Dearest Family and Friends!
Man, so much news from the other side! Thank you so much for all the letters and pictures (especially you Lynsey!) and for putting up new entries on the web and everything! I feel so loved! I'm having fun trying to get all the pictures onto my iPod and other fun technology stuff while I type up this message.
So, news about this week... we finally got back to a normal pace of work, and that is great, but the transfer is almost over and so I feel kinda frustrated, that we might have to leave our investigators to the arriving missionaries, if I leave. But I have a feeling that I will stay in Maracanau... maybe that's just me wanting to stay here but, who knows. Right now I have a great companion, a fantastic area, an awesome ward, and one of the best missionary houses in Ceara... I don't want to leave any of it behind! I'm so blessed right now! But change is a coming in one way or another, starting January 17th. Who knows, this could be my last P-Day!
Hey, Mom, one day for personal study I picked up Erastus Snow Carpenter's document, his auto-biography, if you will, that he wrote in 1909. I read the whole thing in one sitting! It was so interesting and cool. It made me think, and Elder Matias is very interested to know... how far does our family really go back in the Church? Who can we really call our first ancestor who entered the Church? It would be interesting to know and I could tell members and investigators, too. Yeah, his life story was very neat to read.
On Tuesday Elder Matias and I left for the Mission Office in the center of Fortaleza, using the bus, because we needed to get some paperwork for a marriage for a couple we could baptize if we stay here next transfer. While there I had my transfer interview with President Batt and he told me the main thing I should be working on is waking up, every single day, before or at 6:30 AM. I haven't been exactly obedient with this for the last few weeks, though it's sort of something I let slide only recently, but it definitely felt like the Lord was telling me I need to pay more attention to how I am spending my mission. So every day I have been waking up at 6:30 and my week has been much better, more spiritual. Definitely an inspired interview.
Speaking of sleeping, well, you will find a picture which describes everything.
Flying ant season sucks... we found five titanic flying ants in our house when we returned home. Like, the size of your thumb. And lots of littler ones. So we shut all the windows and the doors and turned off the lights as if preparing for a nightly siege, just like in I Am Legend. I wrapped myself in my blanket mummy-style and wrapped my head in some net-like material and went to sleep with the fan roaring right by my ears to keep the bugs off.
So, our best new investigators of note include one boy who has been to church with friends several times and only needs to be taught the lesson. His name is Paulseza and he is pretty cool, I think fourteen years old and its pretty certain he will be baptized. Then we have Marina, who is very interested in the gospel, but she has a sad story. Her boyfriend who she was living with was taught by the missionaries and wanted to get baptized, but he was waiting for his marriage documents to go through. Just a week ago he passed away after a motorcycle accident. This caused Marina to contact us through some member friends of hers, and now she wants to be taught and baptized into the Church. She is really enthusiastic by the doctrine of Temple Work and wants to get baptized as soon as possible so that she can possibly get sealed to her would-be husband. I am not sure how that would really work, if that's possible while one is living and one is on the other side, but I am sure she is working with the bishop and such, and we just are having a very spiritual time teaching her about the Gospel and the Plan of Salvation.
I gave a talk yesterday in Sacrament Meeting, in Portuguese! About missionary work and how fear (especially of sharing the gospel) is a creation of the Adversary and how we can be more confident as members by sharing the gospel with others. It was supposed to be five minutes long and I went overtime, seven minutes, but the members were very impressed. Many people complimented on my Portuguese and my talk after wards and I was beaming with appreciation. Many said they were very impressed my Portuguese is the way it is only after four months here! Who knew, me, above average with the Portuguese language... it felt very good to be congratulated on my hard work.
That was pretty much my week! I guess I should move onto responses.
First of all, I got all the letters from Mom's side of the family! Oh man, those were so great to read! I loved all the drawings, especially from the little cousins. I want to reply to them individually, I hope I will be able to do so soon, but I'd just like to thank everyone for them, they really warmed my spirits and I've looked at them more than once in the last week. I got the letter from Seth and Lacey too, that was very nice. However, I have not received a package from Grandma yet. She sent it a while ago, didn't she? Hm.
Lynsey! Thanks for the two huge letters! Your holiday sounds like it was SWEET. You lucky punk! Six Flags and an aweSome iPod and Sherlock Holmes, Sushi and Snow Boarding. Lots of words starting with S, there, hmmm... Awesome goal, reading the Book of Mormon twice. You can do it! Just read thirty minutes a day and you'll achieve your goal and be blessed to! One of the prophets said that reading the Book of Mormon for thirty minutes every day would bring very special blessings so keep it up! Great idea for -------, its probably a time in her life she would need it. Maybe include something in the Book of Mormon like "My Great-Grandpa died when I was __ and I have been reassured a lot by the fact that after this life, our families can live together eternally in the presence of our Heavenly Father. The Book of Mormon explains about this here..." Look in PMG under the 2nd Lesson for some good scripture references maybe you could use. If you can get a pamphlet about the Plan of Salvation from the missionaries that would be better than the cards, but the cards could still be good. Ask the missionaries there for their advice, if they come over soon, but don't wait too long! She needs help now ... if you wait too long, it might be too late. Good luck! Explain to Heavenly Father this plan in your prayers and ask for help, and listen for answers. I know you are very busy, but find a good calm part of the day to do this and try your best to keep the spirit when doing it. I know you will be blessed if you reach out to your fellow spiritual sister with the Gospel, the Living Water of Christ, of which, after partaking of it, none will thirst evermore.
Mom, Yeah, the 6 month mark is coming up soon and I am very excited! It means I am not a greenie any more! Many missionaries say that the 6-12 month period of your mission is the funnest... you are still learning but you have some experience and you aren't burnt out yet. I hope I don't burn out afterward but it sounds like fun! The holidays were pretty crazy here, apparently, but I only heard a lot of fireworks. Apparently the really bad stuff went on down by the beach... I guess the locals who wanted to get really out of control headed down there. Thanks for all the news about everyone, I really appreciate that! I love to hear about all the stuff you are working on, and I hope Family Home Evenings turn out fun. I will be praying for you all.
Dad! Best of luck on the New York trip! You know I will be praying for you. Ah... stories for the Portuguese party, huh? Nao sei... wish I could have been involved in some more dangerous exciting interesting activities. Last night we had a blackout and we had to use candles for a few hours. Um, shoot, I am drawing a blank right now. Hah, I hope it will still be fun even if you can't drop a killer story. Nossa. Thank you for all of your awesome spiritual words. I love you so much Dad and I feel connected to you so much. Its been four months and yet I know exactly how you'd act if you entered in this LANhouse right now for a visit. I miss you a bunch but I know you want me to be out here doing what I am. Thanks so much for all of the things you have taught me in my life, all my experiences and memories. I owe so much to you Dad. Sometimes I just lay awake at night thinking of things I would like to thank you for, how difficult life was some times and yet how you put up with it for me, how you have given me so much in hope that I would become a good man. Yeah, its hard to put in words. I love you, Dad, and I'm with ya in everything you do. Have a great trip in New York! Knock 'em dead! My prayers are with you.
Hey Kaitlin! Yeah, Christmas was very fun but, hey 2010 is going to be fun too! Avatar was a cool movie? Can you make sushi now! That must be great to be able to make Japanese food! You have an awesome talent now! That Japanese candy sounds tasty. I do love you so much and a miss ya sista! We have some little Brazilian girls and babies that you would love to see! They are very cute and they speak in cute Portuguese voices. Love you Kate! Have a great week!
Connor, man, glad to hear everything is great. Wish I could say more to ya but the family in the States comes first, right? But I am thinking about ya, man, and I am writing you a letter. Should get there much sooner than a letter to the states would. Keep up the great work and the photos are awesome. Neat place down there. Sucks about the rain though. Rainy season so far has only meant one full day of rain and rain during the night and mornings... but I hear it gets worse. Dude, one of the member families we visited were watching Lost, and in English, with Portuguese subtitles! The fifth season just started here. Sooo tempting to just sit and watch the whole episode with them. Love you man! Talk to you next week!
Well, I guess that's it. Oooh, spent a little too long on the internet. Hmmm. Have a great week family and friends, I love you! More when I can type it!
Love,
Your Friend and Brother and Son and Relative,
Elder Brendon Carpenter
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