Christmas, New Prospects, & a Service Project

Admiring the spread of Christmas gifts.

Random Christmas Tree shot

Hello everyone once again! It was great to hear just about all of you guys yesterday. Hope that Christmas went well. It was as good as it could get for being a missionary over here. On Christmas Eve, we went to a member's house to have dinner. It was a bit awkward, but the food was good. On Christmas Day we started by opening our presents. Thanks! Also we went to the church for Sacrament Meeting. 

This first week in my new area went pretty well. We are in the process of looking for new people to teach. Many of the people that my companion has been working with haven´t really been going anywhere. So this next week we are going to work with a bunch of references that we have been pulling from the members. 

Hammock sleep = lap of luxury

We also did a service project a few days ago. It was at this kid's house that we are trying to get baptized. His mom had a stroke, so she is paralyzed. His dad is a drunk, so he is never home. Us and a few members went over to the house to clean up. Let´s just say it wasn't a very pretty sight in there....and the smell was....well, I´ll let you imagine. So we helped them for a bit until we had to go. The mom can´t really speak, but she seemed grateful. Nothing better than a clean house for Christmas. 

Well, next up is New Year's. 

Hope you all have a good one.

--Elder Castagno

(I can barely look at this picture without getting claustrophobic.)

New area...FINALLY! (and Merry Christmas!)

The following e-mail was received today:

 Merry Christmas everyone! Well...it will be soon enough. Anyways I have news to tell....I´ve been transferred! Finally! It´s been a bit of mixed feelings. Back in Mondubim and Esperança there were some really good friends that I made. But I am sure glad for the change. 

My new area is Cidade dos Funcionarios. It´s HUGE. Almost like all of Salt Lake City. The area is a city within Fortaleza. They have everything here, which is great. They even have Subway and McDonalds! My last area had nothing. My new companion is Elder Redd. He is from Blanding ,Utah. He´s also going home at the end of this transfer. I just keep scaring these missionaries out of the mission I guess...haha. 

So this last week went well. Just about everyday we had to go somewhere. One day we went downtown so Elder Brody could do is interviews, and the next day we went to Maranguape. We even went to the hospital...I was sick, so I went there. Nothing serious, I just had a type of flu. I´m much better now. 

Today was Elder Brody´s last day. He´s already on the plane out of here and will get home tomorrow. He was a great companion. This week is already full of things to do. It will be interesting working within a city. I´ve been so used to neighborhoods in the middle of nowhere. Can´t wait for Christmas! It´ll be great to hear from home. 

The most important thing I learned this week was that the blessings come after the trials. If you endure the trial well, the Lord will bless you for your effort.

With love,
Elder Castagno

6 Month Mark & Ups and Downs

The following e-mail was received today:

Well another week has passed, and in a few days I´ll hit my six months mark! 

So this next week is my companion's last week on the mission. He´s made it! We have a going away party planned for him later this week. He´s been a great companion, and I've learned a lot from him. Today we went to the center to make his last purchases. 

Everyone here is getting ready for Christmas. At church they are going to do some fun activities. I´ll probably end up playing some Christmas songs on the guitar. 

Ups and Downs

This last week had its ups and downs. The week started out pretty bad but got better by the end. The first three days of the week were really hard. Everything fell through, and I mean everything--even our lunch. It was tough, but with some adjustments to the people we were teaching, we made it better. These areas right now are pretty dry--as in there is no one good to teach. Just about everyone we have talked to doesn´t really care, or they don´t really do much about anything. But that´s how it is, and it´s okay. There will be some family out there that is waiting for the gospel, and I can´t wait to find them.  

Other than that....it´s still pretty hot over here. Not like that´s new--haha. Hope you´re all doing well. Have a good chilly week and keep me in your prayers.

-Elder Castagno

A boost, a baptism, and a life-changing experience

The following e-mail was received today:

So this week was interesting--better than the week before. During district meeting this week, I learned a lot. I heard many things that I needed to hear. Our zone leaders told us on what to do when everything in our planning falls through. Basically to not be stressed! To take a breather, and to look at all the options we have and to replan before we go out to teach. When we are stressed we don´t have the Spirit, and without the Spirit, we can´t teach. It really gave me a boost. 

Yesterday we had a baptism! Fernando. He is a neighbor of one of the members. He knows that all of these things are true, and he really likes the church. He´s just...well...a little strange. He told us of when he snuck onto a cruise liner and how Cristina Aguilera sang to him. The cruise liner went to the North Pole and then to Ireland. From there he went to Romania where vampires are real. But then he unfortunatly got deported back here, as he says. He´s a good guy. 

Also this week we were hired to carry a huge wedding cake to a member's wedding. We hopped in the car with the cake and went all the way to the reception at 100 MPH. God was truly on our side for that trip. 

A few days ago our friend from the ward came to our house in the morning. He said that he needed a blessing of health. He sat down, and I started to give him the blessing. Something happened to me that had never happened before. The Holy Ghost completely filled me, and I heard with my own ears the voice of the Spirit. I was trembling. It wasn´t anything that I thought up, but the Spirit told me to tell things to this member that he really needed to hear. It was hard to speak at times. But the voice of the Spirit was as clear as the noon day sun. After the blessing, I was completly exhausted. I have a true testimony of priesthood power. It is real, and it is from God. It really is a blessing.
Love you all.

-Elder Castagno