"As I Search The Holy Scriptures"

"Well it was awesome to talk to you all on Christmas!

This week was fairly uneventfull other than that.

Lately we have been trying to work a lot more with the members. Missionary work is impossible without the members. Well at least it is here.

It was a very interesting Christmas. Being ridiculously far from home (please go on google earth or something and find how far Fresno is from Quarai for me- miles and Kilometers), and also it being ridiculously hot, it didn't really feel much like Christmas, but it's all good. All in all, it was very strange.

Lately, I have been absolutely loving the sunsets and sunrises here. We're basically out in the middle of nowhere, and beyond the city, there are just fields and hills, there are just crazy cool colors in the sky sometimes..

There is a fruit bus here. This 50 year old bus that drives around at 1 mph selling fruit. Pretty sweet.

Yesterday we sung ´´Estudando as Escrituras´´ in priesthood. Guess which song that is? Hahha. I absolutely love that song now. It used to be just kind of annoying when Dad would always want to sing it for Family Night. Then it became a big joke. But now I really love that song."

Feliz Natal pra vocés!

"I believe I would have to say, that if I have learned one thing so far in these 5 months, it is how totally super awesome The Book of Mormon is. I just could not describe it. I just wish everyone in the world would start reading it every day. I'm currently on Alma 45 in Portugues, and also in Corintians in the Novo Testamento. But The Book of Mormon is just so much more aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawesome.

We have really been trying to focus more in doing lessons with members. As I see it, it is the only way we are going to have success. We have been teaching a bajillion lessons a week, but it is impossible to get people to church, the people here are just a bit lazy in general. Half of the inactive members don't even show up for the first hour of class (we have that flipped schedule here where we have sacrament meeting last).
But anyway, what we really need to do, is make every investigator a friend with someone, and have that someone stop by their house Sunday morning.

This week should be interesting. I'm not sure what we will do Christmas Eve and Christmas. We are supposed to be working, but I don't know who is going to want us in their house. Well, we'll see.
I found out something interesting this week. Quarai has the most members per capita in all of Brazil. Wow. And we just have 4 branches here. As I said, there are a LOT of inactives!"

Use this as your Christmas card

1-MERRY CHRISTMAS! - use this as your christmas card

"Well, this week we got a new missionary in our house/district. Elder Silva Santos was traded for Elder Cerqeira, another nordestino (person from the northeast) Elder Cerqeira seems like a cool guy. He's got a few tattoos, haha. He was baptized just a few years ago.
Here's a little something to make Connor jealous- there are a ton a Fiat and Peugeot cars here. I probably see more every day than you have seen your whole life.
Our washing máquina broke the other day, so we had to fix it yeaaah.
Then we had Zone Conference this week over in Livramento. That was cool. We learned some sweet stuff, and also it was cool to meet some new missionaries, especially since almost the entire district in Livramento was changed since the last Zone Conference.
The other day I was thinking about animal life here. I was with this member, and he said he had never seen a Squirrel up close before. Its funny how the most basic and mundane thing for us is strange and foreign to them, and vice versa.
Its really funny how people lie to us sometimes. We knocked at this house, and the 6 year old daughter answered the door, we asked if her parents were home, and heard an adult voice from the house say ´´NO!´´ and then the daughter repeated for us ´´no´´. Parents teaching their kids to lie. Wonderful isnt it?
Also, yesterday this guy got super mad at us. Apparently he was just infuriated at the Idea that 2 young men knocked at his house wanting to talk about Jesus Christ. Hahaha wow.
Being Bilingual is pretty much the coolest thing ever.
Well the weather here has just been way way hot. Just imagine June weather, maybe a bit hotter. But then randomly yesterday it was cold and windy and rainy. But today it is back to super hot."

Don't worry, I'm a good boy.

"Então, the big news around here in Brazil the last few weeks, is that craziness is happening in Rio de Janeiro, like quase civil war between the police, and the huge gigantic ridiculous drug business up there.

Today I saw a Beedrill. Okay not really, but almost. it was a very large insect that looks just like one. Kinda cool but also really not. Haha.

Also, its really weird singing Christmas songs for Sacrament meeting when it is over 40 degrees C outside. That means like, over 100 degrees F. Yay. It's pretty awesome for walking around on the street all day.

I set up the Christmas decorations you sent me, I'll send you a picture. Don't worry, I'm a good boy, I didnt open the presents yet. The pistachios were a good idea, but the bag exploded in the box and by the time I got them they were stale.

Lately I have been thinking and working hard on being bold. As a missionary, you really have to be bold. You must boldly declare the truth, so that the people can have no doubt that we are the true church of Christ, the same that he organized 2000 years ago.

Lately I have been making a lot of limeade ( like fresh from a real lime). Its super cheap because 1 lime makes 1 liter, and one lime only costs like 30 centavos, which would be like less than 20 American cents.

Also, with respect to Portugues, let's just say that now, whenever I need to look up a word, I look it up in the real Portugues dictionary I bought, that has thorough definitions in Portugues. Pretty awesome.

The other day I saw and handeled an ostrich egg. Living in another country is so aweomse. You learn so much. It has expanded my mind and universe in a way that I can only compare to how music and books have. I remember when I submitted my papers, there was a thing where you could say how much you wanted to learn another language, 1 through 10. I put 10 without hesitation. Haha.

Other countries do have their downsides though. As it has been getting way hotter, insects have also been... proliferating...(what a miracle I remember such an intellectual English word). There are always ants crawling around and stuff ( not like a lot a lot, but enough to notice). At night, If I dont make sure my door and window is completely shut and I have the fan on, I wake up multiple times a night getting eaten up by bugs.

The other day I heard the school band playing ´´The Final Coutdown´´
Elder Silva Santos got transferred so we will be getting a new Brazilian here.
All in all, things are hard but awesome.
I love you all!"

note from mom: a Beedrill is a pokemon - I'm so out of it I had to look it up on the internet!