Lets start with Tuesday!!!

Tuesday: We were given permission to go to the temple! So, we had lunch with Mara, went to the temple and got back to our house at 9... That was our whole day. Though, I was super happy to finally go to the temple here... And finally was able to buy stuff... I bought so much stuff at the temple for about... 11 dollars. :D 

Wednesday and Thursday I´ll do together because... Nothing happened.

I got sick, so Wednesday we went to lunch, then came back to the house, slept and studied for 2 days... Didn´t leave the house... that was a whole lot of not fun...Though, fun fact. I learned that even in a different country, I cry during Charly! I guess some things will never change right?!??!

Friday:  We had service in the morning with Mara, then tried to work 3 days worth in 1 day to make up for the sick days... Didn´t work so well, we walked around in the hot sun for hours but hey, we tried!! We had one appointment (FHE) With a less active family and watched the other side of Heaven and had dinner, so it wasn´t a complete waste of a day!

Saturday we had a ``Chá de missionários`` The ward here has 4 people leaving for a mission in the next couple month, so a normal thing here is for everyone from the ward to come to this chá and give presents, socialize, all the missionaries give a little talk, all the leaders. Elder R. Ferreira and I spoke too.(IT´s kinda fun being able to joke in português) It was a fun night with the ward, and a bunch of their family who aren´t members, (1 we´vestarted teaching) 

Sunday: Was a normal sunday, church, lunch, hot sun, trying... But yesterday was worse than usual becuase Gremio and Inter played, so once 4 came around, everyone was sitting on the street... 1 problem, everyone was sitting on the street, with a beer, watching the game...

That was my week in a nutshell! Still waiting for the transfer news!

UPDATE:  Transfers!!!!!!!!!!  I will stay in the same area with the same comp... That´s all the news we´ve gotten so far... Hmmmm, that didn´t help much.

photo outside of the church before the baptism last week

First off this photo is with Jefferson, he´ll be leaving for his mission in June... To Boston. after 5 weeks of being without a camera charger, he gave me one because he lost his camera and had it laying around... I need to think of something to give him... I can finally start taking pictures again!

Sunday: During sacrament meeting one of the members of the primary presidency gave a talk, and during her talk she started to cry... Well, one of the cutest things I've ever seen happened... ONe of the primary kids ran up to the pulpit and handed her a tissue... That was the only rememberable thing about Sunday, this is still in the heat of Carnival, so other than that it wasn´t much.

Monday: This was quite the day... Well, Elder Williams parents came down to pick him up, and they took 20 missionaries to lunch (paid for all the food and drinks) at one of the nicest churrascarias in POA. I can´t lie and say I didn´t enjoy it. After that we came back to our house and played games and had a normal P-day!!! IT was a good way to celebrate Elder Williams last day!

Tuesday: Carnival is still going strong. Though I forgot to mention that during the district amigo last week I found a Marcado Justin and a resturant named Los Hermanos... Those are both on my list of things to take a picture with as soon as I get my camera charger.

Wednesday: We finally got some work done!!! We decided to just go around and make new investigators so, that´s exactly what we did, after some dtime of duing that, we had an appointment with Carol and Dudu, we read the 10 commandments with them, and they´re still just perfect, waiting for the water. 

Thursday: We went on splits with some members from the ward, and made more new investigators, I went with Diovani, his dad´s the ward mission leader, he leaves on his mission in 2 weeks to the São Paulo Ribero Preto mission. We went around and makde new investigators, and I tried my luck at being the senior companion for a day... it wasn´t too horrible!!!! 

Friday: WE had district amigo, this time in our ward, Elder Hokanson (DL) went on splits with Elder R. Ferreira so he could do the baptism interviews for Carol and Dudu, so I was with Elder Affleck... I have better Portuguese than him... Well, once again it wasn´t to horrible.  I´m ready to be the senior!!!! Lol, maybe in 6 months... Well the baptism interviews went perfect. Elder Hokanson said he´d never interviewed somebody so prepared. :D

Saturday: BAPTISM!!! I was able to baptize Dudu and E. R. Ferreira baptized Carol. It was the best baptismal service of my mission so far. The spirit was strong, the ward attendence was good, everyone was happy, Rodrigo was there as well. We took good photos, told the story of how we met them, and didn´t have to do anything... ( I didn´t mention that Carol said the week leading up to her baptism was the hardest week of her life) but it all worked out, everyone is happy!!! Then we worked during the day, tried to follow up on some of the new investigators, then had dinner with Carol and Dudu to celebrate!!!! :D

Sunday: First we had daylight savings here... I didn´t know that, good thing E. R. Ferreira did... Right? No, he moved the clock the wrong way, church here starts at 8:30... We showed up to the chappel at 6:30. Uh huh... Our one day of the year to sleep an hour more!!! We slept an hour less. Well, tudo bem. We had the confirmations of Carol and Dudu, I confirmed Dudu... It was a lot better this time than it was the last time I confirmed someone... Not great, but better. The bishop invited Carol to give her testimoney ( I don´t know how to spell that word, that´s probably one I should learn) and she is one of the shyest people when it comes to speaking, but she did it!!! :D and of course everyone loved it. The ward is really helping bring her and Dudu in, this is the first family baptized here in over 3 years. We then walked around in the heat of the sun, talking to almost no one... So we went to Mara´s at about 6, stayed there until 9 helping her with her new furniture, and eating. When we shared the message with her she cried (2nd time in a row) she told us for the first time in 10 years the messages are starting to hit her with emotion constantly, I think we´re the first missionaries in who knows how long to talk about baptism with her... Here´s to hoping!!!

I love you all! Sorry for the lack of email last week! :D

Well... I´ll start the big email now... And finish it plus more on Monday!!! :D

Baptism will be on this Saturday for Carol and Dudu (Eduardo)!!!

Tuesday: Lunch was with Mara, we had an appointement with Carol and Dudu that night, we ended up staying there from 6 until 9. WE just start talking, and keep goind because she´s alwasys asking questions wanting to know... and other than that we walked around on the street for a long time trying to make contacts of people that didn´t care... Oh well, we tried, right!!! Qualify every day!!!

Wednesday: District meeting, lunch, taught a couple 1st lessons... Miracle I know!!! Then the good thing... We didn´t do anything after 4 o clock... That´s not true. It was Maras birthday so we had her party... We bought stuff for a yoki ( i don´t know if that´s spelled right) Elder Xavier and Elder William bought a cake and drinks, then Mara made yoki, while we basically babysat... The sisters came over at about 6 to eat... And it was just a fun night!!! It wasn´t the best use of our time but it wasn´t exactly the worst eitehr!!! There were 3 investigators and 4 less active members there!!! I´ll justify it as good.

Thursday: Lunch was in our house... Becuase we have some members here that don´t like to give us lunch... NOt really, it was just the wife and daughter at home, because he works so they like to give us the food, then we take it to our house and eat. Then we took a list of 15 less active families on 2 streets, and walked up and down it trying to talk to them... Nobody was home, or they´d moved or they´d died... Until the very last house we talked to an old lady who´s served a mission, and everything, she´s just sick... But she came to church this Sunday!!! :D Then, we had an appointment/dinner with Carol and Dudu... We watched the Joseph Smith movie... Carol cried... Quite a bit. Then we ate. :D The best part for a fatty like me!!! 

Friday: We had a training with President Castro in the morning... We´re going to have a training every week with him until April because our zone is splitting, in preperation for the stake split here... We´re forming a Zone Viamão next transfer, and getting 6 new missionaries in the zone, including 2 more in Montanha!!! After that we did a new thing called distric atmigo... Where the whole district works in one ward for the day,k making contacts and new investigators for them. We worked in the sisters ward, and next week is ourt turn!

Well, I would like to start off by saying in July I picked the superbowl correctly.

 

Now, to the important stuff.

(Sorry this email is gonna be short, we´re pushing time today)

 

Tuesday:We had a district meeting, nothing special. Then we taught Carol and Eduardo... They´re still perfect. Then we had dinner With Mara. (Mara is our mom away from home, she´s not a member but her kids are. We eat there 3ish times a week.)

 

Wednesday:This was the one day of the week I forgot to use sunscreen. And this was the one day that I needed it, we walked on the street for 6 hours without entering a single house becuase everyone is leaving for the beach and preparing for carnival next week. So, after 6 hours, I was burned and feeling sick. We stopped at a members house for the last 2 hou

rs of the night, then went home and I slept like  a baby.

 

Thursday:Another day of walking around the streets without a purpose because all of our investigators, and less active members left. I don´t know if ya´ll are catching the trend yet, but this was pretty much our whole week, and will be the next 2 weeks as well until carnival ends.

 

Friday: Friday, we were supposed to decorate the chappel for a talent show, but we showed up at about 7, and it was locked. So, we went to the house of the other elders here and made posters and stuff to hang

up the next day...ç This was all that happened, because during the day nobody was home... Shocker right? We´ve visited a lot of members this week.

 

Saturday: Well, I woke up with a pain in my stomach... Thinking it was a hernia from all the walking..AFter a little while of not being able to handle it anymore, I called sister castro, she said go to the hospital becuase all the Dr. Offices are closed. We did that after lunch. Sat in the hospital for a bit, they checked me out. And they think nothing is wrong, hernia wise. Though the doctor said I have a weak muscle in my stomach from the surgery. So they gave me a steriod thing that I´ll take, and if it doesn´t get any better they´ll reevaluate. As of now, everything well, but we haven´t done too much walking yet. After the hospital, we went to the talent show and that was our day... Again, wasn´t a very produtive week.

 

Sunday: Carol and Eduardo came to church, they liked it alot. Like I said... Perfect investigators. After that we walked around the street for a while, went to the house of 10 what would be new investigators... Nobody was home. Then we went to

some members houses and shared LMR (lessons members reffered) (a lesson we do with members trying to get references)

 

And that was my week. Sorry it was boring and short, with no photos, my camera is dead and the battery is at my last house in Pelotas, I´m waiting for it, I should get it next Zone conference... I´ll try to do better next week. Love you all!