October 17, 2011 (no pictures, sorry)

Another week flies by in the course of my days. Yes indeed, an R is pronounced as a "H," when he word starts with R, or when there are two R's in sequence in Potuguês. They have a Children's Day here in Brazil that just passed, and several random holidays, but the next big holiday is Christmas really. The Halloween here really isn't halloween and they don't really celebrate it. As for ward activities here, they have some good activities here, or so I hear. We have a talent show this saturday which should be cool. And here, we have Almoço with members everyday except Monday, our P-Day. That's nice for us, but it stinks when they fall through. Ha. Good news, Correios is out of strike! Yay. So as for David, he wasn't at church on Sunday because of some things that happened and it was pouring and he didn't have an umbrella. His Grandma laid down the law, and said he has got to be following this path, or not follow it. But if he wants the other type of life, he cant live with her anymore, and will go back to his family. David says that he really does want to be baptised and follow this path, and he really likes church and wants to get a suit and all. We also are working with a man who stopped us on the street when he was drunk, and we then came back and taught him. He wasn't able to make it to church, but he really likes the lessons, and wants to go to church when he can. His name is Anderson. This week really has been pouring and raining a lot. Its crazy. Ha. I also found out that I have Mini-snakes. There were several young girls that wanted me to play a game with them, and when I tried to leave they didn't want me to go, and tried to stop me. It was quite funny. I am so thankful for my opportunity to be out here on a mission. As I was reading the scriptures, I came across a scripture in 2 Nephi 2:7-8. It talks about how we are only saved through Christ. Because Christ suffered for us, I know that each of us has the opportunity to be saved if we have a broken heart and a contrite spirit with a willingness to repent. Truly this knowledge that we have is so incredibly important. I love the second verse of these two. Since we have this knowledge, we need to share it. Truly we have Brothers and Sisters out there suffering, and many don't even know they are suffering. All can be healed through Jesus Christ and the Atonement. I know this without a doubt. The Lord gave us a way, and its our choice whether we follow it and have eternal happiness, or if we chose another path, which leads to nothing more than sadness, no matter how good another path looks. Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. He loves us all so much, and we truly never will comprehend the suffering He went through for us. Believe in Christ, know that He is there through diligent prayer, and let others know of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ. I love you all, and wish you all an amazing week. 

Abraço,

Elder Tanner Ross Paxman 

October 10, 2011

1. Family Night with David and his Family.

2. We are supercool. Ha. (my Companion and I)

3. Jesus Cristo,

Wow, another week passes. Opa! That's crazy news from back home, with Kat and Reese, and with Nelson. And I remember Brother Spencer, he always rode with the Salmons. The Rapaz that we are working with for Baptism, is for the 29th, the Saturday, and his name is
 David. He is awesome, he went to Church, and didn't want to separate from us to go with the other youth, but then at the end of church, he said, "whats next" and seemed to really like it. That was awesome. His cousin, Gabriel, didn't come to church, and we are going to talk to him tonight about everything. They do have waffle irons here actually, but they are different. More for grilled cheese, but it would work somewhat I think, we made pancakes that way once. Now for more about David. He lives with his Grandma, and his Grandma loves the church and is all for him going, and we talked to his mom, and she wants him to go to, she thinks it will make him much better. We are hoping that the example of David will affect all his family, as he also has younger siblings and cousins. I think that the culture is more relaxed here, depending on the church of the head of the home. Sometimes it could be difficult. And more and more Missionaries are joining the Ranks, that's super exciting. Wish them the best for me. And the chess set sounds pretty awesome. So I heard some very sad news, Steve Jobs has died. Even the people here in Brazil are talking about it. Before I continue more, I need to say, HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER! So this week has been another week of missionary life. I am called "Super Capitão Paxman" here, and lots of people say I look like a Super Hero. Ha. And several people are impressed with my voice. Several kids at a place we go and visit always ask me what time it is all the time, just so that I can say it in "my voice." So this week, I was looking for a scripture, and I came across Mosiah 17:20. Its when Abinidi dies because he will not break the commandments. Truly the Lord gave us the commandments for our good, and he loves each and everyone of us. We all should strive to be more like Abinidi in keeping the commandments. We aren't asked to die, but we should at least stand up for what is right when something comes our way. Don't just "hide and sneak  out" of a situation, but always be willing to take a stand for what is right. We never stand alone, when you stand with God, you stand among many, whether seen or not. I love you all, and wish you a great week. 

Abraço,

Elder Tanner Ross Paxman

October 3, 2011

About the pictures.....
1. Sunburn. Ha.

2. Lego Creations

3. Elder Lopez and I on Division

4. Package! Sweetness! Yay! Chic Demais!

Talk about a great week. It was amazing. Mostly because of General Conference and our Mission Conference with all 5 zones in Sorocaba. It was Òtimo!  As for the strike, its still going, so things still might take a while sadly. I received your Package Mom and Dad, thanks so much, it was awesome. I also got some letters too. So keep sending them to the mission address. I really do like the spae and feel of Sorocaba. I'm not a huge fan of big cities really. The ward seems great here so far, Im enjoying it, they are nice. As for sunscreen, I opened it just the other day, and because I know how bad it hurts to get burned (due to Mt St Helen's), I started using it. Ha. We are covering the Julio De Mesquita Ward and its a group of some bairros (neighborhoods) and it has just me and my companion. There are rare chances you cover more than one ward, but its rare I think, and rare to have more than just one companionship too. And I don't really know the areas you mentioned, and my companion doesn't either. Ha. About bikes, I hear that they aren't allowed in any Brazil Mission, I don't know, but not our mission for sure. Thats super awesome about Brady, say hi to him from me. So the mission conference was amazing training. Then General Conference, which was absolutely amazing. I loved it. There were so many great Talks. I especially liked Elder Hollands talk in Priesthood session. It was so powerful. I'm so grateful to be out serving a mission. There was so much good information in General Conference, and sadly it ended so fast, though this conference seemed to be here super fast. Crazy time thing again. Ha. Besides General conference being awesome, my companion and I are teaching a young man about the gospel, and he really likes all we have to say. He said he wants to walk around like us in a white shirt and tie, and so I challenged him to Baptism, and he accepted, and we are working on a goal for the 28th of October. He is really cool, and his cousin was less active, and we are working with him to start getting active again. Also, I went on a division with Elder Lopez that has the same time in the mission as me. He is from Argentina, and is really animated and crazy. That was fun, we were able to teach some lessons, and we "clapped" a bunch of houses which was cool. Sometimes people think its inconvenient to share the gospel, but really, what we have is worth so much more than any inconvenience. We hold the key to Salvation. We have the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the same church that Christ established when he was on the earth. The scripture that I want to choose this week is Alma 18: 12 ( I think, someone please check this before you put it out) where Ammon is so willing to help and do anything the King desires as long as it is righteous. We all should strive to have this love for other people. It is so important. Christ loves us so much, and we should strive to share that love, because love truly doesn't divide, it only multiplies. And once we share our love, we help each other to grow in friendship and in spirit. We may be just "men," but we are all Children of God, and all of us have the Light of Christ. I love you all and wish you the best.

Abraço,

Elder Tanner Ross Paxman

September 26, 2011

So, Dun dun dunnnn.... I was transferred to a new area! Ahhhhh! That's pretty exciting. Anyways the "post service" is still on strike here, so everything will be going slower, and due to being transferred to the interior, it will take even longer to make it to me once it makes it to the escritorio. Also we get the conference issues in English when it comes out, so that will be cool. And I am super excited to watch conference, and yes, it will be in English. Yay! I hear that we will always get the chance to listen in english which is super cool. Thats crazy that its already time for conference, time flies by so fast it suprises me. As for my goal, I try to always think in Portuguese, and ever since the second day on the mission I have said my prayers in Portuguese. Its really hard to pray in english now, just a little over a week ago another missionary asked me to, and after struggling through it, the others all laughed at the end because apparently I used some Portuguese with my English. Otherwise the goal is going pretty well, my new companion is Brazilian as well. Before I forget... HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUTUMN! Oh yeah, you want to hear about all the changes eh? Here they come. Ha. So I got transferred to the interior in a city called Sorocaba, and its a lot hotter here. The area is ward Julio de Mesquito. It has the feel of a small town, and always reminds me of Canada, though its about the same population as Seattle. Its really different, its all houses, and no buildings, and believe it or not, there is some open space and fields. I saw a horse in a pasture, and also saw a rooster sitting on a wall. Its weird that such a big town can have such a small town feel. It also is quite a bit hotter here, and I'll most likely pass the summer here. I wrote letters and stayed out in the sun today, and now Im burnt and already have a shirt tan (or burn) line. My new companion is Elder Neto, and he is another Nordestino. He is from Arapiraca, which is near Maceió. He is pretty cool, and we talk quite a bit. He just made a year, so we burnt his shirt and he had me write in English on it. I'm his first junior companion, and this is his 5th transfer here, so that's 6 months already here, and it was with the same companion the whole time. The people here all know him pretty well, and he knows the area pretty well, since its not that big really. I hear that its actually one of the  smallest. So, I was reading today, and I came across the scripture 2 Nephi 2:24, and I really like this scripture. Everything has a reason. God is so much wiser than us, and He knows what He is doing. God has a plan, and everything is done in the Wisdom of God. We may not understand, but the only thing we really need to understand is that God knows whats best. I love you all, and wish you all an amazing week.
Abraço,

Elder Tanner Ross Paxman

1. My new companion and I in my new area
2. Me near the Church, and feilds in the background. Wow.

3. My companion and I in our house. (its big now)

September 19, 2011

About the pictures...
1. Burning tie!
2. Elder Candland Truffles in the making
3. Pancakes and... Carmel?
4. PAXMAN!
5. Minha Área!
6. Burning Tie! Doce!

Wow, time seriously flies by. Its so weird, I will never cease to be amazed. So yes, I indeed already have 6 months on the mission, and I burnt two ties, one I made, and one my companion gave me to burn. That was an adventure. Also, with six months I have a goal of speaking no more english, and that has been going well. We have transfers this week, and we will find out tonight what changes will happen. Transfers came really fast, who boy. I also had many many cooking adventures, and I made the altogether famous "Elder Candland Truffles." Those were good, and though they were ugly, they tasted great. Just like our PanCAKE. I guess I'm lucky that the looks don't affect the taste to much. Ha. I tried to make pancakes, and they were ugly too, but good, and I made Caramel on accident, but that was good too. I was trying to make Elder Candlands Caramel Syrup. Yes, he is quite the cook, and I try. Ha. I also had the fun experience of an elevator breaking down and getting stuck inside. Sadly I wasn't able to craw out or say I was stuck for hours, because it ended up being only five minutes or so, and they opened the door, and It was almost in the right spot anyway. Willins is doing awesome, and he is being taught by the ward missionaries and is really enthusiastic in the church. We are working with a couple that the man is an inactive member and the lady that is living with him is really interested. They want to get married and they are trying to do that, and are progressing along. So this week, I went on a division with Elder Nobre, which turned out to be a really spiritual experience for me. Always seek to follow the Spirit. So this week, a scripture that I choose is very famous, and really has a lot to do with last weeks scripture as well. It is John 14:15. Its a concept so simple that so many of us overlook it. If we truly love God we will do what he asks us to do without question. We need to always be willing to do Gods will. We cant just choose the rules and commandments we need to follow, we need to follow all of them. We need to show our love for our Creator, the one who gave us life and grants us to live each day. I love you all and wish you a good week.
Abraço,
Elder Tanner Ross Paxman
PS. Add to my letter that the mail system here is in Strike. Things may take a while to mail. Love you guys.

September 12, 2011

Holy Cow! That's so awesome about Derek Lambert and Tanner Johns, I am super excited for them. Serving the Lord on a mission is the Best thing that us young men can do. I know that they will feel the joy of serving a mission. Things are going great here, and seriously, I cant believe that it has been a week. I highly doubt it has been. Ha. Super fast this week. So on Saturday, I had the privilege to Baptise Willians, and that was a great experience. He is a big guy, and there wasn't much water, but it went well. He is super excited. Willians was confirmed on Sunday, and also received the Aaronic Priesthood. That is amazing to see. He will be an amazing member. I am so grateful to be a part of bringing him into the Gospel. Dad, you don't have to worry about the Harmonica, its slow progress, ha. So this week was another week full of divisions. I went on a division with Elder Loiseau on Tuesday, Nobre on Wednesday, until I switched with Elder Morais. We actually got locked out of our house and ended up sleeping at the mission office, because my companion had the keys. It was good though, we had a mission conference not far from the office, so we didn't have to wake up super early. Elder Godoy of the Seventy came and gave an excellent discourse and training. I really enjoyed it, and it was good because I understood almost every word. Then I went on Division with Elder Candland until Saturday morning. That was super fun. Elder Candland and I had adventures with food, and that was super cool. This week seriously flew by so fast. So this week, we read this scripture in the Gospel Principles class, and though its well know, it made an impact on me. The scripture is Matthew 22: 36-40. Truly when we follow these commandments, we complete all the other commandments. We should all seek to pay attention to how we show our love to those that are close to us. It is so important, so many times we don't show our love enough, and by showing our love to others, we show our love for our Father in Heaven. Let us all strive to show our love for others in all that we do. I love you all so much, and wish you all a fantastic week.

Abraço,

Elder Tanner Ross Paxman

September 5, 2010

This week was incredibly and indescribably fast. Wow. It feels like yesterday I was writing last weeks email. All my friends are growing up fast too, that's pretty crazy. I am super excited for Derek and Tanner for sending in there papers and preparing to serve the Lord. Its always good to have another young man willing to join the ranks in the service of our God. As for "I'm A Mormon" Its not really big here, or at least I haven't heard anything about it yet, but, that's still way cool. Also, tell John congratulations for me, that is amazing, it will change his life for the better. This week I went on a division on Tuesday with Elder Santiago, and then I went on another Wednesday until Saturday morning with Elder Nobre. I have hardly been in my own area. And, while I was gone, it got to 44 degrees (F), outside, and with the humidity, it feels even colder. I also didnt have my sweater because of the division, so I went around in my short sleeve, but it was good to get some cold since its getting hot again. On the division, Elder Nobre is neighbors with Elder Candland and his companion, so we talked with them a bunch too, which was really great. Elder Candland and I have great conversations. Seriously. Ha. Also, this is random, but to explain why its easy to get lost, is because all the streets are names not numbers, and you have to know which "Bairro" (neighborhood) the street is in because sometimes there are more than one with the same name. Before I forget, say HAPPY BIRTHDAY KORVER to him for me. I cant believe how fast time passes, its like a rollercoaster, it always goes by fast. Or a mountain, when you look back, its amazing how far you've already gone. I am so greatful to be out serving the Lord. I do have opportunities to bear my testimony quite a bit, and its becoming easier in Portuguese, I may not be able to say all I want, but I get my point across. The number of discussions we teach vary each week, and it really depends. Willians passed the interview, and his baptism is this Saturday. We are all super excited. He is progressing "firme forte," (firm and strong). Elder Nobre shared this scripture with an investigator, and it really stood out to me. Its in Alma 5:45-46. Really this scripture doesn't apply to just those trying to find out about the church. It applies to every aspect of our lives. We should continually ask to know if these things are true, not because we doubt, but because we need that confirmation that strengthens our faith. Its something that we should frequently try to do in our lives. Seek counsel from the Lord, and truly seek for another confirmation of the truths we already know, and those we learn.  

Abraço,

Elder Tanner Ross Paxman