Weeks of March 1 - March  20, 2016

This past three weeks would best be described with three words, renew, acquire and meet. We have spent many days the last two weeks renewing the vistos (visas) of Estrangheiros (Non-Brazilian missionaries), acquiring CPFs (Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas) for all Estrangheiros to comply with recent changes in Brazilian health insurance and participating in a Mission Tour with our visiting authority, Elder W. Craig and his wife Sister Jan Zwick.

Missionaries from outside Brazil are required to have a visa.  Missionaries from the full-member Mercosur countries (Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela) simply apply for a visa with very little paperwork.  Missionaries from associate member Mercosur countries (Bolivia, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and Suriname) have a slightly more complex application process. Missionaries from Portuguese-speaking countries (Mozambique, Angola, Portugal, and Cape Verde) have less-stringent requirements for their visa.  The missionaries from the United States have the most rigorous requirements for visa renewal presumably because the process for Brazilians to obtain a US visa is likewise quite rigorous (reciprocal orneriness).  So Sister Burkinshaw already has a spectrum of procedures for missionaries renewing their visas but beginning in 2016 for missionaries who entered Brazil after January 1, 2015, their visa renewal process has been revised.  It seems like each time we take missionaries to renew their visas, we discover yet another nuance to the visa rules and regulations.  However with experience and the help of some of the kind agents at the Polícia Federal (Federal Police) who administer the visa renew process, Sister Burkinshaw says it seems to get a little easier each time.

All Brazilians have two forms of identifications.  The first is the RG (Registro Geral or General Record) which is issued by each of the 22 Brazilian states similar to the way we use a drivers license as a photo ID.  The second form of identification is the CPF (Cadastro de Pessoas Físicas or Physical Person Registration) which is issued by the national government and is therefore somewhat like a Social Security Number.  Apparently because of changing regulations for health care in Brazil, all foreigners who have health care coverage are now required to have a CPF.  So in addition to visa renewal, we are also helping all foreign missionaries obtain their CPF.  It is a process that unfortunately takes several hours but we try to incentivize the missionaries by offering lunch at McDonalds which they all enjoy.  

A selfie at the Praca (park) in downtown Vitória as we wait for four sister to arrive who were delayed by a late bus.  Notice we are still smiling despite having to sit in the heat for an hour+!!

Our four beautiful sister who were on time. Sister Schell, Sister Visser, Sister Gonzalez and Sister Richards.

Our second group of missionaries for CPF's enjoying lunch at the nearby McDonalds. Starting on the left Elder Toldeo (Chile), Elder Haymore (USA), Elder Andersen (USA), Sister Jenson (USA), Sister Perez (Mexico), Sister Bundersen (USA) and Elder Fabián (Peru).

The Mission Conference was March 7-11 with Elder W. Craig Zwick and Sister Jan Zwick. We joined the Mission Presidency on Tuesday evening for dinner with the Zwick's at Outback Steak House. On Wednesday there was a Mission Leadership Council with training from Elder and Sister Zwick. Thursday was the all-day Mission Conference for the three northern zones in Colatina and Friday was the four southern zones Mission Conference. The major theme was Simplificar (Simplify), Intensificar (Intensify) and Testificar (Testify). Elder Zwick shared a pattern of teaching he received from President Boyd K. Packer which was teach simply, in as few words as possible, a single gospel principle [P], share an example [E], use a scripture to share the doctrine [D] and testify [T] and then stop. Don't continue with another example or add another principle - just END - less is more i.e. less teaching can be more effective.  It is actually a powerful pattern for teaching. We have been preparing a PEDT each day during individual study time and sharing it with each other during companion study. Elder Zwick gave the missionaries 10 minutes to prepare and then called on several companionships to share their PEDT.  We enjoyed the training and the spirit the Zwick's brought to the mission.

Elder Burkinshaw having lunch with the Assistants both Brazilians - Elder Vercoza in the middle and Elder Portillo (who returns home this transfer) on the right.

Sister Burkinshaw posing with a group of sisters during lunch. From left to right Sisters Gonsalez, Bunderson, Vieira, Martins and Castilho.

The missionaries are always anxious to get pictures during Zone meetings or in this case Mission Conferences. Sister Burkinshaw, Elder Burkinshaw and Elder Pedro who is from Maceio and knows Marcio Yabe who Elder Burkinshaw taught 41 years ago in Lins, SP. You can see Elder Zwick on the stand visiting with a couple of the Elders.

Elder T. Santos and Elder Burkinshaw.

Lunch during the Friday session of the Mission conference. These meetings are planned down to the minute, but adjustments always have to be made for little problems that occur.  About 10 minutes before lunch, the air conditioner quit working (we had someone working on it), the video equipment was being problematic and lunch had not yet arrived. But since only we and President Young knew the schedule, it was transparent to everyone else. 

In addition to the ongoing needs that our experience in the mission office creates we are able to maintain a daily/weekly routine in a country that is experiencing major political challenges and still see the work of the Lord move forward. We have also seen the lives of the missionaries who have served in Vitória and their converts stay firm and grounded in the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We are still walking every morning, but Sunday. This was on a Saturday and we usually connect our Saturday walk with a trip to the store, today the store of choice is Sam's Club, a four miler.

Our walks provide beautiful sunrises, this one is on the point at Praia do Camburi. 

Brasil continues to experience some significant political problems. This demonstration took place on March 13th on the bridge that connects Vitória and Vila Velha. There were about 100,000 people who participated. The demonstration was peaceful and respectful.

Almoço (lunch) at Dayane's house (the beautiful return mission in front just below Sister Burkinshaw).  The two young men on the left (with the new baby and with the red shirt) were missionary companions who taught Gustavo (at the back) when he was baptized.  Gustavo has also served a mission.  It was a very fun Almoco.

(Left to right) Sister Castilho and Sister Sandes who are the Sister Trainer Leaders with a new sister convert and another recent convert (young man) who is performing the baptism.  Brother Salles on the right is a wonderful ward mission leader.

Three of our Sister Trainer Leaders of who will be going home this transfer standing just outside the Mission office. From left to right Sister Castilho (who goes home in April), Sister Sandes, Sister Carvalho and Sister Sergio.  

Sister Sandes was concerned she didn't have a picture with us so we took this one after church today. This is the missionary sign-thumbs up to the work of the Lord.

Avante Vitória!

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw

Weeks of February 15 - February 28, 2016

We have enjoyed a busy, but productive couple of weeks. The February transfer went well, the missionaries have settled well into their areas and the work continues to move forward. We are losing 7 missionaries this next transfer (2 elders and 5 sisters), but we are getting a group of 17 missionaries (7 Elders and 10 Sisters) which will provide five more companionships for the mission. So things have been busy, but the busy of doing things we have reported on in the past and will have other opportunities to report SO we thought we would share some recent pictures, you will probably wonder if we are still in Brazil or if we have been transferred to.....

GERMANY....

A little history lesson of the church in Brazil from the July 2014 Liahona.  

"In both physical size and population, Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world. But 100 years ago, its population was sparse, and few took advantage of its natural abundance: a tropical climate, rich land, and a wealth of minerals and water. 

Max and Amalie Zapf were intrigued with Brazil and decided to make it their home. They had joined the Church in Germany in 1908 and immigrated to Brazil in March 1913. As the first known members of the Church to live in Brazil, they were excited to be in a country with so much promise. Yet the Church was not established in South America, and Max and Amalie soon realized how lonely they felt without the privilege of attending church and interacting with other members.

After 10 years in Brazil, Max and Amalie Zapf learned of another faithful Church member, Augusta Lippelt, who had emigrated in 1923 from Germany with her four children and nonmember husband to the Brazilian southern state of Santa Catarina. The Zapfs moved to Santa Catarina to be close to the Lippelts.

Two years later the Souther American Mission opened in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The second mission president, K. B. Reinhold Stoof, also from Germany, was inspired to establish the church among the large German immigrant population in southern Brazil. In 1928 he assigned tow missionaries, William Fred Heinz and Emil A. J. Schindler, to Joinville, a city with a large population of German immigrants. In 1930, President Stoof visited the Zapfs and Lippelts and established a branch, where both families could finall attend church together and partake of the sacrament.

What a difference 100 years has made. Before the Zapfs arrived in 1913, Brazil had no members, no missionaries, and no Church organization. Today more than a million members live in Brazil, making it the country with the third-largest population of Church members (after the United States and Mexico). The Church now has congregations in all of Brazil's states and major cities. Max and Amalie's descendants enjoy the benefits of a strong and vibrant Church with a unique and fascinating history.

A prophecy given in Argentina in 1926 by Elder Melvin J. Ballard (1873-1939) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles suggested that the region would initially have slow growth but that it would one day be mighty. He prophesied: "The work of the Lord will grow slowly for a time here just as an oak grows slowly from an acorn. It will not shoot up in a day as does the sunflower that grows quickly and then dies." Definitely a prophecy fulfilled!!

Domingos Martins is a town founded by Germans more than a hundred years ago and still has a very German look to it. We bought a loaf of bread, some spices which Elder Burkinshaw mixed with olive oil when we got home, ate on the bread we bought and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was loaded with garlic so the mosquitoes won´t be biting him for a couple of weeks, no ZIKA worry here.

A city street that might look like old Germany in Domingos Martins.

Our tour guides for the day, Bishop Jocimar and his wife Renilsa.

COLORADO?? maybe...

We now know where the "Pedra Azul Água Mineral" or blue rock mineral water, for which we are very grateful, comes from...

The headquarters of Pedra Azul, the supplier of mineral water to many in the Brasilian state of Espirito Santo. 

We go through 20 liters of Pedra Azul mineral water every week in our apartment and probably another 20 liters in the office.

Cachoeiro (water-fall) near the Pedra Azul mineral water bottling facilities.

The granite outcropping on the right is the Pedra Azul (blue rock).  
Normally, the granite is dark gray but this rock is unique and can look green or gray or blue depending on the angle of the sun.

The Pedra Azul (blue rock) from close up.

We actually felt like we were on the mountain. Sister Burkinshaw was wishing she had put on the sweater she brought. We have had our warmest week yet in Brazil (high 90´s all week).  We loved  this cool break!!

Pedra Azul from a different angle.

On this map, you can see Vitória on the coast at the right and just left of center you can see the picture of Pedra Azul, in the blue area highlighting the town of Domingos Martins.

These are vacation homes in the mountains. We actually were approached about a time share,on the other side of Pedra Azul but decided Brazil was a little too far from home.

IDAHO...  sprinklers??, but not potatoes and most farming is done on the side of the hills or mountains as you will see in the rest of the pictures of the beautiful Brazilian farmland.  However, you won`t see many palm trees in Idaho :-)

Coffe is the crop on the hillside to the left.

A grove of young eucalyptus trees which are raised for the paper and pulp industries.

More mature eucalyptus groves with sweet potato and coffee in the foreground.

This is definitely COLORADO, right??  Only the purple Jacaranda trees belie the location.

Among the purple Jacaranda trees, you have also noticed white trees.  An interesting fact is that they are not white - the leaves are green.  The shape and shiny surface of the tree`s leaf make it look white in the sunlight. Had we not seen it close up, we wouldn`t have believed it when Bishop Jocimar told us it was the reflection of the sun.

Maybe Elder and Sister Burkinshaw are still in Brazil, the flowers were beautiful. 

Sister Burkinshaw couldn't resist taking pictures of these flowers as everytime she saw them she heard her Aunt Helen's voice and what she called them (Some of her siblings may remember).

We spent some time at the home of Bishop Jocimar's cousin who owns a farm. Angela, his wife, was a wonderful hostess.  She had ridden her bike to their farm which is their weekend getaway from the city of Vitória, about an hour away.  We picked and ate some delicious oranges there.  We came home with fresh fruit and as always an appreciation for the "Law of the Harvest".

Angela, our hostess, actually speaks some English and she made Sister Burkinshaw feel better when she talked about how much easier it is to learn English than Portuguese.

The view from the front of the farm house. We heard a couple of cars drive by on the road, but it was very difficult to see where the road was, we finally found it at the truck of the three purple trees. 

This is part of the farm. We climbed a small hill to the edge of the house
 to get this view, Amazing!!

More of the farm crops!!

Here Bishop Jocimar and Renilsa are purchasing German bread from the woman who makes it in ovens similar to how it was made in the old country.

The ovens were outside (a great idea in Brazil) because heat is not necessarily a good thing inside. We did not see any bread mixers but we did see metal bowls so we surmise the dough is mixed by hand.

What an amazing trip and all in one day and yes we are still in Brazil. This area is just an hour outside Vitória in the "Interior" and we so appreciated the Bishop and his wife taking us out for the day - an opportunity we would not have had without their kindness. The Gospel is true and the members who live by it´s teachings are truly amazing people!!

Love to all, and yes we are still in BRAZIL and grateful everyday for this opportunity to serve in such a beautiful place. We took a couple of pictures last week of our morning walk before we changed from daylight savings this past Sunday. It is light now when we walk.

The Terçeiro Ponte (Third Bridge) during our 5:30am walk prior to the "Fall back" from daylight savings to standard time.

A beautiful sunrise during our morning walk out to the point on Praia do Camburi.

Avante Vitória!!

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw

Weeks of February 1 - February 14, 2016

We still love our early morning walk along the beach. We find that even if the day gets warm, and it is definitely summer here, our 5:30 am walk with no sun and a light breeze makes it quite pleasant and we see some amazing sunrises. This is part of our pathway looking back toward our apartment. It gives a nice view of the lighted walkway reflecting off the water and the sun just beginning to come up. It is a beautiful area.

Looking out on the ocean at dawn during our morning walk along the Praia do Canto.

Our dawn walk taken from the Ilha do Fato looking along thebeach with the Terçeira Ponte (Bridge) in the distance.

We experienced the first "Carnaval" of our mission.  Carnaval literally means "adeus à carne" or "goodbye to meat" as catholic adherents celebrate before the 40 days of lenten fasting.  From our small vantage point in Vitória, the only difference was that it was very quiet the entire week. We were able to walk the short path across the entrance to the Terçeira Ponte bridge to the office as there was very little traffic. Until Thursday, most people were not working so we pretty much had our office building to ourselves except for the guard at the front desk. 

The weekend before transfers is always a busy for us.  The Friday before, we had six of the ten missionaries going home come into the office for their final exit interview with President Young and five of them took the English test and all did quite well.  The Church encourages the non-English speaking missionaries to take advantage of having English-speaking companions and learn to speak English and then provides the resources to take a computer administered exam to judge their speaking proficiency. Sister Melo impressed us with her recitation of all 13 Articles of Faith in English. Here is a short video of the tenth Article of Faith with Sister Young giving an occasional prompt - very impressive.

Elder Burkinshaw spends a very long Sunday afternoon preparing a spreadsheet that organizes ~70 individual transfers between 60+ areas coordinated with bus schedules and keeping the missionaries in pairs or threesomes. The zone leaders still have to work out additional logistics of the transfer and we are finding that they probably need a little training on using the information provided which really means they need to read the instructions before they start doing things.  As the Brethren sometime say about church policy, if you want to keep something secret from the members, put it in the handbook!  In this case it is  if you want to keep a secret from the zone leader, put it in their e-mail!

Elder Burkinshaw on Sunday afternoon putting together the transfer logistics spreadsheet.

On Monday, the departing missionaries have Autosufficiência (Self Reliance) training so we arrange the lunch for the class. We order esfiras (mini-pizzas), guaraná and Sister Burkinshaw makes cookies for their desert.  We have been looking for a roll of paper to cover the typically very worn tables at the Church without success.  But a couple of weeks ago, Sister Burkinshaw saw a large roll of gift-wrap paper so we purchased it to cover the tables which added a nice touch.

The "gift-wrap-paper" covered tables for the self-reliance class lunch for departing missionaries with Elders Machado, Martins and Garcia with Elder Burkinshaw.

Sending the missionaries home is accompanied by lots of emotions like: They have been such a good group so we will miss them; Excitement for their next step in life; And a little wistfulness that they get to go home and see family. We thought it interesting when we first arrived that the missionaries keep track of their time in the mission field by how many transfers they have left. We now understand that reference, so in case you are wondering we have nine transfers left.

Elder Martins, one of the assistants, who is returning home to São Paulo.

Late on Monday afternoon, one of the sister missionaries who was with us in Teófilo Otoni came into the office with her companion to pick up a package and a mission bolso (bag). She is a very sweet, good missionary and we always enjoy her visits. When she left, there was a pretty pink flower post-it note on my computer expressing her love and appreciation. 

Sister Viana, one of our favorite sister missionaries when we were in Teófilo Otoni visited us in the office.

Elder Verçoza (staying), Elder Machado (returning to Rio Grande do Sul), Elder Portillo (staying), President Young, Elder Martins (returning to São Paulo), Elder Garcia (returning to Rio Grande do Sul) and Elder Burkinshaw at Vitória airport.

Our transfer took place on Tuesday, February 9th, which was one of days of Carnaval. The airport and bus station were unusually quiet so that worked out well. We are following the new format of direct transfers (no transfer meeting).  We still have a training meeting for the newly arrived missionaries and Sister Burkinshaw prepared a PowerPoint presentation on understanding the administrative and health issues in the mission. This is a list of just a few of them:

• Passports and RGs (Registros Gerais - Brazilian identify cards):  These are kept in the mission safe and we give the missionaries cópias autenticadas (notarized copies) to use in their day-to-day activities (i.e. the originals won't go through the washing machine or be lost or stolen).
• Finances:  We explain how their debit card works, their mesada (semi-monthly living allowance), what expenses can be reimbursed and counsel on keeping a "reserva" (savings) for a rainy day. 
• Fichas (batismal forms for converts): How to fill them out (i.e. preferably legible), what information is needed to create a membership record and most importantly if you can't read what has been written on the form, Sister Burkinshaw will not be able to either. President Young often comments that in their training, they were reminded everything they would teach new principles at least seven times before they took root. 
• Instructions on staying healthy and what to do if you have to see a doctor.
• Reminders on the importance of keeping a clean apartment. We actually receive calls from Landlords who are concerned with how the missionaries are maintaining their living quarters. We would prefer not having to call the missionaries and chasten them, but we are "ambassadors of Jesus Christ". We enjoyed Elder Larry R. Lawrence's General conference talk , "What Lack I Yet?" when he spoke of reading a "....story in a church magazine years ago about a girl who was living away from home and going to college. She was behind in her classes, her social life was not what she had hoped for, and she was generally unhappy. Finally one day she fell to her knees and cred out, "What can I do to improve my life?' The Holy Ghost whispered 'Get up and clean your room.' This prompting came as a complete surprise, but it was just the start she needed. After taking time to organize and put things in order, she felt the Spirit fill her room and lift her heart."  Vivid is our memory fo the picture Elder John Burkinshaw sent us while serving in the Brazil Porto Alegre South Mission. The picture showed his bedroom and one side of the room was in perfect order with bed made, clothes hung up, etc. and the other side looked like a tornado had hit. We need to get a copy of that and use it in our presentation (of course Elder Burkinshaw's side was the clean side).
• And of course some great cookie recipes. I think we have mentioned before, but Brazilian do not make a lot of cookies. They do however make some awesome "bolo "(cake), but cookies are a novelty and so we try to make them and share when we get the chance.

We enjoy the Maruipe Ward. Bishop Jocimar made a very kind offer on Sunday that he and his wife would like to take us for a drive to see some of the state of Espirito Santo. Since we don't have a car and we haven't really had the opportunity to see a lot of the greater Vitória area, we were happy to accept their invitation and look forward to spending an afternoon with them in the near future. Sacrament meeting was great Sunday and we came away with an Ensign article worth reading from September 2015 by Lori Cluff Schade (Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist) titled "Blessing Our Children by Improving Our Marriages". We remember how easy it is to fall into the routine of raising a family forgetting that time is also needed to nourish our marriage. Sister Schade said, "Many couples devote their attention to causes that are worthwhile but that do little to strengthen their marriages. Some diligently adjust their schedules to attend children's performances but can't seem to find time for a date with a spouse. In the whirlwind of children rearing, career building, and fulfilling Church callings, marriages are easily neglected....As couples become more aware of the powerful influence their marriages have on their children, it becomes clear just how far-reaching the benefits can be when couples actively seek to nourish and strengthen their marriages." It has been a great blessing for us to serve together as missionaries. We spend pretty much 24/7 together. We continue to learn new things about each and grow in our appreciation not only of the talents that we each have, but the blessing it is to share those with each other in an effort to do the work the Lord needs done here in Vitória. Truly we continue to see the fulfillment of Sister Burkinshaw's Patriarchal blessing which says, "Labor together in the kingdom united in so doing, and you will have a joy that nothing can take away nor replace."

Avante Vitória!

Elder and Sister Burkinshaw