27 October 2014 - Santos Dumon, Brazil

Come one, come all! This may very well be the last e-mail we receive from Elder Frogley, who comes home on November 5th. If you're available, drop by the Salt Lake City airport at 10:30 AM to help us welcome him home! I believe the family is taking him to lunch afterwards, probably at Sette Bello, a very authentic and delicious Italian pizzeria in Farmington (Dad asked Elder Frogley if they eat pizza in Brazil, probably in preparation for this lunch). Also, we helped Dad celebrate his 60th birthday yesterday by grilling up some steaks. Also, Dad got himself a new gun safe that weighs 400+ lbs and needs to be moved into the basement. I think that about covers it.

Happy birthday Dad! I promisse i didnt forget! Im glad it was a success! Save me some stake! Im totally down to help you move a fat safe. I havent had to move anything heavy for a while. That should bring back some memories. You might have to dethaw me first. Im probably goin to die the second i step off the plane. haha, also im pretty skinny these days. I expect help getting ripped again. Im goin to try to hit the gym as much as i can.
Anyway, this week was pretty cool! My official last day of the mission is Thursday. Friday im goin to Maceió for my last interview with Pres then hes letting me loose on the city with my bud Elder Gross. He told us we could do pretty much what ever we wanted. Im stoked. But because of that id miss my last baptisim that we had marked for Saturday. We met young Man named Venecius. Hes a members uncle. Hes 16, has a mohawk and gaged ears and looks like a thug, haha, but we taught him and he was actually really open. After we finished teaching the restoration, he asked some questions but understhood everything very well and wanted to be baptised. He started asking what he couldnt do and what he needed to change. We told him he could keep his hair but would have to eventually take out the ear gages. The next time we talked to him he had already taken them out. We taught him the Word of Wisdom and Law of Chastity and he accepted them with no problems. He asked about a girlfriend he has whos 14 still and decided to brake up with her because shes not 16.
came to us ready for baptism. Really a blessing. His baptism was marked for Saturday but we asked him if he wanted to just be baptised on Thursday. His answer was (litteral translation) ´´young man, I do!´´ so it will be. He also asked me to baptise him, and that will be a great way to finish off the mission.
Also this week, we woke up early to make breakfast for a recent convert and her family that weve really taken to. Really cool people. We made pancakes with kiwi and bananas and yogurt with eggs and bacon. It was awesome.
Were teaching a few other people but all of them have baptisms marked for after im home. Theres still lots of work to be done here. Im just going to leave it easier for another missionary.
Yes Dad, they eat pizza here, but you probably wouldnt eat it. Its really nasty. There are very few pizzas ive eaten here that i enjoyed, and ive eaten in some nice places. Ill definately want some pizza when i get back. 

20 October 2014 - Santos Dumon, Brazil

I have nothing to add this week by way of explanation other than the fact that I don't know what a "lanhouse" is, though I suspect because of context that it is what some might call a "cyber cafe" or "internet cafe." And we only get one more of these from the current Elder Frogley, so ENJOY!

Wow! Sounds like it was a great week! My week was pretty awesome as well. I dont have a lot of time because we got in late to the lanhouse, but ill try to fill you in. 

Durring the week we were really running after our two baptisms. Ane and arenilson. Ane has been firm all week. Her only problem was that she didnt think that coffee was against the rules. Wwe had a good lesson with her about being perfect and interpreting the ten comandments. She stopped drinking and we had a great baptisimal service with her. The recent converts that live close to her family helped a ton. And her daughters were a great help too. Theyre both baptised.

Now arenilson was a little tougher. He had a huge problem with drinking but he got passed it, but didnt want to be baptised so soon. He was scared of change in his life and through up a lot of excuses. He has multiple sclurosis and was saying he wouldnt be able to go to church. We talked about repentence and his opportunity to progress after the baptisms. After we finished bearing testimony, he said he felt the spirit testifying to him while we were talking. That was a cool experience for me to see that we were teaching effectively. But he still decided to wait. That was a bumber. 

We were also invited to give blessings to two sick neighbors of a member. One had câncer and was supposed to have died two years ago. In the blessing he was comanded to be healed. Hes very catholic but were going to go visit him this week. The other blessing was to a women with cancer. She was also comanded to be healed so well go visit another day. 

Today i tryed to climb a coconut tree! Its hard! Haha but im stoked to go home. Next week will be my last email. Love you all! 

Elder ian

13 October 2014 - Santos Dumon, Brazil

So Elder Frogley has been invited to speak at two sacrament meetings--one in Providence (the ward he left from) the Sunday after he returns (so November 16th, I believe), and again in the new ward in Layton on December 14th (not November 14th, as Elder Frogley mis-types at the end of his e-mail). So he has two homecoming talks to prepare.

Haha, im already preparing my homecoming talks. Are they all going to be on Tithing? Or is he giving me a green light to do my own thing? Doesnt matter, im not to worried about it. The mission is good at helping people talk in public, haha. I hope i can keep doing the things i learned on the mission after the mission. Thats one of the scariest things about coming home. I want to sit down with you and Mom to have a goal setting meeting when i get home. That would be excelent. 

Anyway! This week was interesting! I dont know why im bothering to keep you all updated now. I can just tell you in three weeks! Haha, but ill give yall a quick run down on whats been goin on. 

Were helping two people at the moment work towords baptisim. Arenilson and Ane. 

Arenilson is a 37 year old man whos life has been destroyed by alcohol. He has two kids and and ex wife, none of which live with him. He also has Multiple sclerosis (i dont know how to spell that). He realizes the efect that alcohol has had in his life and has been really been trying to stop drinking. As of now hes been clean for two weeks! Thats huge progress for him. Were getting lots of help from the members with him. He cant exactly walk to church but the members agreed to help us go pick him up every sunday. He reads the scriptures every day, and when he started that was when he really started his clean streak. Its amazing the power a little spiritual guidence every day has. His baptisim is marked for this Saturday. Only 3 more baptisims and ill have hit my goal! 

Ane is a single Mom. She has two daughters, both of them baptised. She said she really wants to leave her old life and enter into the church. She just has some doubts and shes having problems drinking coffee. Weve had some really good lessons with her. Her daughters help her too, a lot. She has a great spiritual compas, but shes a little scared too (and lazy). She was firm on her baptisim for this Saturday though. She had doubt about her need to be baptised again, because she was baptised in another church. We used D&C 22 (I think). haha, im bad with remembering numbers. But we turned it into a really good leson on sacrificing our will to God. Ill probably use it in my homecoming talk. 

Other strange things this week. My comp had to have a surgery on his toe. So he got transfered back to Alagoas and now im here with Elder Dias and we´ll be a trio here in a little bit again when his original comp gets here. Haha, this is turning out to be a strange transfer. But its my comps birthday today so were probably goin with some members to the beach to get something to eat. Im stoked!

Anyway, Dad, November 14? Isnt that when you scheduled our three day shooting school thing? If not yea im down to talk whenever. Doesnt matter to me. 

Love you all!

Elder Ian

6 October 2014 - Santos Dumon, Brazil

We are quickly approaching the end of one journey, and anxiously anticipating the start of another. Truly, the Lord blesses and rewards those who joy in his work and put forth their best effort. But no matter the field of labor, the servant with a good attitude will always find joy and satisfaction in a job well done! Oh, and we also have pictures. :)

Hey Family! This week was chill. We had two baptisims! Weve been focusing on two grandkids of a recent convert for the past week. Franciel and Franciele. Theyve been to church a few times and really enjoyed it, they just never wanted to be baptised before. When we started talking to them (last Sunday) Franciel said that he wanted to be taught again and that he had a sister who also wanted to be taught. So we went over there and taught them a lesson! It was a good lesson (it helps that there are three of us and were all old experienced missionaries). then we invited him to be baptised, which he readily accepted! The next time we went to visit he said that he had read the pamphlet we had left and had also taught his sister about the Restoration. She also wanted to be baptised! It was very cool. We taught her all the lesons in ONE day. Haha, it took about twenty minutes and we just cruzed through them all. Nether of them had any problems with the comandments and Franciel was already reading the scriptures. This was on Friday by the way. We marked both of their baptisims for Saturday (the next day). Their Mom gave her permission, they had their interview, and Saturday inbetween the sessions of conference they were baptised. Their Mom was there and it was a great experience. Ive almost reached my baptisim goal for my mission! Just three more and we´ll be there. We´re still workin our tails off, and since were in a trio and both our areas are together for a while, that means that we have a HUGE area to cover and that means lots of walking.

Conference was excelent! I really enjoyed hearing the Brazilians talk in Portuguese! Did you get to watch that one? The whole time i was thinking about you guys watching it trying to understand. We had 6 investigators in all go to conference and one really great recent convert named Andreza whos helping us alot with the work here. they all said that they had prayers answered and faith strangthened. I love it when investigators go to conference! 

We also went running up at the zoo and city park the other day! We went with our recent convert and her friend who wants to hear about the church, so we marked to start teaching her. I have some pics which i will send. It was a fun jog. 

The members here are really cool, im loving my last area, and im stoked to finish strong here and come home in 4 weeks! Not much else to tell! Love you all! 

Elder Ian

And here are some pictures of jogging in the park with a recent convert and her friend, plus Elder Frogley's two companions. And the first one looks like a local ward picture or something--not sure.