New responsibilities. New companion.

The following e-mail was received today:
 

Well another transfer has come and gone. This last one was great. I will for sure miss Elder Redd. Right now he is on his way back to the United States. 

This next transfer has brought a few changes. I stayed in the area but I have turned senior companion. Also, I am now District Leader which means that I take care of a few other missionaries, and I do baptism interviews for them. Also I give trainings every week, so it´s pretty cool. A little more work but all good. My new comp is a Brazilian from Porto Alegre--Elder Baptista. It will be an interesting transfer. 

Other than that this last week went great! We visited a few of my companion's old areas to say goodbye. It was cool to see all the success he had within these two years. Also, we had a baptism on Saturday--Roberto. We've been working with him for a few weeks. He was for sure elect. Just waiting for the missionaries to invite him to baptism. 

I´m sure this next week will be pretty crazy. Now is my time to show the Lord what I can do. I ask for His help and also for your prayers. Love all of you and wish you the best.

Until next week,
Elder Castagno

One of the best weeks ever!

The following e-mail was received today:

This week ranked well on the Awesome Meter.

Well, this is the last week of the transfer. In one week, my companion, Elder Redd, will be on his way home, and I´ll be here with who knows who. 

 
















This last week went great. We spent most of the time visiting our recent converts, but we still had a baptism on Saturday! Probably the best one I´ve had on the mission so far! The baptism was of a guy named Pedro. He is nineteen and one of the coolest kids I've met. He lives in one of the richer parts of our area. He was a reference from the other elders. He was going to a different ward with his girlfriend, but to be baptized you have to be baptized in your area. So we marked a few days to go to his house and teach him. He knew everything! We talked for a bit and found out that he lived in France for the last six years...way cool. Anyways the baptism went perfectly. All of his friends were there, the baptismal font didn't give us problems, and me and my comp played the guitar and sang a hymn as part of his baptism. It just was great. The Lord has his elects ready, we just need to find them and help them. This week and this transfer couldn't have gone any better. 

Hope that all is great with you guys back home.

-Elder Castagno

"All we had to do is relax."

The following e-mail was received today:

Hello everyone once again! This week here in Fortaleza for sure had its ups and downs. In the end it was all good though. Toward the beginning of the week, we had a pretty hard day. Just about everything fell. From about two to seven at night we were just walking in the sun trying to talk to the people that we marked with. But of course no one was home. We weren´t very happy. Luckily there are bakeries just about everywhere we go, so we went to one for a break. We had a few laughs and planned out the rest of the night. We then had two great lessons with possible baptisms. It was interesting how a simple thing really changed our day--just taking a break, a step back from it all, and just relaxing. 
 
The next few days were great, we had many lessons, and we even had a baptism on Sunday. All we had to do is relax. Sometimes there is no use in stressing over something you don´t have control over--as in if someone will be home. This is the work of the Lord. It is all in His will. It was a good lesson learned. Our baptism was Elton. We´ve been working with him for a while. He really felt prepared and ready for this, and he made the right choice. Everything else is pretty much the same. 

Have a good week.
Elder Castagno

Police on Strike & a Miracle

The following e-mail was received today:

 Hello everyone! Well this week was great. And also flew by super fast! We have been super busy each day. Also some things have happened here in Fortaleza. Last weekend the police went on strike. They were on strike until Wednesday. So imagine how it would be over here. People get robbed every day as it is with the police working. Without them it just went crazy. Everyone was scared to come out of their house. On Tuesday there were many, many problems. Everyone stayed inside, a few buses got robbed, and unfortunately there were tons of shootings. On Tuesday night we heard about fifty or more gunshots go off. All is well though. God is on our side. 

 On the other hand, we had a miracle happen. My comp and I decided to do a fast for this weekend to help our baptisms go through. On Sunday, we had five baptisms! Everyone showed up! There was a lady named Lucia that was baptized. She had been waiting for this day for over ten months. She never really accepted baptism. My comp and I talked to her last week and had a very spiritual lesson, and she accepted. Also a man we have been working with for a while went to the baptism. He felt the Holy Ghost, and said he wanted to be baptized the next week. Fasting really does bring miracles. Just another lesson learned and goes to show that God is the head of this work.
 
--Elder Castagno

Happy New Year 2012!

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a good one. It was alright over here. On New Year's Eve we went to the bishop´s house for a dinner, then back home. At midnight everyone let off fireworks. It looked like there was a bunch of lightning outside. Everyone here for New Year's goes to the beach, and there is usually a big party over there with some bands--not for the missionaries though! Haha! It was also great talking to all of you! Doesn't feel like that long ago when I was at home. 

Heavy work load

Well this week was hotter than normal...not like that is anything new (haha.) Sadly, we had a few baptisms fall [through], but this week we should have some others. We have been working with a small group of people, and it´s been going well so far. Sometimes it is hard to take care of two areas though. We want to divide up the work, but we usually just end up working in one. So this week we are going to work in our huge area, Cidade dos Funcionarios. It´ll be great. 

Not the actual one-legged man seen by Elder Castagno, but you get the idea.

Funny thing that happened this week.... While we were waiting for the bus at the bus stop, another one rolled up. This guy with one leg and crutches came running out of the bus...well, hopping. Anyway, he ran across this huge highway without even looking for cars. He was for sure the fastest man I've ever seen. Pretty crazy over here. Well hope that all is well and that you´re enjoying the cold.

-Elder Castagno