4/25/12 Put into practice what I learn and I will baptize a lot!

Mommy! Gostei muito das fotos! (I really enjoyed the photos) the boys are getting grandinhos haha. theyre looking more like Bergquists each day haha. thats good they got more of the good side of the genes. hahaha jk... kinda... hahaa. Sem moleza (no cake walk) chad! atta boy! haha gostei daquela historia (I liked the story). its good to hear a little about you guys too. kaitlin is coming home? and ashley and zoe are going there too? i hope my letters get to them haha. i wrote a couple of weeks ago and sent them to their utah address haha. oh well...someday theyll get them.....probably haha. i hope you like the pics. i finally sent some haha tell grandma happy birthday!!! and i love her!. ill be praying for diana to get a job. and parabens por formar (congratulations) Derek! Its always good to see the kids in the graduation picture hahah. And above all parabens (congratulations) to the LAKERS!! haha ill be praying for kobe too to win the scoring title. Mike told me he prayed on his mish for the lakers and his comp got mad...but thats what its all about! haha if the sprit tells you to pray about it you gotta do it! right mike? Devin tambem parabens! (also congratulations - his brothers graduated from college) love you all!

How are you? wonderful! How was your week? ótima! (great)

Did you do any baptism interviews? this past week no. but ill have at least 3 this week

How is your zone doing? pretty good. this past sunday was pessima (bad). but this one will be a lot better.

How is the teaching coming along? well. its getting better each day. theres a little something missing ainda (still), but u think we found it!

Anyone ready for baptism? weve got a few people but theyre not real firm...not sure...

What is going on with the less active that went to church last week? Did he go again? less active?? i dont know....there was a husband of a less active that isnt a member that went....he didnt go again...infelizmente (unfortunately)

Are you getting referrals from the ward members? a few. its slowed down a bit, but yeah... What are you reading now? im reading a ton of stuff i just finished nosso legado (our legacy)...but i study a little of everything...its more by topic then by book ha.

When did you feel the Spirit the strongest this past week? in my interview with PRESIDENT! i love my interviews with him! he added a bit to my patriarchal blessing! haha he told me at the end that if i put into practice what i learn i would Baptize,A LOT, and while im still here in 7 lagoas! it was awesome! 
i love the mish! love you guys! ate mais! Elder Bergquist

Elder Da Cunha, Elder Lima, Elder Bergquist, e Elder Jara! and our lunch we made last week. we make chicken strips, with eggs and farofa and potatoes and rice with BBQ sauce. it was pretty dang good. and we are making pizza today!

Elder Bergquist with the new birth certificates of a guy and his girlfriend for them to get married and baptized!

Elder Bergquists new shoes. size 42!!! the biggest shoes ive ever owned hahaha Hey pops! I LOVE THE LAKERS!!! haha thats what im talking about! Ron artest is a beast and kobe is the best basketball player to ever walk this planet! its sad they dont give him due respect, but whatever, it happened with The Savior too right...? maybe that wasnt the best comparison, but, i like the guy alright...haha ohh...anyway...thanks for the email pops. you guys have sister missionaries? covering two wards? which ones? that is kinda crazy...but anyway...i dont have a whole lot of time today and i have to send pictures to mom or shell go crazy haha. were gonna make pizza today, send me a dough recipe if at all possible! please and thank you! love ya pops! Elder Bergquist

4/18/12 Opposition in all things...

Bishop Bergquist!
hey pops. glad i got your letter! sounds like all is well! good to hear about grandpa. and to get to know little weston a little better. sounds like a character. sounds like he likes all the attention you guys are sure to be giving him haha. even blake likes him thats crazy haha. no he always liked kids too. like tess and all the cousins its not a huge surprise...souinds like everyone is happy and the lakers are doing alright. how long will kobe be out for?? bynum is a beast! good stuff good stuff....anyway, gotta go! love ya pops! i wrote a letter to Brennen today. when does he go home again? i forgot haha. ate mais! tchau!
Elder Bergquist

hey mommy!!
how are things la em casa?? i hope everything is going well! i hope you're not sick too! priesthood blessing!! haha i love getting pics of weston and krew! haha they look like happy little guys. i like hearing about you guys too. you dont share much with me either haha. sorry that some weeks are better then others, both with the work and with my disposition to write you guys in detail hah. sometimes i just dont feel like writing haha. sorry, but i cant lie...but ill answer your questions:

How was your week? well, to be honest, not real great. we tried and tried to work in this neighborhood close to the chapel (they want to divide the ward but theres not enough priesthood close to the chapel) but it just just didnt work out too well, so we switched to a different bairro...

How is the work going? its going alright, not super good, but com certeza ta melhorando (It will surely improve).

How many investigators at church? this week just one, really disappointing, but it was lucky we had one. we had gone to everyones house to get them for church, but nobody was there or had some excuse....and then we called one guy that wasnt at home and he said he was at the fair which is right in front of the chapel at the lake praça...he said he was going to go to church but didnt want us to find him at the fair...so we went and sat down in church and like 20 minutes after the start he showed up. hes a less actives husband....and longtime friend of some members, so well see what happens!

Any one ready for baptism? not yet, unfortunately :(

How many lessons did you teach? not a ton. i think like 25....

Do you have to teach at the zone meetings? we didnt have any. and no i dont teach at them. unless its my turn to practice teaching investigators. its more just practicing teaching investigators

How big is your area that you are serving in? its probably the smallest ive been in on my mission until now. and we have two duplas working in it. its kinda crazy haha.

Are you still sleeping on that flat little pad? Or did you get a hammock and get up off the ground??? still sleeping on the pad. i cant sleep in a hammock mom, that will kill my back. and my bank account hahaha

Are you writing in your journal? (You better be!!! You do not share enough with us each week...) ummmmmmmmm...........................yeah............well my journal acabou....i need to buy another one, but i write de vez em quando (once in a while) ....haha ill buy one today...i think haha.

anyway....sorry this week wasnt super exciting here in boa vista...but next week will be a better email i hope! haha sorry! im doing my best haha. love you all! i know Christ is our Savior! He loves you all!!!!
um abraço.
Elder Bergquist!
PS i dont have any! ill take some today! next week for sure!! sorry :/ haha

4/11/12 The Priesthood is real!

hey pops.
i told my comp what you said about the thirty lessons in four or five months and he was amazed. he asked if you baptized anyone on your mission? i dont really know? did you? i thought you did, but im not sure... (Brad served his mission in Austria) sounds like things fell a little this week. i hope grandpas gonna be alright...ill keep him in my prayers. (Brad's father was supposed to leave this week to go on a mission to Nauvoo but he was diagnosed with cancer so it is postponed for a bit now...) and the sports world looks like its not lookin too hot too...kobe in a boot. nossa. well keep me posted on grandpa. and i cant believe that mikes coming home already! crazy. well
love ya pops! keep up the good bishoping haha. tchau!
Elder Bergquist

hey mommy!

how are things? well, here, things as a missionary are...wonderful. each week is a new adventure. things id never expect or do if i wasnt on the mish ha. well...for the questions...

How was your week? it was good

How is training AND being a LZ going? well...its actually kinda tough right now...i dont know exactly whats happening but were going through a rough patch...we'll figure it out....

How is it living with 4 guys? its good. a lot more crazy ha. i think i know why pres dosnt like it much...but its working out..i like them all...

How is your comp? hes doing well, more confident each day...

Is he a hard worker? yeah. well hes becoming one haha. no he is, but im making him work harder haha

How is your new ward? its good. this was the first week so i am starting to get to know the members...seems like a good ward...

How many investigators did you have at church on Sunday? not very many...just one...everyone we went to get for church was traveling...they forgot or something....i dunno...

How many referrals are you teaching? well...weve got quite a few..but we just teach the first lesson and we only go back if they accept a baptismal date....i told you that before right? well....not many accepted dates...ha

Anyone ready for baptism? we have one thats almost there, but he works a ton and its really hard to find him at home....

How is Evaraldo? (that was SO awesome about the blessing that ya'll gave him!!!) yeah it was...but infelizmente (unfortunately) he doesnt want to follow the truth yet. he doesnt want to stop smoking...i was really sad when we left there because his life could be so much better....but he doesnt want our help right now....maybe in the future... :/

Did you buy new shoes? (if so, how much were they?) yeah they were 60 reais...i dont know how long theyll last. they seem to be pretty good. ill get a good 2 or 3 months out of them haha

Did you ever find out where the other guys in your house are from? mato grosso do sul and sergipe. theyre good guys....wellllllllll...............i dont have too much to tell you this week, except we almost saw a guy die last night....just kidding...kinda...well he was super drunk and fell to the ground and stopped breathing for a good like 2 minutes. we gave him a blessing and a few seconds depois (after) he gasped for air and started breathing again. it was kinda scary, but the priesthood is real! im grateful for the restoration of all these things. and tell dad to tell his brother to give grandpa a blessing if they didnt already do so! love you all! tchau!

elder Bergquist

4/9/12 A New Picture!

I love getting pictures of Elder Bergquist since I am not blessed to get very many... I just got this one this morning from Tari McKell! Her son is the one at the top, Elder McKell... Dallin is just below him on the left... THANK YOU TARI!!!

4/4/12 Our Faith Does Miracles!

Pops,

wow. i liked that email. good stuff. all good stuff haha. how was priesthood meeting? its kinda tough for the translators sometimes that was the only problem. especially with president monson because he doesnt follow his written talk very much it looks like hah.

but kobe is still the black mamba. i love him. i want to baptize him haha. i think ive said hes the man in like over half my emails to you haha. good stuff. tiger is the favorite?? wow i dont remember the last time that happened. i remember now that you said the angels have pujols. but i had forgotten. sounds like it should be a good season, although it is baseball hahaha. anyway, love ya pops. do you as bishop have to go to the church to watch conference now?? hows that whole bishopping thing going anyway? haha i got a letter from your counselors son the other day (brennen) i was happy about that. im excited to write him back. love ya dad. tchau! um abraço!

Elder Bergquist

hey mom! well. short email eh? thanks for the notes, sometimes things have a bit of a different sense in english. good to hear. well on to the questions!

How are you? wonderfulllll!

Hey, just wondering if you know any of these Elders.... Elder Baker, Elder Bond, Elder Bowerbank, Elder Hamilton, Elder Hendrickson, Elder Kendrick, Elder Matson, Elder McKell, Elder Munson, Elder Pray, Elder Randall, Elder Sloan, Elder Wharton, or Elder Wensel???? the ones i underlined i know. some better than others. i was elder bonds lz and right now im elder bowerbanks....elder hamilton was in my district a while back when he was getting trained by elder gagon.... (the underlining doesn't show up on here so, the Elders he has met are Elder Bond, Elder Bowerbank, Elder Hamilton, and Elder McKell)

So, how is the new area? its good. im liking it. its super flat! and really pretty. 7 lagoas. and we live right next to one., the church is right on the waterfront. its really cool.

What is your new companions name? elder da cunha!! ha

How is he? hes a really good guy. he is one of three members in his family. him and two brothers. hes got 2 years as a member and him and his older brother are both serving missions right now. hes learning real fast. good guy. ill send pics.

Is this the 1st time you have lived with 3 other elders instead of just your companion? yeah. president doesnt like to do this. he only does it with elders he trusts i think, generally só zone leaders

Is it more fun living with 3 instead of just one? a little, but its not that different, were only at home on pday and from 930 to 1030 we have to acompanhar (keep up with) all the zone and in the morning we study, so its not that different. just that i dont have a bed. haha ill send pics of that too haha. good times! only on the mission!!
What are the 2 other elders names that you live with? elder jara and he is training too elder lima

How far is 7 lagoas from Belo? like an hour. without traffic. we went to a meeting monday morning and its took like 2 hours! ha

Did you get to go to conference? yeah, except saturday morning and priesthood.

How is the work going there? pretty good. almost everybody knows us, and its love or hate haha. but were working a lot with references because if you know their name, its way easier to get in and teach! hha

How many people are you guys working with/teaching? we have 4 people right now...

Any one ready for baptism? we have one thats almost there, he just has to stop smoking! ha but he smoked one yesterday, he'll stop today

Did you buy new shoes yet? no i will today! i need them! haha

Tell us about your area.... and the guys you live with... elder jara gopt here the same day as me (in the mission) but i dont know either of them very well...i dont even know where theyre from hah were always so busy its doesnt leave time to talk or play haha

When did you feel the Spirit the strongest? well i have one really good story to tell you guys. but not much time. were teaching a guy named everaldo. the one that has to stop smoking. he went to conference and loved it! but let me start from the beginning. we were walking down his street and he was sitting at his front door on a wheelchair. we went and talked to him and he invited us in, so we wheeled him into his house on his old rusty wheelchair that has no back or padding on the seat and the front wheels dont roll....we got into his house. he lives alone and it is just one room and a bathroom. it was super messy and hes got old food all over. we taught him. (he can barely talk too) why? because he drank so much in his life. thats why hes in a wheelchair too. he has no more muscles in his legs....he drank so much that he didnt eat and got worse and worse....anyway, he accepted a baptismal date and then we gave him a health blessing. we told him he would start to walk again in the blessing. from the first day everything about him changed. when we ask him how his day is going he tells us everyday "maravilhoso, melhor que ontem!" (wonderful, better than yesterday!) we helped him clean his house a little too. when we taught him the word of wisdom we promised him again that if he stopped drinking he would start walking. well he said alright and he got up of the bed, grabbed his bottle of alcohol, and went to the street (WALKING) and dumped it out on the ground! Que BÊNÇÃO!! (What a BLESSING!!) our faith does miracles! but we have to act too! i know we can do anything with Gods Help!
Love you all! Tchau!
Elder Bergquist!!
p.s. the first pic is of jo and her daughters that we were teaching in my last area!