Teaching, dreams, bugs, & a hammock

The following e-mail was received today:

Well another week has gone by here in Fortaleza. Did I ever say it was really hot here? Yeah it´s pretty hot...but all is well. We spent most of our days this week making tons of contacts and teaching to the people. Some accept it and some do not. 

 

A few interesting things happened this week. Last week we taught a lesson to a girl, but we didn´t really follow up on that. Then a few nights ago she called and said that she had three dreams about what we had talked about, and she was really interested in what we had to say; she might actually come to church next Sunday. We are going back there this week, and hopefully she will be baptized. 

 

This week I went on a transfer. I went to a different area for a day and switched companions. We were walking down a road looking for a certain house that had a recent convert. We were just going to go there to see how he was doing. We couldn´t find the house. We stood there for about five minutes trying to figure out what to do. A lady then came up to us and asked us if we were the missionaries of that area. She was a member, and she asked if we could give a blessing to her daughter. She had been sick for ten days and the doctors didn´t know what was wrong with her. We gave the child a blessing. A friend of the family happened to be there. It was a 16-year-old girl. She was Catholic but had many lessons with the missionaries. She hadn´t been contacted for a while, and she was searching for the Book of Mormon for some time. We taught her about the book and gave it to her. She was very accepting. We invited her to baptism, and she said yes. The Lord really works in mysterious ways, and I saw Him work right in front of my eyes. We came back later to the house to see if the younger girl was feeling better. She was eating well and had a lot of energy. She was feeling much better, but  aleady knew that before we got there. 

 

At times it can be really difficult being out here, but at times it can be very rewarding. I know that these things are true and that this is the Lord´s church here on the earth, and I couldn´t be happier to be a part of it. 

 

And to end this letter, I will end with a fun fact of the week. Fun fact: there are many bugs here that are as big as my head that run around our house and the streets. These include cockroaches, moths, and tarantulas; therefore, I now sleep in a hammock and dare not to sleep in a bed....for two years. Hope everything is going well back at home!

 

With love, 

Elder Alex Castagno

Hittin' the Streets

The following e-mail was received today:

I´m here! I´ve been working for about a week now in the field. Thank you everyone who wrote me from this last letter! It´s good to hear from you guys. My P-day is now Monday. 

 

When I first flew in I wasn´t quite sure what to expect. The mission president, his wife, and some of the office missionaries came to pick us up. We first went to the president's home to eat lunch, we took some pictures, and then went to the mission office. It´s in a really nice area that stays close to the ocean! After that, we got our companions and went to our areas. My companion is Elder Pili; he is really cool! He´s been out for a little over a year. He was born in Hawaii but lives in California. He really knows what he is doing, and he is helping me out a bunch.

 

 My area is called Mundubim. It´s outside of the city of Fortaleza. We live in a small house/apartment with two other missionaries. It´s definitely a lot different than what I am used to. The first day of working and teaching was a little hard for me. When we taught people, my mind would go blank. Haha, but with time, and day by day, I am geting a little better. I have a lot to learn. I thought that I learned a lot at the M.T.C., but I have so much more to work on;  I´m sure I´ll get there in time. 

It is very very hot here and very humid. We walk everywhere we go, and it definitely isn´t easy. I´m usually pretty worn out by night time. It´s all worth it though when I am able to teach a person or a family and I can see a smile on their face. The people here live mostly in poverty; the houses have concrete floors mixed with dirt; the roads are just rocks, but the people are still happy. It is a humbling experience, and it makes me appreciate what I have back at home. The people here are very accepting to hear our message, but not so much to accept it. We taught many people this week but no one ended up coming to church that said they would. We´ll just keep on working though. Hope that all of you guys are doing well at home! Thanks for all of your support!

 

With love,

Elder Castagno

Just arrived in Fortaleza!

The following e-mail was received today:

 

Hey! So I am here in Fortaleza! I got here about one, and we went over to the president's house to eat lunch; it was really good. The president and his wife are really cool and sweet! So now I am at the mission office writing you guys. It overviews the city, and I can see the ocean in the distance. It´s been raining on and off for most of the day. It´s pretty hot and very humid here. I´ll be finding out who my companion is and where my area will be sometime today. My P-day is on Monday, so you won´t hear from me 'til then. And I can only write you guys for today. So hope that everything is going well there! . . . Talk to you guys soon. 

With love,
Elder Castagno

Get out your stamps...

Elder Castagno will be out of the training center and in Fortaleza this coming week. This means that he can now receive "snail mail" (example pictured.) Here are some tips/hints: 1) Don't send anything that is heat-sensitive (e.g. chocolate); 2. If sending goodies, send enough for his companion (Alex is greedy...[I'm kidding]); 3. He likes Swedish Fish candy! 


His mailing address is in the sidebar.

Final week in the MTC

                                                                                                                    (Not sure if he's flying, actually.)

The following e-mail was received today:

So this is it! By this time next week I´ll be in Fortaleza! I´m really excited! So this last week went by pretty good for the most part. Sadly my district all left before me. I´m here for this last week because my mission president is changing. It was really hard to say bye to them. They were like family to me. I learned so much from each one of them, and we all looked out for each other. I´m now in another group that leaves the same day I do. I don´t have a companion, so I just float around with the group. They are all a bunch of great people too. 

So the day before my district left we had a small testimony meeting with our group. I decided to stand up and tell them my experience on how I was completely different a year ago and that because of the Lord, I changed so much and decided to serve a mission. One of the sister missionaries in my group then told her experience on how she got sick right before she had to go to the MTC, and she always wondered why the Lord had her wait so long to come to her mission because of her sickness. She said that my testimony answered her question. She needed to know that other people went through difficult times in their lives before their mission. It was a real testimony builder to me. It says in my patriarichal blessing that my testimony will impact many people. This is proof once again that the Lord lives and that He knows us well. Have faith in Him. 

Until next week, in Fortaleza Brasil. 
Elder Alexander Castagno

Week Two: Cabin Fever, Faith, and Healing

 

The following e-mail was received today:

    Hey everyone! So this week has just flown by! We are extremely busy everyday, so the days pass by real quick. I only have a week and a half left here in the CTM....thank goodness. It´s really great here, but it is kind of confining at times; we are just stuck in the same building every day. 

    Anyway, parts of this week were really good and then not so much. Sometimes I get discouraged, and I wonder what I´m doing here, but then I turn my eyes to the Lord and to the work we are doing and my spirit is lifted back up. My companion is really great! His name is Elder Lopes. He is from Sao Paulo. 

    So this week I had two big spiritual experiences. I´ll share one with you. The last few days I´ve been pretty sick, and I´d be in and out of the doctor's office multiple times. At the end of one of my classes, I asked my teacher, Irmao Pimentel, to give me a blessing along with my companion. My teacher is a very spiritual guy, and he is very in tune with the Spirit. He gave me a blessing, and at the end of it he said, "Arise and you will be healed." The second I stood up, all my pain was gone. Not a muscle ached, and I had energy. This has increased my faith in Christ so much. I know for a fact, through personal experience, that He lives and that He blesses those who have faith. I´m glad that I am here and hope to hear from you soon.                                                                                                                    

 

With love, 

Elder Castagno

Week One Update

                                           Sao Paulo Training Center

The following e-mail was received today: 

Hey everyone! So I have very limited time, so I´ll write you guys quickly. Things are going great here in Sao Paulo. I am at the CTM learning a lot about how to teach and about the gospel. The week has really flown by. My Portuguese is getting better I think (haha.) So they put me into a Brazilian district the second day, so I only speak Portuguese. Every day is SUPER busy. It definitely takes some getting used to, and it´s not easy. Anyways I´m in an awesome group! They all have a great testimony, and I learn a lot from them. The food here is really good; I get to drink Guarana every day!! I´m making a bunch of friends here, and I love it! Being a missionary is difficult, but it pays off, and there is always a good spirit here. I love all of you guys, and I´ll talk to you soon. 

P.S. I can´t email everyone, so I´m sorry! 

--Elder Castagno