(Email to Mom 10-e) It's been kind of a short week. We have some baptisms this week of a married couple and another man. Elder Gannon will be happy to know Fabio and Suelen are getting baptized! Also, a man named Eduardo.
We are going into the city center today. We may pass by the Amazon Theater and get some photos or something.
Tell the Nichols thank you for the letter. I got it on Monday.
I also got the Package!!! Swedish fish, rips and peach rings!!! YAY!
On March 16 I will have 6 months in Brazil already. It is just going by so fast. Sam got his Eagle?!?! WOW! Don't wait for me. It's better to do things when you can.
Not much really happened this last week. When we have baptisms, we end up putting a lot of time into letting everyone know and making sure that the new people are doing good. It's hard to visit everyone all the time. Then it rains and throws all scheduling out the window.
One thing that has been happening is that a few people we are teaching have relatives that are dying, and another has a son that got shot last Sunday. I am just so thankful for the plan of salvation and for the help it brought to these people. And to me.
Sorry, hope I have more next week. I am doing good. Just super tired.
(Email to Dad 10-e) Eu estou bem. que legal! Gideon chegou já? Faz muito tempo desde a última quarta-feira, na?
Anywho, Translation--> I am well. Cool! Gideon already arrived? It has been a lot of time since the last Wednesday, huh?
So the Virgin River trickle is still at a low? There are bigger rivers running down the roads here when it rains for one day than what's in that ditch.
I haven't been using my arms much these past six months, so I don't have much muscle anymore from tennis season. My legs are huge from all the hills and walking and soccer, though. Well, not huge, but bigger.
I saw some of the ice dancing (Olympics) while we were at lunch the other day. It looks coooooold... They also played footage of the Georgian guy dying. How sad! Send the missionaries right away!
Work is going good here. We have 3 baptisms this Friday. A married couple and another man. We had zone conference this Monday and President Jayme went over the importance of baptizing men and families, and Elder Seastrand and I were some of the only ones who aren't baptizing little kids and young women this transfer. The mission goal for the year is 2000 baptisms with 30% men. Last year they had about 2200 baptisms with I think 19%. The goal was only 25%, but since the last few months we have been hitting it, we upped it to 30. Church starts at 8:30 here (morning, yay....) with priesthood, then Sunday school, and everyone comes in for sacrament at the end. The other ward, Grande Vitória (Great Victory) starts at 9 with a regular sacrament, Sunday school, priesthood schedule. There is usually between 50-80 people every week. There are a lot of inactive people in this ward, and it's on the edge of becoming a branch again unless they can get more mel. priesthood holders. (Which we are giving them. :) )
Money is good. Both of our old Zone leaders went home or transferred, so we have new ones now. I'm starting to build up my reserve again. We get R$100 every two weeks, and I try to put at least R$20 in it every time.
On March 16 I will already have 6 months! Where is the time going, dad? It's just shooting by and I am still in my first area.
Oh! I got a mission dvd of 2009. It's like a slideshow of different areas in the mission. I am going to try and burn a copy and send it to you. It's pretty cool. My area is in it. It shows the stairs into the "pit of despair" and our house.
The closest elders live 3 apartments over in our building. We live on one end, and they are about 50 feet down. They work in the other ward in my building. There is also a branch in our district (Cidade do leste--> East City) with a couple more elders. We may have another branch form soon in our area also. I pretty much live in the area on the furthest part away from the city center.
There are some parts of my area I haven't even been to. It is HUGE. I went out past the factory industrial zone to visit some less active members with Elder Gannon one time, but it took about an hour round trip to walk that far. Barely anyone has a car in my area and those that do, work.
Thanks for the talk! It was super good! I'm not as homesick as you think I am. And I am having a really good time. Do I come off as sounding depressed? ooops. hahaha.
We are going to the city center today. We may pass the theater amazonas and take some pictures and stuff.
I'm doing good. Love you tons papai. (pah-pie) (daddy)
