5/14/12 Mother's Day Phone Call

Dallin's Mission President said he could skype without the image this time.  Dallin also told us to call the sister whose home they would be going to to call from... Derek, Dallin's older brother, served his mission in Sao Paulo so he can speak Portuguese too... Dallin gave us the phone number to call Irma Jurema to set up the skype... I bought an international phone card not knowing if we would have Derek call and get her skype info or if we would just used the phone.

Sunday we went to Sacrament meeting and then came home to get ready for the call.  Diana was here visiting and was flying home at 3, we needed to get her to the airport by 2 and the phone call was to be at 11.

At 11 we had Derek call Irma Jurema's home to ask her about skype and Dallin answered the phone!!  He asked Dallin if we should skype and he said sure, if you want to but we will have to wait about 30 min. because his companion was on it.  Since Diana was to leave we just went ahead and talked to him on the phone.  We all went to the kitchen table and put the phone on speaker (I have a picture that Brittany took but she isn't here right now so I will add it later)

We are allowed to talk to "Elder Bergquist" for 40 or 45 minutes (I honestly can't remember) but either way, it didn't seem like long!  I know some talk to their missionary for hours on end... I don't need that but it would have been nice to have another 20 minutes.  With such a big family (which I love) and everyone talking (which is great) I feel like we didn't get to hear much from him!  :(

Here are a few things that he told us... they are getting a new Mission President in July.
Here is a picture and the bio of his CURRENT Mission President:

Adilson de Paula Parrella, 46, and Elaine Finholdt Parrella, five children, Brazil Belo Horizonte Mission; Alphaville Ward, Barueri Brazil Stake. Brother Parrella is an Area Seventy and a former counselor in a stake presidency, bishop, branch president, ward Sunday School president and missionary in the Brazil Porto Alegre Mission. Adjunct partner, Korn/Ferry International. Born in Guaruja, Brazil, to Fioravante and Vany de Paula Parrella. Sister Parrella is a ward Relief Society music director and a former stake Primary president and counselor, ward Primary president, counselor, and chorister and stake Primary chorister. Born in São Paulo, Brazil, to Paulo Volnei and Diva Morillas Finholdt.


And, here is a picture of the Mission President that has been called to begin their service on July 1, 2012.

David Kent Armstrong, 55, and Elizabeth Ann Jensen Armstrong, six children, Uruguay Montevideo Mission; La Molina Ward, Lima Perú La Molina Stake. Brother Armstrong serves as a counselor in the Peru Missionary Training Center and is a former stake mission president, high councilor, bishop, counselor in a branch presidency and missionary in the Uruguay Montevideo Mission. Area legal counsel, Corporation of the President. Born in Massena, N.Y., to Ellis Leroy and Florine Clark Armstrong.

Sister Armstrong is a counselor in a Relief Society presidency and is a former stake camp director, Relief Society president and Young Women president. Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, to Robert Max and Elizabeth Syphus Jensen.

We asked him about Elder Hendrickson whose mom is on the Missionary Mom's email list and we have touched base and thought from what they had said in their emails that they were probably in the same zone.  Sure enough, Dallin told us that they are!  Dallin had just interviewed someone that Elder Hendrickson has been teaching for baptism!  They both had attended BYU before the mission.

He told us about a lady that they are going to baptize on Sunday!  Her hubby is an inactive member, he and his children (who are now grown and married) are all baptized but the wife/mom isn't YET!  :)  The whole family have been sitting in on the lessons and they are REALLY excited to be bringing the whole family back into activation.  He is pretty sure that the spouses of the children will be baptized too!

We told him about 2 of the young women that he and his companion baptized earlier had "friended" Kaitlin on facebook and chatted with her a few times.  He said that one of them is now a councilor in the laurel class!  (It is always nice to know that people you have baptized are staying active in the church!)

We were asking him about exercise and not playing any sports on Pday and he (as always) has a great attitude (they are not allowed to play sports on Pday, he had bought new indoor soccer cleats for his Pday shoes before leaving as he LOVES soccer) He said, well, sometimes we are late getting home and we RUN!  ;)

He said that someone gave him some "Mexican pepper.... uh, what is it called?  uh, salsa?  o... hot sauce"  It was funny listening to him have a hard time remembering some English words!  He said he really misses Mexican food and so they went to the store to get some but that it was really expensive so they didn't get any.  He said that 10 tortillas for 5 reais ($2.50).  

He told us that he met a guy that served his mission with a friend of the family, Daniel Harper.

He said that his favorite area so far was Progresso.

He said he thinks his MP likes him because he is always honest with him... ;)

He also said he had to talk to his companion in English on their walk over to make the calls home so he would start thinking in English!  :)

It was nice to hear his voice, he sounds great!  Always positive and happy!  I am so proud of him!  I counted out the transfers and it appears that he will be home on Dec. 5th. or 6th so the next time we talk to him will be in person!!!