Summer in Brazil

Hello all!

This week turned out to be really good for me. I know this because now that I sit at this keyboard, I'm just really tired, haha. I hope that you are well.

The biggest news is that I'm getting into a really good rhythm in this area such that when the day comes for me to be transferred, I know that I’m gonna be really sad. This week my companion and I received a tour of our chapel-in-progress by the man that baptized my companion as a missionary in Salvador and who is now working n the construction firm that is building our chapel's addition. This experience was really neat and really made me want to stay here even more because if they meet their deadline, the building will be ready in May and I really want to use it in the missionary work here.

Yesterday we had ten investigators at church for the third time in four weeks! We are working with some very special people and for the first time in my mission I'm really feeling that the Lord is giving me success and trusting me that I will do my part. Because we are really being so blessed! I've mentioned before that we are teaching a young man named Alexsander. He is 18 years old and will be baptized this Sunday! One day as we were walking through his "favela" type neighborhood (ghetto almost), he stopped us and told us that he used to go out with a Mormon girl. He said that he already read the Book of Mormon and that he wanted to be baptized and serve a mission in order to marry her. Some that read this might not give him much credit. But as we've taught him, it is apparent that he is a very talented, spiritual, and genuinely nice person. He will be an incredible member and missionary. He has much to learn. But as he showed us pictures of 'Vanessa' last night, I jokingly said, "Now we know your motive!" But he gently replied, "She’s not my motive, I really want this." I was touched. The only difficultly is his schedule as he is serving his one year in the Exercito Brasileiro (Brazilian Army), but we are managing well by visiting with him every weekend. For not having parents that support him, I respect Alex, just as I respect all of my investigators, for the example his is of faith to me.

Also we are teaching a family of a mom, four children (28, 25, 19, and 6) and a few other relatives. We first went to the house in search of a different contact I had made previously. As I clapped outside the house, a strange Maicon (pronounced Michael, 19) whom I had never met before came out and said, "Come in, come in." I asked if my contact lived here and he said no. But it turns out that other elders previous to us had visited them just a few times and randomly vanished, which I'm discovering happens a lot. Maria, Maicon, and a quiet Andrêa (28) received us very respectfully and a little awkwardly. Èder (25) didn't listen as he was already leaving to a social occasion with a cigarette in his mouth and a cool motorcycle under his legs. The visit went well and they accepted the Book of Mormon with an invitation to read and pray. Over the next few weeks, we taught commandments in the midst of really getting to know these people well. As we told stories, talked about the problems of life, and prayed with them, we saw them slowly open up to us well. Maicon always was more religious, and more crazy, and he always agreed to pray when we asked him, but Andrêa was always more shy. We are watching them slowly let go of the addictions of smoking and coffee. And yesterday they all went to church together where after a very wonderful Gospel Principles class, Andrêa volunteered to give the closing prayer. She thanked the Lord for the class, for us being at church, and for two elders who had knocked on her family's door, not asking for anything from them, but wanting to help her family know God.

So, we have some wonderful people that we are teaching. These next weeks to come I hope to be able to send you pictures of baptisms, lots and lots of baptisms! And another day I'll tell you of Ricardo and family, Luis and Claiton and Èlen, and Ingrid and Euvira. But for now, I hope you enjoy this picture of me and Irmão Paulo grilling a galeto, which is a churrasco of just chicken.

Dad, I loved the audio books I’ve been listening to, especially the meaning of the temple by Hugh Nibley that I listened to this week. I don't really need anything in a package. I will love whatever you send me. But if you find the Joseph Smith movie or the Testaments in Portuguese that will work here, send that.

I'm learning more about patience these weeks of my life than I ever have before! My companion's difficult sometimes SUPER difficult [Jason's companion in native Brazilian and a new convert before his mission ANd really trunky and going home soon...:)]. But I know he’s good deep down inside. And it helps to remember that he didn’t have the blessings I did growing up. I dunno. But I know that right now I’m happy. So I'm good.

I love you. Take care. Tchau,
Jason