well, it is 9:30 here where I am. I am in the office and we are actuallly getting ready to leave for the airport. Super excited to see you all!!!! and tell Logan he will be going with me to buy all my goodies!!!!!!

love ya all!!!!!

This week we posted for the last 3 weeks of Jordan's emails (see Jan 23, 16, 9)

 January 23, 2012

Well, this week was weird. We had made some big plans to get people to church and nothing went right so ya. It seems that we try even harder and nothing works and missionaries who do nothing get everything. We are really struggling here. This might be my first transfer without a baptism. But we have six possibilities this week that we are going to run behind.  Well, nothing seems to be going right but there isn’t much to do but stay sort of positive.

Tomorrow we have interviews with President which is kind of weird because it is the end of the transfer. This week we will know where I finish my mission. Most likely I will finish here in Conjunto Ceará so I don’t have much to worry about this transfer. It would be weird if I move areas.

Well, I don’t really know if I have pneumonia. I still cough once in a while but until I get worse I won’t do anything. I just keep going. haha.

We had some rain this past week so it got cool for a little and then gets much hotter because of the humidity. haha so it was nice for a little bit. Be sure when you go to the airport you bring my heavy coat, my really heavy brown one. haha I am going to freeze to death.

So I would like a little update on what I am coming home to... it would be a little nice.

I would like to share some... interesting and rather weird experiences that I have had here this past week. We went to a family of members here and apparently it is not going so well for them. They are fighting and stuff. And I left, to be honest, not that excited about this whole ya know getting married in the next few years. Just seeing them did not give any kind of motivation for anyone to get married. In fact it gave the opposite, that single life would be far easier.

We then went to another family that was recently married. And they were all happy and stuff moving into their new house. It was the complete opposite of the other case.

We then went to church the following day and the Bishop here gave and excellent talk about marriage and stuff. It was all kind of odd for me considering my next stage will be marriage. It was very, very, weird. But ya haha. It is kind of hard to explain.

Hey dad have you started studying about the temple yet??? You should send me some stuff you find.

And is it possible to get a copy of Grandpa’s patriarchal blessing? Or do we need to wait more? And do you know if it is possible to get copies of like my great grandparents and stuff?

Love you all!!!!!!

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January 16, 2012

Well, this week was better. The mission has gotten much harder. We went from a ton of baptisms to very few. Right now our goal is just to have better numbers than the week before. This week we rocked our numbers. Yet no one goes to church so we can’t baptize!!!

Well, this week we are just trying really hard to get people to church.

Oh, I knew about when Dante would get his mission call so I called him. I was so excited to know where he was going to go!!!

Hey so I need to work some stuff out. I would like you to schedule appointments with the dentist, doctor, and optometrist. Basically I need to work out any medical problems I have. haha. I may even need a chiropractor but hold off on that one. So some not so great news, I am possibly looking at another case of pneumonia but I am just waiting to see what happens. But it sure feels like it is. But we will see.

I got a number of things from mission ties but nothing with a picture!!!

Do you all think the package will arrive?

Well, I love you all!!!

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January 9, 2012

Well this week was a very interesting week. So before I start I need to tell you all to not worry. Everything is fine. It has all been resolved. Basically the police, all of the police, here in Ceará went on strike so in theory we went a couple of days with no government.  The force of a government is the police, so they called the military in.  We had the military protecting us, but that was a problem because they only stayed in Aldeota, the rich parts of the city to protect the rich people. So on Tuesday, all of the bandits and robbers came from all over and started robbing everything. When I say everything, I mean everything. They robbed stores, banks, people, busses, taxis.  If it had a possibility of having money they robbed it. There were many in basically gang form that would pick a street and just walk down it grabbing whatever they could. We were walking in front of the hospital when a group of people started robbing the stores in front of the hospital.  The problem was we didn’t really know that all this was happening, so we took off running to get to a members house.  We had gone to our district meeting that morning and everything seemed normal.  So when we get out and everything is closed we didn´t understand everything that was happening.  We were supposed to work until six but nobody left their houses. 

But we are all still fine. 

The Police are back and they received their raise, so everyone is happy.

So how is Brenna, I heard like where she is, is completely under water?

Well, that was my week!!! Love you all!!!

November 28, 2011

Well, I got some weird news this last Thursday. I don’t know why but our district leader isn’t district leader anymore. It is weird news because we are in the middle of the transfer. So I was asked to be the District leader. It is really weird because the old district leader is still in the district. It appears that he along with the other senior of another companionship did something, what, I don’t know. But they stayed so it is kind of awkward now. ]

This past week was good. I am in a half decent mood. Rather stressed now, just putting another thing on my plate. I am still rather preoccupied by what exactly I will study and major in and in the end do for work. I am still worried about that. I don’t want to lose time studying something and in the end change my mind.

We also had another meeting with Elder Costa this past week. We were all waiting to get a good burning but in the end he ended up being really, really fun. He is a very interesting man. Many things he said were interesting. He told us a few times that if an apostle called him one day and asked him if he knew “so and so” in the hospital who needed a heart transplant , and he said obviously I wouldn’t know this person, but he continued…. And if that apostle told me to go to the hospital and give him my heart I would be there before he finished talking. It was interesting to reflect about his testimony and faith. And I don’t know if I would be able to do that. So it has been very interesting to think about it all.

It has been a number of great weeks. Have you all seen the stuff about the dedication of the temple here?

Well, I hope, hope this was a good email!!! I wish you all a good week. Love you all!!!!

November 21,2011

This past week was a downer. We both got sick so it didn’t help our work out very much.

I struggled through the meeting with Elder Bednar. I was sick so my head was having some problems. And with the lighting behind him it was sometimes hard to focus. But I had a chance to learn a lot.  He talked about a number of things. He focused a lot on “act and not be acted upon”.  He then shared an interesting idea with us. He said to get a cheap Book of Mormon and then pick a question or topic and read the Book of Mormon as many times as you can in 6 months only looking for and answering that specific question. So I decided to try it. I started yesterday so we will see how it goes. I chose the topic of Elder Bednar’s conference, Agency. I thought it was a good first topic. I haven’t made it very far because it took such a long time trying to decide on a topic!!! Haha   And no,  I didn’t get to go to the ground breaking.

I did get to see Dante!!!! and a bunch of other people I had the privilege of baptizing!!! It was fun!!!

Well, no package yet.  We will see if it ever arrives.

That is exciting news about Kiki! So when is she going to get married exactly? That is really weird.

Well, I need to write President still.

I love you all and wish you all a good week!!!