The Classiest Nut in Brazil: Macaco nas calças feito de borracha...... (monkey in rubber pants)

well, this week has been tiresome...

Wonderful to hear from home, I'm really bummed about the shooting....that blows, and also the political implications mean that the ********** will get more sway about gun restrictions...which is unfortunate for everybody....

well, this week we did 3 moves...(helped 3 families move), carried 4 refrigerators up/down a 5 flights of stairs.... had a christmas conference (see the photos from cousin egberts...???) and fought against the forces of evil...

but seriously....

Last P-day, i was feeling really lethargic...and even though I didn't take a nap, I failed at my cleaning duties, planning duties, and any other duties that I had to take care of....except my eating duties... and elder Bryant had a little bit of inspiration to help me get back on my feet.....

this week, I lead and taught every lesson...he sat back and testified about what I was saying and how it is true.... yeah. well, yeah.... -.- that was not pleasant...I made every decision as to where we would proselyte, who we would visit (he helped planning at night, but still) and what houses to knock....yeah, it was good. extremely stressful...especially since there were some EXTREMELY delicate situations we had to take care of...including but not exclusively- Abusive parents, crack-cocaine, extreme amounts of alcohol, family disputes.....etc... things of the world. these things happen, but we have to get over it and press forward...

on a more positive note...on friday, we had the christmas dual-zone conference where every district had to perform a skit.... our district, the smallest one since it includes us and farropillia...had a tough time creating something creative...so we made poems about Christmas (with slight bits of humor) and sang Angles we have heard on High....in portuguese of course..it was off beat, tune deaf, and completely terrible, but the brazileiros loved it.... later that evening we went from Caxias do Sul (where the conference was) to Farropiliah to do a baptismal interview (it has been over a year since they've had a baptism there) and then headed back here to bento to have the chrstmas dinner with the ward (and to our amazement, we had investigators show up w/ desserts :D) it was a fun day..i got zapped by an electric fly killer..ate my weight in pastels....I could eat those all day....stepped on a cat (no regrets right?)

oh, and I got one package!?!?!?!?!? im sorry, didn't realize that it was a christmas gift, so I opened it! thank you so much mom!!!! that footsie is incredible, it's a piece of wood carved with ridges to soften the Plantar's facia....an incredible invention that has been working miracles for my aching feet. and I got a couple of letters too....there were 2 that made me smile though...Renee, there is no snow here in brazil right now...its actually extremely hot, and any missionary who tries to go out wearing more than just a white t-shirt and slacks and the backpack would pass out....and of course BJ...you are hillarious...I love your letters, you make me laugh so much...I especially like the one that you sent where you dropped the waffle on it and there were waffle stains...it was perfect! and guess what...we got permission to skype.....so we're going to have to figure out where we can skype.....but yeah :D

which brings me to my next thing.....today we recieved a call during our exercise time that told me that I am being transfered...I know not where, but i have to be at the Rodoviária in Porto Alegre tomorrow morning at 11....so yeah, specualtion is that I'm going to be opening a new area with another elder...since there is a positive influx of missionaries....over the last 3 transfers (so amazing...before they were closing areas because they were losing more elders than gaining) but now, my arrival, they lost 3 and gained 9....last transfer they lost 2, and gained 8, this transfer is supposed to be the same way....and for every other positive new elder, they have to open up a new area to work in. miracles for the Rio Grande do Sul :)

and yes dad, they do tithing settlements here too...

I have eaten at all-you-can-eat buffets 3 times this past week and 3 times the previous week...when lunches with members fall though, (ie they forget, even though we call them the day before, or they can't) they usually give us a bit of money to go eat out...which is nice of them, and depending on how much they give us...can be EXTREMELY nice for us....but we love the home-made meals, oh well....I would like to thank you mother for making me eat beets when I was a kid, I love them, and they are served with almost every restaraunt meal here...along with pickled carrots (pretty good) and usually 2 or 3 leaves of lettuce. all of course with salt and vinegar over top like normal. one of the ladies that I baptized 2 months ago, Enecir, made us each a fruit cake....or Bolo de Natal...as they say here cake of christmas...but it's fruit cake...it is absolutely incredible, I ate it all over the course of 24 hours, its even better if you put it in the microwave and spread butter (well, butter-like-substance here) over the top...incredible

anyways, the spirit of christmas to me is... service, in remembrance for how much Jesus Christ did for us, see Alma 7 for a glimpse.... it's Alma talking about what Christ will do... absolutely incredible.

anyways I'll hit you up with the pictures

much love always

Elder E.