Update 11/5

Elder Levingston didn't have time to send a group email this week. But here is a little update that he sent to his dad.

Olá Pai (hello dad),
Things here are good. We just started our 3rd transfer today and I am still with the same companion and in the same area. I will be here for at least another 6 weeks. This area is really awesome. The members all remind me of people in our family. There´s one guy here that just got baptized 7 months ago that reminds me of brandon. All the people here either look like people in our family or the way they talk reminds me of them.
The other cool thing is that I can understand almost everything that is said. I still have troubles from time to time but for the most part its getting better. So yesterday during lunch we watched the new "Incredible Hulk" because the members had just started it when we got there and so we watched it while the sister cooked. I would have to say it is pretty awesome. In the beginning when he´s in Brasil is what it´s really like. That really is a city here but its in another state. I was able to understand everything that was said too.
Well I have got to get going. We need to get out and go teach a little today. I love you dad.
Love,
Elder Levingston

Update 11/7

This is pretty funny. I'm sure you'll all get a kick out of it.

Here is a video of me, my companion, and a couple other missionaries making ourselfs look like fools. It´s not hard to tell which one is me. I am the only american. Wow you can tell that I have gained wieght too. I hope you like it.
Tchau,
Elder Levingston

More Fotos 10/29

Here are a few fotos for you. This week we baught some Jaca. I don´t know if you have ever heard of it or ever seen it but its something different. It reminds alot like gum. Thats the texture of it anyway. It´s really pokey kinda like a porcupine, but the inside is very sticky and if you touch it, you have to basically wear it off because it doesn´t just wash off.

The other picture is of some guy I saw that has half of his head shaved. I thought it was pretty interesting. Anyway I hope you like them. Just a little more of Brasil for ya.
Tchau,
Elder Levingston

Letter dated 10/29

Olá,
Como vão vecês? Sou de boa. Tudo beleza aqui mas temos nossos dificuldades também....translation...How are you all? I am good. Everything is great here but we have our difficulties too. So really how are you guys? Whats new?
So this week has been good, but it´s had it´s hard times too. We were teaching this couple that are catholic. Everytime we show up they have some sort of material that their pastor gave them to try and prove us wrong. Well this time they had some pamphlets that had some scriptures written that proved their church to be correct. We looked up the scriptures in the bible but they didn´t exist. They were all made up. We aslo showed some things in the bible that the catholic church has changed. We then opened up to a scripture that says that God doesn´t change, He´s the same yesterday, today, and forever. This church wasn´t just thought up of out of nowhere but was restored to the earth by God, and therefore has the power and authority of God. We proved by using the catholic bible that this is the true church.
Unfortunatly they don´t care to have any more visits. They say they are really confused because they really thought theirs was correct but clearly in the bible, it´s not. On the other side some good news is that I am starting to understand just about everything that is said. I am aslo getting better at speaking to people. That is the hardest part about learning a new language is trying to speak to people. But with the Lords help anything is possible.
Well I have got to get going. I love you all and pray for you all daily. I want to wish you all a happy halloween. I wont be celebrating it because apparently it´s just an american holiday. Have fun anyway.
Tchau,
Elder Levingston

Letter dated 10/22

Jake says thanks to the Adairs for the card from the reunion.

Olá Família,
Como que está coisas ai? Aqui está boa...How are things there? Here is good. So it´s been a couple of weeks but I got a strange letter. It was quite large. I just want to thank everyone that went to the family reunion and wrote me little messages on the large paper. It made my day. So things here are good not alot has changed. I have to get going but I will write more about how my past couple of weeks have been.
Tchau,
Elder Levingston

Oi família,
So how are things going? Here they are good. I have learned alot these past couple of weeks. For one I have found out how bad missionaries slack off. First This last sunday was "Dias das crianças" or day of the kids. Well my companions parents happened to just show up to sacrament. I was pretty annoyed because he got to see his parents and it just made me miss mine more. Right now your probably thinking "hey wait isn´t that against the rules?" and ya thats exactly right, it is against the rules. It is just one of those things that I´m not going to let it effect me. It´s something that he will have to deal with.
The one thing that I have come to realize is that Bazilians are very charitable. For the most part anyway. We can´t go into a house without being offered something to drink or to eat. It´s quite nice. We were contacting people on the streets and we started talking to a teenage boy. Well he had some cookies and offered some to us. It threw me off because I am just not used to people being so open and giving.
As I was studying the scriptures I came across a scripture in 1 Corinthians 1:17 that says "for christ sent me not to baptise but to preach the gospel." I like it because when people ask how many baptisms we´ve had or act like they are better because they have baptized more I just quote this scripture to them. Another scripture that I like is from the book of mormon. Mosiah 2:22-24, It teaches that each one of us will always be in the debt of our Lord. No matter how good we are here or how much good we do here on the earth, It is only through the grace and mercy of the Lord that we can be saved and return to the presence of our heavenly father.
There is one person that we are teaching right now that seems pretty promising. A 12 or 13 year old boy named Kaique. We are teaching him and his mom. Well we just taught the ten commandments to them and while we were teaching we also taught about the word of wisdom. Well Kaique said he doesn´t like coffee and doesn´t have any problems with anything we taught. The only thing he needs is to go to church to see how it is and if he likes it. His mom on the other hand has a smoking problem that we explained the harms of smoking and the promise that the Lord gives if we abstain from these substances. She has ablot of questions and is very interested.
There was one more person that we taught today as we were coming back from playing soccer. We stopped by a catholic church to use their bathroom. Well when we entered they were holding a mass. It was really weird to me the way that they worship. They worship and pray to a statue of Mary. When the mass was over everyone left and there were a few people in the church that were praying. well me and my companion just walked around a little bit to see the paintings on the wall and to see what their church was like. Well I stopped in the isle and saw a girl. I got a feeling to talk to her. So I went over and just started talking to her. (We were in our regular P-day cloths not our church cloths.) well I started by asking her if everything was ok because I felt that she had somethiung that was bothering her. She then said that she had alot of problems and came to pray for answers. We started by teaching a little bit about what our church believes and then how in our church we have answers to all the questions that people have. My companion wasn´t very happy with me because I was breaking a law that I didn´t know they had here in Brazil. You can´t go into other churches or any public meeting places and teach about your church. Well as we talked a little more I found out that she lived close to a church of ours and we just told her to go and see what its like. I started to bear my testimony of how I know this church is true. I came all the way from the United States to help people come to the truth. I wouldn´t come all this way to tell a lie. She started to cry as I told her to pray to God and he will answer her prayers. I was saying things that I had never said before and I really felt the spirit working through me to talk to her. I know that she felt the spirit. It´s too bad that the area we were in wasn´t our area but I still think that she will go and talk to missionaries in that area. It felt so good and strengthened my testimony of this church and this gospel that I know it is true with out a doubt.
Well I need to get going. These are a few of the things that I have experienced and how I am out here helping others to change their lives by inviting them to come unto christ. I love you all.
Tchau,
Elder Levingston

Pictures 10/8

Well here are a few pictures that I thought you would all like of the Curitiba temple and a picture that I took today just to let you know I am doing good. Hope you like them. Love you all.
Tchau,
Elder Levingston

Letter dated 10/8

Oi,

Wow I have alot to write about since I didn´t alot of time to write last weeki. So I have been able to understand alot more of what is said now. I still have times where I don´t catch any of what the conversation is about but thats alright. I was talking with my companion and he said there was an elder in his first area that had been out for 8 months and I speak better than he does. I guess I need to just be a little easier on myself. So last week I didn´t have alot of time to write because we went to the Curitiba temple. I Went in and helped out doing confirmations of the Holy Ghost. It was an awesome expirience to be able to go fel the peace of the temple. I think the coolest part is I got to say the prayer in portuguese.

This week my companion has taught me alot. Most of which is just fun, but he has also taught me alot and helps alot with the language. So here there are dogs everywhere. Its normal to be walking on the street and see stray dogs all along the way. Sometimes some of them don´t like when someone walks by their house, and they start barking and carrying on. Well one of the things that is probably the funniest thing I have ever seen is that if you bend down and act like your picking up a rock they run away. No matter what dog it is. I do it all the time now and crack up everytime. Another thing we do to have fun as we walk down the street is kick rocks through each others legs to make "goals". At night around the more swampy areas frogs come out and will cover the road. Well we´ve kinda made a game out of that which we call "chutando sapos" or frog kicking. It sounds really cruel and actually is. what we do is just what the name implies, kick the frogs. Don´t worry the don´t die.

Ok enough of my cruel times. This weekend was conference and for all of you that got the chance to watch it can probably affirm with me that it was amazing. I actually got to watch it in english and took alot of notes. Everything that I needed to hear was said. The words of the prophet gave me encouragement to keep on moving and doing my best to help bring others to the gospel of Jesus Christ. It helped build my testimony and I know for a fact that this chruch is the only chruch with all the keys of the priesthood on the earth. Allthe other churches are good and have truth, but not all of it. They lack one very important thing, the keys and authority to act in the name of God. For those of you who missed it I encourage you to read the next months ensign and take the words oif the prophets to heart. Well thats enough of my preaching I will let you go. Just know that I love you all and that this work that I am doing is the work of the Lord. He is guiding me every step of the way. I will email more next week and hopefeully have someone that is accepting the gospel.
Até mais
Tchau,
Elder Levingston