28 October 2013 - Estancia, Brazil

It's always a good day when we get missionary e-mails, and doubly so when we get pictures! Wahoo! To help give you all a bit of context, here are some summaries of what Dad said in his e-mail to Elder Frogley. A relative of ours (I'll let her announce who she is in her own time) is expecting baby number 3 (obviously not Emily); the 26th was Dad's birthday; weather in Logan these days is in the 60s (which sounds pretty nice to me); Dad challenged himself to be able to do 59 push-ups by his 59th birthday (he didn't say if he succeeded--we'll assume he did); Dad made his own birthday dinner, and he's an awesome chef (so is Mom, but Dad tends to be even more creative because he doesn't bother with recipes). That about covers it.

Me and my bro Heleman making things out of
i dont know what exactly.

Haha, 3!!? Wow! Tell her congrats!! Happy birthday!!!!!! I didnt forget! I was looking at my watch durring the baptisim thinking ´´wow, Dads old.´´ haha, just kidding, 59 pushups is pretty impressive! 60 degrees is nippy! Yall go outside in that kind of weather?? I think Id be confined to the house! When we get back from brazil, im expecting an epic thankgiving or some kind of Dad feast. With a superfood smoothy! i went through withdrawls in the MTC.

Clarisa and her family, Andrea is the Mom,
Carla is the tall one in Black
and Carlina is the one next to me.

Well, transfers have come and gone yet again! I will be staying here. Again! This will make 7 months for me in this area! The people here are going to get tired of me! I think pres is keeping me here because were still trying to open the new area and hes going to want me to open it up when we do. So I get to stick here till that happens. Actually our entire house is going to stay here. Pres didnt touch the entire district! That means were doing something right. 

and I found this ostrich sitting in this field. Weird

This week was fairly hecktic. We were trying to get everything ready for me to leave, cause we were convinced that I would. We went around and talked to all of our baptisims, and all the recent converts and all the people we are teaching, making sure they would be baptised and everything. We visited Andrea and Carol and Carolina alot. (family of Clarisa) they are very excited about the church. On Friday we read the scriptured with them, 2 Nephi chapter 32, about baptisim. We asked them what they thought after. Andrea said ´´ I feel like im finally learning somthing. I read the scriptures and understand and they help me.´´ Which is something which didnt happen with her other church (Catholic) and Carol just said ´´I just want to be baptised´´ Which was excelent. They both comited to go to church. With the other family were teaching, we visited them... Tuesday? Cant remember. The Dad finaly started to read the BofM! Took him long enough. But no one else had time. They all are still really excited about the church, and they love us to death. They just have a rough time keeping their comitments. But when we visited, they had a bunch of family and friends there. Did I already tell yall this?  I cant remember what day it was. Ill keep going. we talked with the Moms sister and her husband. They live kinda far away, but they were very enthusiastic about the gospel! It was excelent! They were asking questions and they were understanding everything! and the Father of the family that were teaching was helping us teach! he explained Alma 32 perfectly! that was cool! When we stared to talk about the BofM, the brother of the Mom of the Family (I cant remember their names, one of my weaknesses as a missionary) gor very excited. He was like ´´I knew there had to be prophets in the Americas too! I always wondered about that!´´ Were definately going to send the other missionaries there. Jose Lito just keeps getting better. He came and asked me about a young man that we visited together. He wants to go back and visit him again. He was very forcefull about it. The guy he wants to visit is completely dead and wont want a thing. But its great to see the enthusiasm in Jose Lito. Hes like a new missionary. Now were just slowly but surely working with his wife. Thats pretty much it for this week! Oh I forgot Sunday! Andrea and Carol went to church! They loved it! Carol went to young womens, and the young women marked her baptisim for us. Which we thought was funny. Theyll both be baptised on the 9th! Very cool. The family didnt make it to church, again. Its getting to the point where were going to have to dump them. Anyway, Love you! Dad, right now im studying alot about the pre life experience. THe nature of the Devil and how it will aply to our future exsistence. Just these crazy questions and this deep doctrine stuff. Hey, would it be possible for you to send me some deep doctrine books? I cant get them in English here. Like the Kolob theory and stuff like that! I also read the pearl of great price for the first time! Very interesting! 

Love you all!

Elder Frogley 

21 October 2013 - Estancia, Brazil

Yay! More adventures from Brazil! Elder Frogley had an incredible week, including some baptisms, meeting a wonderful example of a strong family, and even managed to spell "too" correctly, which is especially miraculous considering it was typed immediately after the word "two." Amazing.

Anyway, Dad wrote to Elder Frogley about telomeres, which is something Dad is learning about in his continuing self-education. Apparently telomeres are a part of our chromosomes. As we age, we lose them and eventually die. So, theoretically, if we can replenish, rejuvenate telomere production, we can extend life. Or something like that.

Telomeres sound amazing! I want to study them! I was reading your description like an adventure book. Im pround to say that I understood it all! So they are used up as we grow and as we are involved in stressfull situations, but does that mean that they take part in the healing process? How can living a crazy life destroy things that are involved in building your phisical charictaristics? Ill have to look into this stuff when I get back. But anyway! Life sounds awesome there! Mom told me that the gov is going down hill, like normal. Maybe ill just stay in Brazil, haha. But Lets get to my week! Sorry, no pics this week :( The computer that Im using is garbage.

So this week weve been focusing on accompanieing our baptisims that we had Saturday. Clarisa and Rodrigo. Rodrigo is hard to visit everyday because we have to ride a bus to visit him, and we dont have money to do that everyday, but weve been calling his Mom and talking to him that way. We got to visit him finally on Friday to do his interview. His Mom was excited and he was excited and it was a great experience. He passed his interview with flying colors. Hes a smart kid. Clarisa was a little more complicated. We went to do her interview after Rodrigo on Friday, but she had gone to her cousins house. Her family arent members, so its a little hard for her to remember her appointments (I had to think of that word for a while, almost forgot it in English). Her Grandma told us shed be home saturday too, so we made the appointment to visit saturday morning. we went by her house saturday morning (the day of the baptisim) to do her interview, but she had gone to the market with her Mom. Her grandma and the members who are her neighbors said that she was still very excited to be baptised and was inviting her family and friends. So we told the members to make sure she got there on time to the baptisim, and we would do the interview right before the baptisim. After that we passed by her family, and they all planned on going to the baptisim. You remember them? Andrea. Carla, and Carlini? They want to be baptised too. But they were all very excited for Clarisa to make this step in her life. We went to that baptisim at 6 pm to meet Clarisa, and she thankfully came with the members we sent. We got the interview done and had everything ready for the baptisim. We had our two, and the other missionaries had two too. So we had 4 baptisims saturday! Lots of white. It was cool to see.

Rodrigo went to church the next day, but Clarisas Mom went to the hospital, and the whole family went with her. That bumbed us out cause they had a baptisim marked for this week. Now we have to bump it back, and i probably wont be here because of transfers. Im a little bumbed.

The other family were working with didnt go to church too, because they had a TON of people at their house on Sunday, so they didnt have time. but we went and visited them Yesterday night for dinner and they made comitments to pray and read. Theyre amazing people and the Mom LOVES us. Shes like the sweetest lady every. Everytime we go there she pulls some kinda food out of nowhere and makes us eat it. The couple and the kids are just about the happiest family ive met here in Brazil. Theyre home is already like a church home. Its great to see. THeir only problem is keeping the appointments. The kids read and pray but the parents are forgetfull. Theyll be baptised but itll take time. Again, sad because I have to leave. But that about it for me. OH! We did this huge division with all the Men in the Branch yesterday. We visited all the less active members and cleaned up our brach directory. It was great. Even Jose Lito went! remember him! The Man I baptised a while ago!? He did a devision with me, and it was great to see his testimony as he taught people about the gospel and testified to the less actives. cool stuff. Anyway, Love ya Family! Dad, could you send me Jessicas Email please? Thanks. Love yall! 

PS when yall come visit Brazil in a year, I dont know if youll want to stay in my mission. Its the most gheto poor area in all of Brazil. 

Love ya! 

Elder Frogley

14 October 2013 - Estancia, Brazil

Hooray for missionary updates!! In Dad's e-mail to Elder Frogley he sent some pictures. Not sure what the subjects of the pictures were, but apparently they were "beautiful." Must have been of the Frogley/Thomson ladies :).

In other news, the office Dad works at in Bountiful (Cory's office, I believe) has hired a fairly open-minded MD. Typically we have shied away from more mainstream medicine, but this guy seems to be OK with working alongside chiropractors, so yay for that.

And yet in other news... Just kidding. I know you'd much rather read about Elder Frogley :) Here you go.

Lookin' stylish. I guess.

Man, the pics were beautifull! Im feeling a father son hike a year from now! You hired an MD? And he agreed to work with chiropractors? Hmmm, cool!  Sounds like life moves on. It still feels like everyones on pause in the USA to me. It feels like everyone hopped in the van and parked in that airport parking lot to wait the two years for my mission. Its a weird feeling being this far away for this long. But life is solid here! 

Our week was fairly normal but weve had some exelent teaching experiences. And ive had some excelent growing opportunities through my personal study. Ive been reading my patriarchal blessing alot and trying to figure out stuff. Its really helped me with my personal growth. During the week we found a family. The mom and sister and aunt of clarisa. The girl were preparing for baptisim. We went to ask her Mom for permision and ended up teaching the whole family. The first time she was accepting but a little skeptical because shes very catholic. The aunt (17) was VERY receptive. It turns out her boyfriend was almost baptised and she accepted baptisim on the first visit. She comited to go to church next week. She was very honest with us and told us she wouldnt go this week for some reason I forgot, but it was way better then promising and not showing up. Clarisas sister also promised to pray and go to church. We went back on Saturday and talked to the Mom again. She told us shed give permission if Dad aproved, the problem is Dads in prison so were waiting for that. We marked all of them to be baptised on the 26th. Even the Mom said shed go to church. They like us alot. We also visited the family that we were teaching. Theyre still very receptive and are wanting to change their lives to conform with the church. Durring the lesson about the Plan of Salvation, the father said ´´Ive had to wait this long to really find out who God is and what I have to do.´´ and then he thanked us. It was very touching. They didnt make it to church, but they told us before hand that they wouldnt. They went baptise their younger son in the Catholic church. He told us that he new it wasnt right but he did it to appease a grandma or something. What ever, theyre still solid. Were going to visit them tomorrow and they were very excited to mark the appointment. They love my accent, they thing its verry ´´cultured and fancy´´. We also did a devision on Friday and I went and visited a VERY promising investigator with the LD. This guy is FULL of questions and he knows the lessons by heart. He bore a quick testimony and pretty much taught the entire first descusion perfectly durring the testimony. He said he wants to be baptised but is scared that he´ll fall away after or he´ll make a mistake. We bore testimony that fear if from the devil and I was able to relate to him by sharing some experiences from my more rebelious stages. He felt alot better after and we marked his baptism for the 19th. Pray for that guy cause hes scared. Everyone gets really hung up on the ´´its better to not know me then to know me and to fall away after´´ scripture. Anyway, we got a load of baptisms coming up! Pray for me! Let me know how life is going! Are we still in a war against Seria or was it a fast little thing? Love you! 

Elder Frogley

7 October 2013 - Estancia Brazil

Yay, more Elder Frogley adventures!! And we have some new pictures, too, which is always a treat. Per parental request, I will not be posting the picture of Elder Frogley in what looks like swimming trunks sans shirt. Sorry, ladies. :)

Elder Frogley and Elder Blind watching conference.
Elder Blind is from Brazil, so his nanme
doesn't really mean "blind."

I got some pics! Of Mom at the play and Christian making a weird face and everything! It was great! You can run on your knee now!? That was fast! Well I guess it has been like a year. It just feels like everything back home is on pause out here in the mission. Is it feeling better then it did before th surgery? I miss those little kids. Im definately excited to give them a hug in a YEAR! Yes time flies. No Im not trunky.

Elder Frogley watching conference.

 so here comes the week! Tuesday we got supprised by interviews in our house! We were informed that the pres was on his way like half an hour before he showed up! We had to clean like crazy cause sister Gonzaga is a cleaning Nazi. We cleaned all we could really fast and greeted them into our little missionary house. Interviews were pretty easy. I talked to him for just a few minutes. He didnt find any problems and gave me a little advice. The harder interview was with sister Gonzaga. She talked to us all while we were waiting for pres to finish the rest of the interviews. She drilled us about cleaning technique and rediculous stuff! She said that we should cook that much because cleaning was more important! I didnt really agree with that one. Were still cooking. But pres told my comp that he was really impressed with me and that he respects me alot. That was good to hear.

We scored a rockin referencia for a family on Sunday and we visited them a few times durring the week! Theyre pretty gold! They accepted everything and they read and understand everything we give them! We marked their baptisim for the 19th, but we have a problem. They have SEVERAL pastor friends talking about the church to them too. They come with new questions about things like poligamie every time, and instead of going to general conference, they went to the beach. Were going to work with them this week. 

Another very cool thing that happened this week! We probably set the record in the mission for new investigators in one day! One of the members invited us to teach a lesson to a training he was giving to all of the emploies of his work! We showed a movie about families and we bore testimony about families and how the gospel has blessed ours. We got some tears and alot of applause. We also handed out cards for them to write addresses so we got a bunch of new investigators for us and the other missionaries here! I think this entire week were just going to work with references. Itll be great. I hate knocking doors. 

Conference was great. I still havent had the chance to watch priesthood session, because it aired at 6:30 in the morning here, but Ill get it. I really enjoyed President Monsons talk and the words he gave about his wife. It was tender and I felt the spirit very powerfully. I really liked the guy from Kenya. His accent was pretty tight. I watched in English with another Brazilian elder who enjoys conference in English more then Portuguese.

 We have one baptisim coming up on Saturday! A 9 yearold girl who has been going to church with some members! But none this last week :(. Diana (the girl we baptised just a week ago) is going to seminary and she went to all the sessions of conference! Shes liking it a lot! The members are doing a great job in fellowshiping her! And Rodrigo (my first baptisim of the misson, the use to be gay guy) baptised his whole family!!! The guy is unstopably.

Any way, thats it for me! Hey, has anything crazy happened because of the things in conference about homosexuality? Like gay riots in Utah or stuff like that. The way Oaks talked seemed like a warning. like ´´gay people are going to attack you in the street but keep pushing you handcart´´ Im interested to see what happens.

Love ya!

Elder frogley

District meeting with the crew. Its one of the tightest bunch of people ive lived with. The other white guy is from Curatiba, in the south. They gave iguaçu falls there and we should probably visit. and Im trying to exercise but im a little skinnier, and I gained a little love handle. Im thinking salad diet when I get home.

Companion, Diana, and Elder Frogley at Diana's baptism.

The Estancia district after the employee training.

Teaching the employee training course.

Diana and Elder Frogley at Diana's baptism.