10/15/12 through her baptism and example many from her family will be baptized

hey pops. yeah, sounds like a terrible post season. good luck with that ha. i cant wait to see the christmas day game between the lakers and heat. haha :D i dont know what the deal is with byu. they seem to do that with a lot of players. theyre always so loyal...the kicker for example......but what can ya do.... they lost to washington state then im guessing? thats their 3rd loss? looks like the whole independent thing isnt working out too well for us...who are the elders in potential in the ward now? whos out me and who else? the johansen kid? i dont remember...haha i love ya pops. thanks for always being such a great example to me! tchau!

Elder Bergquist

Mom! well...i tried to get on...but now its says that applications and registration will be postponed....so i cant do anything...i was talking to elder aley the other day (the ap) and he is going back to school in january too...i think were going home the same day...but he said that i am supposed to pick my own classes here on the mission...i dont know exactly how that is supposed to work out ha, but we'll see...when is it? but if you wanna look at my application just go to besmart.com
are you joking with me about Kaitlin?? dont mess with me...i thought she was only gonna put in her papers later...? Rome Italy? thats sweet! she'll be there for the temple dedication!!! what a blessing!! but i dont think that will be an easy mission..ha good luck!! im gonna get home and ill be completely broke and ill have to find a job up there... what did elder oaks talk about in conference?? we baptized armezina (that had a stroke) her daughter glauciléia, and a 15 year old kid jefferson (gerson's brother, the kid we baptised the week before...). all four of them were confirmed yesterday. i had never seen so many confirmation in one sacrament meeting haha it was cool. it looks like everything is working out now with the jobs! what a blessing! passed through a little test but now their doing well it looks like and blake already got a promotion...he switched "jobs"?

So, how was your week? wonderfullll!! and yours?? ha

Were you transferred?  no, next week is transfers

Who is your new companion?  Tell us about him.... i dont know yet...ill find out today or tomorrow....

Who else was baptized last week?  (besides the lady who had the stroke with great faith and her daughter)? jefferson. Gersons brother

Do you have anyone else ready for baptism? we have 5 that have their baptismal dates marked for this sunday...some more firm than others...but theyll all get baptised im sure of it!! and we had 4 more at church too...one is amanda...she keeps going but she cant make her decision!! haha and two arent married. the other we'll visit her today to see how it went. she went with armezina and glaucileia and her other daughter!

How is the ward with giving referrals? theyre pretty good...just for you to have an idea...everyone we have baptized here except Danielle has been a reference. either of a member, a less active, or a recent convert. of the 5 this week, one, we found through a contact that we went to visit (his sister) and 2 are members friends, one is armezinas daughter (who was a member reference) and the other is a recent converts brother. its all about referrals as you americans call them hahaha

How often do you meet with the MP? once or twice a month...

How is your zone doing? theyre doing okay. last month we had a dupla that baptized 14! but this month it slowed down a little... :/

How are YOU???? im mooore than goood....im grrrrrrrrreat!! haha

When did you feel the Spirit the strongest? i think it was in the confirmations....when the first councilor confirmed Armezina he told her that through her baptism and example that many from her family would be baptized. well this week will be one more daughter. amd we taught her sister too, she loved the message and is reading the bom, but she had to work sunday, but she'll get baptised too for sure in the future...The guy didnt know about any of this, but he blessed her with that, and i knew it was inspired..it was really cool.

Anyway, i love you mom! have a good week!

Elder Bergquist

 I have no idea why he took a picture in front of this church...

10/8/12 All of us can be faithful for one day. and then one more after that, and one more until one day we'll look up and realize we arrived in the presence of the Lord

que bênção!!!

sounds like things are going well! mitt romney is on fire then? what were they talking about when he got him stammering? they waste so much time trying to come up with excuses that they cant move forward its funny. elections were yesterday here...Dr. Ivar is the new mayor here in town haha. 

Conference was awesome! i got to see all of the sessions! except the last hour of the saturday afternoon one and the first talk on sunday morning. but i got to see priesthood!!! we woke up at 5 am on sunday morning to watch it at 6-8...president said if it didnt get in the way of teaching or picking up investigators to go to the other sessions we could go! que bênção!! the talk that elder holland gave was almost the same talk he gave to us when i was in the mtc. it was good, but the translation isnt nearly the same thing....the translator doesnt get as fired up as elder holland haha. the talks i liked most were president uchtdorf about finding happiness on the way and not complaining. it reminded me of what you always have taught me, to find joy in the work, no matter what the work is or how it is going. and president Monson about how men can change and the story of that missionary...i like elder bednars talk too, hes a really good speaker, but its even better to study his talks haha. and elder nelson that talked about "ask the missionaries, they can help" haha it was funny, i was thinking the whole time about his grandson that went home last month and how he had probably taken a few things from what he had said to him...a lot of people run from the missionaries here haha a lot of people that i have baptized confessed to us that in the past they had ran from missionaries and repented of it after accepting the gospel haha. i cant wait to see nash and kobe playing together! and to be the new byu kicker. anyway dad, thanks for all you do and all youve taught me and for never missing a week writing me. Im finding joy in the work thanks to everything youve taught me and all the many blessings of our Heavenly Father. Thank you! love you!

Elder Bergquist

Hey mom!! how're ya'll doin?? haha its funny sometimes i speak to my comp in english and he understands some stuff, but i speak to him sometimes in a texas accent and he goes crazy..."WHAT IS THAT??" haha its funny. yeah i freaked out when they talked about the new mission age...the YM here could already go at 18, so that didnt change for the guys here, but thats a huge change for the girls...i thought he was going to say 20 for the YW. but i got kinda sad, my choices will be a little slimmer at BYU hahahah, but i quickly forgot about that and got back to the mission, the Lord will provide. ha but chad thats super good! for the YM i think, a lot of them just sit at home doing nothing from the time they graduate until they go at 19 and thats dangerous. it was surely inspired!!

Did you get to go to Priesthood session? yeah we got to go...at 6 am it started so we got up at 5 to go haha

Did you get to go to any of the sessions on Saturday? yeah the morning session and half of the afternoon one! i missed my namesakes talk...he spoke saturday afternoon i guess....?

Did any investigators go? yeah we had 3 that went and were baptised between the sessions and 4 others...it was good :D

Which talk was your favorite and why? hmmm...i think elder uchtdofs talk saturday morning when he talked about finding happiness on the way...in every moment instead of complain, because in whatever moment we can do whatever we want. dont complain about how small the peanut bag is! haha

How was your week? wonderful. im super excited these days. i love conference and were finding the elect children of God. what a blessing!!!

What classes should I sign you up for at the Y? (at least tell me a few...) portuguese. haha ill have to do some sort of english too i think...i dunno, give me some option of what i need to do...did you get my application in?? let me know because if not i gotta get it done from here....?

Any baptisms? yeah, pics are on the way!

Anyone ready for baptism? theres a few that are right on the edge, but they cant take that last step, we'll help them this week!

How is the lady doing that had the stroke? she got baptized and her daughter too! theyre doing great, she lives like 5 houses down from a member that has a car and they offered to take them to church on sundays! que bênção!! shes walking faster and better everyday! she is a woman of huge faith! she took The Book of Mormon in her hands the first day she got it and said a prayer to know if it was true and got an answer!

So, does your comp leave to go home next week? (Mon or Wed??) he goes home on the 17th! finally! haha jk...we'll see who my new comp is. i have a feeling its gonna be elder jara or an elder from argentina thats an lz....haha we'll see

When did you feel the Spirit the strongest this week? in the conference!!! i have been studying a lot about what president monson said to the YW in the last conference about how many people come to him with the doubt of how they can be faithful with so many weaknesses and he said that all of us can be faithful for one day. and then one more after that, and one more until one day we'll look up and realize we arrived in the presence of the Lord...i really liked the story of ann rowley the pioneer that had to feed her children and made a soup/stew out of two biscuits and water that turned out filling the whole pot and feeding them all. and the words from the hymn lead though me on...no quero luz a fim de longe ver, somente luz em cada passo ter.

i know that as each one of us just seeks to be faithful for one day, as president told me we just have to wake up in the morning and look in the mirror and say, today i'll be faithful, and as we do that, before we know it, we'll be there in the kingdom of God with our family and loved ones, faithful each day there too! i love you mom! boa semana!

Elder Bergquist

mom!!! i dont know whats happening! its not letting me send pics anymore!! i get this email every time i try!! ill try to send it to dad! (unfortunately, no pictures came)

10/1/12 ...the rich, of the poor, of the intelligent, of the unlearned, of all of his children, we just have to be humble and have real intention to act on the testimony we receive!

thanks dad! nossa. sounds like last sunday was a killer. thanks for writing anyway!! its always good to hear from you....yeah i got the call from your secretary today to mark my interview (Brad was teasing him.  He told him that he is calling in the active people that do not have recommends to see if there is anything he can do to help them and that Dallin's name came up with an expired temple recommend) ...haha i already tried to mark one with president but he told me that because we dont have a temple in the mission that he'll just do it in my last interview. BYU is trash. USA too. The angels too. im just happy that the nba starts soon!! go lakers! haha. i dont even care about the other sports haha. my legs are super weak!! and super stiff! i started stretching more and doing some leg exercises because ive found out that just walking is terrible for the legs!! haha we'll see if i can loosen them up a little. but good bishoping to you dad! love you! até a semana que vem! (until next week)

Elder Bergquist

hey mom. How are you?

wow thats sweet they got jobs! (Derek, Devin and Blake all got jobs this week.  They will all be working for Honeyville!!  Thank you Ed!!)  Chad had a fireside with the mission president!? que bênção!!! how was it? what was it about?? hes a priest now huh?? weird!!

yeah im super excited for conference!!! im just a little sad because its like impossible to watch priesthood here, its at 6 am and we have to have an investigator there at 6 am on sunday to watch it...because we arent allowed to go at 9 on saturday and stay out til 11. oh well ill tell dad to review it for me...

Well, how was your week? wonderful 

So, did you reapply to BYU?  What did you have to do?  Just fill out a form saying you want to come back to school  in Jan? well im still working on it because i dont remember my id and password...haha

Did you register for classes? NO! ta louca! i cant worry about that now...at least i dont feel like i should...it seems like theres a ton of time still

What is your question that you wrote in the Book of Mormon (or is it too private)?  ;) how i can have a better relationship with my Heavenly Father

How many investigators did you have at church? 8

Who are you teaching and is anyone ready for baptism? theres a few people we´'re teaching... the family of the kid that was baptized sunday and another family, well a mom and a daughter.  im tired of just teaching women!!! haha Gerson's (the kid that was baptized sunday) dad and older brother went to church too, we're teaching them! this time i have a real stat at least i think it is...some members said it came out in the news paper: in minas gerais there are 7 women to every one man!! its ridiculous! haha anyway.....thats what it will be like in the celestial kingdom too haha

Are you getting excited for conference??!!! super extremely excited!

Do you have to have investigators go with you or you can't go? on saturday yeah. on sunday we have to go, but we have to take investigators too...its the same rules as last time...

When did you feel the Spirit this strongest this week? one lady we are teaching had a stroke in february. she only 45 years old! we gave her a blessing on wednesday and she started sleeping better at night. then we kept teaching her and her daughter and they were reading The Book of Mormon, even though she doesnt know how to read, she tries anyway! and she was able to read, with the help of her 10 year old daughter, the chapter heading. and she prayed about it and felt it was true...but even with that she wasnt sure if shed go to church on sunday because shes doing a "campaign" in her other church, so we talked to her a bit about that and how it was not the true church and how she shouldnt go to church because of a campaign, but because its the true church and that she should pray about it. she said she woke up the next day and wanted to read The Book of Mormon some more, so she called her daughter in and read a little with her, then she said a prayed and asked if she "should go to the Lord's church on Sunday" and she said she felt a strong desire in that moment to go to church. she cant walk real well yet, she doing physical therapy, but we had a member take her and she loved it! they are excited to be baptized! I know the Lord answers prayers. Of the rich, of the poor, of the intelligent, of the unlearned, of all of his children, we just have to be humble and have real intention to act on the testimony we receive  He loves us and I love Him!

thats all folks!

Elder Bergquist

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.