Well, I got the mission ties letter from Grandma and Grandpa, the one that was really long. But that is it. I am just waiting for everything else. I get to check every day, though, because I am in the office Tuesday through Friday. Which reminds me, the other day both the secretaries were out of the office and a doctor from the United States called.  I just don’t answer the phone and let my companion answer it, but he tried speaking to the doctor in English but he said he was speaking too fast so I had to take the call, which was really, really weird.

Well, right now it’s getting hotter and hotter. A little cold would be nice. Let’s see, the pump in our font here isn’t working so to clean the “swamp” out we did it all by bucket. Let me tell you, if I have to do it again I won’t. Well, that isn’t really true.  I would do it again for a baptism!  With the permission of Sister Batt we took most of yesterday to rest, due to the fact that Elder Roza and I both tweaked stuff while cleaning, him in his back and me in my hamstring and lower back. I have never sweat so much in my life. For the first time in my life it was literally dripping off my face. And nothing like doing a division with one of the Assistants to have one of our investigators interviewed for baptism... I looked and smelled great... not....

So here in Brazil, you cannot be married by anyone other than the government. So you go to an office and pay at least 20 reais upfront just to get dates to be married. Then you come back with the actual people and they sign some papers. And then you come back a third time and get married in the office and pay the rest of the money, about a total of 120 reais. Really it is ridiculous. It is the reason why more people here just live together than get married, because it is too expensive and too time consuming. As missionaries we get a little bit of a discount because we marry people so much. And we take care of all the other pieces.

A number of people here have Christmas trees, all are fake, obviously, and very tiny. The other day a sister asked if we had Christmas trees in the United States.... I wasn’t exactly sure what to say... haha.  Some people have Christmas lights, but they are way too expensive, so really only the rich have them.

I have no idea how calling on Christmas works. I know I will get to but how and when, I have no idea. I think how it works is I call the day before to let you all know when and stuff... but I really have no idea. 

I decided that after my mission I may want to learn some other languages, but, we will see how this first one goes. haha.

So, have you all seen the new Harry Potter? I am very jealous because I will maybe watch it on a very, very bad television. haha. Just have to wait for it to come out on DVD!!! haha. Depends if President Batt allows it. We will just wait to see!!!

And nice work with the signing your letter with “mom” in Português!!! I don’t even know where you find the little symbol that goes over the a. Here all keyboards are Português so it has all of the accents and stuff.

Well, my time is up!!! I love you all!!! Until next week!!!