October 24, 2011

Well, the big news is we are going to be receiving a visit!! Elder Bednar and Elder Costa will be coming by our mission November 14th!!!!!!!1 So that is the new news!!!!

This week was not great... but not bad.  We are getting ready for a “white” Christmas here. We will have a kind of weak six weeks in preparation for a giant baptism day. We are thinking of a 20 or 30 goal but we’ll see.

My new companion is from São Paulo. His name is Elder Ribeiro. He is 19. He has 3 months on the mission. I am actually training him now. President Souza extended his training time so it is interesting being with a Brazilian again. I got use to the American thinking and now I need to switch back to another form of thinking.  My new companion and I are doing well. He is just new and stuff, the normal stuff is happening. We are getting to know the area together. 

We meet every Tuesday for district meeting... but the whole zone is there... so it is kind of weird. November 14th will be the whole mission which for me has never happened.

Our P-days are very simple here in this area... because there is nothing here... so we use the internet and sleep. It usually doesn’t work out real well. haha.

They have Sacrament Primary programs here but they are weird. They try the best they can but when everyone here goes one week then doesn’t go the next it is always hard to put programs together. But they try.

The package hasn’t arrived yet. I don’t know if it will. And no, it isn’t worth sending another package because the chances of it arriving after I go home is rather large. haha

I got a letter from Maren the other day so I need to write her back!

I want to know more about the band program!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I need to actually write Dante because he sent me a Package!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! haha

I love you all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

October 17, 2011

So this week we got a little surprise. Well, at least me and my companion. He is being transferred. Yep an emergency transfer. There is no emergency. Just that Americans are arriving and he is going to train in Barroso, my second area and I will be finishing up the training of another Elder already here because his companion is heading home because of health problems. So I am like sort of training again. I am feeling really, really lost right now because I don’t really know this area yet. haha so we will see how that goes.

The two wards we cover aren’t huge. Just that the chapels are on the two opposite sides of the areas. Sacrament meeting is at the about the same time in the two wards so getting from one to the other is hard.

The bat in my pictures from last week is a frequent flyer at our house. He sleeps during the day and then flies out at night when we get home. Sometimes we have time to take pictures or videos of him. We have some pretty funny videos of us trying to chase him out of the house. Usually ends with us behind an umbrella yelling at the bat and running in all directions.

We also did a soap commercial yesterday. haha

I wanted to send pictures but we are using slow internet today so next week.

I haven’t gotten the package yet but maybe tomorrow. So we shall see.

I have a funny story for you all. My companion told me this story today during companionship study... well it is kind of two stories...

There was a man on a cruise ship who fell into the water. He started yelling for help, so a man picked up a chair and threw it in the water to let him grab onto it. But in the same moment he did this everyone turned and saw him throw the wooden chair which hit the man in the water and killed him. Everyone called the man who threw the chair a murderer. Now……

There were two men on another cruise ship who were fighting. One man threw the other in the water in hope of killing the other man. But the other man resurfaced and started yelling for help. The first man then picked up the wooden chair in hopes of killing the man in the water. As he did so everyone looked to see what was happening. The man threw the chair missing the man in the water. The man grabbed the chair and was saved. The people began calling the to-be murderer a hero.

God is the only one that sees the whole picture. He knows and understands the true meaning of our actions. I really liked the meaning of the story yet found it really funny as I saw it play out in my mind. Oh! I’ll save you!!!! Here a wooden chair!!!

Way to go BYU!!!! Nothing is better than stomping the Oregon teams!!!!! haha. I love it. Beating Utah would have been better but hey...

Well, I love you all!!! I hope this was a better email than last week!!!! Love you all!!!!

October 10, 2011

Nope, nothing in the package department yet. I have slowly gotten mail. But it looks like everyone may be coming out of strike... banks, school, police, bus drivers, and maybe even mail. Yes a lot of strikes.

My companion and I get along really well.  We are getting a lot done.  This past week we baptized two women. We are really looking forward to many more. We are having some really good success here, one of my better areas for numbers.  We are doing really well.  We are also teaching an English class that has averaged about 45 people in the last two classes.

I have started studying more in English. I was feeling as though I knew very little, like I knew a ton in another language but nothing in my own. So I went back to my English to do some more studying. I will probably start my second reading of Jesus the Christ so I can go more in depth with the scriptures as well. My first reading was just on the surface. I learned a lot but I want more.

This past week I have started studying the Sermon on the Mount. It has been interesting. I haven’t quite gotten as in depth as I wish I had. So I still have more to study on the matter.

One set of scriptures I liked a lot was Matthew 7:17-20. I think. It talks about the wise man and the foolish man, something that can be applied to everything. A literal sense when thinking about construction, marriage, friendship or whatever other setting.

Do not lose my puppy dog!!!!!!!!!!!!  I could totally see Logan jumping off the couch faster than anyone else when he knew the dog was missing from the backyard.  Haha

Ya, marrying someone from here I don’t think would go very well. It wouldn’t be as bad as many would think. But it is a lot of work. Probably more than I am capable of.

I hope you got my other 3 pictures.

Sorry this week is a little weak. I am trying to catch- up on things I missed at conference.

October 3, 2011

Well, I am actually watching the Priesthood session right now as I email you.  Conference was very good. I was a little "put off" by a number of the messages though. Last conference was about what... marriage... get married fast!... this time... there were some parts about children... faster and sooner! I heard that and about died!!! I was like, I am still getting use to the idea that you want me to get married and not play around... and now this!!!!! Wait for me to get home first!!!!! haha.

I am in Conjunto Ceará with Elder Harris. He is from Riverside, California. He started his mission in Pocatello, Idaho and then got his visa and came here. So he has nine months, six here in Brasil.  I am actually almost back in my first area. I am right next to it. This area is good. I am actually taking care of two wards... which meet in different buildings... on the opposite sides of the two areas... at the same meeting time... someone didn’t plan this out real well. haha.  I still miss Parquelândia. But the ward members here appear good. We were supposed to have two baptisms yesterday, but they were there and decided to wait. It was rather disappointing. But, hey, what can you do. We were kind of caught off guard by them changing their minds.

It is weird, every once in a while I have one of those moments where I realize I am coming to a close in my mission. I am living with a missionary that has less than 5 weeks now and I follow shortly after. I have only four transfers left. A lot of time if you look at it but living a little over five months as a missionary is nothing. It is weird.

We are short on missionaries here, really short. We need like another 20-30 but we don’t have them. They have asked Brazilians to stay more time if they can and would. I asked President if I could stay, but we can’t because the church won’t pay for another visa renewal. So I am still coming home on time.

Yea, I want scripture covers as well, but it looks like no one here does them anymore. So whatever, I’ll just stick with what I got.

I will start buying stuff in a bit. I will just bring it all home with me. It would be over 200 or 300 reais to mail a package home. But I will leave almost all my clothing here for the other missionaries.  I will have a lot of space to bring stuff home for you.

I sent two emails home with pictures and hope that you got them. If not, let me know and I will try again the following week.

Tell the man at work that we go on missions because it is a commandment of God to do this.

What is the band show this year? What is the theme? Try and send a video!!! haha

So since you asked me to start buying stuff I wish to ask a question as well. Mac... or PC... If I have a pc, I will prolly play games. If I have a Mac, maybe not. But if I buy a PC I save money if I buy a Mac, I will not. So which do I get a Mac or PC?

 Well, my time is up. I love you all and wish you all a good week!!! Send me news from home!!!