March 28, 2011

Well, last week I was in the hospital Monday afternoon until Friday afternoon.  I am doing much better now; however, we didn’t work for two weeks…..I am getting pretty worn out of being sick.  I am not entirely sure if I can do another round with another ridiculous Brazilian virus.  I have one more year to go and I think I may have a chance to set a mission record for time in the hospital.  I started eating breakfast and dinner.  I am eating more now than I ever have before.  Haha

Well, I received the Book of Mormons you sent and only had to correct some of the Português.  It was almost 100 percent correct, just some small things needed to be fixed.  I still have them.  I am waiting to find someone I think is right for the books.  So I am just carrying them around until I find the right people.  Haha

I was thinking about Logan and baseball!!!  Man, I really want to watch him play.  I am hoping I get a chance to when I get home!!!

I haven’t gotten the package you sent with Nick, yet.  I am hoping to get it tomorrow.

What were the changes that were made in the ward?

Well, I have started to study the Atonement.  So far it has been really fun.  I decided that simply reading about it won’t really help.  So, I first made a plan on what I want to learn, questions, what I am going to study, how.  I just made a rather large plan on how and what I am going to study.  I am looking forward to learning a lot more about it.  I have been downloading talks from conferences and listening to them.  That is where I got the idea, from a talk by Elder Richard G Scott in April 2010.  It is something I am really enjoying.

Well, that is about all I have for today!  Because well, with two weeks of nothing….haha

I love you all!!!  Have a great week!!!

Well, let’s just say this past week, my one year mark, was comparable to my kidney stone week.

I have been very, very, very sick. I haven’t eaten since last Wednesday. I’ve lost weight and had very high fevers. I was basically in my bed for four days. After working with Sister Batt for four days, and with no improvement, I made another fantastic trip to the hospital on Saturday. And, I have to keep going back to the hospital everyday for like the next week. I have to have my blood checked everyday because of some levels they have to watch. Basically, I have something called “Dangue”, a disease carried by mesquitos!!! It makes you really sick and really weak. It will be a couple of weeks before I am back up to strength. I only really started eating again today. Unfortunately I am not out of the woods yet. I may get checked into the hospital today if my blood levels are too low.
So talk about a one year being hard for missionaries!!!!
I got three letters from the funeral this past week.

I will send more pictures later. I just don’t have my camera and stuff cuz I came straight from the hospital to the lan house.

Sorry the email is so short. I am just rather tired…

I love you all!!!! Have a good week!!!

So, I will hit a year this Thursday or Friday. Depends on how you look at it. This week is much, much better than last week. Our numbers are far better. We had another baptism yesterday.  Here, we are taught that our purpose is to baptize, baptize and baptize some more. haha Which is what we do. We were hoping for a really good transfer but until now it is looking like it will be weak. We’ve got to find some new people. Like a lot of new people to teach.

So is it to late to get things in the box? Because my LZ. Elder Bills (we both came together) he wants a mountain dew... haha.  If it is too late it is no biggy!!!

So this thing in Japan…. I have pieced it all together with help from members and stuff haha. No one here really seems to care... it is really sad. And unfortunately that bothers me. I commented to my companion that this will affect everything in the world. And I mentioned to think about what might happen to the economy. And he said well when stuff like this happens, Brasil does better. He didn’t even care, just that fact that Brasil may have a slightly stronger economy.

The world is in a very bad spot. One disaster after another, Brasil, New Zealand and now Japan. If those locations aren’t divers enough for you, I don’t know what is!!!!

Dad asked: 

How are you feeling this week? I hope you are feeling better. (I am feeling better.)

Have you been drinking plenty of fluids (water)? (I have been drinking less than last transfer.)

Do you filter it? Can you buy bottled water? Does it cost much?( We buy those like 20 liter barrels.)

Do you get enough to eat? (We get enough to eat.)

Do you buy your own food? (We do buy a bit of our own food.)

Do you eat a lot of beans and rice? Beans and rice are good for you. If you eat and drink enough you should be able to be a little healthier. (Yes, rice and beans)

How is senior companion been going? (Senior has been ok. Each week gets better and better.)

Do you follow all the rules? (Yes I follow the rules, but always could do better.)

Are you doing your best to work as much as you can? (Always can work more.)

Are you teaching your new companion the way to work? (Trying.)

Have you tried any of your ideas yet? (A few and they are kind of working.)

Have you done any door to door tracting  (door knocking)? (We don’t really knock on doors here that much. Everything is generally references. But we will today.)

Do you continue to work on your Portugese?  Never stop learning and trying to improve. (Yes, not like I should though.)

Well, I love you all and wish you all another great week!!!!

Well, my first week of senior wasn’t too bad. Our numbers were pretty low so I am hoping this week will go over a little better.  I picked up a fantastic cold this past week so we haven’t really worked the last two days. But in the words of Sister Batt... what better time of the year to be sick than during Carnival!!! haha We did have a baptism this past Friday night. His name is Dante. He is 19 years old and I think he is planning on going on a mission. His friend baptized him. I sent pictures. A lot of pictures actually!!! It worked this week!!!

As you know, right now is Carnival so you kind of just hold your breath and hope your investigators don’t go too wild. I haven’t seen anything totally wild yet, but there is still time for something to happen!!! haha.

Well, just to let you know. This past week my thumb drive picked up a virus so I think I lost like all of my photos.  It’s kind of a bummer but whatever.

We are getting excited for conference. I hope I get to watch it in English. And I hope I get the chance to watch the Priesthood session! Usually we don’t get a chance to see it just because of timing.

Well, I can’t remember the address of the mission office right now, but I can bring it next week.  I don’t think I need a converter for the battery charger. Everything here runs on 220v. I have yet to actually see a missionary use a converter.

Well, letters have slowed down a lot. But that is normal at one year!

 
So is Logan’s leg doing better??? Good enough to play ball?


Well, my time is about up. I love you all!!! Pray that I can be strengthed physically and spiritually!!! Until next week!!!

February 28, 2011

Well, I am now in Parquelandia. And, I am Senior. I go from wanting it real bad to being a little nervous. My new companion is starting transfer 3. He was in the CTM with Spencer and Brenna, so I just saw a picture of him with Brenna! Haha…  I am so stoked for this transfer. I feel it is going to be really, really good. I have some ideas I want to try. My new companion Elder L. Carvalho is new and full of energy and ready to work. I have a feeling it will be really, really good!

We baptized this really neat young man yesterday. I was hoping to send photos. He is 15, the same age as Logan!!!! Haha..Well, I am trying to get pictures for you but the computer is like not recognizing the camera!!! Kinda annoying!  Unfortunately I can’t get the camera to work, so, hopefully next week I can get the camera working and send a large group of photos!!!

I found out today that all the people that Elder Roza and I baptized in Nova Aldeota are still going to church and are doing really, really well!!! When I heard that I can not even explain how I felt. I was so worried when I left there that everyone would stop going. But the exact opposite has happened!!! All nine of them are still going to church!!!!!!

I am so excited to play my trombone!!! I have been listening to my CD that you sent.  Tell Mr. Fount to stay alive long enough so I can get some help from him!!! I want a scholarship after my mission and I will need someone’s help!!!

Go Logan!!!! You can totally make the team!!! But no matter what, work your tail off on the trumpet!!!!!!!!!!

I am still on my first pair of shoes and have a feeling they will make it to the end of my mission! So, no need for shoes. Just the two books and the AA battery charger. And... anything else you would like to send!!

Well, I love you all so much and am really looking forward to next week!!!! Bye!!!

February 21, 2011

It is funny how you started your letter (I hope this letter finds you healthy and happy)… because last night was not the best of nights for either of us. Both my companion and I made frequent visits to the bathroom.

It has been raining a lot. We had interviews this past week. Other than that this has been a really slow week. I feel we barely work. But it is hard when I am not senior. President Batt did mention to me that I need to be ready to become a senior and just not do what I didn’t like about my other companions. Because it is transfers again we will wait and see what happens this weekend! This week we will have a zone conference so I won’t receive anything until Friday, I think.

This transfer has just flown by. That’s why I haven’t said much about my companion. It has been hard because my companion just talks about home... that’s like all he thinks about. He has over 7 months left but that is all he thinks about. That’s all he worries about so it distracts me and him.

This coming week we are hoping to have one more baptism of the transfer to end it with 7 baptisms. I am still very far behind my goal but I have a feeling I can catch up. I have about a year left to do it so I just have to work very, very hard to get it.

Hey, so apparently word is out about the new Mission Presidents for the missions. We are getting a Brasilian so there is a lot of potential for change. Like a lot. Kind of worried about this since I don’t do very well with the whole change thing, so about 7 months with a new President will be interesting. But it will all just have to work out.

Well, this past week I butted heads with a member in the ward. He started causing problems for us which did not sit well with me so I did everything I could to deal with it. But, I had to tell President Batt and the Bishop so it is getting dealt with.

Did I mention I finished the Book of Mormon in Portuguese?

I hope Logan is writing another letter.....

So I had a weird thought, isn’t Dad’s birthday coming up???

I can’t think much of anything else for Nick to bring. It sure is nice of him to do this. Just those books, maybe a peanut butter. just random food items. And something I  keep forgetting to ask. What is the name of the girl Nick is coming to visit??? I have seen quite a bit of the mission here so there is a chance I know her!
 

Unfortunately I have little to say today. And my time is up. I’m just not feeling so hot today. Bye everyone!!! Love you all so much!!!

February 14, 2011

Well, I got the package this last Tuesday which was a rather big surprise to me! I haven’t been getting a lot of letters but I just figure they will arrive eventually if they are out there. Right now I am cleaning off my camera so I can start sending pictures more often. That’s been my main problem. I never wanted to take my card anywhere because I was afraid something would happen to it. Now that I have the USB I can back up all my photos.

(Regarding the missionary from our ward who rescued the pilot of a plane in California that had crashed into a storage facility) Figures Cameron would make the spotlight somehow! haha

Well, we baptized one more young man this week. On Sunday, I gave somewhat of a talk that I am not entirely sure everyone understood... but whatever... It was actually really funny. Here, they take going over time, like if you speak to long, very seriously. And my companion spoke too long…Usually they just hand you a paper that tells you your time is up. But let’s just say this ward does it very differently. One of the counselors pulled out this like retractable pointer, like one a teacher would use. He bent down, and then smacked my companion in the leg at which point my companion  freaks out, stops speaking, steps away from the podium and then once he figured out what happened, he finished his talk. I could not stop laughing.  It was like the biggest interruption ever!!! I think I was the only one there to notice it, other than a few of the other brethren who had the same thing done to them. It is the worst way to ever tell someone to end! It just scares them to death!!!

We are slowly coming to the end of this transfer. It is a short 5 week transfer. So we will see what happens.

The sleeping “thingys” have been nice. I have had a few weird dreams, but I at least sleep through the noise of all the cars and thunder.  It has been raining a ton here this last week.

Well, my time is up, hope you enjoyed the pictures!!!

Love you all so much! Have a great week!!!