. Just to let Claire know. Ha. Guess what? Big news, I am our new district leader! I love our district so much, its amazing. We all just clicked right away. We have 5 sisters, and 8 Elders. And the two that were on the plane with me are in my district. Muito Otimo! My companion is super awesome, his name is Elder Voges. We get along great so far. All my roomates are way awesome! Its so awesome. One of the Elders already got his visa, and he even got his call in december! But at least they are coming through. I have two other Elders, and one other sister going to my mission. Im so excited! As for pictures, Im not sure that we can send them via email, so you might have to wait a while to get some. I'll work on that. My cordinating sister is Sister Black! I actually know at least 15 or more Elders here. Its so cool. I hang out with Elder Howell all gym time since we have gym together. And I also talk to Elder Crandall a lot too. Its awesome to talk to people from home, epecially Elder Howell. I want my stickies btw! Ha, they would be useful. Man, Im sorry Im so sporadic, I have a list of things I wanted to mention. The spirit here is so amazing. As for Portuguese, its so great! I love learning about portuguese. Thanks so much for the email, its great to hear from you. Elder Howell, (its still weird to always say elder) and I are hoping and praying that we get our visas and can head out together. It is so good to hear from people. It will be great to read the emails each week and send them back. It hasn't hit me how long i'll be out here. It'll hit me some time. It kinda feels like a huge muito spiritual EFY. Its so cool to have my name on the Tag. My time is running out though. Our whole district is so amazing. I dont even know what to say. Its crazy though, we have 6 people from washington, 4 oregon, and 3 otherwise. Way crazy. Well, I got to go.

With Love,

Elder Paxman

Dropping off Elder "T-Bone" Paxman at the MTC

Here are some pictures of us (Heather, Chris, Korver, and Pryson) dropping off Tanner at the MTC. We ate lunch at Taco Time (his lunch of choice because Jack in the Box was not available and we only had time for fast food). We wanted to get a picture of him in front of the MTC sign but noticed that they were taken down. Someone started to explain that the MTC was under higher security now because of some events that happened when he was cut off by a security guard. The security guard told us to only ask him if we had any questions. It was weird. We wanted to take a picture of Tanner by the blank wall where the sign used to be because we thought that would be funny. However, the security guard stopped us and explained that we couldn't even take pictures on the side of the street of the MTC. We had to take them across the street, but it was all good. Tanner was really excited and was especially thrilled to see Elder Andy Howell on the drive in. They reached out for each other and yelled each others names but we had to keep driving. The missionaries helping Tanner get his luggage out made sure he didn't have his cell phone or keys and did have his immunization cards. They were pretty giddy. Then I said a last good bye in person to Tanner for two years and Korver waved from the backseat and we drove off. He will be an amazing missionary and we will sure miss him! We love you Elder Paxman!

Provo MTC here I come!

We officially received the news that I will be headed to the Provo MTC instead of the Sao Paulo MTC (CTM). It's sad I wont be going directly, but overall, I really don't care. I'm so glad that I will be going on a mission. I've heard tons of great things about the MTC, and can not wait to be there. I will continue to pray for my visa, and for all the missionaries waiting for their Visas. Hopefully it wont be long before we are all in Brazil. Im so excited, we have been packing and preparing, and I'm ready to go. I can not wait to begin this great journey. I also am giving my talk this coming sunday, so we'll see how that goes. It's only a week away. By this time next week, I will be in the MTC! I'm so excited!

Random Pictures

 I tried on some of my mission stuff.

The craziness of choosing ties. Too many of them tied.

Even Closer!

I AM SO EXCITED! Holy cow, I am so anxious to go on my Mission. We picked up some more mission clothes today and I tried on my mission attire. It makes me so excited, its getting so close and I can barely wait. I've been living the mission schedule and I have practically nothing to do. Or so it feels like. I just want to go on my mission, I want to go and serve. I cant wait to learn Portuguese and to go find people in Brazil. I wouldn't do anything else, the mission is the most important thing for me right now. I cant wait to join the ranks of God's army as a missionary. Muito bem!