Alo!

Weeheww.... this week has been crazy. That is an understatement, this week has been nutz! We started the week off with a bunch of investigators that weren't exactly doing so hot, we cut them. BUMMER when your investigators aren't progressing, but they are doing it to themselves, not you. We taught a family of 10 girls last weekend right? They all acepted the invitation to read the first livrinho and pray. Well, we returned and there was only one girl there, the 16-year old... bummed and slightly disapointed, we asked her if she prayed and read. The people here are typically very honest with us because they have the fear of lying before God, so normally people say, "to be truthfull, no, I didn't..." and then continue with excuses about laundry and such...but she responded yes, I read and I prayed, I didn't feel anything for now, but I'll continue! We gave her a Book of Mormon and explained it and had an excelent lesson, that was one of the highlights of the week. The other highlight was when we went to go visit the family that went to church last week, of whom we had no idea who they were. Their house reminds me a lot of Brother Grigsby's, poor, but a home filled of love, comfort food made on a wood stove, and lots of chemarrão, LOTS of chemarrão. Well, we visited them thursday night, they live an hour away from Erechim, but are still part of our area, so we took a bus out there. they live in a little farming community out in the mountains of Viadutros, close to Gaurama. I absolutely love it there, away from the city, I have learned recently that I do not enjoy the city life, I want a farm when I am older. That is beside the point. They have 5 kids, the youngest of which is 9, and two of which do not live at home. We invited them all to continue going to the church and to study the Book of Mormon and pray. We also invited them all to be baptized on the 24th of this month. They all said that if they feel prepared, the would love to be baptized! They are incredible. The mother was telling me while I was drinking the chemarrão, that during the winter, when it gets really cold (about 20 degrees farenheit) everybody in their family gathers around the wood stove every night and they tell stories about their past and read scriptures together, what a family perfect for the church. The only problem is that their income is EXTREMELY limited, and it costs 10 reals round trip to go to Erechim, X5 for each person in the family each Sunday, would be a HUGE burden on the family so they are going to try and come every other week. Bishop wants to go out there with the missionaries every other week that they don't come and host a sacrament meeting out there with all the members out in those two towns. We are currently asking President Wright to see if we can open a branch out there and put a permanent set of missionaries out there (of course I would volunteer, that place would be heaven to work in, everybody is humble, but sincere, and they keep commitments.... :D) we shall see. For now, due to our limited income and time, we can only visit once a week, but we will see, we will see....

Today we are having our PDAY da Zona!!!! here in Passo Fundo, we have 18 elders in our Zone, and so we are playing football *(soccer), which is very not fun to play because the brazileiros are so good that when anybody (me) let the ball go, and is a clutz...they get upset. Volleyball, which is fun because I am actually pretty good at it, and of course the intense goofieness that happens when you put 18 elders together....due to the lack of sisters in our zone, photos of girlfriends, exgirlfriend, future girlfriends, and a couple of fiancés get passed around, compliments are always expected. It's pretty funny and good humored.

To the bummer part of the week. Wednesday afternoon, I got sick. We ate lunch, were walking aound visiting some people (about half an hours walk away from our apartment) and all of a sudden I hit a wall. Well, more like my stomach got flung against a wall. For the next few days I puked and killed all of the cockroaches that live in the pipes below the toilet...if you catch my drift....(I get double points for the play on words hahaha) but seriously, the last few days have been miserable...and just as I think I'm getting better, I start puking again. I am starting to see a pattern though, usually when I eat meat, I puke, so I'm going easy on the churrasco, which we have had several times since then, normally I would be overjoyed to eat churrasco, but, hey, what am I to do huh?

Anyway, I am so glad to hear from you guys, here in a couple of weeks I will call and set an hour to skype with yall on mothers day...which is different than in the US, so, yeah. Help the missionaries in your ward, go on visits with them, (TANNER DO THIS!) learn the principles taught in Preach my Gosple, live them, love them. BE AWESOME

 

Te amo, e A Igreja é verdadeira

Elder Eliason