9/24/12 just about everyone that hears about it is a little interested, but some get scared to act on it

hey mom! tell diana shes a freak. thats the mormonest joke ive ever heard hahaha.

(Diana's joke:  What do you call an alligator wearing a vest?  (An investigator!))

Okay, 1st of all, why do you think you have to reapply to BYU?   (we called and they told us they have you ready to go for Jan.  We just have to register for classes in Oct) my mission president said so, and the secretary forwarded me an email that byu sent to the mission about my reapplication

We heard that the postal service there went on strike, do you know if that is true? yeah. why?

What is GEE? Bible Dictionary, Topical Guide, and index all together

How is everything going? wonderfully!

How is the working going? absolutely amazing ha

How many investigators were at Sac. Mtg? we had two this week

Have you found anyone that is interested in hearing about the restoration? Eternal families? a lot of people that are interested. just about everyone that hears about it is a little interested, but some get scared to act on it, to change their lives, they get scared to offend their family or to stop sinning. but the ones that are ready, dont worry about any of that and just go! 

What have you been reading/studying lately? i started the BOM again from the start, like elder bednar says to do. i took an old copy that we had in our house that was blank and wrote a question in the front that i want an answer to and as im reading im looking for answers. its really interesting..

Tell us a story from this past week... alright, so this week we went to do a division in ponte nova with the dupla from there. ponte nove is the home town of angelica and joão that we baptized last week. so we went there and i went with the address of her son and ex husband, we went there and nobody answered. the division and everything went really well (ill send some pics of the division) but something interesting happened too...when we got back home, angelica asked where we stayed and we described where the elders live there, and she got really interested and started asking more details about where it was, then she said, "i lived there" and we talked about how the house was and everything, she lived in the house where the elders live now! we just had a stronger testimony about how the Lord has been preparing her for a loooong time...

When did you feel the Spirit the strongest this past week? in the zone conference and in sacrament meeting. the two times i heard president speak. every time he opens his mouth i feel the spirit! but seriously, hes super spiritual and really in tune. he announced to us missionaries on friday about the STAKE thats going to be organized here in november! then announced it to the members on Sunday. elder Mazzagardi will be here and president too. and the district (soon to be stake) made a goal to have 1,200 people in the conference on the 4th of November! president already promised me that id be here to see the conference! im super excited! Que BÊNÇÃO!! the organization of a stake only happens one time in each place right? and im gonna be here for it! the members have been waiting and hoping for this day for over 5 years, and now its here!! Sei que ESTA é a igreja do Senhor na terra! Amo Ele, e sei que Ele vive! (I know that THIS is the Lord's church on earth! I love Him and know that He lives!)

Elder Bergquist

Info on ElderMazzagardi:

Elder Jairo Mazzagardi, 62, had been serving as a sealer in the Campinas Brazil Temple when called to serve in the Second Quorum of the Seventy.
Elder Mazzagardi is an entrepreneur and retired owner of a real estate company. He has served in numerous Church callings, including bishop's counselor, high councilor, stake president's counselor, stake president, Regional Representative, president of the Brazil Salvador Mission, Area Seventy and president of the Sao Paulo Brazil Temple.
Jairo Mazzargardi was born Itú, Brazil, on April 10, 1947. He married Elizabeth Ienne in July 1970. They are the parents of three children. Elder and Sister Mazzargardi reside in Vinhedo, Brazil.

2/25/12 More new pics! Thank you Sister Fortunato!!

Elder Bergquist had a visit from Pres. and Sister Fortunato.  Everyone once in a while they come around to check the homes of the missionaries to make sure it is clean and organized.  Here are a few pictures that she posted on Facebook.... Here is their clean bathroom!

 Their clean kitchen..

 His clean and organized desk...

 His clean and organized clothes...

Then she had them throw out some old/broken things...

And, since everything was so clean and organized she gave them some blankets, a fan, a blender and some candy!  Thank you Pres. and Sister Fortunato!!!

Also... I wrote and asked Sister Fortunato when Dallin's release date would be.  He will not discuss it!!!  Which is a good thing, he loves his mission and really does NOT want it to end!  (He entered the MTC in Provo on Dec. 8th)

Here is her response...

Dear Shaila

We are very happy to know that he does not want to talk about his homecoming, what demonstrates its focus on the work of the Lord. I have a great affection for Elder Bergquist, he is very intelligent, very spiritual, has a great faith and testimony and works hard for the gospel.

Thank you for the love we receive from you. When visiting his home in Lafaiete, I could see how much he and his companion are a great example for their zone because his house was clean and organized, they really care to be a good example in all things.

His homecoming will be  on December 18, will arrive in the U.S. on 20, but we don't have  the time of the flight.

Once we have the vouchers, we will send to you.

Thanks for everything, for their comments on facebook, my daughter put the photos for me, sometimes when I'm very busy, but whenever possible, I  see the comments of our dear mothers missionaries.

sincerely,

Sister Fortunato

9/21/12 New pics from the MP's wife!

I love that Dallin's new Mission President's wife has started a facebook page and posts pictures of our missionaries as they meet with their zones... or  if they are at a zone conference.... or whenever...

She posted 6 new pictures of Dallin tonight!  Here they are...

And it appears that after the meeting they took the zone out to eat...

 AND, it appears that either A) Dallin was starving B) He loves the food there.... or... C) he is a pig.  LOL

9/17/12 I felt that wasnt what they needed, so by the Spirit i changed my prayer

hey dad hows it going? things here are great! our zone is alright. some of them are having a tough time, but some are tearing it up! theres a dupla that baptized 8 in the last 3 weeks. their on fire. ha but theres a few that have more than a month dry. there are 3 districts. 3 duplas in each one. including us. so we take care of 12 elders and 4 sisters. our area is half of Lafaiete. theres a dupla of sisters in the other branch and they have the other half. its one of the smallest areas ive been in on my mission. but iu havent gotten tired of it yet. haha. theres a ton of people and a ton of houses and a ton of bairros even though the area is small. 

the zone leaders are from where? are they in moval too? im kinda sad we have sisters. i wont be able to help as much...haha. I already made a goal to exercise everyday until the end of the mission haha but ill have to work more on my legs. all they get as work out is walking this hilly city haha. its kinda sad that byu is so blind to the kicking...theyve got like 4 years that their kicker is terrible....this trout kid, i gotta see him play...when do the playoffs start? go 9ers!! haha anyway...foooodd...ummm chimichangas! haha i dunno. make them beans and rice and boiled chicken hahaa thats what i eat everyday. spiced with onions and a ton of garlic and salt haha tell mom to make some of her famous mashed potatoes and sei lá! haha chicken alfredo! thats the one! haha im sure theyll be happy with whatever you guys make. (Brad had asked Dallin for his suggestion for dinner tonight, we are having the missionaries over) its funny because in the states the thing the members always make (lasagna) is what missionarios always ask for and hope for the members to make here ha. anyway. love ya pops! keep serving well and finding joy in your service...ill tell you a little more about the week in the email to mom. about angelica and joão´s baptisms. boa semana! tchau!

Elder Bergquist

Mommy! your son in Brasil is absolutely wonderfully, amazing! haha yeah, my charger crapped out. i dont know how, but i borrowed one from an elder in the zone and charged my battery...so im good for now...im gonna see if i can find a universal charger for cheap...oh btw, my debit card never got activated...? what do i do? haha my comp...is a good guy. hes just getting kinda crazy coming to the end of his 2 years...

So, when your comp called the office did they also tell you when you are coming home? (his comp goes home next transfer, then Dallin comes home the one after that. His comp called the office a couple of weeks ago to get his flight info so I asked Dallin if he got his... haha... we THINK he will be home on Nov. 29th) no!!! they tried to but i told them i didnt want to know haha.

Did you guys have a baptism this week? we had two. Angelica, and her 10 year old son, João Pedro. (see pictures.)

How is the work going? its going great. im loving every second of it! even the ones when doors get slammed in the face, they throw rocks at us or threaten to give us a beating with their belt...its all great! hahaha

How many people are you teaching? all of them that let us!!! haha we working with another lady (this city is full of women!!! i dont know if its true, but i heard a stat that its 3 to one women to men, and as we all know, the women are more receptive to the gospel) she is a friend of a member and shes catholic but likes the church. shes just gotta get a testimony of The Book of Mormon and shell get baptized....

How many investigators were at church? just her...and Amanda...AGAIN! haha

Anyone super interested? just those, for now.

Did you ever get a letter from Ariel (his cousin serving in Japan)? nope :(

Tell us some stories from this week... well...one night i went to pray...i asked that He would bless Angelica and João. First i asked that he would protect them from obstacles and hardships for them to be baptized....then i stopped, and felt that wasnt what they needed, so by the Spirit i changed my prayer, so that they could withstand the obstacles that will come and overcome the hardships...because thats how they would get stronger and grow in the gospel. needless to say, the hardships came. the family told her she was going against the family and her beliefs since she was a kid. she got headaches from not drinking coffee, she got sick on saturday night from something she ate. but what happened? the Lord answered my prayers. she stood firm in her testimony of the truth, and is going to send her saints to her sister thats still catholic (for now) when she woke up in the middle of the night before the baptism thinking shes have to go to the hospital, she asked her son jon (10 years old) to kneel and say a prayer for her. He did, and before she saw him lay back down in bed, she felt the pains leave and she slept in peace until the alarm to get up for church. Que bênção!!! and on saturday for them to go to the interview, she was thinking about not going because of the stuff that was happening and she wasnt feeling well, but when it was 10 to 5 and jon had already taken a shower and gotten ready to go, so she went with him..and they both took out their piercings (jon from his ears and angelica from her nose) and were baptized on sunday!!! QUE BÊNÇÃO!!!

When did you feel the Spirit the strongest this week? we had conselho de lzs. as you saw in the pictures...i think it was the strongest as we ate taco stacks hahaha jkjk...it was for sure as we ate cake and ice cream...or maybe the cookies that we ate for breakfast. haha...no jk. but we talked a lot about unity. and in the GEE (topical guide/dictionary) it says to be one, first with God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ, then with all others. and we talked a lot about that and how we can have more companionship unity...we talked about the conversion of the people too. and how we should teach always thinking about where they are in their conversion and how Doctrine and Covenants 20:37 should be applied in each moment of our teaching...i learned a lot about that...the spirit helped me to comprehend so we could put it in practice this week.

love you all. i know the church is true!

Elder Bergquist

In São João del rey for an interview.

Our baptisms, Angelica, and her 10 year old son, João Pedro.

9/13/12 Pictures!

I love that Dallin's Mission President's wife has started a Mission Facebook page!  She posted a few pictures of a Zone Training meeting that they had.  Here are the pictures that Dallin was in!

Thank you Sister Fortunato!!!  We sure appreciate all you do for our son!

9/10/12 I know that "obedience is the first law or heaven. Scratch that! the first law of EVERYTHING!" as Elder Holland taught

hey pops. how are things??

sounds like in the sports world theyre going pretty good!! ha. did mr m ask about how the bishopping is going?? haha thats good chad is participating. ha. ill have to visit that old man afterward. maybe ill take him a coffee mug from brasil. he collects them...he had one from byu...it was his favorite to drink coffee from. crazy! haha. hows the office? theres a new orthodontist? im flossing pretty well here on the mission. like twice a month hahaha. way more than i did before the mission. diana would be proud ha. i think it get way hotter there than here. here is just way more humid. 49ers are doing well. good to hear. and the angels are picking it up...that kid is ridiculous... two lead off homers in a row ha. and BYU is good?? weird. i thought theyd be terrible this year. id have to agree with you on the thanksgiving conference thing..i like the christmas season better, but i like how our family does thanksgiving...so its a tough call. but conference is amazing...now that i understand a little better the importance of it! we spend the whole year studying the scriptures from the old days...but we have a prophet and apostles that are alive that talk to us today...it almost makes the old scriptures useless haha not really. not even close. but its directed to us. today. Que bênção!! it seems like yesterday was the last conference. the time is flying!!!

anyway love you pops! BOA SEMANA!! tchau! (Have a good week!!)

Elder Bergquist

Mommy!!

seriously?  You did not even send me ONE picture last week!!!  Thanks. :( well....i dont think it was my battery in my camera...i think it was the charger...because this battery isnt charging either!! sorry! save the packaging from the battery and we can return it after! haha ill have to get a new charger...sorry we didnt take any pics last week...this week either! ha

So, did you get transferred? nope...im still here

Did everyone transfer on Wed? yeah i think so...only one sister in our zone got transferred.

Do you have a new companion? nope. same old elder Carneiro. this is now the area i will stay in the longest and the comp i will have for the longest on my mission haha. que bençao! at least its a good area. some of my areas i got tired of after one transfer, but i havent gotten the least bit tired of this one yet.

If so, tell us about him... (he is a nut, I don't know why he is answering this since he is with the same companion!  LOL) hes from bahia. and hes the only member in his family....for now...his parents are going to church now and just need to get married to be able to be baptized...

If not, is this your comps last transfer? yup. hes super trunky haha. he called the secretary last week and the secretary told him he already bought his plane ticket and told him the date and everything haha. que moleza!!

Did you have 3 baptisms this week? no :/ one went to visit her family and the other got mole...ha but his brother and cousin went to church this week so were gonna see if we can baptize all 3 this week ha.

How is Amanda doing? shes alright...they seem to always be busy so we didnt get to teach her this week....

Did you have any investigators at church this week? just 6 in sacrament and there was another couple that left after the first hour (our meeting is inverted here...sacrament is at the end...)

What happened with the lady who came into the church with exercise clothes on?  Did you guys teach her this week? she disappeared...we dont know where she lived. when we came out of elders quorum she was already gone so we didnt get to teach her....

Anything new or exciting happen this week? everything is new and exciting on the mission! hahaha every moment is unique...but lets see...like really crazy...not really haha

When did you feel the Spirit the strongest this week? as i studied and discussed with my comp a talk by Pres. Uchtdorf from the last conference in the priesthood session about the why of the priesthood. its a super good one! that one and the talk Converted to His Gospel through His church...(or something like that...?) haha 

thats good that everyone is learning more about "the mormons" haha ive heard some of the craziest things here...a lot of other churches say that mormon is the same thing as mammon (when Christ said we cannot serve God and mammon) and a lot of them say that is means death (death is morte in portuguese) i heard one guy say that it is death or dead in Japanese..haha its kinda ridiculous. so hopefully Mitt Romney can help a little with that.

where is this place they went and swam with sharks and sea lions!!? i wanna go too the next time! haha im still praying for all of them to find a job. Mr Chapmann...haha hes a good guy... one of the best student he ever had? wow. thanks haha. i did more math in my math classes to not have to do homework haha. i would calculate how much of my homework i could miss to still end up with an A if i aced all my tests, then i would do just a little bit more than i had to to give me a little bit of space on my tests just in case... hahahaha. dont tell that to chad! haha hes taking ap psych? crazy. ask him how his teacher is.

I get like that in my lessons here too... well most of them haha i havent really lost my shyness i just fight through it haha. but it works out when i follow the spirit!  ...about the birth of Christ... Elder Talmage says some interesting things in Jesus the Christ. i remember one thing is that he wasnt born with any extraordinary knowledge or power but as he studied and saw the prophecies he received personal revelation that those prophecies were talking about him...thats not really about the birth...haha but did you know that Gabriel (the angel that appeared to Mary) is Noah from the old testament? im sure you did haha. some things that dont really help in our salvation haha. anyway...thats my update slash book for this week. i wrote a ton! i hope your happy with it and that it can edify you guys in some way. I know the Savior lives and loves us too! I know that "obedience is the first law or heaven. Scratch that! the first law of EVERYTHING!" as elder Holland taught. i love this work! love you all! tchau!

Elder Bergquist

9/3/12 Like Elder Bednar says, follow the commandments, read the scriptures, be faithful to your covenants and you cannot go astray.

dad. why do you gotta torture me with donut stories??! hhaha just kidding, kinda... they have  bakeries all over the place here, but they dont know what a donut is, or a cookie, or brownies, or texas sheet cake hahah. dont get me wrong they know how to make some good stuff too, but its different haha. BYU won eh?? good to hear. what did you guys decide? you stayed home and watched the byu game instead of going to the angel game? (he misunderstood, we went to the Angel's game) sounds like theres all kinds of emergencies and stuff happening...its the LAST DAYS! hopefully that family will realize that and get a move on their preparation for exaltation! haha thanks for taking care of my bank card for me pops! i was in a rough time because of all the traveling, but now im starting to get reimbursed so, im alright now. thanks! love you dad. até a semana que vem! tchau! (until next week, bye)

Elder Bergquist

yeah, the time is flying by, but you dont have to keep reminding me haha. everyone always asks and i just tell them that i go home after my comp, then they focus on him and i get free haha. (We made a count down chain, but I did NOT tell him!!  I just made the comment that it is now Sept, and time is flying by) 

Larry is crazy! haha tell him Elder saturnino e Raul mandaram abraços para ele. (Dallin met one of his cousins mission companions and he sends Larry hugs) What a joke with dereks job. thats ridiculous. but the Lord´s preparing something for him. yeah i was really excited with the news from Shirlei. one of the happiest moments of my mission. and i remember that story in conference...its true, one baptism can make a huge difference. shes working on the ancestors, but i hope she finds a good returned missionary to marry and have kids for them to go on missions too, and work on the posterity too haha. thats good you guys got so much done in the temple. I cant wait to go again!! its been forever!

What was your favorite things in the package? reeses pieces, and peanut butter. and the like fun size candy bars haha. a twix bar here is like 6 reais (if you can find it) ($2.95) they have pringles too: 9 reais ($4.42). hha its kinda crazy. I went to make those blueberry muffins last week too, mixed it all up and went to turn on the oven....its broken...so i made pancakes out of it hahh

Did the battery for your camera work? yeah! thanks a ton!

Did you get the SD cards? yup! although, someone did get a little curious. (there was a hole the size of a finger in the side of the package. i think they just check sometimes to make sure its not like a xbox or something super expensive that people are lying about. hah)

Are you okay financially?  (dad is gonna call in a min. and see if they activated your card, I will let you know what they say) yeah, im fine now, i just traveled a lot the last couple weeks so i ran out...but im good now.

When Sister Costa asked you how your relationship is, what did you say?  (Talk about putting you on the spot!)  But, I am very proud of you for standing up and answering her!  I, like her, have always wished I could  be a fly on the wall and watch my boys teach on the mission!!!  I am very proud of you! yeah i know you wanted to be a fly on the wall, i remember you saying that back in the day when derek was on the mission, but i dont know how much you'd understand ;) haha i just said well, its getting better each day...

Did you have any investigators at church today? there were 6. most of them the members brought (they are having an activity with the Relief Society and quorum during 15 days. it started yesterday, they are having special meetings at church and doing visits to less active members during the week and having a few couples activities and other things during the week and on sunday everyone has to bring less active members and non members. the chapel was packed yesterday. especially the RS. the RS president here is really good, super excited and shes only got like 3 or 4 years as a member.) and one was passing in front of the church in exercise clothes like power walking but we stopped her and invited her to participate in the meeting and she did haha.

So, are transfers today or Wed? umm...well theres new missionaries coming and they get here tuesday and the ones going home go on wednesday, so the transfer has to be wednesday....but i think president will be making the calls today or tomorrow to let us know whos going where...

What are you doing to motivate your zone? we have been doing divisions with the LDs (District Leaders) and of course being an example for them, thats the most important thing, helping them make and remember and fulfill their goals.

Any baptismal dates set? yeah, weve got 3 set and were praying and fasting and doing everything we can to help Amanda. she goes to church every week shes in town, but shes just a little confused about some things. the other ones are two friends of a member and a cousin of another member.

When did you feel the Spirit the strongest this week? in sacrament meeting. i love fast and testimony meeting. its always super spiritual!

Tell me how you have learned to recognize the Spirit when He speaks to you...  well its like the scriptures and the prophets say, if its telling you to do something good (talk to someone, teach a principle, use a certain scripture) then its from God, if its not, its from the enemy. Like Elder Bednar says, follow the commandments, read the scriptures, be faithful to your covenants and you cannot go astray. you dont have to worry if its the Spirit or your own thoughts, because as you do these things, your own thought will be more like the real will of the Lord in your life.

thats the report for this week! love you mom!

Elder Bergquist