Maua – 4 : My American People

How is it back in the U.S. of A? It´s freezing cold in my house every morning because Heat and A/C are not a thing here. My house was 9 degrees celcius this morning (roughly 58 degrees).

Happy Dia Dos Namorados! (The equivalent of Valentines day here in Brasil…celebrated on June 12th.) 

This past week we went to the Temple, got two baptism dates set, got asked what an investigator has to do to get married so that he could be baptised, and I had Root Beer. 

This week has been the week of parrotts. I´ve seen tons of them. There are parakeets flying around every day, and two of the members that I´ve visited this week have had parrotts. I have been very happy.

Anyways, we went to the temple and Deseret Brasil (Deseret Bookísh) had ROOTBEER!!! Heck yeah! That was awesome. The Temple was everything that I needed. Satan tried so hard. I woke up angry, upset, tired, and not wanting to go…but I did. Satin knows how good things are for us, but he can´t stop us unless we let him. You guys, you need to go to the Temple this week. Just do it. Please. It´s such a blessing. I´ve always had a Temple close and haven´t taken advantage of it…but now that there is no Temple, I miss it so much.

We have two baptisms set. Ariel and Rafael. Ariel´s dad is a member but Ariel never got baptised but he wants to know. We´re just waiting for when their family friend comes in to town later this month and then baptism!!! His cousin Rafael is just learning about the Church, and loves it. He sucks up the Book Of Mormon like an animal in the sahara. He reads EVERYTHING we give him. I´m really hoping and praying that his mom will let him get baptised.

Fernando, our other investigator asked what he needed so that he could get married with his girlfriend. We thought that was awesome, until the end of the lesson as we were walking out the door and he said that he wants to get married because he wants to get baptised…Elder S. Martins and I had a party (down the street a little ways). That´s SO AWESOME!!! He asked us, not us commiting him. He really wants it. I really hope that as we continue, his desire only grows.

Alright, here are my favorite questions that I get that I would like to share with you…

1. Do you have __________ in America? For exapmle, Beef. I wanted to say, ´´I think we invented beef´´ but I just told the little kid that ´´Yes, we do.´´

2. How do you feel about Trump? Do you like him? I answer with, ´´I pray for all of our american leaders.´´ Or, I didn´t like any of the options but I like him more than Hillary. The Brasilians were very sad to see Obama go…I´ll stay mute on that topic. 😛

Então (anyways), I love the people, love the food, and get my new camera this week (first one broke) and should have more pictures from now on. Love you guys.

Your missionary,

-Elder Jaden Paxton

Maua – 3 : Hi All

Hey everyone! It took me a little bit of time to get into the groove of being in the field but I´m ready to share some stories.

I am in the city of Mauá, in the area of Zaíra 2 right now. It has the biggest hills in the entire world. Cars have hard times driving these hills, and we walked them every single day. One day, my companion and I were at the top of one of the 3 biggest hills in our area. I stopped and I looked at him and said, `Como se diz Race em Potuguês?´ and without even answering we just took of running down this hill.

We have an investigator who has been taught by the missionaries before but has not gotten baptised. He has a testimony, but not one strong enough to get baptised. He reads The Book of Mormon in english and português every day. He said that he will get baptised once he speaks fluent english. Please let that promise work. He´s reading the entire Book Of Mormon in english, and according to President Hinckley, once he is done he will be fluent.

I wake up every morning to a fresh made smoothie by Elder Manga, my African missionary friend. It´s phenominal. I love it!

I love you guys so much. I have attached a video that I love and that lifts my hearts and spirits. I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.

The Church is true. Alma 48:17-

We can always come back and retuen from whatever we have done. The Sons of Mosiah, the most vile of sinners turned their lives around and became men of such faith, that they could shut the gates of hell FOREVER. It is never too late for repentace, and it is never too late to return to Christ. He is always there waiting. All that we have to do is come unto him. In the name of Jesus Christ Amém.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spGtVY6L5jY

Your Missionary,

-Elder Jaden Paxton

Maua -2 : Hello My Peeps

This week has been crazy! Beans and rice at the members houses every single lunch. Dinner is not a big meal here. Lunch is huge. The whole day stops for lunch.

The grasshoppers and slugs here are as big as my hand. It´s pretty interesting.

There was a power outage this week while we were teaching a family on their front porch and all the little kids in the surrounding houses came to the windows and starting singing in Português! It was so awesome!!!

My dad has requested something for my ward news letter and I want to share it with you too…

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is true. I´m here in Brasil and I can barely understand what people are saying. I can´t express what I want to say at all times, but when I need to say something for the Lord, I say it.

The Holy Ghost is felt strong every day and the Church is the same. It´s run a little different, and things work differently here but the Church is still true. The people know it, I know it, and all of you know it.

I´m very grateful for the opportunity to serve my mission here in Brasil. Missão São Paulo Sul – A Melhor Missão do Mundo.

My mission is the without a doubt, the hardest thing that I have ever done. But it is worth every single second. There are times when I cry, times when it´s overwhelming, and times when things aren´t as I want them to be. But there are more times where I feel the spirit, more experiences walking along the roads and streets that Christ would walk, more experiences seeing people through the eyes and light of Christ.

Serving a mission is hard, but it´s the best decision that I´ve ever made so far.

Love you guys,

-Elder Jaden Paxton

Oh!!! Thank you to everyone that send birthday wishes as well! They were greatly and loving recieved!

Maua – 1b

Sorry everyone, logistics this week have been crazy. I have P-Day on Mondays but Monday was interesting so I´m finish this right now really fast.

Don´t have a ton of time this week.

The fruit is crazy awesome and fresh. You can buy a green orange here and know it´ll be amazing! They don´t care about color, size etc of the fruit, so you always get the best.

It rains almost every single day. One pair of my shoes has been in front of a fan for 3-4 days and are still wet… it´s not good, but it´s Brazil so it´s okay.

I cried every single day of my first week, but the last two days have been a whole lot better. Every day gets better and better.

I´m learning the language (slower than I´d like, but learning), and I love it here.

A mission really is all that you make of it.

Love you guys! I´ve gotta go teach lessons. Tchau!

-Elder Jaden Paxton

Maua – 1

Oi! So, here`s the update on this week…

The fruit here is amazing, and the people are awesome. My zone is Zaíra2, in the city of Maua. I walk up and down mountains all day, every day. The houses are stacked like crazy! I absolutely love it. The people here are the salt of the earth! I love them so much! My Português from the CTM is similar to what they speak here! Some people are really hard to understand though because they don`t have front teeth.

Every night after we get home, my companion and I get on the roof and sit and talk as we look over the view, which is GREAT!!! We tell stories, and I did my best (which was better than I thought I could) translating the letter from mom into Português for my companion.

(My companion has a ton of pictures of me but we`re on a split today so he`s in a different city and I forgot to give him your emails so you`ll have to wait until next week to get pictures from him.)

I`ve been asked by every single person if I like Donald Trump and one guy even called me a son of Trump 😉 I don`t know if I like that yet… Hahaha

They have a fruit here called Pinha. It`s amazing!!! We bought it on Saturday and ate it as we walked. They`re SO SWEET!!! They look very interesting though. The other fruit here is all super good too! It`s super cheap and we get it at the feiras as we walked down the street almost every day.

Futebol is huge, there`s kids playing all the time! I got the opportunity to jump in one game for 5 minutes, and I`ve made some friends that we play volleyball with on Fridays and then teach a lesson to afterwards.

…

Everything here is green. It`s CRAZY!!! And it rains all the time!

Anyways, this is a crazy long email, but look up what Cana Caiana is. It`s pretty great.

Jesus lives! I love you guys and miss you so much! But, this is where I need to be when I need to be here.

SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Welcome to Sao Paulo South Mission: Maua

Elder Paxton left the CTM and arrived in the Sao Paulo South Mission this week.  Below are pictures of him with his Mission President and Wife, and with his new companion.  Also a photo from (I assume) his apartment, in the city of Maua, in the southeast corner of his mission.

His P-Day will be Monday.

A note about mail:  While in the CTM his email time was very limited, so he would take a picture of emails during his limited time, and read later, wanting to but not able to respond as completely as he would have liked.  He hopes he will have more time now that he’s out of CTM to respond.  He has said that he love snail mail too, which should now be sent to his mission home (See address on sidebar).  He says that while snail mail takes a bit longer to get there, it seems “more real” and he can re-read it later.

Elder Paxton and his Mission President and wife

Elder Paxton and his Trainer

First view from first apartment

Week 5: Happy Mother’s Day

Alrighty! I would like to specifically address the women in my life in this email. Most importantly my mother, and both of my grandmothers.

I would like all of you to know that your actions are seen, your voice is heard, and you make a difference. You have all impacted my life, and in some way helped shape and turn me into the man and missionary that I am proud to be today. I love all of you so much!

We (your children and the children you act as mother figures for) see everything you do. We hear everything you say, and acknowledge everything your actions show and teach us. We may not show it on the outside, but on the inside, you´re making a difference.

Thank you so much!

A special shout-out to my mother, Taunya Paxton. My grandmothers, Peggy Woffinden, and Helen Paxton. As well as a special shout-out to my CTM Mother, Sister Whitaker. You are the reason that I am who I am today. Thank you and I love you.

———————————————————————

This is my last PDay in the CTM. I know that the Church is true. I know that Christ lives! I know the Book of Mormon is another Testament of Jesus Christ, that supports and uplifts the Bible, does not tear it down. The Church of Jesus Christ is true. If you have doubts, please read the Book of Mormon, sit in the parkinglot of the Temple, do what you need to do to get that Same confirmation that I´ve had. I love all of you, and I LOVE our Lord and Savior, even Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amém

CTM District at Temple

Elder Paxton at Sao Paulo Temple

Temple Group

Sao Paulo Temple

With Elder and Sister Whitaker

CTM District at Temple

CTM District in front of CTM

Beautiful butterlies!SAMSUNG CAMERA PICTURES

Week 4: Not Much Time

I´m on the last and final home stretch! It´s been crazy and there´s not much to say this week.

All I really want to mention this week, is stop and listen…For just a couple minutes this week. Follow the butterfly, dance in the rain, and listen. Drop everything! All the stress, everything that´s bugging you and just listen for a minute.

Love you guys!

Eu amo voces!!!

Talk to you soon, -Elder Jaden Paxton

Look at the size of that moth

Brazil Flag Scripture Cover

CTM District at Temple

Week 3: Hamburger !!!

Hola! Hola! Hola! This week has been quite a Festa! Almost all of the Brasileiros on our floor have left and now are now in the Mission Field. Our hallway has been super quiet the last couple days.

I´ve been here for almost a month! That´s so crazy! I´m 1/24 done with my mission and by the time I leave the CTM, I´ll be 1/16 done.

There are Birds everywhere! I see condor sized Black Vulters every single day. There are MASSIVE! I´ve seen two different kind of eagles, both close enough to see their eyes. I have no clue what they are called, but I´ve wanted to see both kinds for a really long time.

Last P-Day night (about 7:50 my time), it started raining. Enough that we got kicked off of the sports corts because they got slippery and moved to the weight room/ping pong building. While we were there the skys opened and it dumped! Poaring water EVERYWHERE!!! I. LOVED. IT! I got soaked (and yelled at) dancing in the rain. It was so worth it.

It rains all the time here! It´s Crazy! We hardly get the chance play basketball or volleyball. It rains on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday every week like clockwork. And usually a whole lot more too. We can´t jump, or play in the rain or do anything that could remotley close to injure us in any way shape or form…The CTM has a really bad track record with breaking ankles apparently… It´s really bad.

I GOT AN AMERICAN BURGER TODAY!!! It was worth every last penny. It was so good! Super lean, moist, and amazing, with a class of guava juice (Brasilian Guava juice kicks American trash, sorry) right next to it.

We saw a gecko this week! He was hanging on the ledge outside of our window while we were chilling in class on Tuesday night (and it was raining). He was really cute. I hope that I can get a picture out soon for my dad to put on the blog.

I love you guys! I hope all is going well. I know that the Church is true with all of my heart and soul. I got to go proselyting last Saturday and it was so amazing!!! Me and my companions placed 12 Books of Mormons, and got 3 referals to give to the Missionaries!

I LOVE THIS CHURCH WITH ALL OF MY HEART!

Have a great week.

-Elder Jaden Paxton

Hmmm Looks good, wonder what it is.

The gecko outside of class

Jaden swapped some of his ties with some of the Brazilieros this week. These are his new ties

Week 2: What’s up what’s up !?!?!?!?!

Explination of Ignorance…
I´m only given 45 to do everything email related while in the CTM so If I´m not responded, I still love you and I´m reading and loveing your emails, I just can´t respond to them yet but I will asap.

Wednesday night I was not feeling well. My body was finally catching up with the food here, and I think that something I ate gave me a stomach bug. On top of that, I had a really bad headache and It was not going well. Thank goodness for my companions who continually offered to give me a Priesthood blessing. When I finally humbled myself and asked for one, It was extremely powerful. I was told that Satin was doing all that he could to interfere with my mission, and that this sickness was a trial of faith to help me understand that He can do anything if I just have faith. I was also told that my name was on the prayer role of two different Temples, and that I was continuasly being prayed for and blessed. Then at the end of the blessing, Elder Francis slowed down his voice and told me (as a mouthpiece of God) that there was someone in the São Paulo Sul Mission that was waiting for the gospel but would only listen to my voice, and my message and that the Lord needs them to hear His message.

I know that the Church is true and this is where I need to be.

Eu sei que…
O Livro de Mórmon contém a plenitude do Evangelho. Jesus Cristo o nosso Redentor. Joseph Smith e Thomas S. Monson são profetas de Deus. O Evangelho de Jesus Cristo é verdadeiro e O Livro de Mórmon é verdadeiro. Eu sei que iso é verdadeiro através do Espirito Santo. Sou grato por minha família e meu chamado missionário. Sou grato por Jesus Cristo, e arrependimento, e evangelho de Jesus Cristo.

En nome de Jesus Cristo, Amém

West-facing view

With CTM Mission President and Wife

First view of Sao Paulo

Companions and Roommates Nametags

Companions and Braziliero Roommates

View from CTM room

Sao Paulo Temple

Acai bowl !!