HUMP DAY

Made it through my first year!!

Elder Ghormley and I made this shirt in honor of
all my companions.



You can't burn a shirt without a little lighter fluid.



Shirts make a way better fire than ties!

Year one officially finished!

November 14th, 2010

I can't believe that my one year mark is here on Thursday.  Today for P-day I am going to get my shirt ready for the burning.  Haha
So, this week Vera and Gildo called me and said they don't want to change their religion. But they would still like us to come over and chit chat.  That made me feel way sad and kind of mad, they both know that this is the true church but because they have been in theirs for so long, they won't make the change.  This happened with 2 others people this week as well.  Marcelo has started avoiding us again and his friend doesn't know what is going on with him.  I am feeling frustrated, annoyed and sad.  I don't know what else we can do for them.  I know I need to remember that it is our responsibility to give them a chance to hear the gospel, but it is their responsibility to accept it.
On Sunday I was asked to give a talk about the important part members play in missionary work.  I told them that we can't do everything by ourselves, we are just two Americans who don't speak the language perfectly and we need their help.  The Branch President told me it was exactly what the members needed to hear.
I can't believe what the Jazz have been doing lately!  They are just crazy!!!
Thanks for everything. I love you all.

November 7th, 2010



So funny story, this morning I went to take a shower.  Before I did, I thought to myself why is this annoying piece of paper here in the door that doesn't allow the door to shut correctly.  I think I will take it out.  I took it out and turned the handle a couple of times, everything was good.  Then I shut the door and tried to open it and well, this time it wouldn't open.  I yelled to Elder Ghormley to open it from the other side, that didn't work either.  We spent the next hour (includes taking a shower) trying to open the door.  In the end, we had to take the hinges off the door and the door off the wall.  It was an interesting experience.
I have come to hate the weather in Brazil, because it is just stupid.  One day we are dying of heat, then the next day it rains a freaking ton all day, then the next day it is super hot again and humid.  It is no fun! 
This week has been kind of difficult, a couple of days were just straight up bad.  Tuesday was some sort of holiday.  Nobody was home and if they were home, they were drunk.  We didn't teach a single person that whole day.  On Wednesday, Elder Ghormley's comp went to Londrina for a conference and so we worked in a threesome.  It is always stressful to be in a threesome.  We did work in a new area which could be really good, but it is a little bit far away.  It should be a good idea to try and work there, though.
It sounds like you had a good testimony.  Fast and testimony was good here, too.  It is funny, I think we have a couple of members that only come to church on Fast Sunday to bear their testimonies.  They are always those really interesting ones that you really don't understand.  I was the last one to bear my testimony and I truly felt something different about this one.  I felt like I gave my true testimony, not just the one everybody has and says.  It was a cool experience, several members told me it was a good one.
I sent home a pic with my new pillowcase.  Can you tell the YW thanks for me!
I love you all so, so much.

Happy Halloween



I know, I have really hairy feet.








So first off, I believe that Brazil has never heard of Halloween in its life and that is just sad.  I think this was the most I have thought about home in a long time, because I love the Halloween season.  All of the scary movies that come out, including my favorite the last SAW movie.  Which was one of the last movies I saw before I left.  But I know this is where I need to be, so I will just keep on keeping on.

This week was a pretty decent week, nothing like super amazing happened.  It was super freaking hot!! And not only that, it decide to rain on us the whole week.  I don't like HOT, HUMID, RAINY weather.  It is just not me at all.
Funny story...Remember the picture of my feet, where they were all super ugly and infected looking?  Yeah, I found out I have athlete's foot.  My the top part of my sandals that I wear in the shower would never get dried out and so the goo was making my feet infected.  Remember how I hate flip flops?  Well, I still hate them, but I had to by a pair to wear in the shower.  I have had  them about a week and my feet are getting better.  I still don't like them, but they are cool glow-in-the-dark!

This week we have taught a ton of people that all seem to have potential, but we are still struggling with getting them to come to church.  Marcelo didn't come to church yesterday and I don't know why!!  We did have one investigator, Samara, come to church yesterday.  But for some reason the branch president decided he wanted to talk to her, they had a like 25 minute talk on I have know idea what.  Now, she isn't sure what to think about the church.  We taught Vera and Gildo the WOW and they said they would totally try to follow it.  They were even going to come to church today and then there kids came from Curbito for the weekend, so they couldn't come.  Guilherme, the guy with the depressed mom, we challenged him to read the BofM.  He said he thought it was way interesting and he would keep reading it.  That would be totally sweet, but we will see how that goes.

Today is transfers and it looks like I will be staying with my comp for at least one more transfer.  I hope I stay here through Thanksgiving because I totally marked our lunch with a lady named Bia.  She lived in the US for 20 years and has an American husband, so that would be an awesome lunch I think. But, yeah, that was my exciting week.

I can't believe the Jazz lost to the Suns.  Elder Ghormley is from Arizona and he is giving me crap now.

I don't have much time left because I was kind of lazy today and now my time is running out.  But I love you all so so so much and I miss you all so much.